BLOG NEGLECT

Yes...

you can accuse me of "Blog Neglect" my third "Kiddiewink" has been neglected for over a month now and guess what....

both my blog and I have survived the unintentional neglect!

I left to go overseas on the 3rd of April and only returned on the 3rd of May, which means that this was the longest holiday that I had ever taken in my 54 years of living and I did have good intentions, as I have on previous holidays, to do several posts on my blog.

 My trip to the UK and Paris was somewhat bittersweet, but more of that in later posts, which ultimately lead to me not feeling very inspired to write anything.

So I had a break, but now I am back and I hope to bring you some posts on my travels.

"Thank You" 

to those of you that still popped by to check out my blog.

BASTILLE DAY

Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In France, it is formally called Fête nationale; (The National Celebration) and commonly Le quatorze Juillet (the fourteenth of July) and is the biggest celebration in France and marks the storming of the Bastille, a medieval fortress and prison in Paris. Many people in France associated it with the harsh rule of the Bourbon monarchy in the late 1700s. On July 14, 1789, troops stormed the Bastille. This was a pivotal event at the beginning of the French Revolution.

The French love to celebrate and celebrate they do...often you stumble across small villages and towns across France celebrating some cultural, historical or local tradition. Often the entire village join forces to decorate the town,provide music and often a firework display.

I was fortunate to be in France in 2009 over the Bastille Day festivities and the local village of Jumilhac Le Grande, where my sister lives, was no exception. The Chateau provided a wonderful backdrop to the village square, whilst also being a great launch pad for the evening fireworks extravaganza.

My sister has just sent me these photos of her celebrations, so far.

Enjoy!

Source

MY PINTEREST WISHLIST - BLACK/WHITE/GREY

I love my Pinterest boards, but if I had to create a "Wishlist" for the
perfect black/white/grey ensemble this would be IT!

I just love the geometric lines of the Karen Millen dress,the shoes
are my all time favourite style and the bag is well...just too exquisite.
So if there are any fairy god mothers out there...

just contact me for my sizes and delivery details.

Enjoy!

Follow my Boards of Delights
on
Pinterest

Lanvin Silk Scarf

Karen Millen

                                                    

Alexander McQueen

                       

Balenciaga

"MY" TOUR DE FRANCE

Today saw the start (Grand Départ) of the 101st Tour de France in the city of Leeds in Yorkshire and it's only the second time that the Tour has started in the UK. I was in Yorkshire just recently, as I flew from Leeds/Bradford airport to France and as drove around I saw no sign that the Tour would be starting in 4 weeks time, but watching on tv today it looks like the county of the white rose has pulledout all the stops to support the worlds toughest 3 week long cycle race.

My hubby and I have ridden in The Cape Argus cycle race many times and even though we are now ex cyclists most of our friends are still very much involved in the South African cycling scene.We were lucky enough in 2009 to visit my sister in France, along with our bicycles (that's perhaps a story for another day) and we watched the one stage of the Tour in Limoges.

Watching the 2014 Tour brings back lots of happy memories of that fun day and a fun day it was. Just some advice...it's important to plan your arrival and exit route carefully, as they often close the roads the night before. We positioned ourselves on a small country road and our car arrived loaded up with everything we needed, chairs,table,plenty of food and drink and a great amount of patience, as you do wait and wait....Not only to see the cyclists, who literally whizz past in a few seconds, but to see La Caravane.

Le Caravan is coming

About an hour or so before the peloton arrives a huge parade of sponsors vehicles drive past and you get showered with branded goodies. In crowded areas it's somewhat of a 
"bun fight", so expect the occasional tussle. 

Stickman

Our secret weapon was a stickman wearing our cycling clubs shirt, which was powered by "Moi" jumping up and down, shouting "Donnez Moi s'il vous plais" which means "please give me" and guess what it worked, as the photo below shows. We actually received duplicates of most of the goodies, cycling shirts, t-shirts,pens,lanyards,sweets, key rings,caps etc. 

Our Tour "goodies"

This "Caravan" takes some time to pass and really gets the crowds excited and enthused before the big moment. It's festive and fun, but we also had a good supply of champagne and food on hand to help us through the day. 

Champers and nibbles

You know when the riders are nearing, as helicopters appear in the distance and the excitement reaches fever pitch. There was one cyclist that I particularly wanted to see and that was, the now disgraced, Lance Armstrong. If the cyclists are grouped together it is difficult to pick out any one rider,but I was lucky, as Lance passed me so closely, that I could have pushed him off his bike,which I would never have done back then, but knowing what we know now I can't be sure.

My day was made, but unfortunately there is no photo, as it's hopeless attempting to get any shots of the cyclists riding past so don't bother.

Soon the roads were opened,the snacks, nibbles and "champers" were all gone and we headed home after a very special day with some wonderful memories and of course our stash of hard earned Tour de France freebies.

Tour de France 2014

A VISIT TO POMPADOUR

Yesterday I visited Pompadour in the Correze department in the Limousin region of central France and by the way the inhabitants are known as Pompadours.

You may have heard of the name of Pompadour as being the world famous "Madame" of Louis XV. Madame de Pompadour (Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson) was given the chateau of Pompadour and the associated title of Marquise by the king as means of a "Thank You" for being his confidante and lover.

Madame de Pompadour was somewhat of a "Fashionista" of the 18th Century, wearing Haute Couture gowns and mules with heels.

The town is also famous for its chateau and its stud farm, the Pompadour National Anglo-Arab Stud, headquarters of the French National Stud and France's principal production centre of Anglo - Arabian horses.

Pompadour is a must visit for anyone that loves all things equestrian and I must also make mention of the award winning Patisserie in the main street, unfortunately I was so excited that I ate the strawberry tart before I took a photograph, 

which often happens.

 sorry! 

It was "delish" and very expensive.....

Chateau Pompadour

Chateau Pompadour

Haras National De Pompadour

Dressage Arena

Being put through its paces

Madame de Pompadour Fashionista of her time

She dared to wear heels on her shoes

ONE MORE BIG SLEEP...

Since booking my trip to England and France only two weeks ago and at that time thinking
"these next 2 weeks will fly by" Well guess what... they have!
As usual there is always a mad last minute rush, even though I am an organized person,there are just some things that can't be done till the last minute. 

Thank goodness I am flying Emirates from Durban and a 30kg luggage allowance is their norm, as opposed to 20kg on other airlines, which in my opinion is a huge plus for anyone considering overseas air travel. After pointing out this extra 10kgs of luggage allowance I must also point out on this trip that I am really a "poor" travel, so I am not quite sure what I will be using the extra weight for.....
(I am sure I will find something though)

The "hubby" and the "Kiddiewinks" are sorted with long lists of daily reminders,the fridge and freezer are bursting, work commitments fulfilled and my blog unfortunately will be the neglected one during my holiday, so I will keep you all updated on my adventures on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and I will write posts when and where I can.

au revoir......

I LOVE PINNING

I must admit that I am a "Pinner" and yes I love Pinterest....

If you are not sure what I am talking about then read this web definition courtesy of Wikipedia.

Pinterest is a pinboard-style photo-sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, and hobbies. Users can browse other pinboards for images, "re-pin" images to their own pinboards, or "like" photos. ...

My collection of boards are named Delights and below I am just sharing with 
you some of my favourite pins (photos) from a few of my boards .
Its really easy to create a collection of different and varied mood boards.
These boards can literally store pictures of absolutely anything that is 
out there in the world of Pinterest, but be warned that it can become addictive.

To follow me just click on the Pinterest button on the right hand side of this post.

Enjoy!

Pale Delights

Shoe Delights

Bronze Delights

MY TOP 10 OSCAR GOWNS {2014}

Its such a pity that with the time difference between Los Angeles and South Africa being 10 hours behind, means that all the excitement of the Oscar Red Carpet event happens in the middle of my beauty sleep. Who doesn't  love the Glitz and Glamour of this event which is now in its 86th year. Having caught up with who "won" and "wore" what, here are some of my top 10 red carpet gowns from this special annual event.

Enjoy!

1.

Lady Gaga wears a silver Versace number

2.

Chrissy Teigan in Monique Lhuillier stunning

3.

Dior being beautifully worn by SA girl Charlize Theron

4.

A gorgeous Gucci gown on Amy Adams

5.

Lupita Nyong dressed in a beautiful pale blue Prada 

6.

Cate Blanchett wearing a glittery Armani gown

7.

Penelope Cruz pretty in Giambattista Valli

8.

Roberto Cavali creation on Kristin Chenoweth

9.

Looking better than normal Kelly Osbourne in
Badgley Mischka

10.

Giuliana Rancic wearing a fairy tale Paolo Sebastian gown

Picture Source

LIEBSTER AWARD

I was recently nominated for a Liebster Award by Fay from The Sparkling Labyrinth 

check her lifestyle blog out. 

Read her original nomination post The Sparkling Labyrinth

Thanks for the nomination Fay! This new badge will blend in beautifully on my blog.

                                                          

Fay set myself and 9 other bloggers the following questions to answer. I must now nominate other bloggers and give them a few questions to answer, all of which will help us to find our a little more about the person behind the blog.

Fay's questions were:

1. How often do you read other blogs?

Daily and I read quite diverse blogs not always on beauty.

2. What is your favourite topic to blog about?

Well! my blog started out primarily as a beauty blog with smatterings of foodie topics, but the food topics especially Hot Choc, Strawberry Daiquiri and restaurant reviews have featured more than I intended, but beauty reviews are still my focus.

3. When do you usually write posts?

I generally write several over the weekend and then they are ready for the week.

4. Your favourite social media platform?

I really enjoy my Facebook page but Twitter is still a little daunting for me..Oh! and I love Pinterest its an endless source of inspiration.

5. Recommend one blog that you personally love reading

I enjoy reading Kissblushandtell

6. Tag a fellow blogger who supported you in your journey as a newbie

Unfortunately I can't tag anyone, as I can honestly say that I have done this all on my own, as I didn't know any bloggers at the time.

7. What has been a highlight for you as a blogger?

This past year of blogging has been one long highlight.At nearly 40,000 views over 13 months, I still cannot believe it!!! I cannot deny that highlights are being invited to launches and events, but I hate having to turn down those that happen in Johannesburg and Cape Town, as that's where its all happening!

8. Describe your blog

A Beauty blog written by a 50 something year old, who loves eating,travelling,Strawberry Daiquiris and all things chocolate.

9. What is your favourite book?

I am not a big reader of books but I love all magazines.As a child, the book that made a huge impression on me was "The Day of The Dolphin". You did ask!!!

10. Do you have any pets?

Yes a 2 year old Daschund, that answers to Abby (real name), Abs, Poppy, Pops, Poppet, Popsy and two African Grey parrots Barney and Frikkie.The latter two are such messy and irritating pets and I don't recommend to anyone.Give me another sausage dog any day.

Shew! that wasn't too difficult 

Thank You Fay...

I would like to nominate these varied bunch of fellow bloggers that hail from Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and Port Elizabeth several of whom have been nominated already, but I would love them to answer my questions anyway:

1.   Nicola runoncoffee
2.   Inge snapsizzleandcook
3.   Jane janetennet
4.   Loren hellominkys
5.   Jennifer pinkerjen
6.   Odette osoinspired
7.   Bronwyn mothercitymom
8.   Claire missclaira-bella
9.   Desle divadesle

10. Charlene geewhiskers

Ok here goes... My questions to you guys are:

1.  You are trapped on a dessert island, which 2 skincare products would you want with you and why?

2.  What is your "fave" chocolate or sweet?

3.  Which is your International or local News channel of choice.

4.  Soap n Water vs Cleansing milk?

5.  Have you ever had an allergy to any cosmetic?

6.  Bath vs Shower?

7.  Where do you mainly find inspiration from to write your posts?

8.  Do you leave your hair to dry naturally, blow dry or use an iron?

9.  Which make up item could you not live without?

10.Where would you like to see your blog in the future?

BEAUTIFUL SPRING MORNING IN UMHLANGA

This morning whilst walking along the Umhlanga beachfront path I decided to stop and take some photos in order to share with you....if you are experiencing cold, rainy or just generally "mizz" weather then I hope these cheer you up.

The temperatures at 9am were already at 25c and it felt more like Summer than Spring and it was a glorious, windless morning and the skies were the most beautiful blue.

Yet again I am reminded that I live in one of the most beautiful places in South Africa and I am lucky enough to experience this every day!

Enjoy!

A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF BEAUTY SHOUT BOX

I really and truly cannot believe that I started my blog a year ago....and as the saying goes 

"where has the time gone".

Initially some of that time went into creating the look and design of my blog or should I say lack of design,which may I add, is always work in progress....I look with envy and admiration at some of the beautifully designed sites out there, but then I take stock of the fact that I am not a graphic designer or website creator, so my blog for now will continue to adopt that "less is more" look and will stay simple and uncomplicated, cos that is how I like it!

The bulk of my time has gone into the research,compiling,composing and finally the writing.People often make the comment that they want to "write a book some day",so my advice to them would be, try writing a daily article for a blog for twelve months and then see if you still have that same inclination! It's taxing work to write interesting articles to post daily, even for my fledgling beauty blog, so to those that write books regardless of which type, I salute you, as it takes time, willpower and the production of plenty of creative juices, all of which seem to be, for me, in short supply on most occasions.

Obviously much time has been spent trying products, which is the fun part and if you have received those products for free, then its even better and those were my thoughts initially....can I tell you, that the reviews on the "freebies" are the hardest to write! I have been sent products and asked to write about some restaurants, which truthfully were not worthy of a write up and that's what I wrote...nothing...no review! The products that are great or the ones that I love, are easy to write or rave about, but the rest that fall into the "average" category are the problematic ones for me. A saying in our home is that, as a family "we don't do average" we always try to do better than average,whether it be in schoolwork, sport or work. When it comes to reviewing a product or service I have to remind myself that every ones interpretation of average is different.

At the end of the day a blogger writes about his or her own personal encounters and experiences and the readers must "gleam" the best and worst bits and form their own opinions. One thing that you can be sure of is my honesty, as I will never write, that I have enjoyed a product when I actually hated or disliked it, just because it was sent to me as a freebie.....I have been very fortunate and thankful that many of my "freebies" have exceeded my "average".

Besides the setting up and the writing aspect of having a blog, I also had to contend with the other aspects of social media that feed your blog daily, rather like one of those virtual pets that die if they are not fed,watered and entertained... Being a "50 something" year old blogger, this was for me somewhat of a challenge.(thank goodness for an IT boffin Kiddiewink in the house).

Beauty Shout Box has its own
facebook page which I love and find the easiest to manage. You will also find me "tweeting" on Twitter which in the beginning was hectic and somewhat daunting and many a "faux pas" has been made, but I am learning!Pinterest is fun and a great source of info and inspiration. Recently I added Instagram to the Beauty Shout Box social media world. 

Whether you follow me on all of the above or just occasionally read my blog, I am very appreciative that there are people out there that are reading and listening to what I have to Shout about!

All things taken into account I am quite proud of what I have achieved,

have I enjoyed it and would I do it all over again for another 12 months?

YES,YES,YES

As I have lots, still, to shout about....

And in true Inslee Haynes style

To everyone a huge 

BMW SUNDAY TRIP OUT

OK... before I start with this post I must tell you that the BMW is a motorbike and not the comfy luxurious car, after saying that The BMW GS 1200 Adventure is the comfy version of their motorbikes. If any of you saw the Ewan McGregor "Long Way" round series on TV or read his book, he used the same motorbike.

Now that I have made that clear, let me begin....

My husband grew up with motorbikes, as did my eldest son and they are both experienced and very proficient "off and on" road riders. "Moi" on the other hand, being the mother, is not keen on the motorbiking scene at all.... I must explain though, that in my youth I did go on the back of my hubby's (then boyfriend) Kawasaki GS 1000, but I put that down to either ignorance, stupidity or being love struck at the time....possibly it was all three.....Whatever it was it...it never worried me and dare I say it...I enjoyed riding on the back of a motorbike.

(much to my parents horror no doubt)

Over the years all types of motorbikes have come and gone and more recently a Harley Davidson appeared, as it was on my husbands "bucket list" to own one..that phase lasted for two years and has now been replaced with this BMW.....I did go on the back of the Harley several times, but again it was really not my scene.

Desperate for me to go on the back of the BMW, my husband literally pleads with me, so a few weeks ago I submitted and we went to a friends lodge in a Zululand game park on the motorbike.Read Review 

It was a two and a half hour trip and it was comfortable enough. Thankfully I arrived home in one piece, but I really do worry about the other drivers on the road, as I feel so vulnerable on a motorbike...I am sure there are people agreeing with me right now, whilst others will wonder "what is she going on about",

 but as you have children and your responsibilities become more, then you do become more cautious and I am a most definitely a "Cautious Cate".

This past Sunday my hubby suggested we go for a little run out again on the bike, "nothing too long" were his exact words. He also enticed me with the promise of a nice breakfast out and where food is concerned...I am there! 

We set off at 8am all kitted up and our destination was Underberg in the Southern Drakensberg. 

After a beautiful day in Durban on the Saturday, the weather was forecast to be much cooler on the Sunday, but undeterred we set off! 

First mistake - always check the weather report of your final destination. 

We hit rain around Pietermaritzburg.

Second mistake - was to not turn back.

My ever hopeful husband said that this often happens and again assured me that the weather will clear after Howick. 

Third mistake - was to believe him.

Leaving Durban's relative cool temperature of 15 degrees centigrade, we arrived at our breakfast stop, The Picklepot Cafe in Boston. The temperature had dropped to 6 degrees centigrade and we were both wet and cold.

My review on the Picklepot Cafe will follow.

After filling our tummies and drying our clothes we carried onto Underberg. 

Fourth mistake - know that the temperature will drop even further, when you can see beautiful snow capped mountains in the distance. 
Another stop at The Old Hatchery for some spicy homemade Pea & Ham soup and a "warm up" in front of a roaring fire. When my toes thawed out, we were off again...The scenery in this region is beautiful, but OMG it was so cold and I had a complete sense of humour loss when we arrived at Puckerty Farm and the computer readout showed 3 degrees! 

Puckerty Farm review to follow.

We finally arrived back home at 6pm, which was exactly 10 hours after setting off, we had covered over 500kms, stopped for breakfast,hot chocolate and lunch en route...the only positive was...I had some blog "fodder" for the week!

I was tired, cold, had a numb bum and I couldn't feel my toes....all I wanted was a nice hot, candlelit, bubble bath, to not only warm me up, but also to lift my mood!

My hubby, so enjoyed himself and was excited, as he had other places that he wanted to show me next time.....
News Flash!

 There will not be a next time my sweet, as biking still is not for me.

MOTHERS DAY HAUL

Just to follow up on my Mothers Day Wish List posted on Friday, this is what I received on Sunday for Mothers Day. Thanks Scott and Lee you managed to pull off half of the list...

Note to self "next year post the list earlier to avoid the "Sold Out" situation", but I did manage to score a slab of my "fave" Lindt chocolate instead...

MY MONDAY IN BEAUTIFUL CAPE TOWN {Part 2}

To read Part 1 of "My Monday In Beautiful Cape Town" click here

Sad to leave my dear friend Sharyn and the relaxing spot on the terrace of the Winchester Mansions Hotel, I was off to meet two more friends at the La Perla restaurant in Camps Bay. This restaurant has been a "landmark" on the Sea Point beachfront for as long as I can remember...in fact the restaurant has been in operation for over 50 years, now that has to be some kind of record in South Africa! I also have never eaten
here before!

La Perla has been a longtime celebrity haunt, but none were to be seen when I was there....but who cares, as I was catching up with an 80 and an 82 year old, who are dear family friends and they had far more interesting stories to tell...don't be kidded into thinking this was a boring, "turn your hearing aid up" kinda of evening! Both were very "switched on" and it was a case of 80 being the new 60 and all I can wish for is that I am like these two dears, when I reach my eightieth year!

We sat out on the terrace area, which gives you a great vantage point to both watch the sun go down and to people gaze, and I mustn't forget, the coloured light changing water feature that forms the focal point of this relaxing,casual seated area. No guessing as to what drink I ordered....and the Strawberry Daiquiri was given a 8/10.
To read this post click here

La Perla specialises in Italian and seafood and we chose from their extensive terrace menu, a mixed Bruschetta platter (R65) for a shared starter,which was very nice with the exception on the vegetable ones, the veggies were somewhat over roasted and rock hard, this resulted in little bits of the vegetables going back on the otherwise empty platter and went unnoticed by the waiter! The service otherwise was slick and efficient, as I would have expected.

We decided to then share the La Perla salad (R85) which serves four and we added on smoked salmon (R60) and avocado (R30) bringing the total to R175, it satisfyingly served three of us and was delicious. Having a sweet tooth I opted to order their Italian Kisses (R40) ,which were served (6) on sticks and on a bed of ice and again were very yummy! The one thing that I have noticed in Cape Town is that you often pay for the view, but in this case, it was worth it, and a great evening, quaffing a good SD, eating some lovely food, watching a perfect sunset and enjoying the good company.This was a perfect way to, round off "My Monday in Beautiful Cape Town".

For more info on La Perla click here

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