A Good Getaway

I have been somewhat absent from cyberspace for a while. It often happens during the holidays - I have more time but get less done! Which is not a bad thing really. We did celebrate a wedding anniversary and the twins had a birthday. It's hard to believe my babies are now 15! And when you share your home with 4 teenage boys, you need and deserve a night off every now and then so my husband and I skipped town and went to Franschhoek to celebrate our anniversary - 22 years. Newly weds compared to my parents' 63 years! 

Our first stop was Babylonstoren for lunch. I absolutely love this place. The lunch was delicious and healthy which was just as well because we pigged out at dinner! More about that later....

Quite a few of our friends are at a similar life stage to us, nearing an empty nest and wondering, when their children leave home, if they will still find common ground with their spouses. One thing my husband and I will always have in common is wine, so wine tasting seemed to be a good way to spend the afternoon. The first stop was Rickety Bridge, then Dieu Donne where the views were beautiful and we met group of Belgian tourists and a very entertaining young Finnish doctor who was travelling around South Africa. I didn't take any pictures sadly - too busy tasting wine with our new friends! 

We then checked in at our guest house, Les Chambres which I can definitely recommend. This was our bedroom and bathroom...

The other bedrooms looked just as pretty...

Furnished in a way that is more homely than "hotelly"....

Breakfast was served out here next to the beautiful fountain. 

The dinner venue where we over-indulged was Bon Vivant. The food was really excellent and we had some more delicious wine. The name of the restaurant means "good living" and we felt compelled to live up to the name. 

The next morning we wandered around the market that takes place every Saturday, stopped for a coffee and, of course, no trip  to Franschhoek would be complete without a visit to Masquerade, my favourite shop. It could well become yours too, even if you don't go to Franschhoek because you can shop online!  You're welcome!.

So, all in all, a good getaway and some happy memories to get us through the winter.

Till next time

Sharon xx

Provençal in Franschhoek

You would be forgiven for thinking that this house was in Provence. It is, in fact, on a farm in Franschhoek (Dutch for French Corner), a small town close to Cape Town. French Huguenots settled here in 1688, after fleeing religious persecution in their own country, and the town still boasts a very strong French influence.

I was lucky enough to spend a day at this farm a few years ago.

The farm is owned by an interesting couple, the wife being an Argentinian paediatrician and the husband, a South African, spent some time working for the BBC. They met when he was assigned to cover the Falklands war. Such a romantic story. She has always loved this style of French farmhouse so she decided to create her own piece of Provence here in this corner of South Africa.

She is an excellent cook and runs cooking classes from her kitchen here on the farm which is how I, with a group of girlfriends, came to be here.

We spent the morning learning to cook a magnificent Christmas lunch and then spent the rest of the day on this terrace eating the meal, sipping their homegrown wine and marvelling at the beautiful setting.

Most of the shutters used on the house were sourced in France, and the house was built using local stone.

It has the look and feel of it having been there for centuries.

This fantastic kitchen garden provided many of the fresh ingredients were used for our cooking demonstration that day,

The edging on the beds are actually thin branches bent into shape and "planted" around each bed. I love that idea.

The pencil cypresses (Cupressus sempervirens)
you see in the background are so reminiscent of Provence.

In addition to making wine, the couple also make their own delicious olive oil.

Olive groves, lavender, cypresses, stone walls - it has everything you might find in Provence.

The interior of the house is charming and totally unpretentious.

The kitchen is simply furnished and completely unfitted. The scullery and pantry are through the door you see at the back and french doors leading out to the kitchen garden are on the left.

All the rooms have doors leading out, letting in the wonderful African sunshine.

The dining room/library above and living room below are kept, simple and uncluttered. As all the doors and windows have exterior shutters, no curtains are needed.

The living room is comfortable and inviting. I love that fireplace!

Bedrooms and bathrooms are kept simple, so nothing can detract from the beautiful outlook.

I hope you enjoyed your little "Provencal" escape here in South Africa.

Till next time

Sharon x

Image source: here

Cooking classes : Silvana's Kitchen  +27(0)21 871 1316