A Winter Wine Evening .. ...

.... where we enjoyed a delicious meal paired with wines, was organised by Elaine's workplace ..

.. and was held at the FNB Conference Centre ...

... where there were rows of coloured cushions against decorated walls outside the dining area ...

Loved this delicately twirled chandelier which was one of a few hanging from the ceiling in the dining room ....

.. where the wines for the evening were supplied by the Bartinney Wine Estate, which is situated on the steep slopes of the Helshoogte Pass overlooking the picturesque Banghoek Valley in Stellenbosch.

Three wines .. a Savignon Blanc was served with a fruit/cheese starter, a Chardonney was paired with a delicious chicken dish .....

... and an 'easy on the palate' and 'drink now, don't keep' 'Noble Savage' Cabernet Savignon, very reasonably priced ... was paired with a delicious steak and baby onion bredie topped with a dumpling (inside the little potjie pot) ... (for overseas bloggy friends, this is miniature version of the traditional potjie pot which was traditionally used/and still is used for cooking maize meal as well as stew type, yummy tasty meals and sits on an open fire or hot coals)

.. and for 'pud' .. mini cheese cakes in ramekin dishes served with chocolate truffles .... yumm!

Thank you, Sweetie Pie, for organising tickets for us .. it was a most enjoyable evening ..

Elaine and Bryan ... and hubby and me ...

Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare ...

Time for a little more of Ireland to share - haven't done a post for ages on the many places hubby and I visited when we travelled around beautiful Ireland in October last year ..


.. with Liscannor in the far distance on the left ... and after parking our car in the car park .. there are paved walkways, pathways and steps ....




.... leading visitors to this most spectacular sight .... the Cliffs of Moher ...


... which stretch for 8 kilometres and 214 metres above the Atlantic Ocean .. and home to one of Ireland's largest nesting seabird colony with over 30 000 nesting seabirds ...

Unfortunately, it was a bit hazy on the day we were there ..

From the view point (above) the steps and walkway leads to the right to O'Brien's Tower which was built in 1835 by local landlord, Cornelius O'Brien as a viewing point for visitors ...

.. where the Aran Islands can be seen just to the left (dark strip in sea) and the mainland - Co. Galway - in the distance ..

Gentle sounds of a harp and the voice of an angel drifted around the cliffs ...

.. and rolling green hills, thick with emerald green grass ..

.... scattered with fat, furry cows ..

... we walked to the left of the main viewing area and came across this notice which seemed to be ignored by some .. including us! But we thought .. why not .. if they can do .. so can we ! but it is dangerous and there is also a notice warning of the deadly drop to the ocean below and how many people slipped and tumbled to their death ...

Sooo ... cautiously we walked along the cliffs edge .. it was rather scary !

... but we managed to get some awesome photographs ....

This view is from that cliff path looking across to O'Brien's Tower ...

On the way out, we stopped at the Visitor's Centre which is tucked away in the hillside. It's huge inside with coffee and tourist shop (where I bought one of Tina's CD's) and a virtual reality "Cliff Edge Experience" ..

Spectacular, isn't it?

Weekly Winners :

The weekend started with a grey, heavy mist on Friday morning, most unusual for our area ...


.. and then everything turned pink on Saturday ...



.. when Erin came to stay with us for the weekend ... (she just LOVES pink !)



... she was absolutely delighted when I took out two of Elaine's Barbies ...

.. perfectly posed for the photo shoot ...

.. "Barbie ... you WILL fit into the Barbie car ..."

... "B A A A R R B I E E E S" !!!

... " he he he " !!! Happy girl !!!

Then Erin got hold of my camera and started snapping away .... that's hubby and I !!

For more Weekly Winners go to Lotus' blog

Happy New Year to all !!

Hubby and I went out on New Years Eve - quite unusual for us - as we normally stay at home. The dogs, especially Jackie - the Jack Russell - is petrified of fireworks. They are banned except for organised, legal displays but that doesn't make any difference to some people !!! Little Jackie runs frantically around barking at all the bangs - whether far away or close by ... it's hell for her.



We were home before midnight struck so were here to comfort her ... but the evening was spent at Montecasino where we had dinner at the Thai restaurant, Kai Thai - their food is always good although, this time my medium prawn and cashew curry was much hotter than the normal medium strength ! .. much gulping down water and beads of persperation on the brow - and it wasn't a hot flush !!!



There was a New Years celebration in the Piazzo which I believe turned into quite a party later - these photos were taken early evening where everyone was still very sedate ....

... enjoying the music ......


... the twirling of flags ....


.. and fire dancers ...

We left the party-goers and revellers thronging towards the celebrations ... and made our way to the auditorium of the 'Teatro' ... (note ... it's filled with 'oldies' like us!!!)

... to watch and experience ....

It was spectacular !!!! Skaters from Russia .. slick performance .. magnificent costumes .. beautiful music ... absolutely stunning! So cool .. meaning the opposite of hot (!) - remember, we are in mid summer ! ... watching the performers glide on ice when it's swelteringly hot outside !!!! We have made a mental note to see the next show when it comes again in two years time!!!

So ... from us ... hubby and I ...

... to you all !!!

We celebrated Elaine's graduation ...

.. on Saturday night with a dinner at ....

As you all know there was a mix up with dates and we will miss her graduation by ONE DAY .... very very very sad mommy and daddy here!! :(

... so we celebrated her special day .... Honours with cum laude (Marketing) ....

... with dinner and a little prezzie ...




... which she will wear tomorrow ... so that there will be a little part of us with her while she is capped ...

Congratulations, sweetie pie .. you deserve it. You have reaped the rewards of your dedication and hard work ..

.. we love you lots !