This weekend

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Sue In The City

We were lucky enough to crack an invite to go to Switzerland for a Bank Holiday weekend of hiking, red wine and fireplace cuddles. Sadly, with us having to wait until the very last minute to hear whether or not I’d be lucky enough to be granted a Schengen visa, our flights to Zurich now are so expensive that we’ve decided not to go – seriously, it was going to cost more than it will cost us to fly back to New York for a week of Big Apple fun! So here we are, on a Thursday afternoon, with very little planned for a long weekend. John hasn’t been home for four weekends in a row, so he’s looking forward to doing as little as possible. I figured that it may well be time to give it a final push and try to get our living room sorted. With Annie’s help I found these rather darling pouffes which I might go check out this weekend as an extra seating solution.
We’ve also taken the plunge and ordered an Eames chair for the living room – perfect solution to our current sofa-not-large-enough-for-two-tall-people-to-lie-on situation. John will have his very own reclining chair and I get to keep the sofa all for myself! I’ll share some photos of the apartment soon – I promise.

On Saturday we have tickets to go to the LED Festival (London Electronic Dance) – yes, yes, I know. But we mainly bought it because current hot SA act Die Antwoord are performing and after rave reviews of what they did in New York, we’ve been so keen to experience it for ourselves!

I will no doubt be singing ‘A-hee-haaa-hee-jaai, I am your butterrrrfly, I need your protekshion, need your protekshion’. Can’t wait!

Christmas? Really?

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Sue In The City

Today we received our first invitation to a Christmas party – IN DECEMBER. What has happened to this year? How is it almost the end of August? Where did the summer go? It feels crazy to think that we’ve been in London for a whole season, nevermind the fact that we’ve been here for over six months already! How did this happen?

It’s been raining and last night I was cold for the first time in months. I fear summer is well and truly over. Which means we’re headed for the dreaded dark, cold and dreary winter. Which I honestly don’t feel ready for. Now we’re furiously working on that plan to be able to spend six months a year in Europe and the other six months in Cape Town (You figure out which six will be spent where!)

If you have any ideas, please feel free to share them. I’m all (cold) ears.

Bye-Bye Towers

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Sue In The City

Another landmark experience I missed by not living in my beloved Cape Town anymore happened yesterday – the demolition of the Athlone Cooling Towers. Now let’s be honest, no one’s going to miss those hideous things, are they? But it would have been cool to have been able to say ‘I was there’. (Though, after missing the recent World Cup, this is nothing compared.)

Had to share this great video by my friend Rowan Pybus – undoubtedly one of the most talented and creative people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting!

Wedding craziness

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Sue In The City

Before November 2009 I was one of those girls who never could understand the fascination with the whole wedding thing. I mean, you spend the equivalent of a house deposit on one party which, was it not for the super expensive photographer constantly in your face capturing every single move, you wouldn’t remember much of in anyways.

But then John put that rock on my finger and everything changed. A bubble machine to open the dancefloor with? Yes please! R2,000 per fire brazier? Oh, we need at least six of those! (What exactly IS a fire brazier?). And it’s not just the party… There are the shoes, the underwear, the wedding bands, the car to take you to the party, the ceremony venue, the bridesmaids dresses, the hair, the after party, the pre-party, the guestlist, the invitations, the ‘favours’ (who ever keeps those expensive little gifts?) and the bus to get everyone everywhere.

The list is never-ending. And it all costs major money. But it seems that I’ve now joined the ranks of crazy brides. It’s one day. But it’s (hopefully!) the only day of its kind in my life. And damn…it had better been something special!

So, for now at least, we are shutting our eyes and pulling that budget together. And it hurts. In a good way! (And today in six months’ time exactly, we’ll be saying ‘I do’ again. Can’t wait!)

Jimmy Who?

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Sue In The City

After months of being frugal and adjusting to earning my own income in a new town, I finally broke the no-spend-ban I placed on my (brand new!) credit card. And once I swiped, I did not stop! First the background information…I have a friend who has a friend who works for Jimmy Choo. And through this friend of a friend I managed to grab a much-sought-after spot on their annual ‘friends and family’ sale. Gasp! After a sleepless night, I headed out in shoes that would slip on and off easily enough for me to be able to try on many pairs. At the same time if needed. Alas, by the time the plebs (that’s the category I fell into, sadly) got access to the sale, all the size 41 shoes had been plundered to death by the staff and media the day before (is it just me or do all journalists have large feet?). There were pale pink satin pumps, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Then my eyes roved over to the top shelf where hundreds of bags were screaming my name. “Take me home!” they seemed to say. And I did. Three of them. And it wasn’t easy, I tell you! My arms were sore from the weight of carrying all the ones I wanted to take home, but in the end I had to leave some to the clutches of other desperate shoppers. And I got three. One black basic. One gorgeous olive green basic (I could only find a photo in purple online). And one divine silver basic. And I love them. What do you think?