OK so what is there to really do on a Sunday, not much except for sleep in, eat good lunches, watch some TV...but one person can only do that so many times and when its a great sunny day, its always cool to get out and do stuff....MARKETS:)

The general one that everyone goes to is the Rosebank Rooftop Market, which is pretty cool and lets be honest, it has just about every item a person could ever hope to buy, but there are tons of markets in Jhb, so its cool to try out a different one every now and again.

The market at Brightwater Commons isn't very big, and I was kinda dissappointed cos it has been de-marketified. When I used to go there while in high school it was a proper market (well at least in the Jhb sense of the word)-the floors were dirty, it smelt kinda dodgy, it was chaotic, but it was really cool. Now they have upmarketed my market! Its all trendy and shit. The floors are clean, each stall is properly allocated and locked up at the end of each night, I was disappointed to say the least.

But there were a couple of really cool things. First of all there was an art exhibition there as well, and there was an auction planned for later in the day (very cool thing to do with your Sunday if you shit money). They had one of those ridiculous fayre games where endless numbers of dads, husbands and boyfriends (not wanting to lose face in front of their loves) threw their money away so that they could attempt to get a ball inside a hoop attatched to an inflated structure (definition of stupidity-yes?). Also they had puppies on sale, which is just the bomb, cos everyone-except for parents I suppose-loves taking a look at puppies:)

Productive? Not really, Nic walked away with a packet of razor blades????? and me I bought some bangles for 12 bucks. But if you just wanna walk around in the sunshine, checking out art, jewellery, X-box games and puppies, its a pretty cool morning out.

So last Friday a friend of mine decided to book a table at Tanza Night for her bday supper. I had only been once before and then it was just for drinks (which were horrifyingly {sp?} overpriced) and i thought Friday was going to be a pretty pricey night, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. pretty reasonably priced and a great variety of food.

I would advise people to stay away from the steak, as reviews on this dish ranged from "POWER!" to "edible but not incredible". However those who went for fish, pasta or curry were happy, so maybe thats a better route to go. I would also advise that you save space for pudding (it was generally agreed to be the best part of the meal).

But there was a really cool vibe, very chilled, there was a fire out on the balcony, lots of people, but not packed. Not really the place for a romantic dinner for two, but if you feel like going out with a whole bunch, its pretty damn festive.

Thy also like to have little pieces of entertainment. Like the first time I went, there were belly dancers, follwed by girls in neon lycra outfits dancing on the bar. On Friday they had girls dressed up as racing car drivers who were sitting on four wheelers and then went around selling beer. Im sure any guys reading thias are salivating now and maybe the girls aren't too impressed, cos there doesnt seem to be too much dedicated to the ladies (and I agree they should get their asses into gear on that one), but these little touches do just make the place a little bit more fun to go to, something different, so its not always the same stuff in the same place with the same people.

Cool place tho, Id say go, but not too often, I feel that its novelty would wear out kinda quickly:)

So although winter can be kinda sucky cos no swimming, no lying in the sun with a cold cocktail in your hand, no summer nights with long braais...ok you get the picture. In spite of all the loses that winter brings there are some really awesome things to do, things that people just don't feel like doing in summer.

Like last night I went to get Indian take-aways and that is something that you just dont usually do in summer. But wow - was so fantastic. Cosiness, at home, cricket (plus we won!) and awesome take-aways. I went to the Raj, an Indian restaurant on Rivonia road, but in all honesty you can get anything you like. A bottle of red wine goes just as well with pizza as it does with curry ;)

So on those occasions when you feel like chilling, winter is a perfect season. DVD's, take-aways and wine!

Will definately put some thought into more going out winter plans though, cos you dont want to be in till September :)

Ok, so far all the reviews I have done have been pretty positive, however this one is not! All I can say is those are 6 hours of my life that I will never get back.

My cousins were visiting SA from Wales, so obviously they wanted to do the whole "safari" thing, (as you can imagine) I was not as enamoured with the idea.

First of all its in Krugersdorp, which means it takes forever to get there, especially if you get lost (like we did). So you finally arrive (entrance very reasonably priced), and its a sweet sunny summer day, perfect for being outside (maybe even catch a bit of a tan) but no, you are inside the car, and unless you have your own roofless land rover you are stuck in the shade on a perfectly good day.

Next comes the sights (of which there are few), however I must also say that this is from the point of view of someone who has seen a fair amount of African wildlife and not from a tourist perspective, as a tourist may have really enjoyed the experience. Anyway they have a variety of animals, but all are fairly far away and its not too exciting watching them eat grass. Then the more exciting animals they do have, the lions, are kept in a large enclosure and fed by the reserve, so no hunting excitement.

Then when the cousins had absorbed as much antelope as they could we headed off to have some lunch. Also not that impressive - toasted sandwhiches all round.

So I really didn't love this day, but Im not knocking the game reserve idea entirely, Im just suggesting that if wildlife is what you are looking for, rather take a few days and head off to somewhere a little further away, rather than settling for the JHB semi-safari.

This Post was contributed by: Nic Haralambous

This is my first guest appearance on JenWynne! I am incredible grateful that she has let me share my night last night and will definitely be back on here to tell more tails of trips I’ll be taking!

Last night I was invited to attend a Whiskey Tasting at Longmeadow Piano Bar opposite Monte Casino in Fourways area, Johannesburg.

I arrived on time, 18:30 for 19:00. First mistake. No one arrives on time at these things, or so I overheard the organisers saying. Woops. Luckily my timeous arrival allowed me to snoop around and take some photos of the incredible venue that was hosting the tasting. I bought a Brandy and Coke (my usual) and it cost me R18, not too expensive for a venue of this sort so I was impressed with that. The bathrooms were immaculate, well kept, well lit and welcoming. Great!

Longmeadow Piano Bar is an incredibly picturesque venue considering it is in the middle of Fourways with main roads all around it. The cars are barely audible, the street is barely visible and grounds are well kept. What a great combination to make for a great evening. The trees are old, and well lit for the night time, when the lights came on the evening was made evening better by a great sunset and the Londmeadow lit trees.

The tables were laid out on the patio outside of the bar area. The bar area is large and well spaced, very well lit in earthy colours that are comfortable and attractive. Unfortunately there was no music. Second Mistake. But that was counterbalanced by friendly people and good conversation.

One of the problems with attending a tasting of any sort, wine or whiskey, is that you cater for a certain amount of people, last night the people were rude and pitched about an hour late and therefore forced the gentlemen taking the tasting to present twice. Rude. Mistake three.

On the whole, a fantastic venue, a wonderful atmosphere (less the music) and great people. The Johnnie Walker tasting was brilliant, I learnt a lot but still do not like whiskey! Thanks Johnnie, Keep on walking and on the way stop by Longmeadow Piano Bar.

Labels: Johnnie Walker, Longmeadow piano bar, Whiskey

Three friends, a few glasses of wine, great food, smartish but chilled atmosphere, brilliant night out!

Not the cheapest place a person can go, but if you choose to stick with a main course only its not too bad, and if you did want to go all out for a celebration, this would the perfect place to do it-not difficult to spend a lot of money.

Apparently its a blast on Fridays as after everyone has finished eating it turns into a bit of a party, but on the down side apparently the party is full of seriously pretentious people. So let me know what you think if you have been.

But ja-for a chilled supper out, where the music isnt too loud to chat, give it a shot. I enjoyed it.

Ok its been a week and Im very sorry, Nic is probably ready to kill me for not posting, he is hiding it well tho. "Its all about consistency" he keeps telling me:)

So anyways after laaaaaaast Friday at Manhatten I decided to take a totally different route and we headed off to Tanz Cafe. For those of you who havent been or heard of it, its a live music venue / restaurant with bar area.

So lets start with the most important stuff...food. Very good, you can order off a set menu (R100 for 3 courses) or you can order of the full menu. I went with the set menu-nothing crazy fancy, but just ver good, salad, calamari and italian kisses with coffee, a bargain I think for R100. And drinks not too expensive either, so affordable on the whole. It is however R50 to get in, but its definately worth it because damn the music was great!

Started off with 'Jonas and I', awesome awesome, as soon as I got a chance to speak to the singer I demanded to know when their CD was coming out, helluva good band, and just starting out so Im sure that got lots to give. Nothing too crazy, new or different but still fantastic.

Following was Louise Carver. Most people have heard of her and heard her on radio, I have and I always thought she was good but on Friday night I was super impressed. She sang 'fields of gold' and I think even Sting would have been speechless. This was the only song she sang that was not hers, and I was surprised by the number of her songs that I recognised. Great entertainment!

So what I think is so cool about Tanz Cafe, is that most of the time when I go and see live music (especially when its not very 'dancy' music) I feel I should be dancing but I dont really want to but there is this huge space in front of the stage where people are expected to dance but they dont, and its just awkward. At Tanz Cafe you really have to WANT to dance cos there is hardly any space. The floor is filled with tables and most people are eating and sitting down so there is no pressure on the crowd and the band can realx more as well cos they dont have this big scary space betwwen them and their audience.

I would definately recommend it, especially when you feel like having a fun night out that isnt too smart, but to listen to some great music and just chill.