If you can’t go to the bushveld…..

Most South Africans find much pleasure in the outdoors and sitting around a crackling campfire in the bushveld – there’s just something very ‘gesellig’, relaxing and almost hypnotic about staring into the those orange dancing flames. But what do you do if you can’t go to the bushveld? You bring the bush to you. And that’s exactly what we did. We had plenty of open garden space and decided to put it to good use by building a rustic boma. Not only can my hubby make excellent pizzas, he’s also a gardener, a builder, a designer, a paver – you name it, he’s done it!

Some ‘in progress’ pics:

 

The pathway to the boma is a very recent addition – we somehow wanted to create a flow from the pizza oven area to the boma (so for those who don’t know, when facing the boma, the pizza area would be behind you).

 

La pizzeria di Massimo @21 Shoal Creek Crescent

I look back at the photos that I posted on September 29, 2012 and I am again amazed at the transformation of our outdoor space: what once was a bare and certainly under-utilised area has metamorphosed into our very own homey and welcoming outdoor osteria, serving the best authentic Italian pizzas by resident pizzaiolo, Massimo! More recently, thanks to the same pizzaiola’s handy work, we’ve added a pergola that is gradually being draped in vines that even yielded a few bunches of grapes this past summer.

 

 

 

 

Picking up where I left off

It has been a while since I’ve been active on my blog….a long while….in fact, so long that I had to go and look up my username and password which meant digging out my assignments from a web writing course that I did back in 2012 (creating a blog and writing blog posts formed part of one of the modules covered in the course). But sometimes ‘life happens’ and it takes all that you’ve got to simply cope and so we are often ‘deprived’ of or don’t allow ourselves the time to do the things that we really enjoy or in which we find true fulfillment. Like writing or any other creative outlet.

People blog for various reasons. Some for networking and exposure. Others for a cause or to expand their business reach. I fall into the category, for fun and entertainment and just for the sake of writing. So I’ll be doing just that. Making. Time. To. Blog. For. Fun. If you read my posts you do and if you don’t, you don’t.

Creating a More Readable Website

Just discovered that this post was shared on the SA Writers College blog, I never knew: https://www.writerscollegeblog.com/creating-a-more-readable-website-by-renate-venier/

renateforevercreative

Your website’s readability is a very important aspect of a web user’s experience of your site. Modern web users no longer have the time to slog through web pages for useful information; to keep their attention and to prevent them from leaving, you need to provide them with content that is easy to read in a straightforward way.

 How we read online

Jakob Nielsen is a web usability expert. He backs the idea that we (humans) ‘forage’ information. We hunt for facts on the web and we move on if there doesn’t seem to be any ‘food’ around.

Nielsen’s studies reveal that we read differently when we are sitting in front of our computer screens than when we are reading a printed publication: 

–          We don’t read web pages word-for-word; in fact 79% of users only scan the pages.

–          We read slower from computer screens…

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A place to gather and make memories

This gallery contains 8 photos.

Fondest memories are made when gathered around the table, but what do you do when you’re a first time home owner and you have to furnish your home on a shoestring budget? Daniela searched high and low for a dining room table for her new home but couldn’t find anything that suited her budget. We surprised […]

47 Tweefontein make-over

This gallery contains 21 photos.

A make-over project for my long time friend, Lorraine. Over the years I have renovated many pieces but this was my first make-over project for someone outside of my family. A desk and 2 bedside pedestals, from dark wood to a shabby chic look (Annie Sloan Paris Grey, dry brush painted with Old White).