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“In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
Yesterday my sister and brother in law took Lory and me to the Knysna Friday Evening Market as a last family outing before they return back to Cape Town. This market takes place every Friday evening in Narnia Village Lane and has food stalls, a beer garden, live music, a few craft stalls and a jungle gym for the kids. It runs from 4pm to 8pm.
The atmosphere was lovely and relaxed, the live music was a performance by a solo artist on acoustic guitar.
The weather was overcast so it was cool and pleasant, a very welcome reprieve from the blazing heat that we've been experiencing of late (it's 39 degrees C today in some areas of the Western Cape).
My sister took a liking to some wire work that a man called David makes so we bought each other one called "The thinker" and her husband got a fisherman. They're very well made and when I chatted to David he told me he does commissions for garden installations some of which weigh upwards of 200kgs and are placed on cast cement slabs.
As it is a very family orientated market, there are kiddos running around, playing tag and generally getting up to mischief on the jungle gym. Lory befriended this little guy and they took turns climbing the tree like monkeys.
The food stalls included some really yummy options like Greek Shawarmas, Fallafels, Fish 'n Chips, Curry and Rice and Corndogs. It's a great place to wind down after a long week. I highly recommend giving it a visit the next time you're in the area.
This post is an addition to the #marketfriday community hosted by @dswigle.
This has been manually added to Pinmapple here [//]:# (!pinmapple -34.033599 lat 23.020632 long Friday Evening Market at Knysna Montessori d3scr) .
Go well
Ranger Andy
https://3speak.tv/watch?v=andrastia/prrwgxev
Recently Lory and I needed an adventure day. Working from home is sometimes a balancing act, so I take her out to a place for a slice of cake or a meal so we can regroup, spend some quality time together over something edible (breaking bread together is a bonding activity in our house) and have a conversation.
I originally wasn't sure of this place when I read through it's reviews online which seemed very mixed but on average rather below par so I was in two minds but the day came when I decided to take a chance and we hopped in the car to visit Smitswinkel in Oudtshoorn. It's on the main road here which is Route 62, the main tourist route through the town which encompasses the longest wine route and links Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. If you visit the area, Route 62 is a wonderful scenic drive including mountain ranges, quaint towns and gorgeous farm land on either side with various stops for photos.
Smitswinkel is a bit of a mish mash of a restaurant and grocery store. They also offer simple accommodation.
It has a busy, but entertaining vibe and is furnished inside with various points of interest like the wall of off road dirt bikes and there's even a real fixed wing plane that hangs from the roof.
There is a wrought iron oversized indoor braai/fire pit (massive barbeque in other words) while outside includes beautifully manicured lush green lawns, dotted with outdoor shaded picnic benches, a large chess board, aviaries full of brightly coloured birds, chickens and bunnies. The chickens run around free range and find little tidbits under tables which is extremely entertaining to children and adults alike who aren't scared of chickens - hence the video. This was probably Lory's favourite part of the whole visit. The roosters often jump up on the tables and crow, much to the delight of the children around.
It's quite apparent that a lot of work went into the decor of this restaurant and it has a cross feel of country western and sixties jive. Even the menus have hand drawn sketches of celebrities. There are even a few statues that look like they're straight out of the oscars.
You could visit this place numerous times and still find new things, there is a lot to marvel at. Of course to keep the kiddos entertained there is a huge climbing / clambering jungle gym with slides, swings, rope ladders and a ball pit.
The cake selection was a bit slim with only two options of Mozart cake and Carrot Cake but they were both delicious so I couldn't complain.
While I haven't had one of their famous braai's there yet, I'm definitely keen to take Lory back there for a celebration of some kind. Perhaps I should have used my birthday as an excuse, perhaps my hive birthday - but the house was very busy with my sister visiting. Either way I'll find a good ~~excuse~~ reason for us to go back and try a Sunday Potjie maybe - a traditional "pot food" with a very interesting history dating back to the 1500s. If you'd like to learn more about Potjiekos and it's origins from the Hutspot - which came to life during the Siege of Leiden in 1574 during the Eighty Years’ War, you can check out this short write up on CultureTrip
Calvin and Hobbes - Bill Watterson