Green Route Gqeberha/PE

30/05/2025

I am here to try to make sense of my childhood as a nomad. And because a month ago a friend invited me to a talk called The Art of Memoir. And because I believe in the confluence of events that showed me the Blown Away By Books memoir workshop. I always say it’s not about me and ask other people for their opinions but maybe it is about me.

A memoir isn't necessarily happy

22/05/2025

He is warning you that this is his home … here, as a guardian of the wetlands.

Chip Snaddon's land art piece takes a bold stance

15/05/2025

Join us for a talk on guerilla gardening with fynbos!

Fynbos Corridor Collaboration and Eva van Belle, who is passionate about indigenous plants and fauna, invite you to a talk at Neighbourhood Farm where Van Belle will discuss creating small guerilla gardens in open urban spaces.

Van Belle has a large mountainside fynbos garden in Fish Hoek and she has also created, and now maintains, several small guerilla gardens near her home.

Eva van Belle from Fish Hoek talks guerilla gardening with fynbos and indigenous plants

22/04/2025

We will be serving up delicious coffee, smoothies and treats at the Thrift GQ clothing market at VP high school this Saturday 26 April.
Rudi and mamma coffee will be in the house with Ruth & mamma coffee flogging off their wardrobe at the same time.
Come check it out. Loads of deals happening. Including first 50 people to spend R150 or more get a surprise gift pack.

The Roastery will still be open so don’t panic 😜 with Breeze in the house.

And YES this Saturday we will be in 3 places at once. 😅
You’re not going mad in thinking that.

16/04/2025

A friend invited me to an artist’s walkabout at a gallery in central Cape Town. Joy Carkeek is soft-spoken and gentle. A former art teacher, during lockdown she started to experiment with her artworks. Tearing them up, burying them in soil, experimenting with simple poetry. Haiku. Powerful pieces.

I was expecting slow stitching and repurposing but the poignancy of some of the exhibits evoked strong emotions.

A gentle release of emotions on an art walkabout

10/04/2025

Living in Clovelly means interacting with wildlife. I’ve seen baboons in our garden, a caracal on the golf course, snakes in our trees, and porcupines snuffling along the other side of our fence. And lots of Western Leopard toads. I haven’t seen otters in the wetland area (yet) although lots of neighbours have encountered them on their wetland walks. This week’s guest post is from Martin Scholtz from Friends of Silvermine Nature Area, who tells us about a stick sculpture of an otter taking shape in the wetland.

Chip Snaddon's stick sculpture is taking shape in the Silvermine River wetland area

04/04/2025

How do you write a memoir? And why? These were my questions and the reason I went to a talk on the Art of Memoir in a church in Simon’s Town. Plus a friend had invited me to join her for the talk by another friend, Jo-Anne Richards, as part of a Books on the Bay event. It was my first book festival event and it was emotional. I wasn’t prepared for the tears but they flowed as each author spoke about their memoirs, the pain they tapped into, and the paths of their books.

Tears in a church in Simon's Town

28/03/2025

Today’s newsletter is a guest post from Eva van Belle who lives in Fish Hoek. When I shared my seed cracker post Eva decided to make a batch of crackers in her solar oven. Thank you for sharing, Eva!

How to harness the power of the sun

26/03/2025

Extinction Rebellion Cape Town organised a protest for penguins on Tuesday 18 March at Boulders Beach near Simon’s Town.

and other animal news

17/03/2025

Sometimes I take a break and bake. When the madness of the orange maniac and his minions gets too much, I get out my simple recipes and make things.

Back to basics