the meeting tree

My very first 'the meeting tree' market.
I loved it. I will be going back.
I took my mom and daughter along and the three of us thoroughly enjoyed our time under the pine trees.

The biggest draw card 'the meeting tree' has is the vibe.

My attempt at describing the vibe:

wine by the bottle (or glass), chatter, dogs missioning, bunting flowing in the wind, happiness, sunshine, blankets set down in long grass, pine needles, fresh air, live jazz, deck chairs, preloved books, never-ending views, family loving, tasty food and snacks, flowers in hair, laughter and some home brewed beer.



Thank you to Candice from Sliced Cheese for providing me with some more details about this laid back shopping experience.

 

'the meeting tree' all started on a piece of land overlooking Shongweni dam.  The owners apparently "just love the land and know that it is going to be a place where people will come and find rest and space as it is so beautiful."  The two-tiered pine tree forest is the perfect location for this market.  Not just "another flea market" but, an experiential market where one can come and enjoy a day out with their family, have great food, listen to live music and shop at Hillcrest's top handmade craft stalls.

Sliced Cheese got involved when the owners asked them to help them start a market.  Sliced Cheese came up with 'the meeting tree' concept and put the look and feel together.  The inspiration for the name comes from the tree that the band plays under. What a great place to meet it is. Sliced Cheese then started the official Facebook page and did a few flyer drops.


The first market was held in December 2012 after only one month of planning!

All the work has been done for the love of it and to see a market of this calibre take off in the Upper Highway area.

 

There are usually between 30 and 40 stalls but this fluctuates each month.  The stalls are also always changing as new vendors come along. At this stage 50 stalls would be the maximum.

 

The chosen band used every month is called 5th Season Jazz Band.  It is a three piece jazz band with drums, bass and guitar.  According to Candice "they are so groovy and provide a wonderful vibe to come and relax and enjoy a day out." I must admit that I didn't hear them play. The photo of the musicians below are not 5th Season Jazz Band. These two sand some really mellow acoustic music after 5th Season Jazz left. Great music. 

 

According to Candice the venue can also be hired as a rustic wedding venue or party venue. There is a rustic chapel on the property that they want to repair and a stone main house with a big open plan lounge and deck overlooking the view.

People who are interested should contact Candice from Sliced Cheese Designs at info@slicedcheese.co.za. Stalls are R200 for foodies, R150 for crafts and R100 if you don't need a table.
 

The selection process involves sending an email with pictures and a description of what you do. Don't bother popping Candice an email if you sell imported Chinese bits and bobs, because you are not going to make the cut. 'the meeting tree' team only select handmade or well-made crafts that are unique. The Meeting Tree have vendors from as far as Pietermaritzburg, South Coast, North Coast, Howick, Nottingham Road and Durban.
Have a look at 'the meeting tree' on Facebook here.
This is a good place to keep up to date for dates and vendors.
The market is usually on the first Sunday of every month.
 

The Meeting Tree - October

Don't miss 'the meeting tree' this October.

Put it in your diary now.

 

 

Christmas with Talloula

Get organised this year and do all your Christmas shopping at your local markets and fairs. Support the Hillcrest community and start saving for the 'Favoutite Things @ Talloula' Christmas Fair.

 

I know that I will most certainly be there.

I plan to be one of those organised Christmas shoppers this year!

Visit Talloula's Facebook Page and be sure to 'Like' them here.

 



Happy Spring!

 

This is just my kind of humour! I love it.

May you spend your spring running through fields of wild flowers, enjoying long walks with those you love, eating from picnic baskets in the warming sun, and doing whatever else makes your heart warm.

Farewell winter, hello Spring! 

The 'LOOK WHAT I MADE' Market

Hillcrest Primary School are hosting their second 'LOOK WHAT I MADE' market tomorrow evening, Friday 30 August.

 

 

Make sure you pop in and support the local Hillcrest community.

 

For more information contact shirene@justdone.co.za or 084 529 9639.

Makaranga Movie Moment

The husband surprised me to a night out at the movies.
Not just any movie...an outdoor movie!

 

 

Makaranga are running this experience from August 7 until September 18, 2013. In my humble opinion Makaranga's garden is perfectly suited to this! It has a gentle slope which ensures everyone can see without having to sit in the front. Makaranga is beautiful, even in the dark!
 

We had the pleasure of watching Top Gun. I am embarrassed to admit it but neither the husband or I had watched this old classic!
What a treat.
 

 

Take a look at the line up above.

If you want to find out more about The Galileo Open Air Cinema take a look here.

 

Email Galileo at mail to: hello@thegalileo.co.za

Or you can phone the Ticket Hotline on: 0861 2255 98

 

The husband booked our tickets online in advance and got a small discount. Otherwise you can buy 'at the door' pay full price and risk it being sold out. Movies start at 6:30pm but you can go into the movie area from 4pm. When we got there it was dark already (this was not the plan and resulted in some less than desirable photographs). 

You can buy food and drinks as well as popcorn. You can't take any food or drinks in. We had some scrumptious boerie rolls complete with chilli sauce (it would not be Natal without chilli sauce!). Stock up on food and drinks before the show starts as they pack away when the movie gets going. Bit of a pity as I could have done with a hot cup of Milo halfway.

You can hire/rent a blanket if you forget to take your own. But please remember to take a pillow or two with you. The ground does get hard after a while and I felt so sorry for the people next to us who sat the whole way through while we go to lie down and snuggle under our blankets. At the end of the day...go prepared. There are a several fire pits glowing to keep warm. If you love a good fire pit get there early to get a spot close to one.

We are considering going again and taking our daughter.



Sorry about the poor photography but photos in the dark just do not do this justice.

GINGERBREAD MEN

Mothers' Day Baking and Bonding.
 

 

To be clear my daughter and I planned to make gingerbread men but soon discovered that we didn't actually have a large enough 'man' cookie cutter. Our 'gingerbread men' turned out to be gingerbread teddies, butterflies, stars and hearts.

I love the old fashioned idea of gingerbread men, as it was one of my favourite things to bake as a kid, but let your children choose whatever they want! Just make sure that whatever shapes they choose the overall sizes are the same on each baking sheet so they bake evenly and you don't get some burnt ones.

 

HAVE FUN!  

 

INGREDIENTS

350g Plain Flour

175g Brown Sugar

100g Butter/Margarine

1 Large Egg

4 tablespoons (60ml) of Golden Syrup

1 teaspoon (5ml) Bicarbonate of Soda

2 teaspoon (10ml) ground ginger

 

 

METHOD

1. Mix flour, sugar, bicarb,giger and margarine/butter in a large mixing bowl together. This step requires you and your little one/s to get your hands dirty. Mix until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

 

 

This part is great fun and great for those fine motor skills

 

2. Add syrup and egg, and mix until you get a firm dough.

You can always try and do what we did. I love how creative my daughter is.

 

 

Be sure to make the holes big enough so it doesnt look like a sad face!

 

If the dough is too dry add a little more syrup until it combines nicely.

 

3. Preheat your oven to 180°C

 

4. Using a rolling pin, and a flour-dusted surface, roll out your dough until about 5mm thick. If your rolling pine and surface are not dusted your dough will stick and you will battle to lift the cut dough from the surface.

  

5. Cut out shapes using your selected cookie cutter/s or knife.

 

 

6. Place cut cookies on greased baking tray about 2cm apart and pop in the oven.

Bake for about 10-15 mins depending on the size of your biscuits and your desired crunchiness. Some prefer a softer biscuit while others like them hard.

 

7. Decorate using icing and anything you can find around the house or in the shops.

Ideas: Smarties, chocolate drops/chips, astros, raisins, silver balls. Ask your kid what they they would like and have fun with it.