Ruth Bradbury-Horton's Blog: Ruth2Day, page 19

Thank you Wilbur Smith

I’ve been reading Wilbur Smith for years, so I was well chuffed to win this signed copy of his latest Desert God. Thank you very much Wilbur Smith and Exclusive Books.

I haven’t won anything since I won the fancy dress competition dressed like this. Between you and me I think I was the only one who entered  . . .  sshhhhhh!

 

Hundred Foot Journey – What a delight

I can’t believe the Guardian said this about The Hundred Foot Journey:

The Hundred-Foot Journey: cute foodie movie leaves a sour taste

Lasse Hallström’s latest piece of food porn will only be popular among critics looking to ram more metaphors down our throats 

Mirren is condemned to using a French accent that’s as cumbersome to her performance as a sumo fat-suit.

I fear the gentleman reviewing must have watched with a carrot in an orifice that it was surely not intended. For to me this movie was pure delight, filled with mirth and pain.

The food of course is significant, but the heart of the story is about an Indian family living in Mumbai who are forced to uproot and leave after a catastrophic tragedy puts an end to the comfortable lives they were leading.

Out of fear for their safety, the family takes up residence in London where they endure a year of  vegetables with no soul, along with the deafening Heathrow flight path above them. Unable and unwilling to stay, it is into a battered old van they clamber in search of a new start. And having no particular country in mind, it will be the battered old van who will decide their destiny, by quite literally hurtling them into a small French village, where cultures will clash, food is put to the test, and all as an Indian family take up root.

Om Puri, he of East is East and West is West fame, plays the father of many superbly, moving me at times to cheer, smile and despair with him.  To say I was choked when he was faced with allowing his son to grow and move on would be an understatement, I could have hugged the man all night long.

And while Helen Mirren may have lost her French accent occasionally, that didn’t take away from her performance of  a Michelin Star restaurant owner, notably one hundred feet from a new Indian Restaurant.

Yes there is a lot of food, which shouldn’t be surprising when one considers the story is based around two restaurants, but there is oh so much more, which every single person watching with me on Saturday evening in Cavendish would appear to agree with, if the laughter and smiles around me had anything to say about it.

Hubby and I loved it, we came out nodding, agreeing it was really something special. There is no doubt this little gem will be settling in my memory along with the Marigold Hotel.

 

 

 

 

Should we adopt a dog?

So here we are, contemplating adopting a little dog. Travis, our boy, lost the battle early this year, leaving Mutley alone, and sad.

Phew, it’s a big decision, in more ways than one.  The biggest being our long term plan to be swallows, with a house in SA and house in the UK. Hubby says no problem, we were going to take both our boys to the UK anyway, so we would take a new dog with Mutley instead.

The emotions of this are immense. I visited the SPCA a few weekends ago, and as expected shed many tears when we left. Today hubby went alone and came back with a form to fill in. He has seen a couple of doggies that would suit, now I need to go and visit.  Making a choice will be heartbreaking, I almost need hubby to decide. I know he will do the right thing, he’s good like that with an enourmous heart.

Lots to think about on this bright and beautiful day in Cape Town.

Here’s my boy Travis

 

 

 

Movie night with Helen

Thank goodness the weekend is here. A good time to reflect on life.

Good that’s done with, let’s see what I’m up to this weekend then. Not a great deal, but hubby and I could well be going to see The Hundred Foot Journey with Helen Mirren, not actually with her, but with her . . . in it. Looks just up my street, some good humour and a touch of love and drama I would think. Anybody seen it yet?

How’s this conversation I had with hubby this morning,

“Will you love me forever?” (I ask him this everyday as a joke and he falls for it every time by responding with a yes and a will you love me to. My standard reply, NO)

“Only if you stop moaning,” he said

“I only moan to keep you on your toes,” I said. “I’d hate you to drop your standards” (You know sometimes I even think I’m an old cow.)

He puffed a bit, pulled the duvet off and said. “But will you love me forever?”

“No”

Have a great weekend everybody

 

My lovely hubby and I

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hedgehog, thank you

Well chuffed to receive photos of my book, bought by Hedgehog. Made me smile and jump for joy

Photos: Courtesy Hedgehog

 

Out for lunch . . . why not have a look at some houses?

Had a good weekend?

I had a pretty darn good one, headed off to Riebeek Kasteel for lunch with the family, settling down at Bar Bar Black Sheep for a rather lovely fillet poivre, plus a good deal of teasing and laughter.

To make the most of the hour or so drive we deliberately arrived early – albeit a verbal punch-up when navigator hubby had us miss our turnoff – and had a bit of a stroll in the warmth of the sun. For those of you lucky enough to visit this little gem of a place, you’ll know you need to allocate about 15 minutes max for a walk through of the main restaurant/shopping area, bearing in mind dawdling and moving from shop to shop will ramp the time up a bit. As a tip, if you’re not going for lunch, the Royal Hotel is a nice place to sit for tea or a nice long alcoholic beverage on the verandah/stoep while watching the dorp go by.

After a bit of shop dawdling we drifted over to  several estate agents, “just to see the property prices” and my husband did his normal, “you couldn’t live in a place like this, but I could” mantra.

The romantic in me sees the quaint, calm, idyllic life we could have there. A large property, big house, plenty of grass, no need to get up before nine and then only to throw open the windows and listen to the chirruping of the birds.

My normal self on the other hand sees miles from nowhere, bored out of my skull, loads of housework, a need for a sit-on-lawn-mover and a waging war with hubby about the distance to the nearest shopping centre, which will always be the one in Cape Town I am found to frequent – Cavendish, I love you :)

That said, we ate a good meal, strolled back to the old car and left with a proverbial thumbs up to any estate agent in sight

Have a cup of tea and a slice of lemon meringue and tell me about yours

Yummy, gummy, sweets

I don’t know about you, but no matter how old I am, having a pot of gummy sweets to eat is pure delight

Help yourself.

You have got to be kidding me!

Really! Of all the amazing women in the world, GQ awarded Kim Kardashian, oh sorry Kim Kardashian-West with the Woman of the Year award!

I’m so flabbergasted I have to repeat that: Really! Of all the amazing women in the world, GQ awarded Kim Kardashian, oh sorry Kim Kardashian-West with the Woman of the Year award!

Actually, I’m beyond saying anything else other than:  Really! Of all the amazing women in the world, GQ awarded Kim Kardashian, oh sorry Kim Kardashian-West with the Woman of the Year award!

Sorry, I do have something else to say:

 

ARE YOU CRAZY!

 

For the full story if you feel the need  to read, check it out here REALLY GQ, KIM KARDASHIAN, YOU GAVE HER THE WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD?

 

 

Have you ever thought?

This coming Friday in South Africa we recognise people with disabilities. To do this we purchase a sticker and dress up in a themed manner. Sounds fun, doesn’t it. But it has me thinking. Does the purchasing of a sticker and dressing up really make a difference? Will those who participate really understand what living with a disability is like? I’m afraid I think not. That said, I’m certainly not decrying the initiative, and will participate, as I do each year, happy that my R10 will be going to charity. I’m also encouraging you all to join in please.

But would it not be better to suggest we purchase the sticker and inconvenience ourselves a little instead? I’ve had a slipped disc for about 3 months, and how my husband hasn’t divorced me after all the moaning and groaning I’ve done is anybody’s guess. My inability to perform such simple daily tasks as putting on my shoes without the need for pain killers has had me bordering on despair. Keep that in mind, I’ll get to the carers in a minute.

Let’s put this inconvenience into perspective then. Have you ever cut your finger? Can you remember how difficult it was to type, cook, even wash-up or go to the loo? What about broke a bone, say your leg.  Did you find it frustrating to not be able to drive, walk, live your life as normal? Did you suddenly discover activities such as the gym were out of the question, or the chance to participate in a fun event were no longer an option?

Now can you imagine living like that for a month, two months, a year, five years, a lifetime? You wouldn’t want it, would you?

So how about this Friday you put a plaster on your finger, or put your arm in a sling and no matter what you are expected to do, keep it there. In essence learn how to live with a disability for twenty-four hours, and see how important your R10 is.

The carers then, an area of disability that is rarely considered and barely recognised –  often than not they are parents who give up jobs and opportunities to support their child. Their emotional welfare pushed to levels most parents would never know.

A couple of months back I was walking in Tokai forest. Coming towards me were a family, mum, dad, new baby and young son. I was drawn to them immediately as the son was on a tricycle, the type typical of a disabled child. I knew this as my own daughter had had one, modified to suit her cerebral palsy. This young lad reminded me of my daughter and I stopped to chat to them.

I told them how my daughter had similar disabilities to their son, and that she’d recently married. We laughed as we discovered their son was attending the same school as my daughter had and how his surgeon had operated on my daughter’s hamstrings, although these days, instead of cutting the hamstrings they use botox once a year to loosen them. Amazing!

When we said goodbye, I felt as if I’d done a good deed that day. Here was a family who were facing a lot of decisions I had already dealt with. I like to think they went away with a little bit of hope that their son could lead a life beyond their care one day, or at least reasonably independent. Something many parents of disabled children find hard to comprehend.

So this Friday, put on your sticker, dress up if you will, and maybe you’ll put a plaster on your finger. But whatever you do, give it some thought, and really, really think about what it is to live with a disability. And maybe, just maybe, you could offer the carers of a disabled child a night off, or bring them a cooked meal.

Whatever you chose to do, it will make a difference.

Casual Day – 5th September 2014

 

 

Sneaking this one in on a fine Spring Day

Hello, a wee bit of self-marketing here :) on this beauty of a spring day in Cape Town.  Can’t believe I’m inside while the sun is out there waiting for me.

My book, Jedland is free today. I’d love you to read it.

You don’t have to own a Kindle, you can downlaod the free Kindle app and read on any device.

Hope you will enjoy it and let me know what you think.

You can download your free copy here – Jedland