Old postcards

The bride to be sent me down to Kalk-Bay to hunt for vintage postcards. Ray and I found them at the Quagga - a dark and dusty shop, lined with towering bookshelves, but somehow cheerful with its fullness of memories, catching glimpses into times long past.

Bride-to-be!

Last night's Bride-to-be celebrations - we laughed, we ate and ate and ate, we gushed, we embarrassed,  we blushed, we "awww'ed", we rejoiced, we covered our eyes, we shared in sweet moments, we teased, we huddled under blankets, we drank hot chocolate with marshmallows, we sang Taylor Swift, we saw her dance, we witnessed the love of two beautiful people with the Bride-to-be glowing with happiness and excitement, we had an amazing time!!

Thank-you to all the lovely ladies that made it possible! 

(Photographs taken by the phenomenal Vicki)

A day of family

Today, Ray's family and my own, headed off into the sunshine to look at our possible wedding venue. We have our hearts set on this beautiful location - hope it works out! But again we are overwhelmed by God's gracious hand, clearing fears and generously providing. It can be difficult surrendering your dreams to the Lord when you want to control everything and by your own power to somehow make it happen. All we can do is trust in our Saviour day by day. 

After meeting with a very kind events co-ordinator, who was busy with a wedding that was happening later that day, we wandered about, under shading trees, along the flowering gardens, glimpsing the vineyards and majestic mountains in the distance, taking endless photographs, while our parents lounged on the lawns. 

Oh! I love my fiance so very much!!

We all came back to Kalk-Bay to luncheon at the Annex Restaurant. It was soooo good!

We played while we waited for our meal :)

Best lime milkshake in town! (I totally stole sips when he wasn't looking!)

I devoured a classic BLT with avocado and a tangy mayonnaise on a croissant. 

My little sister had a "Gourmet sausage roll" with Dijon mustard, caramalised onion and tomato chutney. Her plate was clean in just minutes! 

I could not resists taking bites of Ray's steak roll with the most rich and creamy, peppery mushroom sauce. The rest of the family enjoyed dishes such as freshly baked quiches, penne with roasted butternut and blue cheese crumble, Karoo lamb chops with roasted vegetables, sautéed potatoes, and minted Muscadel sauce, line fish caught just this morning from the harbour within sight with with crushed potatoes, mange tout, bella rosa tomatoes & a prawn bisque reduction, chicken saltimbocca and aubergine moussaka. 

My days, with Ray now officially on holiday, just keep getting better and better!

The tea room

These days are just amazing! Today I went to a tea room fragrant with fruit infused, exotically spiced steam rising out of glass teapots, with fellow, beautiful bridesmaids to discuss our friend's upcoming wedding. While trying to decide which foreign tea to try (ironically none of us actually drank any tea!) we made our plans and ate some delicious cake. 

As I was leaving, it was brilliant running into some of my favourite varsity friends. All I will say is that if you had overheard our conversation you would have definitely called us nerds :)

Coming home I wandered through all the shops and boutiques in Kalk-Bay, discovering treasures and placing "must-haves" on my list of gifts for friends. Living in Kalk-Bay is such a pleasure, but often I am so busy that I just bustle right by the stores... but today I took some time to simply enjoy the local designs and imports from far away, precious finds just waiting to be found. 

Time at home is spent finalizing wedding guest lists, looking through pictures, laughing with my sisters who I adore, listening to all their "demands", dreaming of wedding dresses, having my wonderful mother making phone calls with me and researching for hours on end. It's what we talk about while getting breakfast in the kitchen, around the dinner table, while driving to wherever we have to go, in the family room in the late afternoon... (I love it!) 

And of course, spending time with my future mister in between him writing his exams. I love when Ray starts talking about the wedding, asking questions, sharing his ideas, going over  ours plans together. He is super excited but also calm (exactly what I need) keeping my dreams flying high but my feet firmly on the ground.

I am exhausted but happy. And this is me going to lie in bed, eating gummy bears and finishing reading my novel :) 

Among the vineyards

On my first day of Summer vacation I awoke to light streaming through my curtains. The ocean was a glorious shade of blue, with only a faint breeze blowing, promising to be a lovely, lovely day! 

Breakfast at Tribeca - yummy eggs benedict with salmon and hollandaise sauce, warm croissants with melting butter, sweet and sticky jam, tart cranberry juice, fried bacon, cappuccinos, even cheesecake! - with family and friends, before we headed off to begin wedding venue hunting!

We visited winefarm after winefarm after winefarm... it was wonderful! The experience was one of overwhelming exhaustion and excitement. With the sun blazing above us, we wandered about, speaking with event co-ordinators, meeting chefs, looking through photographs, resting under the dappled shade of towering trees, drove along winding roads, shared ideas, enjoyed the day away... 

My only wish? As long as I am "Mrs Sims" by the end of the day I will be happy (VERYVERYVERY happy!)