Spontaneous Trips to Stellenbosch

Firstly, I have to announce on a personal note that my sister got engaged this weekend! Congratulations Celeste & Ettiene! A blog post will follow soon :) Now, on with the post!

A while ago, my boyfriend and I decided to take a little day trip to Stellenbosch. I've always known Stellenbosch as "Stellies", which I hate. I think the nickname was originally coined by white suburban girls who couldn't pronounce the full Afrikaans word.

Our first stop off was at Moooiberge Farm.

This would have been beautiful, had it not been for the

CREEPIEST CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND EVER.

Like, seriously... Who would create this and why??? We stayed at this place for a total of seven minutes, only to pick up an ice cream and then drive the hell away from that place. Oh! And just in case the place hadn't creeped us out enough yet, they decided to stick a bunch of the same scary-ass dolls ONTO the polls heading out, leaving them looking like they were piked by tribesmen and left there as a warning for trespassing dolls.


 

I'm just thankful I didn't go to this place when I was a kid. Lord help the children whose parents have made them stay there and pick strawberries, because they will probably have trouble sleeping until they're like, oh I don't know, THIRTY?

To escape the uneasiness of the Creepy Children's Playground, we headed off to the Hillcrest Berry Orchards, where we had the most amaaaazing scones in the world, paired with any jams of our liking. These people make the most delicious jams and the variety they serve is incredible. It's a beautiful little cafe filled with tons of delectable, locally produced homemade eats, overlooking classic Stellenbosch scenery. So if you're in the mood to have a tasty scone one lazy Sunday, you should really give this place a try.

Ah, Stellenbosch. What beauty.

Some cool kids we met whilst driving around town.

Nothing better than fresh farm eggs.

These reminded me of Christmas so I automatically love them!

After we were done scoffing our faces (or sconing, rather. haha. yeah, I just did that) we decided to take a trip to the Stellenbosch Botanical Gardens. I've lived in Durban for most of my life and had only ever really known one botanical garden, so you can imagine how great it was to have a change of scenery. These gardens were a lot different to Durban's and not only in terms of plant species, but also in terms of the entire layout. There are so many different sections to visit and rather than being a spacious plot of land, the Stellenbosch Botanical Gardens serves as more of a maze of botanical wonders.



















They also have a beautiful restaurant (that we, sadly, did not get a chance to try) hidden amongst the winding and twisting viridescent paths. I think I'd rather enjoy going back to give it a try sometime.
































After our siesta on a patch of soft grass, we were on the lookout for an unknown restaurant to try out for dinner. I LOVE fairy lights (as in crazy love. as in "i would cover my entire house in fairy lights if i could" love) so I whipped out my phone and Googled "fairy light restaurant stellenbosch". We went with the first result and damn, were we glad that we did. Because what we found is possibly one of Stellenbosch's most hidden gems - The Trumpet Tree Social Cafe. I'm not at all sure how popular the restaurant actually is because it's sort of tucked away between other stores on a long road, but I would recommend it time and time again. Reasonably priced, delicious food, good music, relaxed atmoshphere and, most importantly, fairy lights! What more could anyone ask for?

    

















































































 
































Don't you just love lazy Sunday afternoons that lead to exciting adventures?

I do!

The Hunger Games

No. I've never read any of the Hunger Games books. I know that by saying that, I've already lost some major street cred as a hipster... but I'm kind of okay with that. I didn't even know what The Hunger Games was (nevermind the fact that it was first a book series) until the trailer slapped me in the face.

I know this is a little late because the movie is, by now, pretty much old news. But in regards to the movie -  I loved it. So much. Elizabeth Banks has made a massive step up from Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Her performance in The Hunger Games was unexpected and outstanding, as was Stanley Tucci's (no surprise there.) I especially loved the decision to cast Woody Harrelson in the film - I think he's fantastic in almost all of his movies.

I don't, however, think that Josh Hutcherson was the perfect choice for Peeta, but he did a relatively good job keeping up. I think the problem may be because I've seen him as a kid in a few too many movies (Zathura, Bridge to Terabithia, etc) and he still looks really young to me (A boyish charm, I suppose.) Amandla Stenberg was absolutely perfect for Rue. She is the most adorable little girl ever! Therefore, she was fantastic for the role that made me cry like a whimpering puppy two thirds into the movie.

As for miss Jennifer Lawrence... Wow. I was blown away by her performance and I don't know why she isn't in more films. I thought she was wonderful and, for me at least, she managed to capture the essence of Katniss really well. Somehow I find it difficult to believe that a former cheerleader could do such a badass job of bringing a character to life. The movie was amazing, but without Jennifer, I don't know how well the film would have faired in the eyes of the public and critics.

Anyway, the reason why I'm posting about The Hunger Games is because when I went to watch the film at Nu Metro, I received a complimentary Mockingjay pin. For those who are unaware, the Mockingjay is a continuous symbol throughout the film and a  Mockingjay pin is worn by Katniss during her journey. In context of the book, the Mockingjay is a symbol of rebellion. I fell in love with the bird when I first saw the movie poster and was ecstatic to get my hands on one of my very own pins!

You jelly, bro? Ya should be! I have quite a collection of badges and pins and this is by far my favourite. Though I must admit, I feel rather silly sporting the pin without having read the books. So, I guess I've found my next endeavor! Hunger Games book series, here I come. Don't you love awesome pins?

I do.

Nixon Loop Headphones

In the name of taking a break from girly posts, I thought I'd write about the Nixon Loop Headphones that were delivered to me a week or two ago, courtesy of KNR Flatrock. I really love coming home to this kind of thing:

 

Exciting, right? I love that feeling you get when you see something addressed to you. ...Unless it's a bill. Then I put it in a dark cupboard and try to forget about it for as long as I can.

In this box was no bill, though. Instead, the contents of this package put a very wide smile on my face indeed. This is what it contained:

I love the turquoise. I really do. The quality is great and, in my opinion, they look pretty rad on my head. The Nixon Loops aren't fantastic for gaming, but for chilling at your PC, Skyping your best friend and, of course, listening to Lemon Tree while you write this blog post, they're perfect.

I love the Notebook and pen gesture. Always a winner in my (note)books.

The brochure that accompanied my headphones on the journey to my house.

My favourite page from the brochure. Chocolate. Mmm.

I would highly recommend this pair to anyone looking for rad everyday headphones. I love the quality, I love the look, I love the colour, I love the brand. I gotta say that for a brand whose focus isn't primarily headphones, they've done a really good job with the Loops. 

Don't you love listening to 90's music with comfy and good-looking headphones?

I do.

Lush Lingerie

Usually when I visit any kind of lingerie store, I feel too big for most of the items being sold. I also look at some of the sexier items and think "Holy crap, I would look so incredibly ridiculous in that." But all of the time I spend searching and browsing for that perfect fit is totally worth it when I finally find that one piece that feels like it was made for me.

In my opinion, every girl should own at least one or two stunning pieces of lingerie because, well, it makes us feel sexy! And I don't know about you guys, but I love feeling sultry!

From Just Undies. Looks so much better on.

Also from Just Undies. Also looks better on. IYKWIM.

My favourite corset from Temptations.

After Eden.

Another stunner from After Eden.

I must point out that that purple bra from After Eden is one of the best I've managed to find. It fits my wide chest (and relatively small boobs) perfectly and is my number one choice every time - The gel cups enhance (or in my case, create) cleavage so effortlessly.

All of this being said, I must say that these three brands are definitely my favourites when it comes to buying lingerie. Don't you just love feeling foxy?

I do.