Blog

Every now and again it’s good for us ‘girls’ or the sisterhood, or whatever you may want to call it (I like to call us girls, as it makes me feel young again) – to have fun and just chill in the company of females. For us, it was a day of pampering, a few drinks and lunch.

It was my sister-in-law’s birthday and she decided to give us a treat instead, which was mighty sweet of her, it was the in-laws and a few friends, altogether there were 6 of us.

At 8am we had our relaxing spa treatment at Spa Durban in Coastlands, Musgrave which lasted 2 hours and which was so invigorating. Hoping to have breakfast at the hotel, we were disappointed as the kitchen had already closed – and then lounged around, sipping cappuccinos.  We then headed out to have lunch or brunch at Madam & Sir in Florida Road.  After a few drinks we were ready to order as we were starving, as you know boozy lunches are the best.

You know, there comes a time in your life when you need to have girl-to-girl chat, having already spent a big part of your life being a mother and wife. Now is the time that you take care of yourself and have fun being you and having girlie chats with one of your own – you’ve earned that!  It’s your time to do whatever you fancy – go ahead have your hearty laughs, or you can roar with laughter until you start tearing.  It brings out the young schoolgirl in us, being carefree, chirpy and tons of giggles. Even if you want to cry, that’s fine too – no one is judging you. Whatever makes you feel good or makes you feel better, that allows you to get things off your chest.  

You have a renewed feeling and a zest for life when you get back home after having time out with the girls.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Hi there friends

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Only after grocery shopping is over and done on a Saturday morning, can I relax with a coffee at hand.  This is when my day starts to get exciting – breakfast!  The best thing about having breakfast on a Saturday is, that I am so calm and relaxed, that I don’t burn my mouth trying to gulp down piping hot beverages.

Today I had the breakfast bun which consists of egg, cheese, sauteed onions, crispy fried bacon, and of course, the bun.  As the name implies ‘breakfast in a bun.’ This time it was done just the way I like it.  You could say, I ‘inhaled’ it – it was that good! The cappuccino was so-so.

For dessert at home, I purchased Fair Cape’s Flambi, (I remember years ago it was called Chambourcy, I don’t know how many of you still remember that) and the price is so reasonable, and still great tasting as I remember it to be.

Enjoy the week ahead, guys. Catch up soon!

Hi there, friends

I did promise that I would post a blog every fortnight, and unfortunately, Life gets in the way sometimes. Anyway, here I am, back again!

Yesterday was National Woman’s Day.  We went to Jimmy’s Killer Prawns, a seafood restaurant at Westwood Mall. We were not hungry, so we indulged in a small bite. I always like trying something new, so had a Turkish dish, called Kumpir [pronounced koempier]  – it’s a generous-sized baked potato with prawns and my choice of grated cheese, corn, peppers, and cheddarmelt which was quite nice, though admittedly overpriced. I felt like a little girl ordering a bubblegum milkshake – the waiter brought me a chocolate milkshake, thinking he had incorrectly taken my order. I usually like to take a pinch from everyone else’s plate at my table, but I didn’t this time. The stuffed calamari that my son ordered looked quite good though, which he paired with a lime milkshake. After a very long time, we both had milkshakes – we usually eat healthily, and this time we thought ‘what the heck!’ Let’s live a little.

• 

• 

• 

• 

I never thought I would contract Covid19, was so sure of it. I had been so cautious – with social distancing, sanitizing, masking up, not going to places where it’s overcrowded, no touchy-touchy – but I did!

My hubby was tested positive on 2/5/2022, and by then, my 28-year-old son and I were already having symptoms, we both had a fever and sore throat. The next day I started experiencing slight body aches.  Since no one requested a positive certificate, we saw no point in getting tested, as we knew for sure we were infected with the Omicron variant as well. 

Day 1 – 02/05/2022 – My first telltale sign was in the bathroom. Although no mention was made anywhere about this, I do know this is one of the first signs – when I urinated my pee was very hot, and that was a bit unusual for me, and sure enough, that was one of the first signs of a fever.  That night I felt feverish and started having cold chills, using 2 blankets was not enough, I then added on a third one.

Day 2 – Morning came, and with it came a sore throat. Surprisingly, I could eat and still swallow perfectly, unlike the normal flu.

Day 3 – Woke up with slight body aches, well more like joint pains. Had some meds, mostly Indian home remedies and that helped a great deal, I must admit.  By midday, my fever was gone and my sore throat was almost non-existent.

Day 4 – No fever, no sore throat, no body aches.  I’m good as new! My son was in perfect health on Day 3 and my hubby had a slight cough for about a week thereafter.

Hi friends

Today’s my birthday or was – oh well, it still is. I kind of don’t like anyone making a fuss about my birthday anymore, maybe it’s an ‘age thing.’ No surprise parties, just a quiet lunch or dinner with my family is what I’d like.

My son introduced me to a new restaurant The Food Box 031 – it is a food market (or food pods, as it is so-called) encompassing 8 restaurants of different cuisines.  If you are wondering about the digits (031) attached to the name, which is our city of Durban’s dialing code.

Let’s tuck in – well my son indulged in the Nashville Fried Chicken from SALT, and I, the Texmex1 from The Rolling Pin. The ambiance is great, laid back, and casual. It was enjoyable, I would go back and try something different the next time.

Chat soon, take care guys!

• 

• 

This was my veggie lunch for today – takeaway pasta called Mariannas from Mimmo’s, a delightful Italian restaurant at Pavilion, Durban. My choice of serving was the penne with a dash of olive oil and garlic, with sundried tomatoes, pickled jalapenos, roasted peppers & brinjals (aubergine/eggplant) mushrooms with feta. The saltiness of the chewy sundried tomatoes in my pasta takes it to another level and I love it!

I also like to drop a few when preparing soups.

• 

To all you beautiful people and ‘pre-friends.’   Let me introduce and tell you a wee bit about myself.

I am a freelance writer (mostly travel) based in Durban, South Africa with publications in print – mostly in-flight magazines, airport VIP lounge magazines and online.

Towards the end of my schooling career, I found my school subjects boring and uninteresting -algebra, geometry, logarithms and so forth bored me to death.  I had a penchant for languages which was English and Afrikaans taught at our ‘then’ South African schools.  I had a vivid imagination which started the ball rolling and that’s when I started writing short fiction stories.  I sent out my manuscripts to local magazines and was bitterly disappointed with each of the responses. Those days emails were unheard of, so I had to patiently wait for the postman.

Though I cannot say I’ve travelled extensively – truthfully, I haven’t much at all, it was just within a tiny corner of my continent, or should I say my hometown.  I would like to someday say that I have travelled extensively.

It all started when my husband and I took our 2 little babies for long weekends away, and when I returned, always wrote back and complimented on their warm hospitality, the new additions on their menu, their comfortable beds, or new décor at their establishments – anything. Although I received nothing for my comments and praises, it just made me feel good about our well-deserved break, or maybe somewhat happy at the same time, I think.

Architecture and historic buildings are not really appealing to me. What truly intrigues me are the people, their culture, their local hangouts and their cuisine, (the food, wow!) and not forgetting ‘the shopping.’

When I travel abroad, I would most definitely not join a tour group, although it might save you a couple of hundreds, or maybe even a thousand rands, but I would certainly not be governed by time – I am my own boss, I do things at my own pace.  If I prefer to spend a few more hours or even a day or two, so be it – I’ll do just that.

India was my first and only trip abroad, with my children.  I was advised by many to make use of tour groups, as it would be easier, trouble-free and of course, cheaper.  I googled and booked hotels that I found fascinating and in good locations, and just as well we decided to change hotels as we were not too chuffed with the shower – and we would have been unable to do so, had we booked with a tour group. We found places of interest that might not be interesting to others, but us. We enjoyed going to the movies, finished our popcorn at the bus shelter, ate at restaurants were locals frequented, tried homemade ice-cream from a small family-run parlour, that sort of thing.

Ate at a run-down restaurant that was not so classy to an uptight tourist, but the food was divine and obviously cleanliness is of utmost importance – overall surroundings were clean, but the building cried for a slap of paint.

I love food and sweet treats, eating out at new restaurants is my forte – so expect some reviews on that.  Day visits to parks and gardens, animal sanctuaries are also one of the favourite past-times, as that doesn’t require much preparation – just rising early and forgoing your beauty sleep for that day.

Look out for my blog posts at least every fortnight, though it would be much sooner.

Social Media –

  Twitter :  @SarahRamnath1

   Instagram :  sarah_ramnath

I am also an active member of ITWPA (The International Travel Writers & Photographers Alliance)