Taking a break

Since we started building I feel like all my husband and I speak about is the house. There are so many decisions when you build a house. Just the other day we had to make a decision on whether we wanted cornices or not. I didn't even know what a cornice was and I have never taken notice of them. So to get a break from house talk and decision making, we took a last minute mini roadtrip to the beautiful Elgin valley and Onrus. Truth be told, all we spoke about was the house but at least we had delicious wine and beautiful views to enjoy whilst doing so.

Our first stop was at an apple farm called Galileo in Elgin. I was so pleasantly surprised by this accommodation, the photos on the farm's website do not do it justice. "The shack" as it is named was a little cabin on an island surrounded by water and beautiful views of the valley. I felt myself totally relax and unwind from the minute we arrived. Not to mention our dogs had the time of their lives swimming in the dam while we sat on the deck, in fact they played in that dam until we went to bed. 

I would highly recommend this place if you feel like relaxing. http://www.galileofarm.co.za

Our next stop was a place called Kennedys Beach Villa in Onrus. What excited me about this accommodation was that it was pet friendly. We often have to sacrifice luxury when we travel with the furkids, so being able to stay in a 5 star establishment that oozes romance and still being able to bring the dogs was a plus in my book.

We stayed in "The Villa" which is self catering and very private. The best part.... it has its own mini milkwood forest that leads down to the river and beach, and if you stay in the villa, this whole area is exclusively yours.

The decor is old world charm which adds to the romantic ambiance.

A bath in the forest anyone? This was magical!

The view from your private beach area

From the river up to the milkwood forest

http://www.kennedysathermanus.com/

A short but much needed break. Now it is back to business!

Rain rain go away

It is Spring. Someone needs to remind mother nature of this, she is confused! Cape Town is hitting freezing temperatures with rain forecast for the whole week, yet Johannesburg has skipped spring and jumped straight into summer?? As much as I love sitting next to the fireplace with a glass of red wine, it just feels wrong to be lighting a fire in Spring. We should be lighting a fire in the braai and having a glass of white wine in the sun!

Anyway, it is no secret that rain is a big no no when it comes to building, and Cape Town has had its fair share of rain this winter. As a result, the outside of our house is going a little slower than we would like but on the upside the builder is concentrating on the inside of the house which is all plastered now and will be ready for paint next week.

The estate only allows you to choose from a few shades of colour for the paint on the outside of the house. Different shades of green, brown, blue and grey. For us it was a no brainer... grey grey grey!

Our bub all snug visiting his future home.

Cape Town, sort yourself out and give us some sun pleeeeeeeease!

The roof is on

The roof took a couple of weeks to complete, but once it was done I felt a sense of security. As the saying goes, " we have a roof over our heads" and with that comes comfort. In the beginning stages of building and as the walls go up so do the levels of anxiety, wondering whether the house will turn out as you envisage it. Now that the roof is on, I can actually see what our home is going to look like and I am loving it!

There she is, all shingled!

The builders next job is the plastering and fitting the windows and doors. Our next job is EVERYTHING else! Not sure if I mentioned this but we are responsible for all the finishes, and Francois wants to do most of them DIY, including the kitchen. So watch this space.