Saturday 27 March 2021, 1st anniversary of Lockdown, 27 th Day of Level 1 đ·
Corona Gratitude đ
#Grateful for a long day focused on Foooood, and mainly spent in Stellenbosch; for rain that fell overnight and light rain on the way to Stellenbosch; for a Brie and egg purchase at Dalewood Fromage outside Franschhoek, my favorite farm shop with excellent service always; for a quick walk in Church Street, not being able to resist the fabulous ice cream at CrĂšme de Levain; for discovering Eike restaurant and its Snoepie (Tuck Shop) off Dorp Street, buying a Tex bar for R2 less than the price at Pick n Pay đ; for a lovely spoiling lunch at De Vleispaleis on Dorp Street, belonging to my friend Stuart Bailey, trying the new Set Menu which starts next week from 1 April, and meeting his new dog baby Max; for a visit to Stellenbosch Square, shopping at Woolworths, finding a nice fitting pair of shoes but with poor service, with long queues at the tills; for getting back to Peppertree CafĂ© on Kloof Street just in time to collect figs Iâd ordered; for a walk through Bakoven; for a visit to Anatoli, trying and photographing new dishes made by Chef Jacques du Toit, and photographing Beth the belly dancer ; for my cat babies forgiving me for leaving them at home alone all day; for it being so quiet in our building, half the renters spending the weekend elsewhere đ; and for being happy and healthy. đđ Continue reading →
The Sweet Service Award goes to Jade, a shop in Stellenbosch specializing in selling pearls, and its Manager and jewelry designer Ariéne Jansen. On a recent shopping visit, mentioning that the purchase was a birthday indulgence, I received pouches in different sizes from Ariéne, one each in which to keep my earrings, and the other the necklace which I had bought, very convenient gifts for traveling. I had never been spoilt by the shop like this previously, having awarded it a Sour Service Award earlier this year, due to the poor service received from another staff member! On my return ten days later, to request matching up a favorite earring which I had lost, Ariéne efficiently and very inexpensively created the lost earrings and fixed another earring. She also made up a pearl necklace for me, to an exact length, within a two-hour period, which allowed me to browse the shops around Church Street. 
The Sweet Service Award goes to Rocksole Shoe and Bag Repair on Wale Street, and its charming owner Raj Jaga, who managed to fix the soles of my favorite pair of shoes in less than a week before my overseas trip, which I noticed in the last minute had been taking a lot of strain from all my dancing! I had forgotten about the public holiday shortening the week. He is extremely kind to his customers, and always tries to make a plan. He was awarded a Sweet Service Award in January too. 