SA Garden and Home

EDITOR Mary Jane Harris PRODUCTION/EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Mandy Buchholz 087 158 0279 ART DIRECTOR Geoff Maher geoffm@caxton.co.za KZN CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, DECOR Candice Botha candicebotha@gmail.com CAPE CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, GARDENING Marianne Ale

As I’m writing this, it’s still not clear whether we’ll be returning to work as normal at the end of the month. Although, will anything be quite normal again? Everyone has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting global economic downt

Tell us about your artistic background. I’ve always wanted to be an artist, so every decision in my life has led to becoming one. While raising my four children, art was mostly on the side. I used it as a way to illustrate the songs I sang to my chil

Online store Modern Gesture’s contemporary light fittings mix timber, metal and woven threads in standout pieces that add a touch of modern African style. Their new range of wall lights are ideal for a study or reading corner and double as art.modern

Tricia Guild OBE, founder and creative director of Designers Guild, has these tips for using wallpaper murals Always balance bold colours and prints with white. In my view, highly decorated walls require masses of white and neutrals throughout the

Make sure that cables and wiring are not exposed to heated surfaces and open flames as this can cause explosions and fires. Don’t overload socket outlets. The use of adaptors on socket outlets is not recommended and care should be taken not to exceed

Think matt finishes and a minimal aesthetic Just about anything goes, so have fun and be bold Make choices that will never go out of style Bright and breezy, this is easy living at its best SOURCES 8° South eightdegreessouth.com Block & Chisel

THE PROBLEM “We never used this end of the TV room, and the built-in unit had just become a dumping space for all sorts of odds and ends,” recall Jackie and Matthew of Jo’burg, who have two teenage boys. “We had plans to remove the unit, but then we

Alon Sachs, co-founder of Mobelli Furniture + Living has these tips for choosing an outdoor rug Look for rugs that are specifically intended for outdoor use. Most of these are made from 100% polypropylene like the ones available from Mobelli, which

The garden is open for self-guided walks, with a garden map and tree list every day of the year. Guided tours are conducted by arrangement. These, R100 pp, include refreshments and fruit cake. To visit, or book accommodation in the old Manor House or

Plant in a mineral-free, nutrient-deficient, acidic soil mix comprising sphagnum peat and perlite. Plants should have at least four or more hours of direct sun daily, with as much indirect light as possible. Strong light creates compact growth and go

1 Maintain your fortnightly feeding programme using a balanced 2:3:4 granular fertiliser, or an organic foliar feed for bedding plants and bulbs. 2 Mow lawns as and when needed. To turn brown, frosted lawns green in frosty areas, oversow with a cool

Aloes add colour to the winter garden, plus they’re hardy, water wise and have a long flowering season. Aloe hybrids are suitable for containers, thrive in sandy soil mixed with good quality compost, and need at least four hours of full sun every day

200g flour (doppio zero pasta flour or stone ground cake flour is best) 4 large eggs 1 . Place the flour on a work surface and make a well in the centre. Break the eggs into the centre of the well. Using a fork, beat thoroughly. 2 . Gradually inco

We’re giving away an HR2375 Philips Avance Pasta Maker worth R3 999. It automatically mixes, kneads and extrudes pasta into spaghetti, penne, fettuccine or lasagna sheets, which can be coloured by adding juiced vegetables. philips. co.za. To enter, S

Powder: Beat in with the eggs before mixing. Purée or liquid: Beat 2 large eggs and 250ml in with the eggs before mixing. Blue dough: Egg yolk makes blue colours green. Use 5 large egg whites, 1T olive oil and beat with eggs. ■

My cooking style is influenced by the seasons. In summer, I love cold crunchy dishes with lots of texture, and in cooler months, dinner might be a rich lentil and sweet potato stew. My pantry staples are smoked paprika, ground cumin, onion powder an

MUST-SEE SIGHT Elsamere lodge and conservation centre in Naivasha, Kenya. NICE TO KNOW For a true African experience, stay in a tented camp to hear the night sounds, rather than a hotel. LEARN THE LINGO Thank you, Asante; May I take your picture? N

WHEN TO GO We intercepted the migration as the animals moved through Serengeti in autumn rather than when they cross the Mara River in Kenya from July to October. GETTING THERE We travelled with ExplorePlus, who also got us discounts on our flights.

The first electric telephone was invented by Scottish-born inventor Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. The first commercial exchange, with 12 users, was opened in 1878 in Connecticut in the US. In 1889, convinced that the Bell central exchange was divert

“There are many reproduction antique phones available on the market. It’s easy to tell the real from the fake. If it has any plastic parts, it’s fake – plastic was only invented in the 1950s,” says Reg Taylor of Skyscraper Cape Town. “Rare colours ca

Dust phones regularly and clean with a damp cloth and mild detergent when necessary. Don’t submerge in water. To avoid scratching, don’t use abrasive cleaners to clean ABS plastics and Bakelite. You can restore the lustre of a phone with a silicon-ba

I’d love to know more about this grandfather clock I inherited and its value. Inside, it’s marked with a gold emblem and the word Kobold. Justine Brink Justin Kerrod of Kerrod Antiques, specialist dealer in ceramics and mid-century modern furnitur

EVERY MONTH we give away a *prize for the most valuable or interesting item sent in. This month Justine Brink has won 12 bottles of Van Loveren’s Perlé de Jean. This dry rosé wine, with its beautiful rose petal hue and slight sparkle, is the ideal co

Mafikeng-born Patrick Stout-Sheard spent his early twenties in Durban at the height of the city’s fashion boom in the late 1990s. “My room-mates were designers and models. It was an exciting, innovative environment, which sparked my love of design,”