Breath in, Breath out!

So I've just returned from a 2 week holiday where I spent some quality time with my family including my two old fox terriers, who really had the time of their lives.

First we spent a week in my beloved Clarens (see previous Blog post), in the Eastern Free State of South Africa. This little town has just captured my heart and I seriously long to live there. I wish for an opportunity to come up every day. It is without a doubt the most picturesque place in South Africa with the quaintness on a little town thrown in for good measure. It's an artist haven and I believe the colours are unbelievable in Autumn.

This time round as I had my family and dogs along I had to choose a pet friendly place which we found in a place called "The View", a four bedroom (although one room is a self contained flatlet) house with the most remarkable garden I have seen just two blocks from the village of Clarens.

What an amazing view from the garden/veranda

Our dogs loved all the places to explore and we ate our full on the huge platter of ripe figs that was handed to us by the cleaning lady, picked from trees right in this beautiful, wild garden. This was definitely the perfect place for relaxing and for taking our dogs.

Sadly on our last night we found the best restaurant in South Africa, yes in the entire country. We ate at an establishment called Clementines and the food and wine was truly out of this world. If you are ever in this part of our beautiful country, you absolutely have to check it out. We especially loved the fact that the chef himself (well travelled) comes out to greet guests and discuss the food which was absolutely sublime. Check them out at: www.clementines.co.za

It is absolutely advisable to book as they are so good that they are often fully booked. We enjoyed it so much that next time we'll eat there every night because they have a surprisingly large selection for a small town restaurant.

I was, as always very sad to be leaving.

We then went off in the other direction of the country and headed up to Dullstroom, in Limpopo province. There we stayed in what could only be called a real farm house. Unlike Clarens where you go to shops and restaurants every day, here we just sat and relaxed in the country side. Spent lazy days reading and simply just "chilling".

Pretty country

Our dogs met some new friends - a couple of scary moments there as they had never seen cows before and just wanted to play! The little rascals actually climbed through the fence to take on these cows, feisty!

It was a good break, although try as you might you simply cannot hold onto this feeling for long and work creeps up on you again!

Anyway, my family and especially my dogs had an awesome time!

Till next time, All the best

Wayne....

Metabolism Sucks!

Ok, today I gripe!

Why oh why weren't we all blessed with metabolisms that just work. Why cant we all just eat a 2litre ice cream or a box of creamy doughnuts and just remain gorgeous and good looking with a flat tummy and a tight bum?

Yes today I am hating the constant watching what I eat and the constant exercises that I never seem to be getting better at.

This is what I eat every day - looks yummy doesn't it? To a farm animal it must be so delicious, but I am quickly getting sick to death of vegetables and chick pea's (good source of lean protein I'm told).

Yummy raw carrots, cucumber, tomatoes and dozens of chick pea's

Then every evening I run, not unlike 'Forest Gump' on my trusty home treadmill. I run and run and run and yes I have noticed the odd tightening of the calve muscles and perhaps a slight firming of the bum (someone told me so, I DO NOT make it a habit to look at my ass in the mirror) but every night I feel like I'm about to die! On the plus side I do sleep like the proverbial log yet the bags under my eyes have got bags of their own now! Oh and in case your wondering, yes I am a tad fixated by my ass, it is after all my best feature, its the one I hardly ever get to see but its not bad as far as these things go!

I also use weights a couple of times a week yet have seen no really significant change. Anyway this is not a blog about my exercise or diet regime but rather a cry, neigh a scream as to why all men were not created equal. I had a friend who could eat an entire chocolate cake, wash it down with a case of beer and then still snack on a dozen chicken wings without so much as picking up 1 gram and he could outrun, outplay and outlast everyone else I knew. Needless to say, after years of self loathing I got rid of him!

Ok so that's my cry at the universe, I can work out, eat like a rabbit and yes I will lose a kilo here or there but I usually pick it up again the next week (in case any of you were just dying to know that). So my question is:

WHY IS IT SO DARN HARD to look good and be healthy????? Its a constant fight for survival. But I wont give up (queue Rocky music) I will live to fight another day! When someone comes up with a scientific way to transfer metabolism from one individual to the next I will gladly give my bit to make him the richest person alive!

Yours in portly bliss

Wayne....

Discover Johannesburg

Tourists are hearing about South Africa more and more these days but mostly they hear how beautiful Cape Town is or how hot Durban is or how wild our bush camps are but I think very little people think about Johannesburg as a tourist destination.

Better known to locals as the shorter version of Jo'burg or as the slang word of Jozi, Johannesburg has a lot to offer and I am making it my mission this year to discover the city that I have worked in for almost 20 years and that I truly call home.

Recently I came across, quite by accident I may mention, some really great websites about Johannesburg and was horrified to know that I didn't know about some of these places even though I work a few blocks aways from them!

One such great website is: www.todoinjoburg.co.za

There you can discover such interesting things such as information on Exhibitions in the city centre, Art works that give the old buildings a bit of glamour as well as where to go what to do and where to eat. There are such interesting articles to read and a way to "Discover Gold in the city of Johannesburg" (todoinjoburg.co.za) 

The next website is www.pastexperiences.co.za

This website is unique in that it offers walking tours of the Johannesburg area. Their tag line is after all "Unique Johannesburg Inner City and Soweto Tours and Events and Archaeological Tours" (courtesy of their website). Check them out for what can only be a fun day out.

A very wise women once said to me " we seem to take our vibrant Jozi for granted....go for it, babe, be a tourist in your own city!" and that's just what I plan to do this year. So thanks for that gem Mrs U.C.

So, for any of you who live in this great city that never sleeps, go out there and discover why Johannesburg can be right up there with the best cities in the world and why we should encourage tourists not to just land at OR Tambo airport as a doorway to another South African destination but to linger a little in Jozi and have some real fun!

Till next time,

Cheers....

Wayne

Turning 40!

So, on the 04th February I'll be turning 40! OMG! I nearly freaked out there until I realised what turning 40 has done for me.



Having a milestone birthday really does make one reflect on a life that you have already lived and what is left of the life you still have to live. Some say that turning 40 is the turning point, the time when you reach the peak and everything after that is a downward spiral, or the start of the end of your life.



For me it has been like a rebirth, a kick in the butt to get off my backside and do, do, do! Ive changed my lifestyle from a very unhealthy one to living healthier. I quit smoking in 2012 and started exercising and living healthier and believe me I have never felt better. In fact you can feel young again by simply making some lifestyle changes. I actually feel bad when I over indulge or don't exercise and those things now make me happy rather than irritated that I have to do it. Yes unfortunately I was not blessed with a great metabolism!


Also Ive used the opportunity of making some dreams a reality and I will be travelling to Italy this year! It has been a dream of mine forever and now is the time to make it a reality, I'm as excited as a small child on their way to their first amusement park!  I've also resolved to make a plan to travel overseas at least once a year, funds permitting of course, even if it's just to a great city for a few days.

Trust me, turning 40 is great! It's the start of the rest of your life, you have all the experience to make your life wonderful. I also started this year with a new positive attitude and this helps to make you a happy, healthy person and turns 40 simply into another number that means nothing unless you let it.




Someone said "Life begins at 40" - trust me, in my case I will make sure that this is definitely the case! It's in my hands. I can either be devastated by it or choose to make this the start of the rest of my life. Guess which one I choose?




So here goes to a life filled with new adventures, acting like a teenager with the knowledge and experience all teenagers think they have but now I really do! Here's to living like a soul reborn, like a body reshaped, like a mind free to roam the world. Here's to living and enjoying and grabbing things with both hands and here's to making dreams a reality and crossing off those things on the bucket list.

I still feel 28 anyway, never aged since then and that's how I will continue to live my life!


I'm turning 40, BRING IT ON!!!!

Cheers,

Wayne

VIP Club

As you all are aware I'm a bit of  a brand freak and combined with my love for fine things at great prices I often look out for great bargains on branded merchandise.

I recently came across the perfect website if branded Sunglasses and watches are your thing (as it is mine) at ridiculously reduced prices.

Brands such as Tom Ford, Gucci, Ray-Ban, Diesel, Guess, Burberry, Armani, D & G, Detomaso, Carrera. The list just goes on an on with discounts of 50% or even more off on the iconic brands.

They often have sales and even give additional amounts off regularly.

So if you are in the market for some awesome shades or watches, check out www.vipclub.co.za




 This is an absolute must visit website for great bargains, check them out.

Cheers,

Wayne

Fine things make me happy

So, from previous blog posts I'm sure you can all tell that I like the finer things in life and it extends from my car to my clothes to my eye wear (see previous post) and even to fragrances.

Speaking of fragrances..... I try out fragrances at least once a month but probably closer to three times a month! I absolutely love great fragrances by great brands and mostly one whiff is enough for me to say whether I like it or not.

One such amazing fragrance that I just discovered a few weeks ago is the new-ish fragrance by Dolce & Gabbana named simply "The One". For me it definitely was "The One". It is, in my humble opinion, such a versatile fragrance which I have worn both during the day and at night and I find it absolutely delicious for a special occasion or even just a lunch at a trendy spot in the sun.

It has the most amazing staying power and I have put it on very early in the morning only to take one last whiff of the fantastic scent as I'm about to hit the sack after a late night.

I recently found the perfect gift box at Dischem Pharmacy for an amazing price, better than most retail stores for just the fragrance and it came with two 'free' gifts too. What a bargain! Check out www.dischem.co.za

Dolce & Gabbana 'the one' beautifully packaged from Dischem pharmacies nationwide.

Try it out and let me know what you think, your better half will love you for it. It also makes for the perfect Christmas gift, but you'd better rush as you haven't much time to get your hands on this amazing gift before the holidays or just get it for yourself and its the gift that keeps on giving.

Till next time,

Cheers,

Wayne

Summer time, and the living is classic luxury

So its Summer and it was seriously time for me to get some new updated shades for the harsh African sun.

I wanted something that suited me but if I was going to spend a pretty penny I wanted something classic, timeless and always fashionable that can be worn with everything.

So, naturally I set my mind on the classic Ray-Ban Aviator style. So this past weekend I happily set off to the mall and found Sunglass Hut housed within Edgars and almost instantly found the pair that I wanted. The sales lady was exceptional, did the necessary amount of flattering and soon I was just about convinced.

I did try a few other varieties of Ray-Ban and even tried some other brands but I just could not get the one's I originally picked out of my mind. It wasn't long and I took these which I think compliment me completely, suite my face and will last a lifetime.

A true classic in every sense of the word.

I absolutely love my new sunnies. Check out www.sunglasshut.com/za or  www.ray-ban.com/southafrica for your own pair of the "Legend".

True Legend Ray-Ban's - "Legends Live for 75 years"

I prefer the lighter lens and these are brown shaded which go perfectly with the gold metal frames. So excited with this amazing purchase.

Thanks to Sunglass Hut SA for the great service and to Ray-Ban for making classic eye wear that protect, make a fashion statement and last forever.

Cheers,

Wayne