Picking My Own Bouquet at Femme Pétale Flower Farm
A couple of months ago, I stumbled upon a post about flower farms in Gauteng and became obsessed with the idea of picking my own flowers on a farm. I spoke about it to [...]
Early Saturday Morning at the Pretoria Boeremark
A couple of Saturdays ago, my friends Fiver and Stuart and I woke up at before 5:00 a.m. and drove an hour north to the Pretoria Boeremark in Silverton. I've been meaning to check [...]
Pretoria Jacarandas: A Photo Bonanza
This week, the last week of October, is peak jacaranda week in Joburg. The trees are laden with flowers and each breeze brings a shower of purple blossoms raining down onto the street. But [...]
Pomegranates and Turkish Food in Centurion
Centurion, an anonymous no man's land between Joburg and Pretoria, is home to a magical place called Buyuk Chamlija: a self-described "Socio Eco Techno Village" that grows fat, juicy pomegranates and has a Turkish [...]
Ludwig’s Roses: The Rose Capital of South Africa
Ludwig's Roses, a huge rose farm north of Pretoria that has been running for more than 50 years, had been on my radar screen for a while. Several people told me I should visit, [...]
Roadhouses of Gauteng Province
First in my Roadhouses of Gauteng series. Browse all of my roadhouse posts or view a map of the roadhouses I’ve visited. I've been planning to blog about South African roadhouses -- the equivalent of American fast-food [...]
Sunrise Over 2021
NOTE: I originally wrote this post before January 6th, when pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol and mounted the biggest threat to American democracy since the Civil War. I'm having a hard time feeling [...]
Wonderboom, 2.0!
Happy Boxing Day, everyone. It's the height of summer in South Africa and Christmas trees (at least real ones) aren't really a thing here. But in recognition of the holiday spirit I am writing [...]
Visiting the Voortrekker Monument on the Day of Reconciliation
Two days ago, on December 16th, I went with Thorsten of Dagwood sandwich fame to visit the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria. The Voortrekker Monument. I've been thinking hard over the past 48 hours about [...]
Return to the White Jacaranda Trees of Herbert Baker Street
I am having a rough week. It's one of those weeks when I doubt and question everything about myself, both personally and professionally, and wonder if I shouldn't just shut down my blog, sell [...]
Lockdown Journal: Day 19 (Pretoria Gold)
If you’re new to this blog series and don’t know what’s happening with South Africa’s 21-day (now 35-day) lockdown, my first post has all the details. Or read all my lockdown posts. It's Lockdown Day 19 [...]
A Quick Visit to the Dinokeng Game Reserve
I recently went to the Dinokeng Game Reserve for a quick, one-night media visit. Dinokeng opened officially in 2011 -- pieced together from a bunch of private farms -- and is the only free-roaming [...]