Changes

Cape Town is busy experiencing what I think is the most incredible time of year - Autumn. I haven't been posting a lot of late, simply because I've had no time, and haven't really felt inspired to write about anything in particular. Then, I went for a walk in a forest yesterday, and was truly awe-struck by all the trees, and how they are changing with the season. I picked up as many from the floor as I possibly could - pine needles, leaves and a couple pieces of bark. I currently sit at my desk writing next to a big book filled with newly pressed leaves.



I read something the other day, that went something along the lines of; Autumn is the time of year that we are reminded that change can be beautiful. I think that really sums up what Autumn is, and it also brings up the whole idea of us as human beings and our difficulty to go out of our comfort zone and to change. I've gone through a lot of change recently - the biggest one being that my sister and I don't go to the same school anymore. It sounds stupid, but I really did find it hard at first - not having her in the car on the way to school sometimes, and also no longer being able to make each others' days by bumping into each other and exchanging a few words. I found it really difficult at first, and felt a bit like I was doing this alone now. But, three months down the line, I'm starting to adjust and don't feel the same at all.

The change has, surprisingly, been very good. We're still just as close, and we have so many new and exciting things to talk about. I guess my point is that, change always seems really hard at first, and pointless, but it actually often pans out a lot differently than you think and this is often for the better. I'm not saying that there's no change for the worst - that happens too, but both kinds are inevitable, fortunately and unfortunately, and we just have to embrace the results and apply it positively to ourselves. For me, Autumn has always been a time where new opportunities seem possible, and everything seems fresh and new. It seems like the perfect time to change as people in sync with the changing of the colour of leaves.


I don't usually get very deep when I write, but it's been on my mind a lot, and this is a place that I know is always open to my thoughts. I hope you are all having a lovely week - it's good to be back writing, and if you're also experiencing change, I hope this helps a little, and brightens your day a bit, and helps you to accept change and make it beautiful.

Simona xx

Summer Smoothie Recipe

Hi all. Recently, I have been on the search for the perfect snack for any time of the day. A smoothie was the obviously the answer! This recipe is refreshing, healthy, simple, and the fruits are seasonal and are delicious. This recipe serves one.

-Ingredients-
Handful of raspberries
Handful of strawberies, halfed or quartered
Six to eight blocks of ice
Five tbsp low-fat greek yoghurt
A few medium-sized mint leaves
A squeeze of honey
One banana, roughly sliced
Splash of milk, if needed to thin the smoothie
Chia seeds to put on top

1. Cut up all of your fruit as instructed
2. Put the yoghurt, ice, fruit, mint and honey into the blender (please be careful!)
3. Blend until the mixture is a pink colour, and evenly blended.
4. If too thick, add a splash of milk to the smoothie.
5. Pour into a glass. Sprinkle chia seeds and place mint on top.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe... It's really easy and fun to do and the perfect smoothie as the days get warmer and warmer.

Simona x

Appreciating Heritage

Four days ago, aka Thursday the 24th, South Africans celebrated culture and diversity on Heritage Day. For me, it wasn't just Heritage Day which allowed me to celebrate  my ancestry. Starting Tuesday evening, it was Yom Kippur, and Jews across the nation, and indeed the world, were fasting, reflecting and repenting. One could say that my week has been quite culturally rich and philosophical.

Thursday was spent hiking up one of Cape Town's most well-known mountains, Lions Head, and having a true birds eye view of the Cape. It was incredible to see the CBD pan out into the sea and the mountains.It was a bit foggy, but every once in a while the cloud-cover would break and the weather was beautiful. Definitely worth all the effort to hike to the top, to see the beautiful city.

On Friday, after a long and particularly 'okay' day at school, my smile was instantly back when I went to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, which is by far one of my favourite places in South Africa, if not the world. Kirstenbosch is a massive piece of land covered in the Western Province's indigenous plants and 'fynbos', and is absolutely magical. When I was little, it was a frequently visited place, with family and friends. We used to catch tadpoles at the river, and roll down the hills for hours. We also used to run around the 'enchanted' trees and flowers, sure of fairies or pixies popping up at any minute, and sharing our picnic with us. Kirstenbosch brings back so many memories of fun times and freedom, and even today, it is still a frequent hang out with my friends to picnic and bask in the sun, all while being surrounded by the Cape's flora and fauna.

All of these events and adventures got me thinking of how important it is to celebrate one's heritage. I live in the most beautiful country, and the same can be said about the people who I encounter on a daily basis. In Cape Town, I am constantly amazed of how multicultural Capetonians are. With the Rugby World Cup currently taking place, I realised how incredible it is that we can all unite and join forces to support our nation. I couldn't help but smile when I saw a flood of green and gold shirts, all in support of our Springboks at our local shopping centre.

South Africa is such a unique place. We have oceans, mountains, food, culture, black people, white people, people who are mixed-race or of Malay heritage, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, cities, and nature. We have everything. We have diversity. Something that we should truly celebrate. The same can be said for every single country around the world. Cherish differences and accept them. This week has truly made me realise more than ever, how I am proudly South African. I am also a proud member of the human race. We should all be. Celebrate diversity and appreciate your heritage. It's one of the most important things that makes you, you.

Out and About

Life has been quite busy at the moment (when is it not?!), so it's always nice to take some time to do little things that you love. Here a few of these things that have made me smile this month.

These little guys are called Murphy and Peach. I bought them for just R40 at a little coffee shop in Kalk Bay. I love succulents - they are really low-maintanence and are beautiful - and look so great on your window sill!

There is a really cute place called Bob's Bagels. They make great bagels,  pastries and coffee. It's the perfect places to chill and eat brekkies. It's also only a five minute walk from the beach and is right opposite a park. Oh, and it is on the foot of a mountain. Quite picturesque really.

I cannot stress enough how much I LOVE Le Creuset. Cups, plates, pots, and even spatulas. Everything. I love them all. You can imagine my excitement when I got the luxury of drinking from a Le Creuset cup and saucer, whilst enjoying an almond croissant at a cafe.

Simona x

An Autumn Outfit Idea: 90's Grunge

Shoes - Dr Martens

Jeans - ZARA

Grey shirt - Gap

Flannel shirt - The Cloak and Dagger

Hello everyone! This is just a quick idea for what you can wear this autumn. I really like this outfit - I love the 90's grunge look! I hope this will give you some ideas and creativity so that you can make your own outfits this season. On a side note, I have finally made an Instagram account for my blog! Please check it out and follow for daily updates and random pictures. It's @acupofteablog_ . Go have a look! It's been really fun taking pictures and updating. Also, I would love for you guys to give me some suggestions for other themes and/or styles for other outfit ideas - I really enjoyed putting this together - so feel free to email me with ideas for new themes and styles.

Hope you have all have a fantastic week and will update soon.

Simona x

Franschhoek

Recently my family went on holiday for four days to the beautiful village of Franschhoek, just an hour's drive from Cape Town. It was such fun, and we had a great time! We've been staying at the same cottage for over eight years now, and go annually around January. The view from our cottage is incredible, with mountains and vineyards. On one day we went to the neighbourhood market in the centre of town. It was so sweet and quirky, and we got to interact with a a lot of interesting people. There are a lot of small stalls that sell very different and often creative things, like jams and schwarmas, antique books and hand-made pillow cases.

1. Delicious smoothies packed with summer fruits like mango, peaches, nectarines, passion fruit and quite a few others that have slipped my mind.

2. Organic home-grown heirloom tomatoes and fruit cordials.

3. The view from our cottage: not too shabby.

4. Some friendly horses we met whilst on a walk around the farm we were staying at.

Simona xx

Breakfast at La Belle

Recently my family and I went to a lovely restaurant called La Belle for breakfast. It's a bakery kind of place, and is attached to The Alphen Hotel. It's so beautiful there - the entire restaurant is amongst oak trees and flowers - especially in summer, when the flowers have bloomed. I always feel so happy when I arrive and see all the greenery!

I had Eggs Benedict, and it was so delicious. I also had freshly pressed apple juice that's done to order. It's so fresh and the only ingredient is, well, green apples. No added sugar or preservatives. Just added yumminess. Both the Eggs Benedict and the juice were scrummy, and you could definitely taste the love!

 The Alphen is really old, but so pretty... Look at all the plants and the ancient oak trees!

Brekkies

Cape Town Adventures

Happy 2015 everybody! I hope you have all had a relaxing and fun time over the festive season. My summer holiday has been jam-packed with so many fun places I have been to, and things that I have done. It has been so inspiring discovering new things and exploring in and around Cape Town. Cape Town is a city that has so much to offer, and has so many different cultures, so it is such an exciting city to be a part of every day.

Day in Kalk Bay

Kalk Bay is such an interesting and bustling place, with the sea on its left, and mountains on the right. Amidst all the beauty are hip and trendy boutiques, that tend to be filled with interesting and often quirky clothing that you probably won't find anywhere else. We discovered a real New York- style bagel place, called Bob's Bagels, that was great, and will definitely become a regular breakfast place for our family.

Felix Unite River Rafting
Recently, my family went on a two night adventure to a place called Round The Bend, by the company Felix Unite. This place has around 20 chalets, and a beautiful  main log cabin-style building. The food was good, the people were nice, and we had such a blast whilst river rafting.

The view from the main log cabin.

Special Time with my Uncles
Recently, my sister and I spent two fun days with our uncles. We went out for breakfast, saw a movie, went shopping, went for a walk along the beach, had ice cream and it was such a blast!

Tea with breakfast.

 Beautiful Cape Town.

We went to this ice cream shop,which uses liquid nitrogen to freeze the ingredients, while you watch!

Looking very sciency.

The finished product: creamy chocolate and raspberry ice cream.

Foo Fighters!
On the 10th of December, the Foo Fighters came to South Africa for the first time ever, on the first leg of their Sonic Highways tour. It was mind blowing - three hours of non-stop, quality music. Yes, the Foos were on for three hours, and didn't have a single break! And a bonus: my parents (die-hard Foo Fighter fans since the beginning) won a competition and met them!

Cape Town Stadium

Both the picture of Kalk Bay, and the picture from our river rafting trip were taken by my sister. Thanks for letting me use them Kira!

 Simona x

Hemisphere jargon // An update of my life

Hi everybody! This is just a quick update post to notify you all that I am still alive. I've just finished my final-year exams (the Southern hemisphere school year ends in December), and this weekend is my first study-free weekend in a long time. A very long time. So I hope you all had a great thanksgiving weekend and spent it with loved ones and chums, and if you live south of the equator (Geography vibes), I hope you are slappin' on that sunscreen and hitting the beach (like me), and if you live north of the equator, I hope you are cuddling with many cosy blankets and cups of tea, and if you're still writing final exams (both Northern and Southern hemispheres), good luck, work hard and stay sane.. It'll be over soon, I promise.

Que random photos from the last two months:

Absolutely delicious orange cake

Thanksgiving apple pie

Simona x

First Product Review: eos Lemon Drop

I absolutely love both the smell and flavour of this lip balm. It may be flavoured, but it isn't overpowering like Lip Smackers or something similar, and it tastes and smells so natural - that's what I love the most about this product. Not only does it smell and taste amazing, I think that the daisy-yellow eggy shape is so sweet, and it really adds to the natural, spring theme.

It's made with ingredients that you can actually pronounce, like shea butter and jojoba oil, so you know what's in your lip balm, and more importantly, what's going on your lips, and I love that. It also contains SPF 15, so you can wear it all day, e'rry day. This is the perfect spring lip-balm!

California Dreaming

Hey everyone!
So, it's back to school after a long and luxurious three week winter break. Last week I landed back in Cape Town - I went back to LA for the holidays. I know. It's confusing - my mom, sister and I went there in April on an emergency trip to see my Grandmother who was quite ill at the time, despite the fact that we would be back here in June for a planned trip. So this trip to LA was planned a long time ago and that is why I was back in Los Angeles, with the whole family - including Papa-bear.

I find day-to-day updates quite tedious and boring, so I will just write some pretty general stuff, and then will let the pictures tell the rest of the story...

We left Cape Town International Airport on the 24th of June and arrived on the 25th (due to the time difference) of June in LA. For the first week we stayed at my Nana's house in the valley, in the hills (oolala!). The first week we did quite a lot. We went to LACMA (art museum), Silverlake (a very hipster area - it's really cool), MOCA - modern art museum, Target, and a couple restaurants.

For the second week, we stayed at my aunt and uncle's house in Huntington Beach, Surf City USA. We went to the beach, swam a lot, tanned a lot, walked downtown, went to a few restaurants- my favourite was Umami Burger: had the Black Keys burger, and did some other really fun stuff.

For the third and final week we were back at my Nana's house. That week we mainly saw a lot of my parents' old friends and also did some shopping in Santa Monica, we had a great time in Santa Monica with friends and in Venice Beach which has such a unique vibe - there is nothing like it!

I will definitely say that the highlight of the trip for me was the 4th of July. We watched a World Cup game in the morning, than chilled at the pool for most of the day, and then had a really lovely dinner at home with our really good friends who came down from San Fransisco. After dinner we walked down to the beach to watch the fireworks and generally to get into the mood - it was great and the fireworks were beautiful. We then came home and had some awesome ice-cream sundaes.

And now as I promised, here are the pictures from my trip. I hope you enjoy!

Silverlake

Yummy Fish Tacos

Downtown LA

Downtown LA

A Billboard

The Black Keys Burger!

Seen in a shopping centre.

Old Towne Orange

Old Towne Orange

Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach

Lacma

Urban Lights - Lacma

Seen on traffic light on a street outside Lacma

Runyon Canyon

Venice Beach - Does anyone else see the homeless dude pulling the zap sign?

Venice Beach

Los Angeles

Venice Beach

 Simona xx

Trip to Cali

Hey guys. Sorry I haven’t been posting for a while – it’s been really hectic so I haven’t even had a chance to check my account for a couple weeks. So here’s what’s happening: I recently got back from Los Angeles, in the U.S of A. This came as quite a surprise, because you see, I only found out I was going to LA on the Thursday evening, and we left on the Monday morning. It was a last minute trip because my Nana, who lives there, recently got very ill, so we were there for ten days to visit her, armed with serious jetlag and overweight suitcases.

I know, I have been REALLY bad about posting – I really have had NO TIME. So, I will have to start right from the beginning and give you all the stories and events that have taken place, starting on Day 1:

Day 1 – April 7^th:

We left for the airport at 11:30 am. Our flight to Johannesburg departed Cape Town International at 3 o’clock, and we arrived safe and sound two hours later at O.R Tambo International Airport. That flight was really hard for me because we had to say goodbye to my Dad back in CPT at the airport because Papa Bear unfortunately had a business to run and could therefore not partake in the great trek to Los Angeles.

Our next flight was at around 7ish (I don’t quite remember the exact time) to Paris and it was on Air France. It was probably the best flight I have ever experienced. We flew the brand spanking new A380 (double decker plane!!!) and the food was great, there was plenty of leg room, TV selection was awesome and the overall service and flight was top-notch. Oh and they served ice-cream on the plane so how can that not be thumbs up. I watched a couple movies, slept for about four hours and then somehow managed to keep myself occupied for ten hours until we landed the next morning at Charles de Gaulle Airport, in Paris – Oui!

Day 2 – April 8^th:

We landed in Paris and had 5 hours in the great Land-O’-French. We walked around for a bit and decided that hey, we were in Paris! And with that we decided to pig out and order regular croissants, chocolate croissants, danishes and of course, Le Macaroon. Oh, the joys of biting into a genuine pistachio flavoured macaroon! After finishing our Pastry Fest, we walked around some more and found that there was a free art museum in the middle of the airport. That’s right, an art museum in an airport: only in Paris.

-- It should technically be Day 3 now but because of the time differences and stuff like that, it is still Day 2 --

We flew Delta on another 10 hour flight to Salt Lake City in Utah. It was a day flight so it was light the entire flight, which meant that Simona did not sleep a wink. We arrived at a tiny airport surrounded by giant snow peaked mountains and soon got onto our final flight to LA.

The fight was two hours long so I just read Divergent (AMAZING book by the way – review coming soon) and soon we landed in La-La Land, California. We got to Nana’s house (she wasn’t there – she was still in hospital), ate pre-roasted chicken from the supermarket down the road and went to bed, exhausted.

Okay, so I feel that this could get very tedious if I just continue giving you a minute-by-minute description of what we did, so here are some pictures of the highlights of the trip: Enjoy!

Tea and Pastries at Paul in Paris.

Macaroons: Pistachio and Coffee

The snow-peaked mountains of Salt Lake City, Utah.

3rd Street, LA.

3rd Street, AKA Hipsterville.

Studio City, Los Angeles.

 Simona xx

PS. Coming soon - LA street art.