Tag Archives: Harvest Festival

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 67 of Level 1, 26 November 2020

 

Thursday 26 November 2020, Day 67 of Level 1, Day 246 of Lockdown đŸ˜·

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for a beautiful day, with the South Easter picking up this afternoon; for feeling on top of the world; for a quick walk through Bakoven; for an excellent client status meeting this afternoon, with good news from both sides; with a shop at a Pick n Pay Branch in town, connecting with the store manager who was at the Camps Bay store until earlier this year, helping me with an overcharge on a mushroom deal, so he gave them to me for free 🙏; for dancing the rest of my steps to Kfm; and for being happy and healthy. 🙏💙 Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 13 January

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Eskom remains a laugh-a-minute, its CEO Tshediso Matona saying yesterday to a meeting of 100 business and agriculture executives that ‘one unexpected event at any of its power stations can push the country to the total failure of the national electricity system that may take weeks to resolve’.  Loadshedding was predicted for late last week, but did not take place.  It has now been predicted for next week. Economists predict that Eskom’s ability to prevent loadshedding will influence the country’s economy.   A shortage of diesel appears to be affecting electricity supply.

*   The City of Cape Town plans to revise its loadshedding schedule, to make it more equitable and fair to all its residents from 1 February.  This comes in response to the claim by COSATU Western Cape leader Tony Ehrenreich that the City’s current loadshedding schedule is ‘racist and unfair’, and plans to take the matter to the Human Rights Commission!

*   Franschhoek wines Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2010 and Chamonix Chardonnay Reserve 2012 are the only two South African Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 28 February

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   SA Tourism banned Thebe Reeds Exhibitions from attending a Meetings Africa 2014 conference, stating that the international exhibition company is a competitive threat and could sign up exhibitors.

*   Top South African chefs Margot Janse from The Tasting Room and David Higgs from five hundred at The Saxon addressed the Design Indaba Conference, showcasing local restaurants trends.  The decor design of the restaurant should match the food served, Chef Margot saying that the white tablecloth and candlelight are clichĂ©s.   ‘South African kitchens are paving their own paths towards something unique. Unlike the major culinary destinations, like London, where many of the top restaurants seem to echo each other Higgs feels the flavours and styles being offered locally are as diverse as the country’s many influences’.

*   The MyCiTi Bus service has been recognised for being the first universally accessible transport system in South Africa, at an international universal accessibility Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 12 December

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   A TripAdvisor TripBarometer survey has found that hotel guests expect free wifi, free parking, and free breakfast.  Items which guests are most likely to take home with them are toiletries, tea and coffee, towels, clothes hangers, and TV remote batteries. Guests are interested in learning more about the culture of the inhabitants of the town in which they are visiting, in visiting a unique icon of the town, trying new food but also wanting to eat food from their home country, as well as watching TV and movies in their home language.

*   London hotels have received the lowest ratings of hotels in 30 European destinations on the measure of recommending a hotel to others, according to a survey in the last 24 months on bookings made via Expedia, scoring even more poorly than Paris and Nice. Berlin tops the recommendation rating.

*   Grande Provence in Franschhoek is celebrating its 2014 harvest with a Harvest Festival on 22 February, starting the day with coffee and muffins, followed by a talk by the vine grower, winetasting, and then a country feast.  Cost is R450. (received via e-mail from Grande Provence)

*   It is sad to see how the death of Mr Mandela is being used by his daughter  Dr Maki Mandela and his granddaughter Tukwini Mandela to market their House of Mandela wines, saying that his legacy lives on through their wines! Continue reading →