A couple weekends ago, it was Candice's birthday, and we all drove out to Franschhoek for lunch at the Haute Cabriere vineyard. It's apparently one of the more famous vineyards in Franschhoek with dee-lish vino. (I dunno, don't ask the non-alcoholic here)
It's a stunning drive out to the winelands, with glorious views from the Haute Cabriere.
A bunch of us chipped in to get her a ticket to some big dance party going on in Spain where she's at now (I forget the name already!) and she was well-chuffed!
Last month, I'd discovered the B&B Little Tuscany . This month, I happened to stay at the Protea Wanderers again and thought I'd snap some pix for comparison.
The rooms are much smaller, although there's room service so it's great when you come back late from an approval and can't be bothered to go out to grab a bite.
The oddest thing about the place is their slogan that goes something along the lines of "we're known for our apples!" ...and seriously, every room has an apple that's prominently displayed on a frame.
Everything else about it says "corporate hotel"... but a comfy, cosy place to stay nonetheless. (I still don't like being in Jo'burg though..)
Last Saturday, I spent 12hrs in a studio shooting nothing but B-E-E-R! It was all kinds of macro shots of the bottle, the label, the embossing, the super-chilled sweaty "condensation drops" (that was just spritzed water). This included all kinds of pouring shots - more foam, less foam, more bubbles, less bubbles, more golden colour, less swirls, more viscosity... and the more appetizing and delicious the beer looked, the less edible it actually was (coz of all the chemicals mixed into it to create the particular effect).
As you can imagine, trying to get the lighting and timing right what with all the reflections in the glass and bottles or trying to get the bottlecaps falling at the right place, etc. was a S.L.O.W. and painful process. It was literally like watching paint dry.
Here's a shot of the popping beer bottle that was shot in real time (the whole thing was over in 2sec):
Here's the same 2sec shot that was actually shot in slow motion (high speed) played back at 900 frames per second:
And here's an extreme close-up of the bottle cap popping, also at 900fps:
All shot on a Hi-Def Weisscam camera which doesn't actually record onto tape - everything's recorded on a hard drive and you only render out the shots that you want. This baby is so hi-tech, it even comes with its own technician. Yes, a camera technician who travels with it and operates it completely separately from the DOP (the Director of Photography - in lay man's terms, also the 'cameraman'). It's hooked up to its own computer system which the engineer operates, while the DOP carries on doing his thing framing and lighting the shots... it was pretty geeky-cool to watch this relatively new technology in action!
My dad sent me this picture today of my cat back home. He's been licking himself bald for some reason, so they've had to put a Victorian trumpet collar on him. Cute!
Just a week ago, it was warm and bright and sunny where even bergies could fall asleep by the beach half naked.
A week later, winter's properly hit Cape Town and all I'm craving is soup. Made a Barley & Lentil soup yesterday (yes, still lacto-vegan and going strong). Yum!
...and a Veggie Thai Red Curry today. It was absolutely dee-lish, but unfortunately I can't claim credit for it. Once again, it's Woolworths to the rescue with their vegan red curry in a can (with bamboo shoots & corn premixed) - just boil and add whatever else you want in it. Today, it's brussel sprouts and mange tout peas with brown rice and leftover couscous. :)
