Everything you need to know about learning to drive in the city

*This post contains affiliate links  I learnt to drive in heart of the city of Cape Town and let's just say it was a pretty crazy experience and I feel it gave me a pretty good grounding for feeling comfortable in most places and have since driven across South Africa, France and all the way from the West of Scotland to Cornwall. It was certainly more intensive than driving quiet country roads, especially when navigating 4 lane roads, taxies and rush-hour commutes.  Different driving settings will present you with different challenges no matter what country your in. When driving on a rural lane in the UK you might encounter a herd of cows crossing the road, and in a town or village you might be met by school-run traffic, but city driving is a whole other kettle of fish. If you’re learning to drive in Birmingham , for example, then you’ll expect to hit some heavy traffic, have to adapt to one-way systems and stay alert, since situations can change very quickly. If you live in a ......

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The best destinations to get married this leap year

*Associated Post  As 2020 rolls on, it’s worth remembering that February will have an extra day, as we are in the midst of a leap year. Coming around every four years, leap years give us an extra day on the calendar – February 29th. A mythical date – just what do you do if it’s your birthday?! – Feb 29 has been long associated with the Irish custom of Bachelor’s Day, which states women can ask men to marry them, although in modern times it's, of course, no matter what your sexual orientation, whether in a traditional relationship or a same-sex one, you can propose to your partner. If you are thinking about proposing having a bit of a whirlwind ceremony, I thought I would share 5 beautiful destinations for the leap year that are also LGBTQ friendly 1. Cape Town I may be a little biased as I grew up in South Africa's mother city but honestly, it's a fantastic place to get married with reliable sunny weather, white sand beaches and an array of private wine f......

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Top 3 Family Friendly Destinations for Winter Sun

Being a South African expat I find that even after nearly a decade living in the UK that the winters are still a struggle, as much as the magic of snow will never fade the idea of those short days and long nights and the biting wind that lingers just a little bit too long for me are always hard. I find my main coping method to this is seeking out a little winter sunshine as it's surprising what a week or two away in a different country, culture and climate really does wonders for the soul and goes a long way to breaking up those cold winter months. If you are a regular reader to my blog you will know we always travel as a family so that is always a factor when deciding and planning trips away. It doesn't necessarily mean we need everything tailor towards children but knowing where ever we decided to go that children are welcome is important to us wether it be a city, beach or culture break. I have put together our top 3 destinations if your looking for a does of sunshi......

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2014 Travel Wishlist

We managed a few adventures last year, lots of camping and festivals which we hope to do this summer as well expect with a few more overseas trips as well, last year longer trips were on hold due to purchasing the new house but we have put together what we see as a fairly realistically wish list to aspire to over the next year, especially since we both really want to tick of a few new countries to our list which currently stands at 26 countries. 1. Scandinavia Inspiration - We really want to take our first steps (as we are sure we will visit more than once) to exploring those beautiful countries further north - possible a trip to see the Norwegian Fjords or the stylish Stockholm or possibly a having a danish in Copenhagen, either way there are chic cites and stunning outdoor landscapes to inspire the soul and we really want to explore this part of the world. Inspiring Norwegian Fjords  2. A Chic City Break - we plan to visit Paris which I have been to many times but c......

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Sunny South Africa

With all this miserable cold rainy weather I wanted to do a little happy travel inspiration post. We have been making lots of travel plans of late and hopefully, fingers crossed, we will be able to visit my hometown of Cape Town near the end of the year, literally dancing up and down at the thought of seeing Table Mountain, eating the gorgeous food and taking my little man to see the place I call home. It really is such a beautiful country with a big heart and should be on everyones must-see list. Simons Town - a lovely beach were you can see these little guys - Jackass Penguins A view across the Western Cape coast line - beautiful This is what you see when your flying into the Mother City Bo Kaap - a vibrant and colourful part of town with tons of history ...

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Travel Tuesday - an African childhood

Me and my best friend with the view of table mountain in the background This is the first time I am doing a Travel Tuesday post and I thought I better start right at the beginning. Both John and I have done quite a bit of travel and John will feature in this weekly post as well but for now this is my journey with a little bit of my background. Basically, I was born and grew up in South Africa, to a South African father and a Welsh mother. My father and I on Hout Bay beach, Cape Town My father would work very long hours so he could save and take us to the UK for a few months every 2 years so my mother could see her family and while we were in Europe we always visited other countries such as Greece, France, Germany , Austria, Holland, Belgium, Spain and across the pond to the US. We went without at times so we could do these big trips but I have some amazing memories and it sparked my love for travel and I hope I can do the same for my little man Mr A. My brother and I ......

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Little Lucky Charms

Do you have something you carry with you all the time? A little trinket, keep sake, ring? I have two lucky charms as I call them that I never leave the house without, neither cost a lot of money but I wear them on a daily basis. The necklace my mother bought for me about 8 years ago, it's from my hometown of Cape Town and reminds me of home, I love all the little jewels and wooden beads. My other lucky charm is my heart chakra bracelet, I wear this to remind me of all the people I love and to keep being compassionate. My heart chakra ...

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Dreaming of far flung shores

When winter seems to have gone on forever - and this past year and a half it really has been an 18month raining season for Wales, I cannot help but daydream about wonderful island paradises with golden sands and pineapple cocktails or long hikes up mountains on a clear blue day. I think back to my days in Cape Town, the long summers, surfing and wonderful natural tan and also to the more recent days of working in the South of France, spending time lying on the beach with friends with freshly baked french bread and a good bottle of wine. I have always been a fan of the easy breezy, understated but very fashionable summer yacht style, with big sunglasses, straw hats and beautifully tailored swimsuits, which Prism swimwear  and sunglasses have down to a tee, I only just discovered this line over at Avenue 32 and I am in love... It's strange sometimes how you don't always realise what you have when it's right in front of you - I loved living in Nice and oh ......

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Fun Halloween Shoes by Iron Fist

  So I happen to stumble across these shoes by Iron Fist, and thought they where super fun for Halloween. I had heard of Iron Fist a while back when I used to work in a clothing store in Cape Town, as the founders of Iron Fist are South African but are now based in San Diego and the label is really starting to take off. Iron Fist though is not for the faint-hearted as their designs and artwork are bold, loud and colourful taking inspiration from skate, punk, hip-hop and tattoo culture. They already have some pretty glamorous celebs sporting there stuff such as Tommy Lee, Britney Spears and band The Sounds. ...

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