Kaffee und Kuchen mit Anneli und Tante Eyke.

Our family favourite, Marble Cake.... or as it is known in Europe, Marmor Guglhupf.

A Guglhupf Cake can be prepared with either yeast or Baking Powder. In this case I used baking powder as the raising agent.

Just to be a little creative, I decided to place a small bunch of herbs in a  glass in the centre of the cake.

The inside pattern of the marbled effect of the two batters is always a surprise....and it changes with every slice of cake that you cut!

I received a  beautiful bunch of St Joseph's Lilies for my Birthday. I have had great delight from them....watching the tight buds open, and then enjoying the delightful fragrance for many days.

There is something oh so special about receiving a special bunch of flowers.... especially ones that will last more than a week. Thanks to my special friend, Grainne for spoiling me with these beautiful blooms!

To learn more about growing your own lilies, pop over to the Starke Ayres Garden Centre for more information about propogating these rewarding bulbs belonging to the Lilium family. Happy gardening!

...... and how unusual is this bloom?

Back in the garden...... my favourite Nasturtinum leaves with their large surface area capture the rain drops and dew drops in perfect style.

Oh yes, and while I was out in the garden my 4 legged garden angel decided to help me. Purdy is the Queen of HER garden!

..... and of course the best  place for a sandy snout is the leather couch!!

As I sign off from this blog, I send you sweet  wishes fragranced with the perfume from the stately St Joseph Lily.

Looking back at the Woman's Day Celebration at the WCRC in Mitchells Plain.

It is tradition to spoil the female Clients at the Western Cape Rehabilitation Centre in Mitchells Plain for Woman's Day every year. We celebrated this on Wednesday 10 August this year in the gym at Therapy 3. Here are some pictures to recall the event.

A great job was done to transform a boring gym into an oasis for the Ladies on the day. Our theme for this year was "To be the change you want to see." Our mission was to motivate and uplift the Clients and to show them that the way forward can be rewarding....even if a little challenging at times!

This year we decided to have a - hands-on- activity where all Clients could be involved and creative. I firstly  demonstrated easy and economical decoration of simple gift bags. My cheaper version of the popular scrapbooking.

These sample bags demonstrated how easy it is to transform a simple gift bag into something that is both individually designed and tailored to the interests of the recipient. I simply used pictures from old magazines and scraps of fabric, ribbon and raffia.

Tea, savoury snacks and sweet treats were served after the motivational sessions and creative session. Music and a loud buzz accompanied the activities in the gym.

In my next demonstration I showed the Ladies how to make their own cost effective spa products at home. I demonstrated a simple body scrub using Sugar, lavender, lavender oil and Sunflower oil as an effective hand and feet exfoliant. It was a great hit and everyone was happy to wander off with silky soft hands!

Recycled glass jars were used to demonstrate simple packaging for gifting ideas.

As an alternative to the body scrub with sugar, I also showed the Ladies how to prepare a useful herb, garlic and lemon salt for the kitchen.

A wonderful morning of being creative, emotionally uplifted and physically pampered was enjoyed by all Clients, Staff and Volunteers.

Saturday morning's Birthday treat at LAZARI in the new Cape Quarter.

A Birthday treat from LAZARI....... a new find for me, and I will be back for more, especially as they are Dog Friendly!

 

Olivia celebrates her 4 th Birthday today.....so she was thrilled to be welcomed to LAZARI with a few slices of ham and her own water bowl! Now that is service with a smile....for a pampered pooch!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY my angel......... I trust that we will share many more special Birthday's together.

Lazari can be found in the New Cape Quarter off Somerset rd in Green Point, Cape Town.

 Check out their breakfast menu for a tempting selection of breakfast options..... we enjoyed the Salmon Eggs Benedict......delightful!

I loved the touch of fresh mint in the water caraffe....just like the service......fresh and friendly!