Summer fashion

I really can't wait for summer! This is what I'm looking forward to for summer fashion:

Just beautiful! I especially love Ode to Nature and Southern Folk. Which ones do you like? x

Home Away: "At home in the world"

What does it mean to be a South African traveller in today’s globalised world? A new book asks this question in 24 stories and 24 times zones by 24 South African writers, weaving together a magical and moving journey of travel and time. Home Away is an anthology that will make you question, treasure and reflect on your place in the world

 “You wonder what it means to live the life of a legal alien, with the dust of one country in your nostrils and the dreams of another in your head. You wonder whether the freedom to cross borders is tempered by the loneliness of exile, or whether the anxiety of driving on the wrong side of the road is inevitably offset by the thrill of driving on the right side of opportunity,” writes author Vikas Swarup as he contemplates the journey that Home Away will take you on in his foreword to the book.

A rollercoaster ride awaits you as you cross six continents and twenty-four time zones in an exploration of what it means to be a South African expat in today’s world. Editor Louis Greenberg has weaved together a unique concept- a compilation of 24 short stories by 24 South African writers in 24 hours and 24 cities. The tales make up one global day, following from each other in chronological order. The result is a dizzying dance of voices, places and spaces that reflect the experience of the South African traveller.

Home, Away

Greenberg gave this group of established South African authors and new writers a task that is more nuanced than other travel writing: the stories were to reflect not only the experience of travel, but also what it means to call South Africa home. Thus, each story is a multi-dimension moment that encapsulates being both home and away.

As the description of the book says, “being South African isn’t as black and white as it used to be. People from all over the world make this country their home, while South Africans have more geographical freedom than ever before.” From a distance, home can sometimes been seen through smoke and mirrors, and yet we need to continually look into that mirror to reflect on where we are, where we come from and where we want to go. Home Away constantly asks these questions, despite the stories being so varied.

At the same time, the book is a collection of snapshots recording the intensity and thrill of travel. A story set in steamy Havana describes this: “Aboriginal people believe that friends leave footprints, but enemies leave your life without a trace. Imagine if the same rule applied to travelling... to forget the details of places with painful memories, while allowing locations where one experienced transformation and happiness to build a house in the heart and stay with you forever.”

And what of the stories themselves? Compelling, powerful, sexy and strange, they will take you to places in the world and in your head that are equally real and fantastical. The opening act has the author trying to poison a politician in Nairobi at midnight; later, you travel with a set of suitcases; further you are plunged into a zombie-zone in Botswana and in another moment you are contemplating the institution of the British tea break in Oxford.

As you catch your breath between continents and time zones, you pause to reflect on your place in all this. As boundaries and borders blur both in the book and around you, you realize that, as Swarup says, “You are not a world away from home. You are at home in the world.”

This article was originally published on www.thesouthafrican.com 

World Cup 2010- endings and beginnings

This little vuvuzela boy symbolizes everything that the World Cup has meant for South Africa. Today, it all comes to a close. So much has been said in the past month about the tournament- what it has meant for SA and the world.

For me, the World Cup has reminded me why I am South African and why I want to live here. I am living in a place in transition, a place with so much potential and passion and power. I feel that the boy in the picture can be part of that- that this country will take him to the places and spaces that his grandparents dreamed of, that it can help him achieve what he deserves, and in turn he will help South Africa blossom. 

I'm glad I live in a country where the headlines touch on the triumphs and tragedies of real people, navigating the turmoil of this place, and how despite the daily grind and pain and poverty, the World Cup has crystallized what it means to be South African- how far we have come, where we are going and what we are aiming for. 

The World Cup has been a mirror, reflecting to us and the world what we are capable of, even if we think we have lost sight of it. With this vision we will carry forward all the little boys like the one in the picture, achieving what we have only glimpsed during this World Cup. And like the little boy in the picture, we'll make a whole lot of noise doing it!

Image from weheartit

Winter love

Cape Town is in the middle of winter at the moment, and although it hasn't been a really bad one, I've really been resenting it this year. I guess early mornings, running and winter don't really combine together very well.

But in the spirit of being positive, here are some things I am loving about winter:

That despite it being cold, we don't have anything close to snow

Some winter days have been sparkling and sunny

The World Cup has definitely brightened everyone's winter, and made it go faster

I can paint my nails in gorgeous dark colours

Boots are beautiful

The fresh air is great to run in

I have the most amazing boyfriend in the world to cuddle with and who keeps me warm :)

xxx

image from http://weheartit.com

West Coast road trip...

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post! This year is flying, with so many new things, adventures, work and living. But that's no excuse and I plan to return to the blog properly.

Have you ever been to South Africa's West Coast? It is a surprising coastline... desolated, deserted, undeveloped.. and beautiful in all of these. It is known for its spring flowers, but when I traveled it this last week (with my amazing boyfriend) the landscape was an autumn one, awaiting this colourful carpet with anticipation.

We began in Clanwilliam, a town that gains its lifeblood from the alongside dam, and the contrast between the water and its desert surroundings is sharp and powerful. The town certainly has a spirited soul, and it was revitalizing to be there.

We traveled to Lambert's Bay to begin our meander down the coast, and here the town was almost held hostage by the sea. The place itself was scattered, with tiny restaurants amongst fish factories, and a sense of strangeness hovered over the place. The sea beside it was raging, and we found a more natural energy as we walked and climbed on the rocky outcrops, with crashing waves pounding around us. It certainly was the coast at its most real and alive- refreshing after coming from Cape Town, with its more designed and developed seasides.

This same combination of desolation and energy continued down the coast, with some places looking almost like ghost towns. St Helena Bay had a certain warmth to it. However we continued towards our destination of Paternoster, which was worth waiting for. Like a little island oasis, Greek-style house huddle on the coastline, in white and blue sweetness. Little streets, houses without fences or walls, made us feel that we were on a Greek island, or somewhere in Europe. The magical atmosphere of the village was added to by empty fishing boats dotting a desolate beach, ethereal and enchanting.

We continued to Jacobsbaai, Langebaan (one of the more developed areas, in a suffocating kind of way) and into the West Coast Nature Reserve, which surrounds a turquoise lagoon. Green fynbos against blue water brought life back into the landscape, but at the same time the reserve maintained the same loyalty to nature, seasons and sea that the rest of the coastline had offered.

Living in South Africa's cities we feel that people and place have collided at full force, with space and nature being rare and precious. Yet our West Coast remains empty, desolate, undeveloped and deserted- uneasy yet captivating at the same time. So to enjoy some space, stillness and solitude, immerse yourself between the Cederberg and the sea, and beyond.

Clanwilliam

 Paternoster

 West Coast Nature Reserve

Friday Thoughts

I believe in trusting the process.
I feel peaceful, happy and excited.
I want to sleep.
I plan to enjoy this weekend of freedom before starting work on Monday.
I know that its all going to be okay, for all of us.
I love my dogs, walks in the sunshine, drinking tea, magazines, cuddling and kisses.

Friday feeling: 'And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.' -Anais Nin

Inspirational images...

Love these collaged images I stumbled across.. inspiration for autumn/winter 2010 fashion season in SA...

  

 

See more at 

http://www.cosmoworlds.com