Spill the Beans Magazine

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issue six AUGUST 09

the birthday issue

SPILL THE BEANS TURNS ONE win a weekend at the drakensburg sun

369 Gale Street, Durban, 4001 // 29˚52’S 30˚59’E // Tel: 031 205 3283 // www.colombo.co.za

ABOUT US

Ed’s note Spill the Beans turns one!

What a wonderful coffee fueled year it has been. I’ve enjoyed every single moment of creating Spill the Beans and I’ve enjoyed seeing its growth and potential take form. Not only have I met some incredible people along the way, but I’ve made long lasting friends and entered a world which I never knew existed. We live in a world filled with creative souls and intelligent minds, all struggling to find a way to the top - and it’s only when you realise that there is room for everyone that the competition leaves and the collaboration begins. There is always a way to work together, rather than against one another and everyone deserves their chance to shine. Our motto at Spill the Beans has remained constant from the start and we strive to grow and continue with it in mind: TO PROVIDE READERS WITH A MEDIA SOURCE THAT REMAINS POSITIVE, CREATIVE, INFORMATIVE, INSPIRATIONAL AND CAFFEINE INFUSED. I’d like to thank everyone for making Spill the Beans possible and for not only believing in me, but for believing in my vision. Friends, family, contributors, advertisers alike - you’ve all lifted me up through the months and made this process a lot easier and enjoyable.

CHRISTINE BERNARD

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPILL THE BEANS

STB MAG Editor Christine Bernard editorial@stbmag.com Photographer Warren Bernard design@stbmag.com Website www.stbmag.com Printed by Fishwicks www.fishwicks.co.za Contact 079 701 4661 Contributors Pippa Lynch Lisa Raleigh Jaimi de Klerk Waleska Saltori Miles Downard Kyle Fraser Christiaan Troskie Adrian Shields Shamimah Docrat Nic Nortjie DISCLAIMER Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, the publishers, personnel, printers, distributors and / or other related parties do not accept any responsibility whatsoever for any errors or ommissions, or any effect arising there from. The views or correspondence are not necessarily those of the editor or

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS MAGAZINE AFTER USE

S T B WHAT’S INSIDE pill

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CONTENTS SIX

TWENTY TWO

SEVEN

TWENTY FIVE

EIGHT

TWENTY SIX

NINE

TWENTY EIGHT

TEN

THIRTY

TWELVE

THIRTY ONE

THIRTEEN

THIRTY TWO

FIFTEEN

THIRTY FOUR

EIGHTEEN

THIRTY SEVEN

TWENTY

THIRTY EIGHT

Your coffee guide and coffee timeline.

7

Featured coffee shop - Market What’s on in August / September Coffee - in search of the perfect cup Durban, our beautiful City Local talent - Interactive Conference Pillow talk with The Bedroom Activa makeover with Pippa Lynch The Dark Room - photography competition Winning words - short story competition

Saving time with Lisa Raleigh Ask the experts - your questions answered Exploring Elgin Coffee Break

Feature writer - John Van De Ruit Book club - book reviews Businss toolkit - sell more Modern world - Chevrolet Aveo Classifieds Final say

WHAT CAN YOU WIN THIS ISSUE?

PAGE 35 - WIN A ROOM FOR TWO ADULTS SHARING, INCLUDING BREAKFAST FOR TWO NIGHTS AT THE DRAKENSBURG SUN LIFESTYLE RESORT. PAGE 36 - WIN A BREAKFAST AT CORNER CAFE; WIN A HOT ROCK MASSAGE AT THE CENTRE OF THE WILL; WIN ONE OF FIVE DOUBLE TICKETS TO THE WHITE MOUNTAIN FOLK FESTIVAL; WIN ONE OF TEN R50 DULCE VOUCHERS.

5

COFFEE COMFORTS COFFEE TIMELINE

YOUR COFFEE GUIDE

AMERICANO A single shot of espresso with hot water added.

CAFÉ AU LAIT French for ‘coffee with milk’.

Similar to Café Latte, except that an au lait is made with brewed coffee instead of espresso. Additionally, the ratio of milk to coffee is 1:1, making for a much less intense taste.

CAFÉ BREVA A cappuccino made with half and half milk, instead of whole milk. The theory is that the mix gives a richer, creamier flavor.

CAFÉ FREDDO A standard Espresso, served chilled.

ESPRESSO CON PANNA A standard espresso, topped with whipped cream and an optional topping of unsweetened chocolate powder.

ESPRESSO CORRETTO A standard espresso that has been ‘corrected’ with a splash of brandy, grappa, or other spirit.

ESPRESSO LUNGO Made by adding 30ml or 60ml of hot water to a single espresso to make a milder or ‘long’ cup.

ESPRESSO ROMANO A standard espresso, but served with a slice of lemon peel on the side of the cup.

CAFÉ LATTE Essentially, a standard espresso in steamed (not frothed) milk. The ratio of milk to coffee should be about 3:1, and it is usually served in a glass.

FLAT WHITE A standard Espresso with hot milk, no foam.

CAPPUCCINO Equal measures of espresso, steamed milk, and frothed milk, often with cinnamon or flaked chocolate sprinkled on top.

IRISH COFFEE Hot coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar. Topped with whipped cream.

DEMI-CRÉME Half coffee, half cream or milk.

DOPPIO A double Espresso. Two shots of Espresso concentrated into approximately the same volume as a regular espresso.

ESPRESSO Or Short Black, a 30ml shot of rich, full bodied dark coffee with a silky layer of crema.

ESPRESSO AMERICANO Or Long Black, a standard Espresso served on top of hot water, served in a tall glass or regular sized coffee cup. The coffee is added to the glass of hot water to help maintain the layer of crema at the top of the glass

GRANITA DE CAFÉ Cold espresso poured over crushed ice.

MACCHIATO A standard Espresso with just a dash of milk added, served in a small espresso cup.

Macchiato means ‘marked’ or ‘stained’ – so this literally means ‘espresso stained / marked with milk’.

MOCHA A standard Espresso, hot chocolate and hot milk served in a glass.

RISTRETTO A half shot of Espresso (15ml)

Prior to 1000 AD

Two stories are in circulation as to how coffee was discovered. The first tells of the Galla tribe in Ethiopia who realise that eating a coffee cherry will give you an energy high. They would roll up the cherry grinds with animal fat into little balls and would eat it before a long battle. The second says that a goat herder in Ethiopia called Kaldi noticed that his goats became friskier after eating red berries of a certain shrub. He then took them himself which made him happy.

1453

The first coffee shop, called Kiva Han, opens in Constantinople.

1600

An Indian pilgrim-smuggler, called Baba Budan is said to be the first to bring fertile seeds outside of Arabia or Africa, by strapping them to his belly.

1652

First coffee house opens in London.

1654

First coffee house opens in Italy.

1689

Café Procope opens in Paris frequented by the likes of Rousseau, Voltaire, Napoleon Bonaparte and Benjamin Franklin.

1730

The British take coffee over to Jamaica

1900’s

The term ‘Kaffee Klatsch’ is coined in Germany to describe women’s gossip over afternoon coffee.

1905

The first commercial espresso machine is manufactured in Italy.

1933

Dr. Ernest Illy develops the first automatic espresso machine.

1938

Nestle develops Nescafe and introduces it to Switzerland.

1942

During W.W.II, American soldiers are issued instant Maxwell House coffee in their ration kits.

1946

In Italy, the espresso machine is perfected by Achilles Gaggia. Cappuccino is named after the deep brown colour of the robes of the Capuchin-order monks.

1971

First Starbucks opens in Seattle.

NOW

Coffee is second only to oil as the world’s largest-traded commodity

TURKISH COFFEE Prepared in an ibrik, a small coffee pot that is heated to boiling. Sugar is optional and is added during brewing.

Cream or milk is not added.

PLEASE NOTE: COFFEE DEFINITIONS DO CHANGE DEPENDING ON THE COFFEE SHOP

6

COFFEE COMFORTS

market

40 Gladys Mazibuko (Marriott) Road 031 309 8581 My new favourite place in Durban. Discovering Market felt like Christmas as a kid for me - unwrapping your ‘big’ present only to discover that inside is the one thing you have always wished for. For me, Market has it all - great food (my personal favourite being the roasted vegetable cous cous salad for lunch or dinner, and a butternut and feta muffin for breakfast), amazing coffee (especially when they arrive with sugar coated swirls), a beautiful environment under the trees (with an inside area in case of rain) and a serene and creative environment. Tucked away in Gladys Mazibuko (Marriott) Road, it offers a safe haven and tranquil retreat from an otherwise busy day.

eat what you love. love what you eat

206 Marine drive, Bluff (opp.The Engen Garage).

Tel 031 466 3434.

Good food bar and coffee shop

The Bluff just keeps getting better! A warm welcome to Jade’z good food bar and coffee shop, which opened up recently in the Crossways area on Marine Drive on the Bluff. After waiting for about two years for the perfect spot, they finally found it.

Owned by Paul Riley, the shop was named after his daughter Jade who now runs the shop. Family is therefore very important in this very homely and cosy coffee shop.

Their goal was to create a warm, comfortable and relaxing atmosphere with a slightly mod feel, where people and friends could enjoy a good cup of coffee and a chat. They have certainly accomplished that!

They serve a wide variety of coffee, teas, cakes, muffins, light meals and snacks. They cater for in house functions and parties, and offer a great take away service.

Come visit Jade’z. You deserve the break.

WHAT’S ON? aug/sept “The game of life is the game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy”.

SPILL

Florence Shinn

10 AUG

15 AUG

KwaZulu-Natal Women Artists 25 June - 6 Sept Tatham Art Gallery, Chief Albert Luthuli.

031 392 2800/1 www.tatham.org.za

25 AUG

THE

5 AUG

LM Radio 28 July - 30 Aug Barnyard Theatre, Gateway takes audiences back a few decades to the days of the original ‘hit parade’, when it tunes in and presents LM Radio!

031 566 3045 www.barnyardtheatre.co.za

City Bowl Mizers with Pretty Blue Guns Willowvale Hotel, Cnr Willowvale & Umbilo Roads 8pm www.myspace.com/ thecitybowlmizers

12 SEPT Glenwood Festival 2009 12 Sept - 14 Sept The pro-active Glenwood Community Forum once again will host three days of interactive family events. www.forum.glenwood.co.za

Noises Off 15 Aug - 06 Sept Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre R80. The play tracks the rivalries and misfortunes of a chaotic, bickering theatre company, from opening night to the the end of an incident and accident-ridden six month tour. Computicket

“Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought”.

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

“The highest reward for man's toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it”.

John Ruskin

“Laughter is an instant vacation”.

Milton Berle

22 AUG

Shongweni Farmers & Craft Market Corner Kassier & Alverstone Road, Assagay A variety of fresh produce, craft and gift items. Breakfast foods avaiable and yummy goodies to take home.From 6.30am to 10am every Sat morning.

2 SEPT

uShaka Marine World Secretaries Day uShaka Marine World welcome cocktail, full buffet lunch, lucky-draw competitions and great entertainment.

031 328 8000

20 SEPT

The Body Show 20 Sept - 22 Sept ICC Durban Exhibition Centre An upmarket exhibition showcasing the best in health, beauty and body products.

031 572 3831 www.bodyshow.co.za

24 SEPT

BEANS “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become” Christopher Reeve

White Mountain Folk Festival 24 - 27 Sept A must for acoustic music lovers, the annual Festival is held near Giant’s Castle in the beautiful Central Drakensberg. www.whitemountain.co.za

DO YOU HAVE AN EVENT THAT YOU WOUD YOU LIKE TO SEE ADVERTISED HERE? EMAIL THE DETAILS TO editorial@stbmag.com 8

COFFEE CRAZY

Coffee: In search of the perfect cup

Since the fall of the dinosaur, when every coffee-obsessed caveman or cavewoman was willing to barter the best of his or her animal skins for a great espresso, we have searched for the perfect one.

The world as we knew it would never be the same. No sub-standard coffee liquid of any preparation method, from filter to flat white, would suffice. At least that is the parallel universe that I would like to exist in.

To paraphrase Gwilym Davies, current World Barista Champion, ‘once again, I am going to talk to you about why coffee is disappointing’. As a passionate coffee roaster and devotee to the search for perfection, I would humbly like you to stop and think about the coffee that you are drinking. Stop and think about every factor that has influenced your cup of coffee. It’s a difficult task but let me help you; the coffee you are drinking was ground from a roasted bean (hopefully not so long ago because ground coffee should be infused with hot water within 4 minutes of grinding). The bean, which can be more accurately described as a seed, was once harvested from the fruit of a tree. These trees bare a more resplendent fruit if grown between the tropics by farmers who share the same passion as you and I. Every factor from the soil and atmosphere, in which the trees are grown to the methods used to extract the seeds (beans) from their berry-like casings, influences the character of your cup. During transport from the farm every precaution must be made to ensure that the said beans do not become tainted due to their various environments, as the coffee beans will react like sponges to any smell or flavour that is strong enough to permeate their porous hessian cloth package. Then only, do roasters around the world have a chance to impart any of their skill onto this raw bean through the art and science of roasting coffee. “The Barista”, being any skilled individual who prepares coffee usually through the extraction of a coffee liquor known as an “espresso”, is the last person to add his or her finishing touch to a most laborious yet rewarding process. So, wouldn’t you like that finishing touch to do it justice?

I cannot describe in words the satisfaction I have received from tasting and savoring that perfect cup of coffee, because I have not yet found it. What I can tell you is that the best coffee is made with the

intention to extract its optimum character, starting with the grower and ending with what you, the coffee connoisseur, demands to receive. If the growing appreciation of professional coffee roasters and baristas is something to judge by, then perhaps my attention should be drawn to simple factors. Factors such as purchasing freshly roasted coffee beans from local roasters, who should be as fanatic as you and I. You must insist that the quality of coffee prepared by any barista is to International standards. Training is easy to come by and because this is a service as well as a product, the barista should strive to perfect his/her profession to a standard that is recognized as world-class. The correct proportions, timing and methods should be followed as more and more individuals compete to win you over.

It is our duty as consumers to appreciate these factors, as we appreciate good food made by skilled chefs who continue their efforts to master their art and purchase top-notch produce because you, the connoisseur, wouldn’t have it any other way…

Coffee as we know it is a celebration of numerous cultures and tastes, so it is undeniably full of different opinions. Any coffee, prepared with skill in order to fully appreciate the inherent flavours and aromas it has to offer, should be judged on its original smells, tastes, mouth-feel and finish. As done during the tasting of any fine wine. The preparation of the coffee should fulfill its original purpose. Whether the roasted coffee beans from different origins were blended and ground to be prepared in a plunger or in a pressurized espresso machine, their qualities should not be debased through incorrect preparation. So if you are not detecting the same aromas or flavours your barista suggested you would detect, or your barista (or roaster, if you are preparing the coffee at home) did not suggest the aromas and flavours you should be appreciating, ask why. I may not have tasted that “perfect cup” yet but I have tasted great coffee, prepared with love and unrivaled zest to make it better every single time it is prepared, have you?

KYLE FRASER Marketing Director of Colombo Fine Beverage Co. www.colombo.co.za

9

MIND.BODY.SOUL connection

durban Durban.

An unassuming place where the rest of the country visits only when it is cold everywhere else; which basically makes it an attraction to the nation for the whole year except for two weeks in Cape Town and three days in Gauteng.

What is it that gives us Durbanites so much reason to gloat and grin every time someone finds out that we live in that little city on the coast? Is it our permanently warm weather or the fact that unlike the other major tourist attractions throughout SA we are not victim to a twenty percent mark up on prices from everything ranging from alcohol to smokes?

You could pin the reason for our abject godlike status amongst normal South Africans on such things, but that would be unfair to the populace of Durban. Like all cities, the people are what make it special. Sure, Cape Town has enough foreign nationals to apply for a large grant from the UN, and Johannesburg has enough postapartheid aggression to power Kanye West for another year, but Durban is in a league of its own. Down to earth and chilled. It is as though we have local tourists just to make sure that we still have a pulse, and when they remove their index finger from the vein in Durban’s neck, they stand back startled as if to find that something so relaxed can possibly be living.

Like every other city we are a melting pot of cultures and races, but no other city has it so wonderfully diverse. A university student from Wits does not sit and reminisce with his friends about how when he was a child he would go down to the local Indian corner café, buy six samoosa’s from the Zulu woman behind the counter, walk to just

outside the deck area of a very white Billy the Bums and watch the Asian kitchen staff on smoke break from some fast-food joint which had the word “wok” somewhere in its title.

I know that this all sounds terribly precocious, but why can’t a member of this magnificent city be proud to be a part of it? If this article was being written about Johannesburg from the perspective of a boy from Sandton, he too would show off all the remarkable traits that Johannesburg has to offer with just as much pride. Yet there remains a ‘Durbanishness’ that scholars and professors alike cannot put their fingers on. Sure we have our night-spots; littering the coast and the Highway area like inbred children. We also have our tourist attractions, uShaka Marine World; Shakaland; the forthcoming statue of uShaka (King of the Zulu’s) and Mahatma Gandhi Drive (Not a place where you can take your children to), and let’s not forget our beaches where you’ll find most diehard Durbanites lingering each weekend.

I mentioned that Durban, like the other trendy cities of South Africa, has night spots. Like the other trendy cities found in South Africa, these various spots attempt to appeal to different, races, classes and tastes. For example; nestled above a profitable Steers fast-food joint on Durban’s beachfront; one can find the ever-popular Joe Cools. Known for its drinks specials on a Sunday night; Joe’s (as it is affectionately known amongst locals) sprawls outwards and over two separate stories, making it ideal for summertime partying and afternoon sundowners with a view of four hundred oil tankers vying their way into Durban Harbour.

Other haunts in the area include eighties (good for students); Clapham Grand (good for all night dancing) ; The Winston (good for the conception of illegitimate children) and Burn (good for rockers).

10

MIND.BODY.SOUL connection Yet Durban does not begin and end within the CBD. It stretches out like an amorphous blob; lurching into the countryside and creating new suburbs for different breeds of Durbanites to set up home.

These places include Pinetown and Kloof. Further up you will drive through Hillcrest, fast becoming Durbans new “it” spot with a wellspring of restaurants and nightclubs opening up to accommodate this growing market.

Does the mention of nightclubs and party-spots justify Durban as any different from any other city in South Africa? Not at all. It is the experience of these places, the smells and sounds that you as a visitor will encounter, which makes you realize that Durban is NOT Cape Town, NOT Johannesburg. It is not precocious (although some places try to be) or rough (although some places will always be).

It is Durban. It smells like grass and feels like air, you wonder into these places not by design, but by accident. You won’t say that you enjoyed it for the touch of class or the levels of ingenuity (although both these statements ring true); you will say you loved it because it was Durban. That you were on the top veranda in your shorts and slops at 11 o clock at night drinking cocktails. You will love it because in mid-winter you walked onto a dance floor in a fully ventilated room and still sweated your arms out of their sockets. You will remember the toothless yet grinning car guard you encountered one evening; savour forever the taste of Johnny’s Roti’s; recall endless meanderings on a vast open beach. The experience of Durban will stick to you like grease and once it gets under your thumb, it will never leave you. And you’ll never want it to.

CHRISTIAAN TROSKIE

i love durban i love durban i love durban

A change is as good as a holiday? We aren't taking a break any time soon, but, we will be introducing a new image and identity to demonstrate the love we have had for our craft for over 90 years...

"Colombo Tea and Coffee Co." will now be known to all as "Colombo Fine Beverage Co." Though our voyage has been long and rewarding, we have only just begun to show the world the lessons passed down through four generations of devotion and mastery. From our expertly roasted coffee's, harvested as single origin or blended with the skill of an artist, to the teas we selectively source from around the world, Colombo Fine Beverage Co. is our heritage. We aim to make our predecessors proud through our passion for the aroma's and tastes that have brought such joy to the people of Durban for almost a century!

The Colombo Fine Beverage Co. roasting and blending factory, at 369 Gale Street, was originally built by our founder Jas. B. Richardson and I am sure he will be pleased with the time we have taken to restore his factory and the plans we have to build an Espresso Bar and showroom in the fashion he had planned all those years ago. We will be holding tastings fortnightly and booking is essential, for more information please contact me on 031 205 32 83.

LOCAL TALENT

Putting together a conference can be a daunting affair, and trying to do so while still maintaining your every day job (as well as your sanity) can seem frantically intimidating. That’s where Interactive comes in – to literally take the job and the stress away from your trembling hands. Let’s take a closer look at what they can do for you: Interactive has been in the conferencing business for ten years and is run by Maita and Adrian Garrett who between them have over twenty years of combined experience in the conferencing industry. As professional organisers it is their job to assist you with the coordination of your function or conference, from sourcing suitable venues right through to checking that there are mints on the table.

Best of all the service that they offer is FREE. The prices that they quote you are exactly what you would obtain from the venue/supplier were you to go directly to them.

Here are some of the functions that they will perform on your behalf: • • • • • • • • • • •

Source suitable venues for your conference / presentation / meeting / party and supply you details of the various options at the venue.

Depending on your requirements, they are able to negotiate rates according to your needs.

Arrange property inspections should you need to see the venues prior to making any decision.

Do all the necessary paperwork required to secure the venue and co-ordinate all further arrangements on your behalf.

Keep you informed of any special deals on offer and of any new developments within the conferencing industry.

Source and co-ordinate any non standard equipment required.

Arrange guest speakers, entertainers, teambuilding, DJ’s, flowers etc should you require any of these services for your conference/ function.

Assist with arranging transport should it be required.

Arrange décor for your function i.e. draping of rooms, themes, backdrops, props, flowers, candles etc.

Source gifts and invitations of any sort for a conference, presentation or even at Christmas time.

Corporate clothing such as caps, T Shirts, Golf Shirts, jackets etc.

Interactive have worked with a wide variety of different companies, and have arranged functions ranging from small board meetings consisting of six people to gala dinners for the Minister of Health for 500 guests. It’s obvious that whatever your need may be, Interactive can help you achieve it. They pride themselves on excellent service and guarantee a turnaround time of 24 hours or less for any quotes requested.

Why stress when Interactive can do the work for you? After all it’s FREE!

CHRISTINE BERNARD

SIT BACK AND RELAX

PILLOW TALK

The feel of silk against warm skin. Undressing slowly in flickering candlelight surrounded by the rich scents of vanilla and spices. Passion engages all of the senses and takes the body and mind on a rich voyage of discovery. The Bedroom is your guide on this journey, take the first step with us to pleasure you never dreamed possible. In day to day life you are a mother, wife or business professional but in The Bedroom you are a powerful, sensual woman.

I’d like to introduce Chantal Edouard-Betsy, co-founder of The Bedroom (co-owned with best friend Hilda Tod) Congratulations on this exciting venture. Please tell our readers exactly what The Bedroom is all about.

It is a sensual boutique for women specialising in the art of pleasure. We sell everything from gorgeous linen, lingerie, pamper and massage products, to lubricants and adult playthings.

How did this idea come about? And what was the initial response to your initiative?

Preceded by many a girl’s night talk about “where do normal girls go to buy something to spice up your relationship”, there was an article in the June 2007 Cosmo talking about “Erotica gone posh” and how there were similar type boutiques opening up country, but none in KZN. Well, it was an Oprah “AHA” moment and the rest is history! By November 2007 we had opened our doors, realising that a huge amount of education would be necessary to show and teach everyone that we are “the other side of sex”, evident for example by the tenants who, upon hearing that we were opening our boutique, drew up a petition, as they believed we were going to represent the stereotypical “adult shop”. But now things have obviously and are still changing and we are very proud owners of our SACSC awarded KZN Retailer of 2008 award!

The Bedroom comes across as a very stylish and upmarket place. How do you keep this image at all times?

We believe it has everything to do with who we are as people and how we present our business. Literally from how we dress, how we speak and what we say, to the discreet location of our shop, as well as the ranges and quality of our stock and how we display everything. The store’s layout is like a journey and you can go as far as you’re comfortable – nothing is in “your face”. We have also aligned ourselves with very reputable associations, such as The South Africa Sexual Health Association and Business Women Association. Sorry guys, but the “women only” part does play a big role as well!

The Bedroom is not just a shop, but also a place for events and parties – tell us a bit more about this.

We have become a preferred venue for parties, such as hen’s or bachelorette parties, but also for groups of ladies (such as book or pamper clubs) to come and have an evening of fun! We have recently introduced a once-a-month Couples Party, where ladies bring their male partners along for a night of education and fun! We also run very informative workshops (which we call Playshops) at our shop as well as Sensual Massage Courses.

Where are you situated and what are are your opening hours?

We are on the 1st floor of the recently revamped Granada Square, above Woolies Foods. We trade weekdays from 10am-6pm and Saturdays from 10am-2pm. We are an exclusive boutique for women, but on Fridays and Saturdays we welcome couples and men only by prior arrangement.

Our web address is www.thebedroom.co.za for more info or call us on 031-5616766.

What would you say is the motto of The Bedroom?

In day to day life you are a mother, wife or business professional but in The Bedroom EVERY woman is a powerful, sensual woman.

STYLE PIPPA LYNCH

PIPPA LYNCH www.pippalynch.co.za pippa@pippalynch.co.za 084 608 2138 031 303 7118 http://pippalynch.blogspot.com

Fashion Stylist | Personal Styling Wardrobe Planning | Fashion Shoots Makeovers | Fashion Journalism Guest and Corporate Speaking

“Coming to you was better than therapy!”

- Vicky C. Makeover “I was very impressed with the presentation you did for our company - it was so fresh and different!”

- Nicolette M. Corporate Client

STYLE

Celebrating Womanhood: The ACTIVIA Makeover

By Pippa Lynch Meet Alyson: A housewife and mother of two young boys.

Her daily routine? Cleaning the house and fetching the kids.

Her fashion sense? She can’t really say.

Enter ACTIVIA and Pippa Lynch, Fashion Stylist and Image Consultant: Here to save the day and shake Alyson free from her daily routine.

You see, Alyson had entered the ACTIVIA makeover competition on Noeleen’s 3 Talk show. That phone call changed her life: she walked away with the main prize which consisted of a consultation with a dietician, a R4 500 Pick ‘n Pay gift voucher and a makeover with Pippa Lynch.

Here is Alyson’s style makeover story: On day 1, we started with an introductory consultation whereby we did her face-shape, figure and colour analyses. In the afternoon, we went and shopped up a storm at the local shopping centre, picking up some fabulous finds and treating Alyson to a day with the girls.

As day 2 dawned, Alyson came to realise the full extent of what she had won: not only was she getting a whole new wardrobe, but we were also treating her to a manicure, pedicure, brand new hairstyle, makeup and a photoshoot to document her transformation.

To begin with, Alyson was shy and withdrawn, but the more time we spent together, the more she opened up and became more chatty about her life, dreams and aspirations.

When asked about her makeover and her newfound confidence, Alyson remarked: “It’s definitely been a lifechanging experience, that’s for sure. I’m no longer afraid to take some time out for myself. I realise now that that is important.”

PIPPA LYNCH

15

Having trouble meeting people? Tired of going to the same places every week? Table for 8 Dinners is a fantastic way for Durban singles to meet other like-minded individuals in a fun, safe and non-committal environment.Table for 8 Dinners was established in 2001 and caters for ages above 25. Groups usually consist of eight people with an even number of Ladies and Gents who sit alternately.

Many members find love and couple up. So the need for new members is always essential. This also insures there are new faces at each event.

New members may bring a friend on their first attendance.

Table for 8 Dinners evenings are fun, relaxed and held in different recommended restaurants. Locations of these restaurants are taken into consideration as to where members stay. Lift groups can be organized and Ladies if requested can be met at their car and escorted both to and from their car. Members are always welcomed by the host and new members allocated a well known member to look after them and see that they feel at ease.

Table for 8 Dinners also offers outdoor adventures, theatre evenings, wine tasting, sun set cruise and weekends away and suggestions by email are always very welcome.

There is no better way to meet people!

Tony Plummer tablefor8dinners@gmail.com, 082 77 44 727, www.t48dinners.co.za

Success story

“Gavin and I met at the second dinner that I had attended. I still remember it was a Friday night and it was at The Grill Room Cafe at Gateway - September 2002. Gavin had been a member of Table for 8 for a couple of months and was just about to give up hope of ever meeting “Mrs Right”, when needless to say Julia persuaded him to attend just one last dinner. Gavin sat between two ladies, one (Lady A) of which he spent half the evening antagonishing and the other was me (Lady B) , who he ignored for the first part of the evening. When Lady A decided that she had had enough and left, he then turned his undivided attention to me only to meet his match in more ways than one.

Gavin and I saw each other a couple of times before we started “dating”, officially. It turned out that he actually lived right next door to an ex colleague of mine and that we also had a number of mutual friends. Why we never crossed paths prior to the dinner at The Grill Room Cafe is anyone’s guess! In the months to follow, the normal dating pattern progressed and on the 26th November 2003 he proposed marriage. Naturally I accepted and on the 4th April 2004 we were married at Kearsney College Chapel in Hillcrest.

We are now in the process of completing our house alterations and look forward to settling down to plan our family in the next few months. So you see, don’t pass up an opportunity to meet new people. You just never know when Mr Right or Mrs Right will present themselves!”

MOTIVATION “Develop attitudes that exhibit your growth”

Do you want to … ?

• • • • • • •

Be an outstanding peak-performer Create purpose and reach your goals Create a professional business image Polish up your presentation skills Be authentic, confident and assertive Improve frontline customer service Manage stress - take “Time Out”

Chantaul Jordan

Our most popular program includes:

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“Dynamic expression of the power within creates the cutting edge in business”

Q U A N D O ‘ S

Each issue our mystery motivator, Quando, will share with us some uplifting thoughts and quotes on one particular theme. This weeks theme is Happiness

Quando’s personal thoughts on Happiness: True happiness cannot be bought. It is felt when we appreciate things that money cannot buy ... a hug, a kiss, a smile, a kind word, these little moments that make us feel on top of the world and which make us want to reciprocate the action to those in need.

Quando found this great quote on Happiness: “If you want to be happy, be”. ~Leo Tolstoy

CORNER

?

WIN WITH SPILL THE BEANS AND QUANDO

Who is Quando? Guess whether Quando is male or female and stand a chance to win a fantastic book from Penguin. Because Quando loves to read!

Email your answers to editorial@stbmag.com

THE DARK ROOM

WIN A STUDIO SHOOT AT STELLA NOVA STUDIO WORTH R800

Please send your photos to design@stbmag.com Next month’s theme is ‘TRAVEL’.

Dsiona Theron Young children aren’t prone to hiding their emotions, yet getting a toddler to smile for the camera can often be a difficult task.This girl’s evident joy however has been captured well. The close crop and undistracting background make it a lovely portrait shot. The subject is in my opinion, a little under-exposed but this can easily be fixed with a little post-processing.

Keep smiling!

THE DARK ROOM

Carla Schnetler

RUNNERS UP

Samantha Davies Carla Schnetler

The Bead Barn, situated in the thriving Davenport Square (corner Davenport and Brand Roads) opened its doors in May 2008 and has proven itself to be Durban’s latest and most exciting beading experience.

Owned and run by Jayshree Lewis, the Bead Barn offers customers a wide range of beads, findings, chain, freshwater and glass pearls, crystals, and enhancers, as well as a wide range of tools and beading accessories.

Jayshree has been involved in beading for over five years and her creativity is reflected in the many varied designs of ready made jewellery that are on display. This creativity spills over into her free beading lessons which customers may book and be guided step by step towards achieving a professional looking beaded item.

FOR ALL YOUR BEADING REQUIREMENTS

WINNING WORDS Everybody Loves Somebody

oke, no one argued with him much. He leaned back in his chair, holding out an arm the way crooners do. “No one sings this like Deano,” he added.

“But three times,” Jannie Geldenhuys protested, but not so loudly this time.

“Know what they say about three times?”

“Third time lucky,” I chirped. I was always big on superstition. Even more important I knew what number on the jukebox it was – 13, my lucky number.

Right then, I’d hardly taken a breath, this tall heart-stoppingly beautiful blonde glided in. Pretty as a picture, as they say. And there was Dean, with that warble in his throat that always gives me goosebumps, giving it everything he had with Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime, for the third successive time.

It was certainly no ordinary day, that Saturday. The papers were already full of it: KENNEDY GUNNED DOWN! said the headlines.

That’s another reason why that morning remains indelibly imprinted on my mind. All the details: Dallas, Texas, Lee Harvey Oswald, highpowered rifle with telescopic sights, from the book depository up on whatever floor above the town’s main street, offs John F Kennedy as he is sits next to wife Jacky in a motorcade waving to the crowds packing the pavements on both sides of the road. Good-looking war hero, rich as Croesus, the West’s golden boy – even Marilyn Monroe had the hots for him – and zap! Bullet takes the back of his head off.

D’you remember that – Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime?

Dean Martin, what a number – all feeling. Man, I loved that guy’s singing. Anything he sang. What I’m going to tell you though, is no song. It really happened..

The world mourned. Though it didn’t make that much impression on me. Not at the time.

I was in love.

You know the way it is, the way it gets you right in the gut – wham!

Your heart seems to be missing beats all over the place. Lights are popping inside your skull, like a fireworks display and whatever you touch this wild tingling starts up in your fingertips, like you’ve taken a grip on a live connection of an electrical circuit.

Dean had it absolutely spot on: there at the end of the song, the line that goes…“Your love made it well worth waiting… for someone like you-oo.” It’s there that he does that little warble, and I went gooseflesh all over. In a swoon. Couldn’t keep my eyes off her. This was the girl for me. That was for sure.

Dean was singing it the first time I set eyes on her. Singing it on the jukebox in the Royal Café in Bosfontein, our little mining town on the East Rand. This was back in the sixties when the song first came out. It was Wally Mostert who put the money in the machine, not me. And it was playing for the third time straight. The four or five of us at the table were slurping Coke-floats through straws.

“Not again!” one of the okes squawked.

“And why not?” Wally shot back, puffing out his chest. He was a big

So I got up from the table and followed her, this girl who had come in through the café’s corner entrance and was passing the tables where we sat on her way to the front of the shop, up a short flight of steps, to where Jimmy the Greek, mopping the sweat on his forehead, was standing behind his counter next to the cash register. It was like a dream.

He smiled, showing the two gold front teeth.

“I can help?”

Interested in fashion? Want to be financially independent? For all your jewellery requirements contact any of our Team Leaders: Vernie - 084 404 3017 Chatsworth Zora - 073 003 3720 Phoenix Hashika - 072 203 9904 Overport Leonie - 082 450 7491 Morningside Chantal - 078 457 4174 Queensburgh & Highway

WINNING WORDS “Ice-cream, chocolate, double-scoop in a cone please,” she said in this soft, almost liquid voice.

“Coming up, young lady.”

That’s when I found my voice – something like a frog’s croak, I seem to recall. “I’ll get that, Jimmy.”

She looked at me. Gorgeous, elfin-slim, heart-shaped face, complexion as smooth as porcelain, pink cheeks, blonde curls, eyes like sapphires, and a curious smile playing about her bee-stung lips. She hitched one eyebrow in my direction, questioningly. “Don’t remember inviting you to buy me an ice-cream.”

“True,” I admitted, the frog’s croak even more pronounced. “I just decided to invite myself.”

“Well, did you now?” She pulled a face, head on one side. Then she gave a bell-like laugh; shook her curls. “Well, okay. Why not? But only if you have one, too.”

“Deal.” I stuck out my hand. “George – George Anderson.”

“Leila Jefferys.”

And that’s how it started.

She was new in town. I was sixteen then, and we were together – inseparable – for four wonderful years. I have never been so happy.

We were both happy. There was a bond between us that was almost magical. It’s what people mean when they say they’re on the same wavelength. She’d start to say something, but I’d know – even as she opened her mouth – exactly what she was going to say. And it worked the other way round as well.

The only thing that bugged her was my superstitious ways. She always scoffed at my account of how we met – and how I just knew she was meant for me from the moment Dean Martin started on that song for the third time.

“Third time lucky,” she’d say with a dismissive shrug, “that’s nonsense! Everyone else says thirteen’s an unlucky number. You say it’s lucky – mumbo-jumbo, that’s all it is!”

“But it is lucky for me,” I persisted. “I broke the school high-jump record on Friday the 13th in September last year. Something good always happens to me on the thirteenth of the month. Specially if it’s a Friday.”

“Forget it, Georgie,” Leila insisted. “Pure coincidence.”

Lucky numbers were only part of it, of course. There were all sorts of other foibles as well. I had them in spades – never open an umbrella indoors; avoid the adjoining lines of paving stones; throw spilt salt over the left shoulder three times; mutter a special incantation if a black cat crosses your path; and never, ever walk under a ladder.

By now, we’d left school and I was playing in the town cricket team.

I was a better than average batsman, and she often came to watch.

She’d look on with amused tolerance, as I got ready for an innings.

Always donning the left pad first and giving it a special pat when it was fastened. It was because the left pad faced the bowler, I explained.

I had a tarnished paper-thin 1937 sixpence from the old days that had to be in my right trouser pocket. I always touched it as the bowler came up to deliver the ball. It was supposed to be lucky because the first two digits of the date made ten, as did the last two. I’d get frantic if I couldn’t find it. With the coin in my pocket I believed I couldn’t make less than 20. Strangely enough, it usually worked.

Sometimes Leila would lose patience over these quirky ways of mine. But otherwise we agreed on everything.

Young marriages in those days – the sixties – were quite common.

I thought we’d get engaged in the year we both turned twenty, and get married the following year.

Then she disappeared. She was there one moment, gone the next.

No one knew where she’d gone – not even her parents… at first.

Later it came out that she’d been seeing another guy on the QT. They were both in the bank and they wangled a transfer together to

another branch in a different province. I heard she had a baby soon afterwards, and then no more.

I never married, and I never left our little East Rand town. I manage the tiny cinema – we call it bioscope – across the road from the railway station and the bus terminus, like I always have since my dad died. We have two movies a week, like always.

The only thing I absolutely refuse to do is wear a dickybird suit – a tux with bowtie – morning, noon and night, like my dad used to. He had three of them and they were always pressed and ready for him to put on in the morning before he went to his office, a cosy little room just behind the ticket office. The tux used to embarrass the hell out of me. If I saw him walking down the street, I’d turn around and walk the other way, pretend I hadn’t seen him.

If the town hasn’t changed nor have I. I’m still ultra superstitious.

Okay, I’m almost sixty now and I don’t play cricket. But I’ve still got that old 1937 sixpence and I still carry it in my right trouser pocket, and I do believe that by and large it brings me luck, like it used to in cricket.

Wouldn’t you know it – today’s Friday the thirteenth. I decided to go for a walk in the park. First show today is only at 5pm, then a second show at eight o’clock. I took a long walk around the lake in the centre of the park. Going past the old concrete bandstand, I sat down on a bench to rest. There are several benches placed strategically around the bandstand for the alternate Sunday performances by the local Salvation Army band. To my right, I spotted the figure of an old woman. She was sitting sideways, with her back to me. There was something oddly familiar about her.

The more I looked, the more convinced I became. It was Leila. Had to be. Just then – it had been dead quiet until that moment – an unseen dove began to coo. It went on for at least a minute, then stopped. Then it began again. Once more it went on for about a minute. I looked across at the woman. Her back was still turned.

If that dove coos again, I told myself, it’ll mean she is Leila. Then I’ll get up and go to her. I’ll forgive her everything. We’ll be together, like we were always supposed to be.

Right on cue, the bird once more began its sad lament. I got up and slowly sauntered past. I held my breath. My heart was racing, thumping in my chest. It had to be Leila: the same elfin slimness, the same pale blonde hair glinting in the afternoon sunlight.

It wasn’t her, of course. But we had a good turnout at the movie that night. It was an old Dean Martin film – Rio Bravo, with John Wayne – in which the old warbler doesn’t sing a note, except when the credits roll.

MICHAEL SHAFTO

WRITE AND WIN If you’d like the chance to win ‘Gypsy’ by Lesley Pearce, then send your short stories to editorial@stbmag.com (600 - 100 words) Bought to you by Penguin. www.penguinbooks.co.za

HEALTH matters

“In the pursuit of knowledge, every day something is gained. In the pursuit of freedom every day something is let go of.” This is one of my favourite quotes. Recently I am finding myself surrounded by many people excited to learn about making their lives simpler, more meaningful, happier, healthier and more fulfilling. With gaining that new knowledge they are having to let go of old ways/ habits/ beliefs or “stuff.” I cannot believe how many people are on this path of self exploration and personal development. How encouraging!

Today I would like to give you a list of my top 20 tips for saving time.

Now I know we are not robots! but most of us tend to be spending a lot of time wasted where we could actually be LIVING and having extra time for more fun in our lives. I don’t want you to get the wrong message from this article. Monotonous, boring, routine like living is not great for ones soul, but saving time on chores and things you may not actually be enjoying will give you MORE fun, less stress and a better life overall! So here it goes: 1.utilize the weekend: If you can get 2 workouts in over the weekend, Then you’ve only got 3 to fit into your week! Try and do something different that you possibly couldn’t fit into a normal working day like swimming at a local pool, doing a class on a Saturday morning, a run/walk along the beach, a game of tennis/squash. Try and incorporate loved ones or friends. This will kill two birds with one stone. You will be having fun with the people that count and probably forgetting you are actually exercising.

2. Shop Wisely Limit grocery shopping to once a week over the weekend. Plan your shopping list as the isles are laid out in the shop to avoid having to go back. My mum taught me how to make the perfect “time saving” list by grouping the different ingredients together as they are found in the store frozen foods, dairy products, cold foods, fruit and vegetables, and meats. Before you know it you’ve cut 20 minutes off your shopping time!

3. Buy in Bulk When buying some ingredients buy them in bulk i.e. mince, chicken breasts, milk, bread, sugar. Then invest in a vacuum sealer where you can make your own portion sizes. This not only saves money because buying in bulk is more cost effective, it will also prevent you from having to buy that ingredient so often. Write the date you sealed it, the

weight and what it is, for easy reference. Freeze it to keep it fresh.

4. Cook more than you need This has saved me from getting take away meals many times! Soups, casseroles, stews, curries, mince and savoury muffins all keep beautifully in the freezer. Double or triple the recipe and use zip lock containers or a vacuum sealer to make it into one portion, couple or family servings. There is nothing better to come home and dinner is only ten to fifteen minutes away from being ready. Just boil some rice, a baked potato or chop up a salad and wa-la- dinner is served!

5. Learn to delegate Teach your kids to clean up after themselves. They can help prepare simple things in the kitchen, help you unpack the groceries, wash the dishes and set the table. You will be teaching them responsibility and organisation for later on in life as well as spending some quality time with them. Teach your domestic worker to do more for you eg: Sort out your clothes into colours and pack them away, to write your shopping list, to do some of the preparation for your meals like preparing the roast, peeling veggies or making the side salad. Even teach her how to make you a fresh loaf of bread every second day. Don’t feel bad to ask for help. People work best when they know exactly what is expected of them.

6. Learn to Say “No!” Politely of course. Don’t feel the need to put yourself under more pressure, especially when its something you really don’t want to do.

Rather under promise and over deliver than over promise and under deliver.

7. Shop Online Almost all larger chains now offer the option to order online with a small delivery charge of approx R40 to R60. This is so worth it as it prevents you from buying things that weren’t on the list as well as saving travel time. The delivery fee works out in most cases to what you’d pay on petrol anyway. Phone your local super market and ask if they deliver. You will be surprised at how many offer that service for busy people. Take advantage.

8. Never wait for anyone/ anything Always carry your favourite book or a piece of work that is on your to

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HEALTH matters do list. If your flight is delayed or you’re in a traffic jam, waiting for your doctor or your next appointment is running late; you will always have something to do and so you’ll never feel like you’re actually wasting time at all.

9. Investigate pre-cooked meals There are quite a few companies who offer, healthy low fat or low GI meals, ready made. Some even deliver. Most of these choices are now available at your local supermarket in the frozen sections. Buy a few to keep in your freezer for those nights where you just feel like relaxing. You can enjoy a “take away” meal, guilt free! Two examples are: ENERGI foods or EAT SMART ORGANICS. Both are available from Pick `n Pay. 10. Modernize your kitchen • A steamer: Fat free, crispy veggies in only 10 minutes. They are affordable, easy to clean and quick.

• A liquidizer: smoothies in a flash. If you don’t have time to eat your fruit, yoghurt, oats, nuts and seeds in the morning then put them all in the blender and drink your breakfast on your way to work!

• A juicer: only buy good quality ones, so you get the most out of your fresh ingredients. If you are battling to eat large plates of salads/ vegetables for lunch and dinner, try juicing raw fruit/veg so you can once again drink it on your way to work. They provide loads of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, fibre and energy! And of course the vegetables remain raw so you aren’t destroying precious vitamins.

11. Snack Attack Snacking is inevitable, so be prepared! Fruit, home made dry fruit, nuts and seeds, veggie sticks with hummus paste or pesto, ryvita and peanut butter, yoghurt and gogi berries are all better choices than the common “snack bars”, dried fruits covered in sugar, fruit juices and junk foods. On a Sunday and a Wednesday prepare snack packs in the fridge for work or your car. When the urge arises you will be ready.

12. Get organized Pack your lunches/ your families’ lunches and your gym clothes the night before. This will save you ample time in the morning as well as eliminate excuses- “ Ah, I’ve run out of time, I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Always have a spare set of gym clothes in your car, you never know when you might get a free moment that you could squeeze in a half hour workout and shower. Somebody might cancel your last meeting or you might get the urge to let of some steam. Grab the opportunity with both hands!

13. Beware the all or nothing disease So many people I have met have this attitude. Either they are training everyday or they are taking a break. Learn to be active in your day.

These tips might sound cliché but including them daily can burn up to 500 calories a day with minimum effort. Park further away, run up the stairs instead of taking the lift, do lunges while watching TV, play with the kids/dogs. Every 5 minutes adds up…. Before you know it you’ve done 30 minutes of activity that day.

14. Join the 5 o clock club Waking up 20-30 minutes earlier is truly a gift to yourself. You will be amazed at what you can fit into that quiet time without distractions as the rest of the family is sleeping. Use this time constructively to do your daily list/ exercise/ meditate/ visualisation i.e: working on yourself and psyching yourself up for the day of your dreams. Remember: always start how you want to finish.

15. Portion control

Just remember- starch must fit into the size of your clenched fist.

Proteins must be the size of your palm and only as wide as your pinky finger, salads/veg must take up half your plate and always include one fat- i.e.: olive oil/ coconut oil, nuts/seeds, peanut butter, and avocado at every meal.

16. Exercise at home If travelling to a gym, finding parking, waiting for equipment to become available, is just too daunting that its’ putting you off from starting ANYTHING, then get a few small pieces of home exercise equipment and start with that. See a personal trainer for a few sessions to write you out a personal programme, that you can change/upgrade every 6 weeks or so. You’ll be amazed at what you can do with a set of dumbbells, a ball, resistance bands and a bench.

17. Plan your day Every night before you go to bed or every morning plan your activities starting with the highest priority. Ensure you leave 20% of your day free for emergencies/ interruptions. Planning your day takes the madness out of your subconscious and it also leaves you with a sense of achievement when you tick them off one by one. Do the most important ones first, no matter how BIG or daunting they are to give you that sense of relief.

18. Learn to Multi-task Catch up on your favourite TV programmes whilst exercising or catch up with calls to friends whilst cooking or preparing you lunches/ clothes for the next day. Listen to audio books whilst driving.

19. Train effectively Get guidance from a professional, write out your programme in advance, and don’t be distracted by calls or interruptions. Get to the point! 30 minutes of high intensity weight training/ cardio training is all you need. Interval training is really effective in burning fat. It keeps the Heart rate up, so this incorporates a cardio element. It also keeps you focused, as your mind cannot wander. Gone are the days where you have 1 and a half hours to exercise! Short, hard and focused is the training method of the future.

20. Don’t do tomorrows work today Plan only as much as you can actually accomplish in one day and only do that! If you have finished that then well done. Take a break, exercise, go see some friends, see a movie, read your favourite book!

Just relax and live for the moment.

So I challenge everyone reading this article to analyse your days for 1 week. Be aware of how much time you are wasting on certain mundane chores that could be delegated, multi tasked or changed.

Stress needs to be taken seriously. It can really change your personality and effect your health. Whilst you are having a stressful, frantic day ask yourself “who am I being whilst I’m so busy doing? Who am I during this process? Ask yourself what is important? How do people see me? Are you too stressed to be totally present with them? How will people remember me? Why wait till you’re dead!

Start living consciously and mindfully. We know how we want to be remembered so lets start making small changes now. Let’s free up some wasted time and spend it rather on the things that matter most, and remember: avoid perfection- you are only setting yourself up to fail!

LISA RALEIGH. For more information on the Lisa Raleigh weight loss and wellness clinic call Lisa on 083 6233933 or email her on lisaraleigh@vo2max.co.za

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ASK THE EXPERTS

meet the experts:

PHOTOGRAPHY: ADRIAN SHIELDS

FASHION AND STYLE: PIPPA LYNCH

www.adrianshields.co.za

www.pippalynch.co.za

BEAUTY, NAILS AND MASSAGE TIPS: SHAMIMAH DOCRAT

HEALTH AND FITNESS: LISA RALEIGH www.lisaraleigh.co.za

www.1on1beauty.co.za

FASHION AND STYLE

HEALTH AND FITNESS

Hi there – I go to a lot of meetings but just don’t have the cash to buy many work clothes. What main items should I have in order to create a better wardrobe? Is there anything I can use in different ways to make it seem like I have more outfits then I actually do?

How much fruit and vegetables should I be having in a day?

Is there anything in particular that is crucial to my diet or are the regular apples, oranges and tomatoes sufficient? Also is it better to eat them whole or to liquidize them?

Creating a versatile wardrobe will be your biggest driver for the following reasons: • You will be able to mix and match the items in your wardrobe without having to shop every few weeks or months • You will have many outfits from just a few items • You will always have something to wear for any occasion Here are some tips to creating a versatile wardrobe: • Remember that solid colours mix better than prints or patterns.

Go for neutral colours like black, brown, purple and red - these colours will go with most other colours in your wardrobe • Go for season-bridging fabrics such as cotton and wool that you will be able to wear all year round • Go for classic items: dont succumb to the trends When it comes to creating a versatile corporate wardrobe, here are some items that you will be able to wear in thousands of different ways - thus creating many outfit ideas for you: • A white button-up collared shirt: you can wear this dressed down on weekends, but is also a sensational item when it comes to corporate attire. Pair it with a pencil skirt and most styles of trousers for a stylish approach to work wear • A pencil skirt: Sexy and versatile: will take you from work to an evening out with a simple change of a handbag. Interestly enough, this is also an item that can be dressed down for weekend social events: pair it with ballet flats, a fitted shirt and interesting jewellery for that laid-back look • Smart trousers: go for bootleg or slightly flared as this style suits most body shapes • Black heels: will go great with your pencil skirt and trousers.

• Fitted jacket: one that cinches you in at the waist is the most slimming Now that you have the basics, start investing in simple accessories: • Lovely camisoles with lace detail will be a nice idea for under your jacket or blouse • Accessories such as necklaces, earrings and bracelets are the cheapest and easiest way to update your wardrobe - splurge on these items every once in a while and you will have a new way of wearing your normal outfits • Change shoes: go for a different pair to transform your outfit • Scarves: will keep you warm in winter and are great to cover your shoulders with when you want to be a bit more creative.

• Getting new outfits out of your current wardrobe shouldnt cost you the world - create a wardrobe filled to the brim with versatile items and you will be good to go for seasons to come

One should be consuming a minimum of 400g or 4 cups of Vegetables in one’s diet a day. The best way to eat veg is raw, as heating veg destroys up to 80% of their nutrient content!

A variety of colours is also essential to one’s health. Try and juice veggies with a good quality juicer ie: the Oscar juicer by “Healthmakers” as apposed to a blender. The blades in a blender can destroy many of the precious cells. The best option would be to drink 200g of your veg raw and then to eat the other 200g to ensure you are getting fibre and sufficient nutrients.

BEAUTY, NAILS AND MASSAGE I have a question regarding cracked lips in winter. Is there anything I can do to help this?

For cracked lips, gently exfoliate lips with a tooth brush & Vaseline, your face scrub, or an exfoliating lip product. Then apply lip balm.

Products with camphor can dry the lips. Look for a lip balm with Shea butter or beeswax.

PHOTOGRAPHY I am taking pictures of Jewellery for my friends catalogue. Do you have any ideas and suggestions on how I can make this unique while still making the jewellery the main focus?

Keeping your photography unique, without distracting from the actual subject of the photograph, is important in keeping the readers interest in the subject. In saying this, one must never lose sight of the subject of the shoot which in this case is the jewellery.

I feel a unique approach for you would be to do the shoot inside your friend’s jewellery making studio, on the workbench, with the jewellery making tools and raw materials around and in the background of the photographs. You will need to do close up shots of the jewellery in the foreground and the other items slightly out of focus in the background.

Try to keep the images clean and crisp and make sure the backgrounds are not too cluttered. One piece of jewellery and a single jewellery maker’s tool may be suitable for each image. This sort of image personalizes the subject for the reader and also gives them a very small insight into the making of the jewellery. The two subject matters are related therefore the backgrounds will not be distracting, but rather enhancing the reader’s interest in the subject matter.

Q&A

Do you have a burning question to ask one of our three experts?

If so then email editorial@stbmag.com and if chosen we will publish your question and the answer in the next issue.

EXPLORE Off to the Middle of Nowhere Called Elgin

Adrian Shields As we rumbled down the “Road to Splashy Fen” I took a few paces back in my head to how we had actually managed this mid week getaway. Things just get to be enough sometimes, too much traffic, too many phone calls and too much noise. So we decided to jump into the car with enough clothes for 2 nights and some yummies.

Now we were in Underberg and 6km from our destination: Elgin Farm.

mention the awesome little bookstore where I bought some amazing photographic books on London and Venice. Other relaxing acivities in the area would be the art galleries, craft stalls and beauty & health clinics. There is also the well know pub, Himeville Arms to visit during your stay. But anyway, all in all you have the balance of perfect seclusion and relative civilization in a 10km radius – its the perfect holiday.

Elgin Farm's log cabin has always been a favourite weekend chill out with the boys for Adrian so he wanted to show me just how awesome it was. Apparently it was a cabin right on the lake with amazing views and awesome sunsets over the Southern Drakensberg mountains. The only thing I was warned about was the cold this time of year. But as much as I hate the freezing cold I was excited for these days away AT A CABIN! The little farm road to the very large cabin is quaint and promising, it ensures tranquility and happy relaxation on the other side of the farm gate. We parked outside the cabin and as we opened the door and peered inside, all you smelt was a previous wood fire from the Jet Master and the orange light pouring through the little square windows. The smell was of rich and cosy wood at this place. The cabin had two downstairs rooms with double beds and an upstairs room with four single beds in it. There was a lovely sunny bathroom with a shower and a bath downstairs as well as a kicthen and a cosy lounge. The back patio awes you with huge mountains that can paint monsters on your brain and the chilly air and the crisp blue skies just make you want it to snow right then and there. Everyday you can go back to the main Elgin house where you are met by the sweetest pups to get your wood supply chopped and bagged by the helpers for your cabin fire for the frosty evenings.

Elgin does not only have their sought after river-side cabin but also their pretty and restful B&B chalets. There are four well situated chalets set in two private wings detached from the main farm house, ensuring peace and privacy for their guests. Each room has its own entrance and patio with the most beautiful view imaginable. All the chalets have double rooms with en-suite bathrooms, while one has a private lounge. Each of these luxury rooms are furnished with the comforts of satellite TV, a heater, hairdryer (for those who care what they look like to the cows) and a fridge. Word goes that those who stay in the chalets can enjoy lavish breakfasts alfresco in the warm months and in their sunny farmhouse dining room during winter.

Homely as this sounds, it gets even better. Jeannine and Ian make great hosts entertaining and accommodating a drink or two in the lovely and relaxing lounge area. Even though it is a B&B, prior arrangement can ensure delicious dinner to be served to you during your stay as well.

During the day there are wonderful farm noises or far away tractors and moo-ing cows, there are lots of birds in the area and the tranquil hush of the river that runs past the cabin.

The awesome thing about Elgin is that its not that far from Durban, and when you are there you have 6km to Underberg for Illy Coffee at the Speckled Hen and the Quik Spar and 5km to Himeville for awesome Pizza and a DVD rental shop for the chilly nights, not to

When you staying at Elgin farm, whether it is in the sought after cabin or in the B&B chalets you have everything from horse-riding to mountain biking to tubing down the Umzimkhulu river to bird watching and fly fishing right outside your door. Where Elgin is situated there are conveniently placed entry points to the Ukhanlamba Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site which leads you up the face of the mountain on a scenic hike to view historical San Rock Paintings. Other nearby activities include Glen Garrie Gold Course which is an 18 Hole situated in Drakensberg Gardens Resort. Other golf courses in the area also include the one at Sani Pass Hotel a 9 Hole course and Underberg Golf Course which is also 9 Holes.

I think of all those activities the one place that is my most favourite

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EXPLORE is the one that we visit every time we stay at Elgin. This fun and unavoidable place is the Underberg Cheesery. There is no cheese at any supermarket that tastes as amazing as the cheese you can order in Underberg per the kilo. They have the little baby cows right next to the shop where you can go and feed them and pet them.

They all have these little name tags on their ears and are so playful.

The mommy cows are next door in the milking area which makes it an awesome educational excursion as well. At the shop you can buy matured cheeses, fetas, cream cheeses, yoghurts, fresh full cream milks and they even have cheese and wines events you can attend depending on how long you are in the area for.

There is just too much to take in, and as you slowly pack up after your stay at Elgin and reluctantly close the little cabin door behind you, you wish time didnt go by as fast as it did. As you leave the yard, and hear the tyres crunch over the gravel driveway and close

the squeaky farm gate behind you, you stare up at the big cabin and sigh wishing you owned it. Because its so close and so friendly there you can't help but smile as you drive through the flickering shadows of the autumn bare trees and pass the the smiling local children walking home from their Clover sponsored school knowing you will see them all again soon.

To read more about Elgin Farm visit: www.elginholidayfarm.co.za Or contact Ian and Jeannine Bonsma on info@elginholidayfarm. co.za

JAIMI DE KLERK

Adrian Shields

Adrian Shields

“All in all you have the balance of perfect seclusion and relative civilization in a 10km radius – its the perfect holiday”

w e N

Bed and Breakfast and Conference venue Conferencing up to 30 delegates in a tranquil and inviting environment, close to nature with stylish home cooked meals.

Flexible to your every need.

Your home away from home.

Comfort in peaceful, private accommodation, stunning views and relaxing nature trails. Arrive stressed, leave refreshed.

37 Homestead Avenue, Hillcrest. Tel: 031 765 8332 Cell: 083 448 6444 E-mail: info@tilacaze.com www.tilacaze.com

COFFEE BREAK DID YOU KNOW? •

‘Stewardesses’ is the longest word typed with only the left hand •

•

‘Lollipop’ is the longest word typed with your right hand.

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

•

‘Dreamt’ is the only English word that ends in the letters ‘mt’.

•

Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

•

The words ‘racecar,’ ‘kayak’ and ‘level’ are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).

•

There are only four words in the English language which end in ‘dous’: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

•

There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: ‘abstemious’ and ‘facetious.’

•

‘Typewriter’ is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

• • •

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

A ‘jiffy’ is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

•

A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

• •

An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.

Babies are born without kneecaps. They don’t appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.

•

February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

•

•

In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

If the population of China walked past you, 8 abreast, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.

• •

•

•

Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite!

•

•

A snail can sleep for three years.

Almonds are a member of the peach family.

•

•

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

The average person’s left hand does 56% of the typing.

The cruise liner, Queen Mary, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

•

The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.

• •

There are more chickens than people in the world.

Winston Churchill was born in a ladies’ room during a dance.

•

YOU KNOW YOU’RE DRINKING TOO MUCH COFFEE WHEN: You ski uphill.

You speed walk in your sleep.

You answer the door before people knock.

You sleep with your eyes open.

You just completed your third sweater today, and you don’t know how to knit.

You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.

You have to watch videos in fastforward.

The only time you’re standing still is in an earthquake.

You lick your coffee pot clean.

Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.

The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse.

You can type sixty words a minute with your feet.

You don’t sweat, you percolate.

People get dizzy just watching you.

People can test their batteries in your ears.

Your birthday is a national holiday in Brazil.

Your Thermos is on wheels.

You can outlast the Energizer Bunny.

You don’t even wait for the water to boil anymore.

You don’t tan, you roast.

You soak your dentures in coffee overnight.

You think CPR stands for “Coffee Provides Resuscitation.”

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

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COFFEE BREAK can you solve this sudoku?

4

2

8

7 1

5 3

6

9

transitive verb: 1. To drink (a beverage) copiously and heartily

3

9 7

4

1 2

1

5

8

7

8 7 8

6

6

noun: 1. An act or instance of quaffing.

2. A beverage quaffed.

9 3

5

9

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The quality ingredients in Montego CLASSIC are scientifically formulated for increased digestibility, resulting in higher nutrient absorption, so you don’t have to feed as much, which lowers your feeding costs. All ingredients are pre-cooked, then extruded at optimum temperatures, to increase digestibility and palatability.

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quaff \KWOFF; KWAFF\ , verb: 1. To drink a beverage, esp. an intoxicating one, copiously and with hearty enjoyment.

4 7

“We think too small. Like the frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well.

If he surfaced, he would have an entirely different view” Mao Tse-Tung

FEATURE WRITER

JOHN VAN DE RUIT is learning to fly..

Who do you most admire?

Bono. Not only a great singer and musician but a man who has left an enormous footprint on this Earth. Proof that we all have the ability to be more than the sum of our parts.

Describe yourself in three words: Energised, sneaky and goonish.

Describe your books in three words: Cringe with laughter.

When did the idea of the first Spud begin to materialise in your head and were you surprised at the success it received?

It began late in 2002. I began writing without any planning and followed my gut instinct into the unknown. I only really wanted to be published, so i was gobsmacked that it kept growing and growing.

In fact I’m still not so sure how or why it all happened, but I have come to the conclusion that some things in life are beyond understanding and explanation.

You’ve written three Spud books, which one is your personal favourite?

Spud Learning to fly by a country mile. It becomes more and more difficult to keep the series fresh and consistently hilarious, but this book exceeded my expectations and in my opinion the quality of writing far exceeds the previous two.

What is your all time favourite book?

Catch 22 (Joseph Heller.)

How much time do you devote to reading?

Like many things in my life, I tend to binge. It’s all or nothing. I read voraciously on my latest backpacking stint in Cambodia and Thailand. That said, I read very little when I’m writing for fear that the mimic in me might begin apeing other people’s rhythms.

Spud

Where do you get your inspiration from?

From my life and the people I meet. The richer (and here I don’t mean financial) your life is, the richer your creative outflow will be.

You cannot separate living from writing.

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?

Unemployed.

What five things could you not live without?

Laughter, love, fine whiskey, long holidays and test cricket.

Five people (living or dead) that you’d choose to have dinner with?

Jack Nicholson, Frank Sinatra, William Shakespeare, Charlie Chaplin and King Henry 8th Your motto in life?

Life is too short.

What is your favourite word?

Royalties.

What is your favourite coffee shop?

Shorty’s in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Shelves of tattered books, powerful Vietnamese coffee, a great view of the passing trade, and a number of fat cats eager for a lap to sleep on.

Spud

Spud

BOOK CLUB - old and new “Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book” Hopetown by Ian Campbell-Gillies (2009) In Hopetown, we are introduced to Alan Armstrong, a middle-aged white South African male. Disillusioned with post-apartheid South Africa, awash with crime and corruption, Armstrong leaves his life in capitalist Durban and travels to the Karoo. There, he is forced to take another look at the world around him and at himself as a ‘white African’. In Campbell-Gillies’ astute descriptions, there is much that will be familiar, sometimes uncomfortably so, to readers who know Durban. To his credit, as much as there is beauty in the described surrounds, Campbell-Gillies doesn’t shy away from the 'nasty' bits of living in an increasingly-derelict and dangerous city. While the language is overly prosaic at times, the emotions expressed are honest and most South African readers will probably be able to identify with aspects of Armstrong’s journey. In the novel’s postscript, Campbell-Gillies comments that he wrote the story to “find a way to deal with the new South Africa” (2009:221), and it is obvious that his novel works as a form of catharsis. While daring and well-written, Hopetown is a first-time novel and this shows in the 'too-neat' narrative structure and the use of familiar narrative tropes such the kind, coloured lover who dies after teaching the protagonist to drop his judgments and defences. While elements like this did annoy me as a reader, I found myself empathising with the author’s feelings about what it is really like to live here and now, and, for his honesty, I find him brave. Overall, an interesting read.

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma This well-structured fable is part of a series by Robin Sharma, word-renowned authority on leadership.

Like many books of its kind, it uses a simple tale to outline key points for living a healthy and happy life. Julian Mantle, once a powerful, wealthy, success-obsessed lawyer suffers a near-fatal heart-attack and decides to re-evaluate his life. An all-night meeting between John, the protagonist and narrator, and Julian leads to an out-pouring out of the ancient wisdom Julian has learned in his years of living with a group of mystical monks. Using symbols and stories, Julian outlines a number of points for living a meaningful life, from the value of time, to the importance of self-awareness, to the joy of service.

For the busy individual, this is life philosophy in an easy-to-handle format. Even if you don’t follow the exact ‘laws’ laid out in the book, reading it will increase your awareness of how simple it can be to change your life for the better. For those who are familiar with the principles of living a balanced life, the book might seem rather light-weight. For those who are new to the self-improvement genre, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari is a good place to start. Its design ensures that the book is neither boring nor too preachy, the content is entertaining and educational, and the suggested principles are easy to understand and execute. The impact of this book will depend largely on where you are in your life.

Blood Sisters (2006) by Barbara & Stephanie Keating The first in a family trilogy, Blood Sisters chronicles the lives of three young women growing up in Kenya in the 1950s. Coming from very different backgrounds, Camilla, Hannah and Sarah create a strong friendship as ‘blood sisters’, a bond which, despite their differences, carries them through the difficulties that lie ahead. Complicated by rivalry, love, and violence, the lives of the three women are cast against the background of a newly-independent and increasingly unstable Kenya. The novel chronicles the women’s ‘growing up’ years as, separated by distance and experience, they face many challenges and come together to support each other through life’s most important moments, from the celebratory to the tragic. From the wild landscapes of Kenya to the hustle and bustle of glitzy London, each character’s story moves seamlessly through a diversity of locales and personalities, as the bond between the protagonists holds the plot together, and hints at the novels to come. Penned by sisters who grew up in Kenya, Blood Sisters is well-written and entertaining. It is also sure to send shivers down the spines of South African readers who will find much in the story that parallels with South Africa’s new state of independence. A sweeping family saga, this thrilling read is perfect for a long weekend!

WALESKA SALTORI, Owner of PEN, Waleska is a freelance editor and copywriter. Passionate about books and words, she is an avid reader and book collector. For business queries she can be reached at waleska@pensa.co.za

BOOK REVIEWS

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“THEY MAY FORGET WHAT YOU SAID, BUT THEY WILL NEVER FORGET HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL” - Carol Buchner

BUSINESS TOOLKIT

Sell more when times are tough

We all know that business relies on sales. Without it the fancy boardroom or deluxe reception desk mean nothing. In the simplest phraseology possible = sell or die!

But as you sit in the coffee shop sipping your cappuccino, pondering the future of your business given the recession, you get to wondering, what if people no longer want to buy my product or service?

What if the market changes? What about this worldwide economic slump? What if, what if, what if.....?

90% of any sale stems directly from the attitude and mindset, as well as skill, of the person doing the selling and has very little to do with markets, products or economies. These are often used as handy excuses for someone who does not want to get out there and make the calls and visits required for sales success.

More importantly, when times are tough you need to sell more. A sales cycle often runs between 3 and 6 months – the calls and visits of January only result in sales in April/ May. So when sales are low, redouble your efforts so that in 3 months time the sales come in and balance out the current low income.

o Ask questions, understand the needs, supply the right solution! o Sales is a numbers game – if I visit twice as many prospects as you, I am likely to sell more than you, no matter how good you are.

Do the calls, do the visits, make the sales. o Persevere – 80% of ALL sales in SA go to a small number of salespeople. Research has indicated that these are people who DO NOT GIVE UP. They are ones that persist beyond the 4th & 5th contact with a prospect.

NIC NORTJE, www.nkr.co.za, nic@nkr.co.za

A few basic but critical tips:o Don’t sell on price – you will perish in a price war. When asked most consumers honestly state that price is NOT the most important item when considering a purchase. Other items feature, eg. quality, availability, delivery, guarantee and so on. o Don’t sell on features, sell on benefits – I can get the features from the brochure or on the website, but you can convince me to buy by illustrating to me how I will benefit by using your product/ service. o Don’t use a discount to make the sale – the rule with discounts is: ‘once given, always expected!’ Discounts cost money and should only be used to reward someone for a second purchase or a bulk order.

Join us for the Event of The Year!

DON’T MISS OUT! The Barnyard Theatre 17th September 2009 BOOK NOW!!!!

Tickets are selling fast for Dancing Queen, a fundraiser for Umthombo, an initiative of ELF Projects cc.

Umthombo is a voice from the streets. It is a unique South African street children organisation led predominantly by former street children. Umthombo aims to change the way that society perceives and treats street children through developing and implementing informed, working strategies, based on good social work practice and therapeutic intervention, to address the issue in Durban as well as informed advocacy work. Umthombo has pioneered the first therapeutic drop-in centre in Durban’s Point area, which offers a range of programmes that ultimately equip the children with the tools with which to be able to leave street life and be reintegrated into community life. For more information, visit www.umthombo.org Get involved with Umthombo by getting your tickets for Dancing Queen – a collaboration of some of the greatest music to have emerged from the 70’s and early 80’s. So put on your dancing shoes, clear your throat and get ready to sing and dance along to the tunes of the legendary ABBA and Queen, in a night that is sure to be unforgettable.

Do your part for charity - and have fun while doing it!

For ticket bookings, contact Viv at admin@elfprojects.co.za or call us on 031 266 3480 www.elfprojects.co.za

MODERN WORLD

Chevrolet Aveo

The all new Chev Aveo blows into the small car market with about as much punch as the first one did, not much at all in other words.

It merely blends into a sector which is marred by a myriad of Asian delights (a term I use very lightly) all competing for the title of best seller.

Quite clear then that I wasn't particularly thrilled to receive the new Aveo. Nor does it come as any surprise that I hold a strong dislike for Korean built cars. You see I had the misfortune of owning a Daewoo Cielo, which completely ruined any chance the Koreans had of winning a place in my good books. The re-branding of Daewoo to Chev for the South African market failed to mislead me either – my dislike has merely shifted.

However maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge, given that there are seemingly millions of small cars on the road. Whether it be Kia, Chev, Hyundai or Honda – people buy their cars and there must be a reason for this.

And that reason is none other than budget. Cars like the Aveo are cheap(ish) to buy, cheap to run and cheap to insure. So if you need to get from A to B and don't care for how exactly that happens then this is the kind of car you'll look to buy.

Driving the Aveo brought me to this not so profound realisation. The general public do not care how their cars feel on tight, twisty roads.

They do not care how fast they get to 100km/h. They do not care how planted they feel on a freeway. And this is only emphasized in the small car sector.

So with that, and budget in mind I buried my personal dislikes and ploughed on through my week with the Aveo. The updates on the styling front do make it easier to look at, sporting sleek wraparound headlights and a large, make that very large, grille. I would even go as far as to say that this is one of the more modern and appealing of the lot – behind only the Honda Jazz.

The interior failed to impress however. While space inside the cabin is adequate and appears slightly larger than the old model, the materials and design are really lacking. I had the “up-market” LS model with “leather” seats and some shiny plastics plonked here and there – none of which appealed to me whatsoever. I can't understand why they couldn't just stick to cloth for the seats and save the fake chrome for some hoodlum gangstars. The only redeeming factor is the addition of climate control and a CD player.

On the mechanical side, the new car boasts an uprated powerplant.

The 16 valve DOHC 1.6 Opel derived engine makes the new car drivable. Anyone who drove the old 1.5 will be nodding their heads in agreement when I say it had the power of four harnessed children.

Now with 77kW (15 more than the previous model) the Aveo is quite sprightly, although struggles to move through the rev range with any urgency. Consumption is a perfectly acceptable, but in no way amazing, 7.3l/100km.

Being a car that is probably meant more for town driving that long distance cruising, the steering is quite light. Too light in my opinion which gives the car a twitchy feeling at freeway speeds. On the back-roads of my test route the McPherson struts up front and the torsion beam on the rear axle held up well, (note: I'm talking proudly South African back-roads, potholes and all) and provided a perfectly adequate and comfortable ride.

So then, by no means a drivers' car. But that's not what Daewoo, sorry I mean Chevrolet are aiming for. Whilst the Aveo isn't the cheapest car in the sector (at R149 500), it goes about it's business with quiet efficiency and will undoubtedly gets its passengers from A to B with no frills or fuss.

MILES DOWNARD, www.driveRSA.co.za

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COMPETITIONS

WIN A ROOM FOR 2 ADULTS SHARING INCLUDING BREAKFAST, FOR TWO NIGHTS AT THE DRAKENSBERG SUN LIFESTYLE RESORT

Situated high up in the glorious Cathkin Peak area of the Drakensberg mountain range, Southern Sun’s Drakensberg Sun Lifestyle Resort, and overall winner of the 2008 Imvelo Responsible Tourism Award, is set in a dramatic landscape, offering breathtaking vistas, and a home away from home. Come and enjoy our warm hospitality, friendly service and fine accommodation.

All rooms offer every modern amenity and we have spacious family rooms, deluxe rooms, executive rooms and, a magnificent Presidential Suite, which offers unsurpassed luxury.

The Lakeview Restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and the finest live action buffet dinner in the “berg”. Enjoy light meals on the terrace or have a snack while lounging at our pools. The Fighting Trout bar serves snacks and a superb range of South African wines, and boasts a big screen and great atmosphere for viewing those sporting events.

Relax and enjoy a host of - on the property – activities, run by our specialised entertainment team. Go boating; mountain bike riding, or take a sundowner lake cruise. Try your hand at trout fishing a stone’s throw away from your room. The Drakensberg Sun offer guided hikes in the mountains, horse riding, tennis, volleyball, pitch & putt, Qolf, croquet, bowls, a fully equipped gym, wellness treatments and two outdoor swimming pools. On rainy days enjoy the indoor games and movie room. www.southernsun.com

to stand a chance to win email your details to christine on editorial@stbmag.com deadline: 25 September 2009 35

COMPETITIONS WIN WITH DULCE Dulce Cafe are giving have R50 vouchers to give away to 10 lucky readers. To stand a chance of winning a voucher please email Christine on editorial@stbmag. com with your name and postal address. GOOD LUCK. visit www.dulce.co.za

THE CENTRE OF THE WILL • HOT ROCK Averil Anderson • REIKI • HOLISTIC MASSAGE

083 215 9854

One lucky reader can stand the chance to win a free session at The Centre of the Will. To enter email your details to Christine at editorial@stbmag.com. Good Luck.

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WIN WITH THE CORNER CAFE Email Christine at editorial@stbmag.com for the chance to win a breakfast for two at the Corner Cafe worth R150.

SUBJECT LINE: Corner Cafe 197 Brand Road, Glenwood, Durban, 4001, 031 2010219, www.thecornercafe.co.za Eat-dress-décor-grow. Saving the planet one cappuccino at a time.

WIN ONE OF FIVE DOUBLE TICKETS FOR THE WHITE MOUNTAIN FOLK FESTIVAL Email Christine on editorial@stbmag.com with your details to stand a chance to win Competitions close 31 August 2009 A must for acoustic music lovers, the annual White Mountain Folk Festival is held near Giant’s Castle in the beautiful Central Drakensberg region of KwaZulu-Natal www.whitemountain.co.za

36

CLASSIFIEDS

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37

FINAL SAY

IT’S sNOw JOKE It’s dark, quiet and warm where I am. Peaceful and serene. I look down, and upon the ground, just in front of me, I see a coin. Bending down I pick it up, examine it and put it in my pocket. My gaze drifts a few metres further and there, not two steps away from me is a bigger pile of coins.

“Must be my lucky day”, I think to myself. I walk over, and quickly claim the coins once more. I look further, and there is an even larger heap of monetary goodness... more coins! Staring into the distance, I see coins stretching as far as the eye can see. Like a trail of financial breadcrumbs leading into the unknown, I ponder not only on the total value of the treasure in front of me, but also as to the exact volume my pockets are able to hold.

Then it hits me. A wall of sound as pleasant as a thousand chainsaws grinding away at an oversized block of granite. I try to gather the coins as quickly as I can but they all disappear within an instant, replaced only by – the darkness of the interior of my bedroom. Reality takes shape around me and I curse my recurring dream for never having a happy ending. With a swift and precise arm movement I silence my alarm clock with more force than necessary, and rightfully so. That which is cruel enough to destroy one’s dreams should be treated with obligatory abuse. Turning my head, I see one of the only visible objects in the darkness. The red illuminated digits on the clock face. 5:30am. It’s a weekday and it’s time to get up. My mind drifts back to just a few months earlier when, at this precise moment every morning, I would awaken to the sunlight, penetrating my curtains. I would possibly hear the neighbours, chatting in their garden, birds would be singing and I would more often than not, be out of bed before those chainsaws even had a chance to warm up. But inevitably, our charming planet always chooses to lean away from the sun on its slightly tilted axis at this time of year, making my daily exits from bed, all the more daunting. Winter in Durban had finally arrived.

It is still totally beyond me as to how I managed to survive four years in the UK previous to this. I recall before ever leaving our sunny shores that my idea of England in winter was something like an uninhabitable iceland. I imagined that being outdoors for anything more than five minutes would leave one totally struck by hypothermia. In my opinion, it was a place that penguins would leave in the cold months, to emigrate to warmer climes such as Antarctica.

Fortunately for me, it wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. During my stay, I never heard of one person perishing from the cold, and yet despite the icy periods, pubs still managed to serve warm beer.

Amazing. Moments before returning to Durban, I lingered for a moment on the thought of bringing my warm jackets and jerseys with me. But Durban never got cold right? Wrong!

Lying in bed now I stared, unblinking at the ceiling. Everything on the other side of the duvet was the enemy and the cold lurked around every corner and object in the room like an invisible plague.

Me? Morning person? I think not! I considered dashing for a warm shower or perhaps a hot cup of coffee but feared that I would instantly freeze the moment my foot hit the tiled floor, transforming me into a solid ice block – not entirely unlike something an archaeologist may uncover during his expedition to the North Pole. I glanced once more at the clock. 5:35am. It was time to get up, but my brain could just not relay the message to my hand to pull the duvet cover aside just yet. I rolled over. I’ll give it until 6am. This is Durban. Things will warm up by then. Right?

WARREN BERNARD

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