Cape Etc

I PUT ON MY THIRD PAIR OF SOCKS TO GO WITH MY OUTFIT: TRACKSUIT PANTS, A THERMAL LONG-SLEEVE TOP AND MY FIANCÉ'S HOODIE. As I shuffled towards the couch, Game of Thrones ready for action on the TV, he looked at me and said, ‘I can't believe winter is here, and I'll see nothing but your head for the next six months.’ With that, I plopped between the cushions and enticed my cat with her beloved red blanket, making sure she curled her chunky body on my belly – self-heating water bottle sorted. A sight for sore eyes? Check. I didn't go down the road to refill our gas bottle for the heater that day. As a result, I sat there making ‘hah hah hah’ sounds, watching as the warmth…

INTERVIEW We've got the most beautiful city in the world – and don't we know it. Tourists love the Mother City … everyone is so nice to them. But those who move here often tell another story of encountering cliques, struggling to make friends and battling to belong. It can be hard going, putting yourself out there, stepping into a room or joining a group where everyone else seems to know each other. For many, that initial awkwardness – or fear of awkwardness – encourages them to stay at home where they will be safe. And yet, those brave enough to step out of their comfort zone reap life-changing rewards – a circle of friends or even one relationship that makes life a little more meaningful. Take Ema Sita, for…

Is sports not your thing? Well, we said we'd try to include a little something for everyone. Sword and Board is a tabletop games and hobby shop in Point Business Park, Milnerton. They sell board-, cardand tabletop games such as Warhammer 40 000. Brennan and Steve founded the company six years after deciding they wanted to create a space where they could grow the local community around the games they love. Both are passionate and active members of the tabletop gaming community. Sword and Board hosts weekly gaming nights every Wednesday and Thursday, from 6 pm to 11 pm. On Wednesday nights, they host events for Magic the Gathering, board games and tabletop miniature wargames (Warhammer 40 000 or Age of Sigmar), while on Thursday nights, it's Yu-Gi-Oh!, Digimon trading…

THE HOOD / Wellington ROUND THE MOUNTAIN Wellington is at the foot of the Groenberg Mountain on the banks of the Krom River. It's the start – or end – of the famed Bainskloof Pass. It's in a natural amphitheatre formed by the Drakenstein (dragon rock) range. To the south-east are the Hawequa Mountains. To the north-east are the Limietberg, with Bainskloof Pass running through them. It's a 55-minute drive from Cape Town CBD; 40 minutes from Stellenbosch and 60 minutes from Worcester or Franschhoek. Bainskloof Pass, dried fruit and the Berg River. This is what you think about when you think about Wellington. They're all true, of course, but other things are also true about the small Winelands town. It's true, for example, that it was originally settled by…

The brand's name, derived from the Afrikans term for ‘waste’, hints at its core ethos MISSION MOHAIR Transforming waste into warmth with Mors Design Last winter, I went to the doctor because my toes were sore. My little piggies felt like they'd been to the market and got roasted – not by fire but by dry ice. They were simultaneously frozen and on fire. ‘You've got chilblains,’ doc said. The cold had robbed my feet of warmth, and when I'd exposed them to roasting hot showers, the little vessels couldn't handle the transition. I'm not built for winter. Or maybe I just hadn't dressed right. On my hunt for proper gear, I found jerseys that were so fluffy they might scare the chill away from my helpless piggies. Mors Design…

CHECK IN / Mother City DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE Staying at Wonderland was phantasmagorical, so utterly unique that when Lisa Abdellah checked out and returned to her everyday life, she questioned whether it had been a dream, whether it had happened at all I'd seen photographs of Wonderland, a six-bedroom villa on the slopes of Table Mountain between Hout Bay and Constantia, but it was far more impressive in real life. The story goes that the late Keith Rose, a South African advertising director, spent 25 years building it as his family home. This passion project, created entirely by his eccentric imagination and artistic eye, evolved into a luxury playground for children and adults. You can now book one of the suites or the entire villa. Via a heavy medieval door, my…