It was the most perfect early spring day, we walked along the coast from Muizenberg to a delightful seafood restaurant in Kalk Bay. Monday is just like any other day for the surfers of Muizenberg Beach!

Heaven!

Wild flowers along our route, Cape Town is a breathtaking city - if you haven’t been, do yourself a favour, you gotta go there!!

When we hit the town of Kalk Bay - My patient sister waited while I trawled through the array of treasures I found in a glorious shop selling local wares on the main street. I wanted to pick up some little pieces for my Junior League show house room that illustrated my life’s journey, and my love of all things African.

Re-cycled materials make the most wonderful light fittings and room dividers - too big for my suitcase though!

I couldn’t resist the ‘Fresh Flowers’ made out of bottle tops and soda cans. African really know how to do witty!

The town of Kalk Bay is populated with aging hippies, surfer dudes, fishermen and greenies. I do not think they are too amused by the idea of Shell Oil coming in and drilling for gas in the Karoo!

If you have time, a visit to the Olympia Cafe for breakfast or lunch on the Main Street of Kalk Bay is a must. They bake their own heavenly bread, the atmosphere is very laid back, secondhand furniture store tables and chairs, interesting looking people and droolworthy food! Authenticity rules! I popped my head in just to check that it still looked the same as when I was last there 10 years ago - it did!

The restaurant Julia had chosen for our lunch sits right inside the working part of the harbour.

The main catch is a fish called ‘Snoek’ - a bit fishy and greasy for my taste, though when smoked, it makes delish pate. Here a local vendor sells his wares right off a tarp on the pavement. Below the fish are being dried right on the fence. That’s our restaurant in the background.

We took a quick stroll to see the action on the pier - gorgeous but a bit smelly!

Lunch and the most fabulous setting!

We do our best not to let the miles that divide us get in the way of our sisterly love.

On our way back home Julia wanted to show me the shark man who rides to the top of this hill every half hour to check for great whites - then waves a flag to alert the surfers if there’s one lurking - low tech, but I assume, effective...

Back home to Julia’s house to take the dogs out - she has the most wonderful green belt that runs along the edge of her property.

Wild lupine’s grow in the fields - and the new oak leaves looked so fresh and green, you could almost imagine eating them.

Quick shower and supper at Steenberg Wine Estate just up the road in Constantia - very ra-ra!!

Sadly it was too cold to sit outside but what a view!

Onward - time to go and visit my mum in Plett, and this is the weather that greeted me!

Her Fabulousness showing me around all the new plants that she and Eric have nurtured in our courtyard garden - ever seen an 82 year old look so swish in a pair of jeans??

I grabbed some deck time - such lovely weather!

Took Emmie to our favourite restaurant out in the countryside - Katrina’s on the Kurland Estate.

It was very out of season - just us in the restaurant, so I had the chance to look around and see how stylishly everything was done. The Reynolds girls - (family friends) are sooo talented. I love the cool, sophisticated but totally unpretentious way they put it all together. (With a good dash of colonial days I might add!)

Emmie caught up with her calls while I took pics - the woman has a hectic social life!

I spent some time looking for more bits and pieces for my show house room. I love shopping at Old Nick Shopping center outside plett, it has such a rural vibe, and it used to be the local jail!

Viva African-ness!!

Being on the wrong time zone has its upside - I saw some amazing sun rises!

Last evening from our balcony - the weather was just beginning to change - good time to go to London!

I arrived first thing in the morning and Peter and Elizabeth (the Fasano’s) were also staying with Jess for Decorex. We headed straight out to the park to walk Arthur. We are all slaves to that dog! Well, he probably is the most adorable dog in the whole wide world!

Then off to the tube to catch the last day of the Tent London uber trendy design show - the Olympic advertisements are all still up - so much pride that it all went off so well!

East London has a completely different vibe to the area’s where I usually hang out - loving those shutters!!

Lunch in Brick Lane, just round the corner from the design show. It’s famous for Indian restaurants - we found a Bangladeshi one that had just the sort of food we needed for a miserable London day!

Splishy, splashy umbrella weather - but we had fun!

Amazing graffiti -

We lost Angus and Jess for a while!

Some designs are just bazaar - like this blow up igloo tent thingy!

...or the chair made of straw, quite comfortable but not good if you’re wearing tights!

We all admired this high boy chest made almost entirely of domino’s. The English designers love the conflict between classic formal forms and everyday materials. I love that too!!

This amusing swimming pool coffee table - very David Hockney-esque also got a general thumbs up from our gang.

There was tons of colour -

and oodles of fun!!

Hit of the show was the sumo wrestler iPad charger - how could you resist??

Day two was Decorex day, quickly dragged Peter and Elizabeth into my favourite haunt for old furniture - the French House - just over the road from the Parsons Green tube station. Marcus the owner has an eye!!

Don’t think this deco children’s chair would fit in my suit case - tragic!

Don’t bother going anywhere else if you’re looking for  vintage chandeliers!

First thing Peter and Elizabeth saw upon arriving at Chelsea Harbour Design Center - a whimsical window display by their showroom - Tissus d’Helene - featuring some of their wallpapers. They look very happy!!

The Fasano’s had a meet and greet thing to do in their showroom so I had a quick snoop around.

Tissus d’Helene is packed with really cool designer fabrics.

Martin Lawrence Bullard does wallpaper - who knew?? Love it!

While hanging out in Tissus de Helene, I met Lisa Fine who was there to promote her new fabric line. She modeled the coat that she had made for her new clothing line with Carolina Irving in India. Gorgeous. Found their FB page - here’s the link http://www.facebook.com/pages/IRVING-FINE/161513399531

John Stephanidis new line of fabrics blew my old decorators mind!! The quality of the printing, the hand of the fabrics, beyond!

Onward people!! - Colefax and Fowler always have the best flowers and the Champagne flows all day!

Nice splash of colour in the Manuel Canovas section.

Next stop Vaughan - they have delish food!!

I love  Lucy Vaughan’s style - how much do you love her striped dhurries?

Loved her new blingy table lamps...

Pleated patterned lampshades have made a huge comeback - loved them in the nineties when Robert Kime did them. Really lovely in a hippy dippy way.

Paul called mid Decorex-ing - did we want to meet for lunch he had a change of plans, was flying out to Africa that evening?? Of course we dropped everything - gotta see the boy when you can!! Fun oyster lunch at the Botonist, a very well coiffed crowd, and delish food, on Sloane Square. Try it, you’ll like it!

We started our day three walking the streets of Pimlico and drooling in the windows of the most amazing antique stores in the world.

Love a nice shop dog - and oooh that table!

We loved the new Soane store - so elegant and their new fabric line is fun - that’s it on the sofa in their window.

Gathered lampshade alert!!

Best chinese hall lantern ever!!

In my new, specially bought for Decorex dress, I could have been part of the furniture!

Off down the road to do Decorex proper - its in a huge tent in grounds of Royal Hospital Gardens.

I have a bit of a crush on the Julian Chichester bobble chairs, the table not so much. Thats his new lamp above - really fun with the bright pink shade!

Sometimes you just walk into a space and exhale! Pinch did that for me!

I am happy to report that the ethnic vintage fabric thing is still going strong!

There are those lampshades again... see what I mean.

My eyes were beginning to glaze over, time to go home and walk the dogs.

One last note, the ubiquitous Champagne bar that sits in the middle of the Decorex tent,  and does a cracking trade from early in the morning, reaching a fever pitch at about 4 in the afternoon - was all decked out in cork this year. The organisers must have been saluting the incredible installation at the Serpentine Gallery by the famous, dissident Chinese artist Ai WeiWei. I love the confluence of different cultures. I love the flow back and forth between life and art. The borders are gone - Yay!!

To my loyal readers, you might be surprised that you are getting this blog in late November!! - Its been on my computer waiting to be finished for months- the Junior League show house ate my life! Its over now, breathe, hope this is still fresh and amusing!!

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