Doesn't Get Busier Than This

So the weekend was just as hectic as expected, if not more so! It was fantastic as weekends go and will take a while to top :)
Friday afternoon started early with a trip to the car wash to ensure my current mode of transport was looking as impressive as possible (not much to the untrained eye, but to me who is quite familiar with all it's faults and dirt, it looked spiffy). Then it was off to Northcliff Citroen to sign the offer to purchase my brand spanking new car (I should take delivery on Tuesday - can't wait!).
Then it was a mad rush home to get dressed and head to the Joburg Civic Theatre for Swan Lake (with the happy ending). Now this was Varen's idea, me I'm not that into ballet and although this was better than what I've seen before (admittedly only Romeo & Juliet), it hasn't turned me into an avid (or even a luke warm) ballet-watcher. It's very beautiful, you can't deny it. But really, once you've seen half an hour of people expertly standing ont their tippy toes, there's just not that much more to it, I'm sorry to say - because I know my opinion will horribly offend any of you happen to be ballet-lovers. The other problem I had with it was that because there's no dialogue (honestly, I htink it'd be improved with a narrator ;)), you have to read the story upfront just to grasp what the hell they're dancing about. And therefore it's not especially enthralling ... you know how it ends already, hell I spent the whole show just lining up what was going on on stage to what was said in the programme and wondering if I'd ever have worked it out otherwise. All that said, it was a night spent broadening my horizons and doing something slightly out of the ordinary and that's always a good thing :)

Saturday afternoon we headed to the Taste of Joburg. This was a fairly last minute addition to the schedule (Wednesday) but it sounded like a fabulous way to spend the afternoon and that it most certainly was. It was all very decadent but in my usually over-organised style (going thru the menu's on offer with a fine tooth comb and ruling things out and ranking the things we did wanna try - makes the day far more efficient and i'd recommend it over randomly wandering, because it tends to end up very expensive!) Varen & I managed to enjoy 10 of the taste samples on offer.
1. Goats cheese on butternut crumpet with aubergine and gooseberry compote from The Dining Room at the Grace
2. Medallion of beef fillet with duxelle of mushroom and lobster set on potato rosti with a fois gras froth from Roots @ Forum Homini
3. Belgian chocolate tart with hazelnut puree from Sel et Poivre
Then we did a little wine tasting and have since added Wine Sense at Melrose Arch to our list of things to try on Saturday afternoon :)
4. Grilled prawn sticks with tequila mayonnaise from Bistro @ The Peech5. Vanilla scented risotto with chorizo and butternut, topped with truffle froth from Green Truffle

Then it was off to the Collinson's tent for a Brandy, Champagne and orange juice cocktail, followed by a visit to the Amarula tent.
6. Pan-fried tiger prawn with a Thai curry essence and watermelon from Roots @ Forum Homini (this is the only thing we each had one of :) )
7. White Pepper Creme Brulee from The Dining Room at the Grace
8. Lime creme caramel compressed strawberries, mint and honey sprinkle from Food on the Move (a catering company, not a restaurant)
Then it was back to the Amarula tent for their Mint Splash - admittedly neither of us was brave enough to try the Coke & Amarula mixture called a Brown Elephant. We did a little more wine tasting (Varen order a whole case from Slaley which was the best we tasted all day) and found himself his dream coffee-machine ;)

Then to spend the last of our "crowns" (the currency of the event), we headed for a little more desert.

9. Valrhona chocolate fondant topped with vanilla ice cream, served with chilli pineapple salad from Roots @ Forum Homini
10. White chocolate and blueberry bottom tart with roasted pear ice cream and vanilla tea brittle from March
My faves of the day were the Vanilla & Chorizo Risotto (5), the White Pepper Creme Brulee (7) and the Valrhona Chocolate Fondant (9). But, the best was still to come :)
Forum Homini were running a competition for a One Night Stay for Two with Dinner, Bed & Breakfast at their fabulous hotel (valued at about 5 grand) which I was desperate to win after Mom & I'd seen their rooms when we'd been there for lunch on her last stay up here. And wha tdo you know, I won. They called me at about 9pm that evening. I am so thrilled! Of things worth winning, this is right up there on the list ;)
Sunday we headed to Doppio Zero for breakfast with Varen's family and then wandered the shops for a bit before heading home for a sleep (Standby had gotten me up exceptionally earlier than I'd planned!) and then off to the Pink concert.

It was brilliant, she's fabulous live and interacts well with the crowd. It was a perfect end to a very busy weekend :) This morning I'm really struggling to set my mind to work ...