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What Kirsty did next
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Category: South Africa

Giraffes in South Africa
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Culture South Africa Travel

Six reasons to visit South Africa

by Kirsty Marrins on August 3, 2019
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If you live in Europe or North America, then you luck out with the exchange rate for South Africa so why not make the most of your money and visit this majestic country? South Africa is a land rich in natural beauty and diversity and offers something for everyone, no…

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The Kitchen at Maison in Franschhoek
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Restaurants South Africa Travel

All aboard the Franschhoek wine tram!

by Kirsty Marrins on December 1, 2015
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A tram that’s a hop-on hop-off tour of wine farms. Need I say more? If you’re visiting Cape Town, then this is a must! We were staying in Franschhoek for three nights so it was very easy for us to get the tram, however they do offer an exclusive and…

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Pierneef à La Motte restaurant in Franschhoek
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Restaurants South Africa Travel

Wining and dining in Franschhoek

by Kirsty Marrins on November 23, 2015
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We’ve just got back from a fabulous holiday in Cape Town. It’s the second time we’ve been this year and we just absolutely love South Africa’s Mother City. When we went in March we only stayed in Cape Town but this time we chose to stay in Franschhoek for three…

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Five reasons to visit Cape Town
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South Africa Travel

Cape Town – the jewel in South Africa’s crown

by Kirsty Marrins on July 21, 2015
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I was fortunate enough to grow up in Durban, which has a beautiful coastline and is less than a three hour drive to the awe-inspiring Drakensberg mountains but it’s Cape Town that I keep wanting to return to. It’s hard to describe the vibe that Cape Town gives off but…

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Hello, There!

Hello, There! Hello, There!

Hi, I'm Kirsty. I grew up in South Africa but now live in London with my Italian husband. I love nothing better than exploring new places - whether in London or around the world. I try to make every day an adventure!

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Ten happy things – December…

Ten happy things – December…

on January 4, 2021
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My 2021 travel wishlist

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A sprinkle of London life
Writer| Reader| Runner| Travel lover
Usually found with an Aperol Spritz🍹in hand
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Happy #wonderfulwednesday! It’s that time of the Happy #wonderfulwednesday! It’s that time of the week again to reflect on what’s brought me joy and happiness. 

- last week I was feeling quite down. This week I’m in a much better place.
- I’m reading such a good book! But I’m almost finished... it’s one of those books where I don’t want it to end.
- my morning routine. Read in bed, get up, get dressed, go out, get a coffee and walk around the block. It sets me up for the day.
- got a @madeinoldstead food box arriving on Friday! Sooo excited 

So that’s what’s brought a smile to my face this week. What has brought you #joy? 

As always, I’ve tagged all the other lovely ladies who take part in Wonderful Wednesday so check them out.
It’s #wonderfulwednesday and I can’t lie... I’m not feeling very positive. A lockdown until at least mid February is making me feel quite sorry for myself and for everyone else in the UK. 

But isn’t the point of wonderful Wednesday to find the positives? Even if you have to dig deep? 

So here’s what’s brought me joy over the last week:
- sleeping in. We’ve been on ‘holiday’ since the 30th which has meant being able to sleep in until 10am just because we can.
- delicious pasta cooked by my husband.
- curling up on the couch and reading a magazine.
- yellow roses. Just because.
- twinkling fairy lights over the fireplace which we’ve decided to keep over Winter. 

So what’s brought you #joy this week? What are you feeling grateful for? Check out all the other lovely Wonderful Wednesday ladies who I’ve tagged.
Happy New Year lovely people! Dear 2021, please b Happy New Year lovely people!

Dear 2021, please be much kinder than your predecessor... And I promise to be very, very good this year in return.

I wish you all happiness, health and prosperity in 2021. Thank you for being a shining light in a pretty challenging year. For your comments, your messages, your kindness. Love to you all ❤️

And don’t forget to follow that #rainbow!
Out with the old and in with the new! Wishing yo Out with the old and in with the new! 

Wishing you all a wonderful #newyearseve2020. As this sign says... hold on to your dreams in 2021! May it be a better year for us all 💛
Happy #wonderfulwednesday! The last one for 2020. Happy #wonderfulwednesday! The last one for 2020. Instead of reflecting on the week that’s been, I’m going to reflect on the year that’s been. So what brought me #joy this year? 

- at the beginning of the year I set myself a goal to read a book a month. Well dear Reader, I smashed that goal and read 18! 
- I did #couchto5k again but this time all outdoors. I try to run at least once a week now
- Zoom calls with friends around the world. Lots of them! 
- slow mornings reading in bed and enjoying a coffee. No more TV in the morning! 
- baking focaccia for the first time (and several times) 
- enough work to keep me going but also periods of quiet, which was welcomed 
- meeting some truly wonderful women on Instagram! You know who you are. Can’t wait until we can meet in person. 

So even though 2020 sucked, it wasn’t all bad. What made you happy and brought you joy in 2020? 

Thanks to @sallytangle for #wonderfulwednesday - check out all the other accounts I’ve tagged!
Merry Spritzmas! I know it’s not the Christmas Merry Spritzmas! 

I know it’s not the Christmas many of you planned but I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow, regardless. 

Much love to you all 🧡
Happy #wonderfulwednesday! Isn’t this the perfec Happy #wonderfulwednesday! Isn’t this the perfect photo for reflecting on what brought me #joy over the week? Thanks to @sallytangle for the prompt.

I’ll tell you what didn’t bring me joy... being moved into Tier 4, both heels of my boots breaking and buying a jacket potato for lunch which turned out to be inedible 😭 Still... I’m trying to be positive and thinking about what small things have made me happy does help. 

So here’s what brought me joy:
- this is my last working day of the year! I’m off until 6 Jan 🎉
- ordered some weights so I can do body pump at home since the gyms are closed (again)
- I’ve bought all the Christmas food and am picking up the turkey today from our local butcher (there are only 2 of us so we’ll be eating turkey for days) 
- I’m going to make eggnog for the first time ever tomorrow night and I’m really excited about it 

So what has made you happy this week and brought you joy?
Popped in to @briciolerestaurant to buy our #pando Popped in to @briciolerestaurant to buy our #pandoro for Christmas Day. I can’t believe it’s less than a week until #christmas! And I have only watched two Christmas films... 

What’s your favourite festive film? Let me know! 

Ps: Am I the only person who hasn’t watched Die Hard and is it really a Christmas film?!
Happy #wonderfulwednesday! I’m trying to remain Happy #wonderfulwednesday! I’m trying to remain cheerful despite going in to tier 3 so reflecting on what’s made me happy over this last week will help! Thanks to @sallytangle who started this lovely reflective practice. 

This week I’m grateful for:

- a new interim Head of Comms role at a lovely charity! I’ll be there for 3 months 
- a fabulous festive afternoon tea at The Landmark. How CUTE is this little cake?
- a wonderful working lunch with @wheres_the_rooftop 
- a very fun and yummy tasting event over Zoom with @comtecheeseuk 
- a catch-up with my sister who lives in Canada. Because of the time difference, we sadly don’t get to talk often
- new decorations for our tree! Looks so pretty 🎄

I think I’ve had a pretty good last week! Ps: can you tell how much I love this jumper? It’s in 3 of my last posts 🤣

So what’s made you happy this week?
Merry Tier 3 mas! 😭 Honestly, my heart goes ou Merry Tier 3 mas! 😭

Honestly, my heart goes out to all those working in the hospitality sector. I can’t believe that restaurants and pubs have only been open 2 weeks and now they need to close again. It’s devastating. I’m going to try to support them as much as I can by buying takeout and home meal kits. I hope you’ll join me.
Find someone who looks at you the way I look at fo Find someone who looks at you the way I look at food. 

📸 @wheres_the_rooftop
Ad-gifted Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas witho Ad-gifted  Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without an Italian delicacy. Usually we have Pandoro on Christmas morning with Nutella whilst we open presents but this year it’s going to be Panettone thanks to @cosaporto.uk! 
This Panettone smelled so gorgeous and was light and fluffy - delicious! 
Do you have a traditional food that you eat on #christmas morning?
Happy Monday! I’m excited it’s the start of a Happy Monday! I’m excited it’s the start of a new week, purely because my Christmas tree is arriving tomorrow! It should have arrived last week but hey ho, that’s 2020 for you... 

What are you excited for this week?
Form an orderly queue... the pubs are back! Happ Form an orderly queue... the pubs are back! 

Happy Friday everyone 🥂

#fridayvibes #fridayfeeling
Happy #wonderfulwednesday all you beautiful people Happy #wonderfulwednesday all you beautiful people! How has your week been? 

It’s that time of the week where, thanks to @sallytangle, I reflect and take the time to share what’s made me happy and brought me #joy. 

This week it’s:
- coming out of lockdown 🎉 Got lunch booked on Saturday at @margotldn_ and I can’t wait! So sorry for those of you in tier 3 xx
- I went running twice in a week, which is basically a record 💪🏻
- I am LOVING the book I’m reading! Huge thanks to @savlafaire for the #bookswop 
- I finally put together an outline of some training/coaching I want to start offering next year and I have someone to take part and give me feedback 🙌🏻
- it’s cold enough to wear my onesie 

Share something that’s made you happy this week. Also, check out some lovely #wonderfulwednesday posts from the fabulous ladies I’ve tagged.
Happy Friday! It sure is starting to feel Christ Happy Friday! 

It sure is starting to feel Christmassy, isn’t it? I popped into @linastores last week and couldn’t resist taking a snap. How gorgeous does it look with the Christmas lights and the hanging Pandoro and Panettone? 

Who has already put up their #christmastree? 🎄
Happy #wonderfulwednesday all you lovely people! T Happy #wonderfulwednesday all you lovely people! Thanks to @sallytangle, it’s that time of the week to reflect on what’s brought you #joy. 

What’s made me happy this week:
- buying a fancy faux Christmas tree and getting a Black Friday bargain 🎄
- buying #christmas decor and dinner settings (which are oh so pretty)
- delivering social media training this week that went down well! 
- meeting an excitable dog on a walk who let me stroke him and he licked my hand 😍
- seeing the Christmas lights in Covent Garden when I went to collect my #hamebyah meal on Friday (which was delicious by the way) 
- hopefully an end to lockdown next week 🙌🏻

What’s made you happy this week? Share the joy!
So last night we went out for dinner! At home, of So last night we went out for dinner! 
At home, of course. We dressed up though, set the table (don’t look too closely as I only had paper napkins 🙈), put on some Jazz and cooked a slap up meal by #hamebyah. 

Swipe through to see all the courses:
- sourdough bread with chicken butter and chicken skins
- cheese doughnuts 
- lobster tagliatelle (although it was spaghetti)
- shoulder of lamb with couscous, courgette and feta salad and an amazing granola for the lamb
- apple tarte tatin with vanilla custard 

We thoroughly enjoyed the meal (the pasta could have been better but then giving an Italian a pasta course is always risky!) and experience - it felt like a real treat.

I’d highly recommend ordering a meal kit if you have a special occasion coming up or just fancy treating yourself.
Walking into the weekend like... Shame the pubs a Walking into the weekend like...

Shame the pubs are closed 😭

Got a call with my South African besties tonight, which I’m looking forward to. Then not much else planned. How about you? What are you up to? 

#marylebone #britishpub
It’s #wonderfulwednesday and that time of the we It’s #wonderfulwednesday and that time of the week where I reflect on what I’m grateful for. 

- whilst it wasn’t the holiday we planned, I’m grateful for quality time with my husband 
- being on holiday in lockdown means going for long walks and exploring different areas. The other day we went to Hampstead Heath which was fabulous 
- supporting local businesses during a tough time brings me some joy in that I’m hopefully helping keep their business in business 
- drinking Champagne on a Monday night because... holiday! 

What have you been grateful for this week? Check out my fellow Wonderful Wednesday ladies who I have tagged ❤️
How amazing is this London Cityscape artwork by @a How amazing is this London Cityscape artwork by @akajimmyc? Stumbled upon it at Blackfriars although it’s been here almost a year already. 

Makes me appreciate even more living in this beautiful city! 

#lovelondon #myhood #streetartlondon
I was REALLY not looking forward to spending my ho I was REALLY not looking forward to spending my holiday in lockdown. But you know what? It’s been pretty good so far! We have walked our socks off, cooked amazing food and posed in front of a #redtelephonebox like a tourist. 

#lovelondon #lockdownlife
Happy #WonderfulWednesday! I didn’t take part Happy #WonderfulWednesday! 

I didn’t take part last week because I was very anxious and stressed as we were due to fly out on holiday that night ahead of lockdown. I was really nervous they were going to cancel the flight, then I was worried about the flight home being cancelled... anyway, we got to go! 

The flight was pretty full so I finally relaxed thinking there was no way our flight home would be cancelled because we all had to get home. 

Famous last words asthe day we landed our flight home got cancelled .... so we had to come home early. Definitely not looking for sympathy as we knew the risks! But it wasn’t a nice experience, I must say. And now we’ve got a week and a bit of spending our holiday in lockdown. 

Anyway, moving on to the things I am grateful for this week! 

- getting to go away on holiday, even if it was only for 4 nights. Plus it was 30 degrees so lovely and hot!
- spending quality time with my husband. We’ve been cooking together since we can’t eat out. Want to experiment and try my hand at dumplings... 
- treated ourselves to a pricey bottle of wine from a local wine shop and drank it on a Tuesday! Well, we are on holiday after all 😉
- got a WhatsApp call on Friday with my besties @cands_lh and @tanya_miller_1980 

So tell me about your week. What’s made you happy and brought you joy? 

Don’t forget to check out all the other lovely ladies who take part in wonderful Wednesday - I’ve tagged them!
Did you know that Windsor castle is the oldest inh Did you know that Windsor castle is the oldest inhabited castle in the world? It’s the Queen’s favourite weekend getaway.

And who can blame her? Less than an hour by train from London (not that she gets the train), #windsor is a beautiful Royal Borough with lots to see and do. It’s the perfect weekend getaway! Or even a day trip. 

Have you been to Windsor? 

PS: new blog post on Windsor, link in my bio!
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