DAREDEVILS have business covered!!!

Hi Friends

 

I have recently stepped out of my comfort zone and gone to the Gun Run, The Colour Run and lately the Daredevil Run....

 

 

Not to run, you understand.....but to take some photos at these super cool events!!! Although, having said that, I ran much more than the five km at each of these events and I might as well have officially entered my unfit legs!!!

 

All the same, I had a huge amount of fun at each event and have met loads of my Twitter followers and many wonderful people!

 

On Friday afternoon I went of to see what these boys in their red speedos get up to...

 

 

Yes, I know...looks like the start of a new "Haka"!!!!

 

 

So, for those in the dark (as I was) these boys all ran to increase the awareness of cancers that affect them. And of course, as you can see from those chests, they were running for testicle cancer!!! Thousands of men (and a scattering of woman) all started the race at different venues across the country at the same time. It all started with an actual dare back in 2009, when Nick an auditor, was in the pub with his mates and was dared to run through peak hour traffic in nothing but a red speedo.....read more here

 

The Cape Town event started at Hamilton's Rugby Club in the shadow of our beautiful stadium!

 

There was a mobile clinic with information and the boys were getting their logos sprayed on and other opted for a test!!! Well done guys and thank you to the willing staff. So awesome to see these people inaction.

I found an obliging model and became snap happy...as one does with a camera in hand.....

 

He was a treat!!!!

Fun dress ups or is it a disguise, do you think????

And these super heroes in their cloaks, some had two legs and some four!!!!

 

 

Before the race got under way it was a privilege to listen to Torsten Koehler author of the book "Love Your Nuts" and a testicle cancer survivor! In a short talk he cleared up some of the questions that trouble men about testicle cancer and encouraged them to get tested! Have a peek here

 

 

 

 

And yes, they ran in teeny speedos and as Torsten says, there were all shapes and sizes as cancer is not picky what shape or size you are! So, put this fun event into your diary for next year but please DO NOT wait that long to get tested!!!

 

DO IT NOW!!!!

 

 

 

What a gorgeous  sight.... I am talking about the mountain, of course!!!!

 

 

There was much fun and camaraderie and loads of antics at the finish line before the boys had a beer and boerie roll!

 

I look forward to being at the next run....put it in your diary NOW!!!

For all the info you need visit Daredevil.com here or follow on Twitter @DAREdevi_run

 

for more of my snap happy moments go to Mother City Magic on Facebook HERE!

You can tag, caption pics and share away at your hearts content!!!!

 

 

LIVE THE CAPE TOWN VIBE!!!

 

#capelove

 

 

Veronica

 

xxxx

 

 

Twitter: @MotherCityMagic

 

Facebook

 

E Mail: mothercitymagic@gmail.com

 

Allee Bleue ~ Herbing About....

Hello Dear Friends

 

How are you all?

 

Last week I had the pleasure of going on a tour of Allée Bleue's Herb tunnels.

 

Yes, I know.... You had no idea they had any tunnels, let alone heavenly fragrant Herb Tunnels!

 

Well, engage your senses and come along... let me show you....

 

Our guide on this frosty morning was the lovely Lario Moolman, who is the Manager of Herb Production. She briefly explained how the operation and production works.

 

That there below, is Lario's "office"!

 

You can see that it was a moody morning but, we were not deterred by the chill, as there was a promise of lunch and wine!

 

 

 

 

The first tunnel we entered was filled with coriander and as the wonderful delectably distinctive fragrance assailed my senses I was ready to be invited for dinner!

 

Below, you can see that the leaves have been harvested.

 

Each and every parsley plant was akin to a mini forest! Too lovely...I was in pesto mode...

There is always a certain beguiling quality to seeing how the experts do things...

 

I was thinking of my bedraggled herb pots at home and felt quite ashamed of the neglect I have bestowed upon them!

 

Inhale!!!....The mint tunnel was lush and it was a long shot in the freezing weather but I would have settled for a Mojito right here in the tunnel!

 

Instead, the sobering thought of my Organic Salad entered my radar and I will share the recipe at the end of this post!

 

 

Allée Bleue offers these unique herb tours followed by a three course inspired menu as you can see from the pamphlet below. For further details click here

 

Now onto lunch....of course, with a strong nod to herbs, it was simply sublime, paired with wines from the estate. The chill was long forgotten when the dessert was presented with a glass of luscious port!

 

When I hear Allee Bleue, I think wine but, I learnt that apart from wine and herbs, there is much more on offer... Olive oil, persimmons, fruit and of course, food glorious food, hospitality and a piece of history!

 

 

I could use that sabre above to declare Wine o' Clock every day when the Noon Gun Fires!!!! Yes, yes, shake your head, if you know me, from twitter, you know the drill!!!

 

 

Images courtesy Allée Bleue

 

 

You can read all about Allée Bleue here

 

Now, as I promised I will share a recipe filled with fragrant fresh herbs. It is an Organic Salad and I was given the recipe by the lovely Ingrid du Toit from the amazing restaurant Greengate in Stellenbosch. Their lunch time harvest table is just the best ever!

 

 Please click here for the recipe for Short Grain Brown Rice, Lentil and Pea Salad!

Thank you for your company!

Live the Cape Town Vibe!

Cape Love

Veronica

xxx

You may leave your oohs and aahs below in the comment box... I am all ears!

PS: Apart from where indicated all images are my own

 

 

 



,

A Tourist in my Own City ~Hop on Hop off Red Bus ~ View From the Top....

Hi Dear Friends

 

It has been a while since my last post.....and so the confession goes....LOL

 

Life gets in the way but, it is time that I mount my blogging horse and share the Magic of The Mother City with anyone who is willing to listen ....

 

A while back I did The Hop on Hop off Canal Cruise from the Cape Town Convention Centre to the One and Only Hotel. It is wonderful to see the City and Mountain from this perspective.

 

Take a peek by clicking here, at that post! It is such a fun thing to do with your kids.

I had my daughter visit from Johannesburg, and it was the ideal family outing for her to see her beloved City from atop a bus! For all the info you need on routes, prices and time tables,  Please click here We opted to do the Blue Route, which is a Mini Peninsula Tour. The bus departs from the entrance to the Aquarium.

 

 

This is what we saw.....

 

A short stint through the City....

 

 

We never see this view when we whizz past at break neck speed in our cars!!!

University of Cape Town....

 

 Arriving at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens...

 

Mariner's Wharf at Hout Bay is always a hive of entertaining activity, not to mention wonderful seafood!

 

Catch of the day... Snoek, of course.....

 

 

We had a late lunch and strolled the harbour...

 

 

 

Hey you, yes you!!!!...get out and see your City...I'm waiting for you.....

 

Please be a sport and leave a message in the bottle or below in the comment box... I am all ears....

Thank you for stopping by...

Live the Cape Town Vibe

 

Veronica

 

xxx

 

PS: The second part of the journey, probably the most scenic, was covered in mist and cloud, apart from this one shot below.... a good excuse to do it again!!!

 

 

 

Top Ten Finalist from Cape Town !!!!!

Hi Friends!

 

We need your support!!!!! Please!!!!!!

 

Our beautiful Mother City Has made the Top 10 again!!!!

 

This time we have to thank a young lady Ceara McEvoy!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

She entered an international competition in February called Biggest Baddest Bucket List!!!

 

And.....made the top 10 finalists from over 1250 entries from around the world covering 600 destinations!!!

 

 

 Whoop Whoop!!! AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT!!!!

 

 

 

Ceara recently graduated from UCT in Film Production. The ten finalist will be off to London in May to compete against each other for..... an opportunity to win 6 months of travel to a minimum of 5 continents and 25 destinations blogging and video posting!!

 

So what do you do to show your support?

Go to the link Click Here Please to watch her video entry, then become one of her supports by CLICKING THE GREEN TAB THAT SAYS "Supporters"

 

or view below....

 

 

I think her entry rocks!!!

 

Find Ceara's blog Here

We would appreciate your support immensely.

 

Lets show her some Cape Love and put our Magic Mother City at the top!!!

 

 

Live the Cape Town Vibe

 

Veronica

 

xxxx

 

Please leave a comment below... I am all ears....

 

SECRETEATS

Hello Dear Friends

 

I recently attended the launch of SECRETEATS !

 

What's the secret, you ask?

 

Well, it is a dinner party like no other that you have ever been to... An underground dining movement, already popular in New York, London and Paris.

 

Firstly, just like the media launch that we attended, the location for your dinner is only revealed on the day. Now, can you imagine, how curious I was.....Secrets are made to be hunted down and revealed!!!

 

 

This was the spectacular view.....

Just like the inaugural dinner event, we were generously  hosted by Jean Marc Lederman in his spectacular home in Llandudno ......

 

Jean Marc is a photographer and you can find him here

 

No matter which way you looked, the view was captivating!

After the steep hike up the driveway, in heels, I had my eye on this lil nook. Perfect to kick off those heels, cocktail in hand and relax to the max.

 

I was about ready to do just that....

 

...when I met our charming host and founder of SecretEats, Gregory Zeleny, the man with all the secrets!

 

Needless to say....twenty questions followed!

So basically this is the low down folks...

You sign up to SecretEats ~ HERE

 

or find them on twitter @thesecreteats

 

or Face Book here

 

Seats to each event will of course be limited, so get on it!!!!

 

You can sign up to only eat as a guest, as I did, or if you want, you can host an event, like Jean Marc did here in his home.  You can be brave and sign up to cook, and no you do not have to be a professional chef!

 

This is an opportunity for an engaging dinner experience and to showcase your talents.

With all the secrets my tatste buds were obviously in a state of perpetual anticipation, and as soon as Greg turned his back, I headed to the kitchen to steal a shot in the pot as it were, but things were on a knife's edge,,,,,,,

 

I clean forgot the shot in the pot!!!!

 

Just to fill you in, these two gentleman are Chef Devin Jones. He is second-in-charge at The Mount Nelson Hotel in the pastry department. Find Devin on Twitter @Devin_M_Jones (He is new to twitter!) 

 

 

 Chef, Laurie Meiring from Cape Town Cookery has more than ten years international experience in hotels and restaurants around the world.

 

Find Laurie Here, at Cape Town Cookery (please click) or on Twitter @capetowncookery

 

And, below we have Chef Candice Le Noury, who is a food blogger and cooked for the first event. This time I got a shot in the pot!!!!

 

Candice, a Master Chef top 50 contestant's blog can be found here, The Gorgeous Gourmet (please click) or follow her on twitter @GorgeousBlog

The food presented to us by these talented chefs kept my taste buds tantalised, along with the cocktails.

 

 This promises to be an exciting journey for food lovers to meet and engage with hosts, chefs, cooks and other guests in amazing locations.

 

So, the secret is out....or is it!!!!

 

Hope to see some of you there soon....

 

It's a secret when I am going....

 

Live the Cape Town Vibe

 

Veronica

 

xxx

 

PS: I removed my heels for the hike down the driveway....

 

Regale me with a comment below, I am all ears...