New Beginings

This year starts well as I will be featured every Friday on the BCR (Barberton Community Radio) station 104.1fm stereo Frequency. For a few minutes during "The Elevations Show" hosted by Sabelo and Celeste I will talk about one of the things I love the most after travelling, "Good Food"! Its a blessing to me to able to share the knowledge and love that I have about this. So, Mpumalanga Province (for now) stand up and expect some good stuff about good food. Keep your eye on the blog for some tips and trends on food as well as a few recipes and make a note every Friday morning, yours truly will be on air.

Infused Water

Bring a little excitement to your water by infusing it with fruits or maybe some herbs...


We sometimes dread drinking good old plain still/tap water though we know its good for our health and skin. To keep well hydrated under our hot African sky we need to drink enough water. The argument of how much is enough is a never ending one, but for today I would just like you to try some water rather than no water. Here are a few tips and ideas...



You will need:

Fruit -- whatever kind you like (except no bananas); make sure it's good and ripe for maximum sweetness and flavour.  Citrus and berries are lovely to use, pineapple and watermelon work well for flavouring water. If you don't want to buy whole ones, many grocery stores sell small containers of pre-cut fruit.
Herbs -- these are optional, but many herbs are a surprising complement to fruit flavours; almost any herb will work depending on your personal preference
Muddler or wooden spoon for mashing fruit and herbs
Water - Use either filtered water or regular tap water is fine if yours tastes good to you 

Here are the different flavour to try out.

All Citrus Flavoured Water (adds refreshing tartness to water) -- slice 1 orange, 1 lime, 1 lemon into rounds, then cut the rounds in half. Add to jar, press and twist with a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon. Press enough to release some of the juices, but don't pulverize the fruit into pieces. Fill the jar with ice. Pour in water to the top. Stir it with the handle of a wooden spoon or a chopstick. Put a lid on it, put it in the fridge, and chill. 

Raspberry Lime Flavoured Water (beautiful colour and mildly tart) -- Quarter 2 limes; with your hands, squeeze the juice into the jar, then throw in the squeezed lime quarters. Add raspberries. Press and twist with a muddler to release some of the juices (don't pulverize the fruit). Fill the jar with ice, then add water to the top. Stir, cover, and refrigerate.

Pineapple Mint Flavored Water (a hint of minty sweetness). Add a sprig of mint to the jar--you can throw in the whole sprig; or, remove the leaves from the sprig, if you prefer to have the mint swimming around and distributing in the jar. Muddle the mint--the goal is to bruise the leaves and release their flavour--don't pulverize them into bits. Add pineapple pieces, press and twist with the muddler to release juices. Add ice to the top and then water. Stir, cover, and refrigerate. 

Watermelon Rosemary Flavoured Water (lovely flavour combo). Add a sprig of rosemary to jar and muddle gently (rosemary releases a strong flavour without much muddling). Add watermelon cubes; twist and press gently to release juices. Fill jar with ice cubes, add water to the top, stir, cover and refrigerate.

Enjoy....

***credits: www.theyummylife.com***

Truth is...

Our own season...

Nature is so obedient...look at a tree, lovely green leaves gives shade and coolness in hot summer days, gives sweet fruit as it was created to. Come Autumn it resists not to shed those useful leaves, first as they dry out because of lack of moisture and the cold making it difficult to stay green then one by one the leaves fall. Through the cold winter months it stands there knowing that it can not die, it must live with the little moisture it had stored in its deep roots. Instead of getting weak and dying, the branches and stem dry out and become stronger. Some branches are even cut to make fire but the tree stands there, unmoved and un shaken. This tree knows that winter is only a few months and soon Spring will come. This tree knows it has a purpose to fulfill come summer; fruits to bear and produce, shade and shelter to give from the sun. So it stands there.

Spring time comes, gentle rain pours giving the tree some new life for the new season's happenings. As it accepts all the nutrition from nature it starts to slowly bloom as if winter never happened. Little light green leaves come out then the flowers. They survive the wind and grow as the rain keeps on pouring, before you know it little fruits start to come. Its summer again, the leaves are a bigger with dark green colour, the branches that survived being used as wood for fire in winter are there strong as ever. Before you know it alas we have shade and fruit again...

Now if nature can endure and be obedient to this long painful cycle why do we as humans rebel, moan, try to change or get away from it? Yes our winter is not at the same time, coz we not at the same place. December when we enjoy summer in Africa somewhere in the world there is a heavy cold winter topped with snow. Why envy someone when they enjoy their shade and fruits as you are in your winter? Do you not know that your spring time will come? Take a lesson from the tree. Stand and be unshakable, let your winter prepare you for your summer otherwise you will not appreciate the fruits and shade when it eventually comes.

I'm so moved and challenged by nature see Psalm 19:1-7 and maybe as you're in your season you will know there is a reason!

To all the daddies...

Most kids are raised by their moms and usually their fathers are absent.  When I saw this picture I immediately agreed because this is so true, I can testify to this. My deepest appreciation goes to the men that are in my life and are my daddies, they love me unconditionally and sometimes I just say daddy or papa not thinking that they not even my biological fathers. Then to the awesome man who came to my daughter’s life and became daddy, Brian, every time Rati says daddy her eyes brighten up and you can see she’s at ease. Thank you. Big up to all the daddies out there you doing what other men would not be able to do...you are loved and appreciated

About love

It’s been a while and I miss this space...I have something a friend sent that he wrote and i though it would be too bad not to share. I hope you enjoy it, please do share it, leave your comments and feedback it would really be appreciated!

“The small things in life we take 4 granted life is too precious but can be more valuable when u have some 1 who loves you. Love is da conjunction of two souls but a 3rd person can be a coma to separate the two. Relationships have ups n downs it changes in colours ,taste ,appearance n weight but we have to stick to each other. Marriage is the form we fill with the hope to enrol in true happiness but the truth of the matter is that marriage is what u feel inside your heart. Honesty, love and Respect are the best elements in building true happiness. Look at your partner and remember the wrong choices you made before making the Right one .Love conquers when people Hate...”

Author XT Makhubela

Aint that just precious???

My children

What’s on my mind this morning is about parenthood...here are my thoughts about it. I hope I can fulfil even only half of these so my kids one day can look up to me and say they have the best mother.  Here it goes...

 Raise your child so that they grow up having strong principles. Instil respect for self that way respecting others will come naturally. Remember God chose you to be their parent they did not chose you. With that being said, they owe you nothing but love and respect. Whether you give them the best education in the world, provide all materialistic things they desire, you are doing that as your way to thank God for the gift they are. Never tell your child they owe you because they are who they are because of you. Of cause you had to do that you chose to have a child and God chose them to be yours.  When they grow up, let them live their lives for themselves and God will bless you for raising them well. Even if they do not turn out to be what you expect them to be, just thank God you did your part as a parent.

#MyThoughts

Mama Oratile le Amogetswe