Weekend Learning's

SO it is Friday. What a late Weekend Learning’s this is! It is the first week of December. Back home we call this Silly Season. And for good reason! Here in London, there is not a name for it. Lame. I cannot wait to go home for Christmas. I love London, this is true, but I have had enough for 2015. I want my family, my friends, my dogs, my home… This is what I learned;

• If I have discovered anything this year, my heart, lives in South Africa.
• “You’re in my bones, and my blood, and my heart. I’d have to tear myself open to let you go.” - Cassandra Clare.
• Clifton Road Maida Vale is an amazing little road a good walk from my house. There are lovely little organic fruit and veg shops, deli’s, restaurants and even a pet store. A great London discovery.
• The use of swearing to alleviate stress or pain is called "lalochezia.”
• I finished another book this weekend. Yes I am proud of myself! Any suggestions on what to read next?
• "Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.” - Bertrand Russell 
• Shakshouka is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chilli peppers, and onions, often spiced with cumin. I only came across this when I started dating my man. And I quite like it. I for some reason was craving it this weekend and decided to make it. Probably the fact that I miss him so much, maybe a little food could bring me closer to him... kind-of-maybe-not. Anyway! Easy, low cost, delicious. Craving killed.
• You can remove errant deodorant marks from dark clothes by wiping the white streaks with a dryer sheet. I found this out this weekend. Fuuuuun, I love doing my washing. This is one of those things you do living in London; your own washing. 
• “Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters.” - Margaret Peters

I hope you keep warm my little teacups. And if you are in South Africa, soak up that sunshine for me! Have good weekends.

Xoxo

PS. I want a pawpaw.

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Weekend Learning's

Happy Monday sweet potatoes! So it is two quick weeks till this working year is over for old Coco. I cannot wait. Not only has this year flow by, but I think my followers will be in for a big shock next year. But that is for a later post. This one is about this last, and lovely weekend. This is what I learned,

• Friday was our annual Santa Drop off at our Interbrand Creche. I love doing it. We collect important daily items for the little ones and wrap them in a shoe box. When I am there I am so happy and engulfed in love. But when I leave my heart is broken. There is so little generosity in this world… what will you be doing for the less fortunate this Christmas? 
• “Generosity” n. The quality of being kind and generous - showing a readiness to give more of something than is strictly necessary or expected. (I usually place rare words on my blogs. I believe the act of being “generous” is scarce.)
• “What is done in love, is done well." - Vincent Van Gogh. 
• Now those of us who live in Joburg know The Patisserie in Illovo. There is a certain Banana Bread item on the breakfast menu that is just to die for. You have to go give it a go. Served with sour cream and hot berry and fruit compote, it is to die for. The Patisserie was also just voted Best Coffee Shop in South Africa for the second time in a row, now that’s got to tell you something. 
• "Il y a des fleurs partout pour qui veut bien les voir.” - Henri Matisse. (There are flowers everywhere to those who really want to see them).
• I love summer. No wait, I love summer in Africa. I love how hot it is one day, so hot you hear those crickets and the heat rises off everything and makes a mirage of heat waves. Then the next day its pouring and storming with rain and the wind is so strong it blows me away… its pretty magical and exciting. 
• “Don’t kiss me if you’re afraid of thunder. My life is a storm.” - Anita Krizzan
• Sometimes a girl needs a little sunshine in her life. In my case, that comes in beautiful yellow roses. When you bye roses still in bud, waking up daily to their scent and watching them bloom… Really, nature brings me pure happiness! 
• Have a lovely first week of the last month of 2014 you lovely peeps! Make it count! "Celebrate the people around you. Every breath is a big deal.” - Kid President. 

Xoxo

PS. “We live on a blue planet that circles around a ball of fire next to a moon that moves the sea, and you don’t believe in miracles?”

How lovely, thank you Dior. 

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Weekend Learning's

Life. It just keeps jumping out from behind the curtain and ripping the rug from under my feet. I hate it. I wish it was simple and life would let me be happy and just go with the flow instead of constantly pushing me off the cliff and watching me fall and finding so much joy in the smash. Thousands of tiny pieces. And no matter how hard I try to put my foot on the breaks, they’re always broken. Always! Speed kills. This is what I learned;

• Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we’re here we should dance. 
• “L’appel du vide” (n.) the unexplainable desire to jump when on the edge of a cliff.
• I cannot remember the last time I stayed up till I could hear the birds, Halloween was a big one this year. Im guessing it was the Black Swan in me, wanting to see the sunrise on the water…
• “I think hell is something you carry around with you. Not somewhere you go.” - Gaiman, Neil. 
• There is something quite divine about getting lost in the weekend, being so happy it almost stops in time but goes so quickly you’re not quite sure it even happened… that.
• “Women are emotional in order to feel the divine energy at the highest levels and be supreme healers and lovers and mothers. Not to drive men insane. Her deep spiritual connection to feelings is to inspire a man to his spiritual heights as well. She is not a nag, she is an oracle.” - Raja Khan
• Escondido is my new favourite Tapas bar. And I LOVE tapas bars but this one is the best. Snuggled in the best suburb in Jozi, Illovo, She shines brightly downstairs in the post office centre below Assaggi (if you don’t know where Assaggi is… shame on you!) Go now, make your tummy happy.

• Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it. Anger is bad, dump it. Fear is awful, face it. Memories are sweet, cherish them. 

Have sweet weeks my petals, don’t jump or if you do, try to fly!

xoxo

PS. I am not a one in a million kind of girl. I am a once in a lifetime kind of woman. 

... true, and so rare.

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Happy (belated) Birthday Coco!

Five goldfish in a balloon, Happy Birthday.

I am a terrible Blogger-Mom. I forgot my own blogs Birthday! And it is my favourite number too... 

Cocobutton turned five on the 18th of February. I cannot believe it. I have been at this for five whole years. 337 posts later I still love to share all my deepest, darkest, most ridiculous nooks and crannies with you. Thank you to all of you who encourage me, who push me, who nag me when I forget to blog. You are the reason I keep doing this. 

Here's to five more... and five more after that! 

xoxo

PS. Logastellus (n.) a person whose love of words is greater than their knowledge of words.

xoxo

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Weekend Learning's

Positivo!

Weekends when the summer is vicious but the chilling is high are becoming my favourite. Weekends are also becoming the downtime to the tightly wound up weeks. Slow paced lazy weekends, and speed racing weeks… this is going to be my 2014 me thinks. And do you know what that means? More Learnings! This is what I learned;

• I am totally and utterly obsessed with the words above! "Seja positivo. A vida retribui." This translates to; "Stay positive. Life reciprocates." True ne? I love being happy smiley Coco.
• On that note, I am really enjoying my 100 Happy Days. I hope you have at least one thing to be happy about every single day! See on the right of my blog you can see my Instagram feed.
• "Stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone ought to be." - Elizabeth Gilbert. Amen Lizzie! 
• I have to admit I am consumed with Master Chef All Stars. On Friday they had a "Burn The Mystery Box / Barbecue" Challenge. I was so excited. I was in a state of utter fascination! I don't think I closed my shocked trap for the whole of the first section until the interval. So silly, so fun! Watch it! 
• I finally made it to La Vie en Rose. A picturesque little spot in Illovo where there is iced tea, meals are inspired by roses and the serviettes are tied with tiny pink ribbons. A must!
• Trying to understand the behavior of some people is like trying to smell the colour nine.
• Have you ever had a white mielie? When I used to visit my family in Zimbabwe we celebrated these delicious juicy veggies. They're pretty rare in South Africa but if you find some, try them, trust me. I got my hands on some this weekend, yum! 
• Orphic. (adj.) Mysterious and entrancing; beyond ordinary understanding. 
• Stop watering the weeds in your life and start watering the flowers. 

Have a cherished week my little starfish, and remember; compliment people. Magnify their strengths, not their weaknesses. 

Xoxo

PS. "We were together… I forget the rest." - Walt Whitman. Meep.

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Weekend Learning's

Love this! Wildfire Art Print by Molly Freze.

The first Weekend Learning's I've done in a long time. I felt like after just two days back at work I needed another holiday. So I spent this weekend unwinding and clocking-in on some beautiful family time. This is what I learned;

• I am really enjoying the way this year is going so far!
• "Lagom" (Sweedish) Not too little. Not too much. Just right.
• There is a big difference between being alone and feeling lonely. I love being alone, feeling lonely is something I rarely feel and it is more the result of my missing my better half than the need for company.  
• The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel. 
• There are already brown leaves in my driveway. I cannot believe there is evidence of Autumn already. I feel like I have not even started my love affair with Summer. 
• "Dressing well is a form of good manners." - Tom Ford. 
• There is something quite special about watching a young pup play in a sprinkler on a hot day. Oh little Basil, you are pure joy. 
• "When words are both true and kind they can change the world." - Buddah
• I think I am rather silly and a little funny when I go to the supermarket and get overly excited at the new seasonal fruit and vegetables. On Saturday when I saw Woolworths had a box of exotic tomatoes I made a little shrill squeak and I might of hopped in their direction… The grumpy shopper debating the robot peppers gave me a look dirtier than a hobo's sock! I blushed. And hustled into the bread isle smiling with glee and my new tomatoes. Ridiculous right?! Who debates robot peppers?!
• "When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind". - C. S. Lewis
• Today I signed up for 100 Happy Days. As you saw my last but most important 2014 Resolution is to be happy, stay positive, and to smile. Sign up for the challenge {here} and see if you can post 100 consecutive days of happy posts! See the rest of my 2014 Resolutions {here}.

I hope you have a gleeful week my little Tarte Tatin's! 

Xoxo

PS. "He loved here, of course, but better than that, he chose her, day after day. Choice: that was the thing." - Sherman Alexie 

A little faith goes a long way. 

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Weekend Learning's

Hot. It was hot this weekend! And I loved it. Johannesburg often skips spring and burst into flames with summer. It was 30 degrees on Sunday. And I know it is summer when I sit in the shade in the park with my guy and get a little pink on my shoulders. I don't burn, this is my skin blushing me into knowing she's been kissed for the first time this summer, devilish! This is what else I learned;

• I hate knowing this is the last weekend of my September learning's which will have the memory of my boyfriend in them… especially since it's our anni month. Hurry home darling, October, come quickly please.
• "Some people look for a beautiful place, others make a place beautiful." - Hazrat Inayat Khan. 
• Yom Kippur also known as Day of Atonement, it is the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Although I don't yet fully understand this day, I highly respect my strong boyfriend and his family for doing this fast! 25 hours of no sustenance, impressive and humbling. Maybe next year when I know more, I can try do it too.
• "No one has ever made himself great by showing how small someone else is." - Irvin Himmel
• The Fishermans Deli in Dunkeld is still the best place in Jozi to get both fresh and frozen vissies. The crowds prove this.
• On that note, my boyfriend, yes- MY boyfriend, is an amazing Salmon chef. Next time, I am going to insist on double! Delicious… the chef... and the salmon… *wink!
• "You don't have to be born beautiful to be wildly attractive." - Diana Vreeland
• I am a memory keeper. I often know, to the day, what happened a year ago. This is a personal human trait I cherish. This particular weekend a year ago was the beginning of the rest of my life, the happiest weekend. Fate has a funny way of working out for the best.  
• "There will be dozens of people who will take your breath away but the one who reminds you to breathe is the one your should keep." - Unknown 
• Fika (v.) drinking coffee along with eating something sweet. I do this a lot… I fika?
• “We’re not the same person we were a year ago, a month ago, or a week ago. We’re constantly changing. Experiences don’t stop. That’s life” - Unknown 

Keep busy and pretty out there my little moon drops! Thanks for reading!

Xoxo

PS. People with good intentions make promises, but people with good character keep them. 

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Weekend Learning's

The first week back at work after a little vay-cay is always a difficult one. Strangely I was excited to be back. Yes we all know I love my job but I also love my life and even if I do occasionally need to get away for a little escapism I have come to the realization that it has only made me more aware of how blissfully happy I am in my own shoes. How sweet and how pleasant things have changed from what they once were when I literally wanted to flee from my life on a daily basis. Shame. I am so glad I am no longer that sad waif of a lonely bird. Now that my friends is life altering education! But do not fret I have some more for you, this is what I learned; 

• “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” - Seth Godin. YES!
• Every flower must grow through dirt… I did this and now I am a flower amongst many other flowers instead of a flower amongst weeds which is where I would have been if I did not have the courage to change and let go of my life so drastically, scary to think.
• Signatures in Morningside shopping center is by far, fast becoming, one of my favourite restaurants in Johannesburg. Well worth the prices, every meal I have had (and sampled) is divine, the ambiance is one of splendor and the live music is something I cannot get enough of. 
• Sobremesa (n.) the time spent around the table after lunch or dinner, talking to the people you shared the meal with; time to digest and savor both food and friendship. This is my favourite part.
• The fact that you take and hold my hand no matter what when walking from A to B with such purpose still gives me butterflies. It is little things like this which keeps love alive.
• Randloards is still an amazing venue with the best views of Jozi and with the right group, the best fun! 
• "Be with someone that requires you to grow, makes you forget your problems, holds your hand, likes to kiss, appreciates art, and adores you." - Mama Zara
• There is nothing that a smoothie can't fix. Trust me… if you know your stuff, and I do, the right recipe can cure anything. Mild headaches, cramps, bad skin, bad moods, sore muscles… they have become my saving grace, I love them, swear by them, won't go a day without one. 
• I cook on sundays now. I make lunches for the week. It saves money too. I find bustling around the kitchen in my pajama's ridiculously therapeutic and the smell of sweet potato and pumpkin soup is mouth watering. It is nice. And food is my little hobby on the side which keeps me sane and reminds me that having a five day intensive desk job is okay as long as I'm back in the kitchen Friday nights and over the stove sundays. Good times.

Have smooth sailing weeks strawberry puffs! And remember, spring is just there, see it, over the hill! Yay!

xoxo

PS. May my heart be kind, my mind fierce and my spirit brave. 

This is true, my love. 

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Weekend Learning's

Take flight, August, it is time to fly!

The weekend before birthday weekend is always a dull one. Not this one. Walked 4kms, went to town, went to a club, made another pizza, it was busy. And today, today is the first day of the best month of the year. Gosh how I love august. Everything just goes right! It is my birthday, yes but it is just the month where winter winds down to Spring and I truly do get a spring in my step. It is also my brothers birthday and now, my boyfriends birthday. It is a special month, a gold feeling month, a month with a Lions rawr! And I am so glad she's finally here. Anyway, this is what I learned in the last weekend of July;

• Strength lies in the nights of peaceful slumber.
• “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” - Buddha
• I am still surprised when the people I put before my own needs never even consider me before theirs. When will Coco learn?
• "God, how I ricochet between certainties and doubt." - Sylvia Plath.
• Great Dane on a Saturday afternoon is Chaos! Since the last Saturday I went there, it has become rather busy. Try get a table, if you dare.
• Orphic. (adj.) mysterious and entrancing, beyond ordinary understanding.
• Every summer has a story. Don't get me wrong winter has stories too, but I feel I live more in one summer weekend than I have the capacity to live in three winter months. I need a holiday from this winter, ASAP! 
• There are many things I enjoy doing. Sitting in the sun lying on you, talking about nothing is definitely one of them. 
• You can now follow Woolworths Taste Mag on Pinterest. I KNOW! So exciting / excited meep! Boards of foodie joy and wisdom, hello!
• "Ive never been a millionaire but I just know I'd be darling at it." - Dorothy Parker.

Have a lovely first week of August my little fly-aways, keep whistling.

Xoxo

PS. “You either like me or you don’t. It took me twenty-something years to learn how to love myself, I don’t have that kinda time to convince somebody else.” - Daniel Franzese.

Always.

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Weekend Learning's

me, myself, and us, it's love.

I've never known anything more ridiculous than that scene in Winnie the Pooh where he gets stuck half way in, half way out of Rabbits house. He naturally gets stuck because he's had too much honey, too much of a good thing. That’s not the part I find ridiculous though, that part is the part where Rabbit tries to deal with the 'situation' by painting Pooh's butt and adorning it with vases and flowers, a shelf some antlers (naturally) and I think perhaps a pipe... Obviously Rabbit is pleased with the solution. I always find after a big happy weekend of drinking and partying I feel like I look and feel like Poohs butt. I am adorned with a painted on smile and some other interesting things I have collected along the way, some new friends, a couple of masks, a can of appetizer in this case and of course I feel slightly half way in but half way out because some of the weekend is a bit of a blur. Best. This is what I learned;

• "Love always wakes the dragon and suddenly, flames everywhere." - Richard Siken
• I can proudly say I completed the 30 day Green Smoothie Challenge. Yup I did it, everyday for 30 days I drank over 750 mls of raw smoothie and it shows! The results speak for themselves, energy, smoother skin and a brighter smile are just a few of the pro's. You should give it a go, it is not as easy as it seems, trust me!
• I have retained some amazing friends from Vega. It is amazing to think that after only two short years I thought all I obtained was a degree but lately I have come to the realization that it was the biggest stepping stone to the beginning of the rest of my life. Thank god I took the leap!
• She was like the moon, part of her was always hidden.
• The mystery of the Almond Butter thief at the Blubird Dischem has eluded me! Well… he / she is not a thief just a greedy aloof Almond Butter glutton! How very dare you take ALL the Almond Butter and leave poor little Coco with none… the mystery is A) What will you achieve with all the deliciousness and B) how do you afford it at R89 a pop. I dislike you a lot… and I dislike you even more that you might have hit the Sandton one too… anyone know where I can get me some ALMOND BUTTER!!!??
• I went to a club on Saturday night… this quote; "Young girls need to learn that sexiness isn't about being naked." - Marc Jacobs
• You know you're in love when you look back on your Sunday morning and remember only that you spent the morning lying in bed laughing at and with each other… perfection.
• Nefelibata (n.) lit "cloud-walker"; one who lives in the clouds of their own imagination or dreams, or one who does not obey the conventions of society, literature, or art.
• There is nothing more divine than lying in the sun with my beautiful boys, Louis and Basil (my handsome Pekingese's) counting my blessing, a perfect ending to the weekend.

Have an amazing week my laffy taffy's, I hear Sunday is going to be freezing!

Xoxo

PS. I am going to punch you in the mouth… with my own mouth… softly… because I like you… x

F. Scott Fitzgerald, you are very
good and speaking the truth!

 

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