Castle of Good Hope

Hello you wonderful people!!! I can't believe how quickly time is going by but there's loads of exciting things happening at the moment and I almost forgot that I wanted to share something I did for my birthday, almost two months ago, with you! 

I lived in Cape Town, on and off for about four years but I always avoided visiting the Castle of Good Hope. It's the only castle in South Africa and even though I've got a bit of an obsession with castles I just wasn't sure if I would enjoy going to one in my own country. 

I was right, I should have trusted my instincts... Going to visit this castle and reading all the history it made me really sad. For those of you who don't know, South Africa lived under an Apartheid government which meant there was a lot of segregation of different races and for a long time, each race was treated different to the next based on the "superiority" of one to another. 

When I visited castles in Ireland and Germany I was intrigued by the history and excited by all it but in my own country I found it haunting and at times frustrating.  

Besides that the castle is not structured like the ones I've seen in Europe but also its now in the middle of Cape Town CBD. When the castle was built 3 sides were surrounded by the ocean but with time the tide stopped coming up so much and the city built on the open land.

My birthday was an extremely HOT day typical of a Cape Town Summer's day so the skies were clear. 

So here are some of the pics from my day out! Hope you enjoy! 

Behind me is where prisoners were kept... So tiny and would have been freezing cold.

What's it like being a tourist in your own country? 

x Nats x

Tips From Your Bridesmaid

When I was asked to be a bridesmaid the OCD in me kicked in and I googled all the things I would need to know in order to be the perfect bridesmaid but after the wedding I definitely think there should be more literature made available to brides as to what is expected of them from the bridesmaid's point of view.

Now...before all my married or soon to be married readers jump down my neck, yes I get that the wedding is obviously about the Bride but as a bridesmaid you just want to make the wedding the best version it can be for the bride otherwise you wouldn't have agreed to form part of her special day.  That being said, I think there are three main points you need to remember when dealing with your bridesmaids:

1. Communicate your expectations that includes what you require on the day, do you want your bridesmaids to help you get dressed or do you want your mom to help you? Do you want a bachelorette party which is raucous or do you want a simple tea party bridal shower? On the day, what photographs do you want to do? Is there dancing requirements ie the opening dance

2. Be considerate of your bridesmaids different body shapes and sizes sometimes what you envision doesn't always match up to the ladies' comfort level in your retinue. If you want the same style of dress for all the ladies then make sure everyone's at the same level of comfort. 

3. Do not think you can do everything on your own. Your bridesmaids are there to assist you, it's okay to ask for help! 

Do you have any tips for Brides to be?

x Nats x 

First Date No Nos

"Do you have room temperature bottled water?" (In the middle of one of our hottest summers) I should have known from that moment this was not going to be a great date, it's a first date and he's being so damn particular about a drink I was not going to be very happy. 

Maybe my illustration sounds like it's not too bad but I should add that he asked this without even greeting the waitress which really erked me so I thought I'd share some of my First Date Do Not Do items... 

1. Don't order an overly complicated drink. First impressions last and you don't want to come across and a picky drinker. 

2. Be courteous to the wait staff, or people in general not just the person you're on a date with. 

3. Do not sit on your phone the entire time or keep checking it. 

4. Try not to take phone calls which are not emergencies, it's rude to be on the phone in public. 

5. While I said don't be overly complicated with your drink order, don't pretend to be someone you're not. Suddenly a wine drinker when you usually order a beer? If this person is the one for you they are going to figure out who you are eventually... Be that person from the start. Unless that person is Bat Shit Crazy then don't be that person! 

6. Do not over share, don't bring up was even if the ex's brothers friend just walks into the restaurant. Be polite but don't go into details as to who that is and why it's weird that you're seeing them after the break up. 

7. If you're opinionated share it but don't get aggressive when addressing whateve position you're in favor of! 

That being said, what would you add to my list??? 

Still posting from my phone so I apologize if the layout sucks! 

x Nats x

March, be sweet....

It's March everyone and I'm not going to harp on about how I can't believe how quickly 2015 is going (which I really cannot believe!) but instead I'm going to focus on what needs to be done this month and one of my biggest aims this month is to stop neglecting this blog of mine, which is a bit of challenge because my internet is still not working and I'm posting off my blogger app which is a struggle for the set up so I have no idea if it's going to look alright or not 🙈.

In the Southern Hemisphere we're officially into Autumn or Fall for my readers from the States and I don't know if it's Mind over Matter but I woke up yesterday feeling just a little bit chilly... What's the weather like in your part of the world? 

What do you want to achieve this month? 

x Nats x