Lavenders Courtyard Cafe

As part of our decision making process to move to South Africa, Lou and I made a visit to PE in March, 2010.  On the first day of our visit a consultant, who was showing us around town, took us to a great little cafe for lunch.  I filed the name of the place in my mental Rol-o-Dex promising myself that, should we decide to take the move to SA, I would become a regular there.  Well, you know what they say about good intentions....we've lived in PE for over a year now and, unfortunately, I haven't returned to Lavenders Courtyard Cafe.  I decided that for my daughter's last Crawl before returning to the U.S. the Crawlers should meet at Lavenders.  Good call on my part because it turned out to be Lizzy's favorite Coffee Crawl!



Leanne, Luke, Beth, Keith, Fran, Liz, June, Stella, Gail, Beryl



This week's Crawlers, Beth Vieira, Fran and Keith de Beer, Leanne Waller and her son, Luke, June Nash, Stella and Beryl Dawson, and Gail Darne met at Lavenders to bid farewell to Liz and to enjoy a cup (or two) of Masterton's Bolero Espresso coffee.  Lavenders' owner, barista, waiter, and all-around Renaissance Man, Tim Gunston, greeted us and got straight to work taking and filling our coffee orders.  The Crawlers have become expert in ordering with a show of hands for cappuccinos and black coffees....makes things a lot easier, right Tim? 



Meet the Owner - Tim Gunston

 Tim returned with our hot coffees ready to take our breakfast orders and with an apology that, since the baker was sick, no muffins were available, though croissants were just about done (how does that work?).  The "No Food On The Crawl Rule" was at risk of being broken yet again with the mere mention of croissants.  All it takes is one weakling (I think it was June or me this time) and everyone else falls into the temptation....the aroma emanating from the kitchen sealed the deal.  Better luck following the rule next week, folks!  By the way, Tim, the croissants and coffees were outstanding....kudos to you for running the show solo on Thursday without missing a beat!

 






The Courtyard Gazebo

 

Lavenders, a 4 and a half yr old family business, is located at 12 Clevedon Road in Mount Croix.  Plenty of on-street parking is available for patrons who want to come in for breakfast or lunch Mon-Sat, 9-3, or for dinner Tues-Sat from 6 pm.  The comfortable, inviting, and nicely decorated main dining room seats approx 30 people while the courtyard in the back, featuring a beautiful gazebo and lovely garden, seats about 25.  If you're planning to come for dinner, reservations are suggested as the seats fill up rapidly for what looks like an amazing menu.





Lavenders' Restroom

 
A visit to Lavenders wouldn't be complete without a trip to the restroom.  In all seriousness, the bathroom is really quite nice... uniquely decorated with a lavender theme.  Tim told me that people actually ask to take pics of it....yes, it is that cool!  My pic doesn't do it justice....I guess an advanced photography course is in order for me...and soon!  So, speaking of restrooms......a good part of the discussion around the table dealt with how different cultures refer to the necessary room.....uh....loo....uh....latrine.....uh.....lavatory, men's room, ladies' room, washroom bog....AAAAAHHHHH!!!   A brainstorming session ensued and the Crawlers came up with 28 monikers for the "facilities," most of which were appropriate for little Luke's ears.  The group got a bit rowdy (those are Tim's words) though, as the language went down the toilet!!!



Along the lines of the last statement the discussion moved on to how park rangers track elephants while on a game drive....(only in Africa, folks!!).  If you're hot on the elephants' trail some dung beetle sightings are always a bonus!!   Liz and I then shared stories of our recent weekend at Shamwari Game Reserve including a harrowing encounter with a group of elephants.  She and I decided that our guide, Headman, must "speak a little elephant" since he was able to translate grumblings and predict behaviors of these "giants of the veld."  I then told the group about the book I am currently reading, The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony.  It's definitely on my recommendation list of non-fiction.  Concluding this week's Crawl was Keith's useless (though unintentionally appropriate) fact of the week....an adult elephant's trunk can hold two gallons of water!!!  Keith, where do you come up with this stuff?


So, with our departure from Lavenders, the Crawlers bid a sad farewell to Liz complete with hugs all around.  Liz promised to join us on the Crawl next year when she visits again...all I can say about that is... are there really that many coffee shops in PE?!?  Stay tuned!!!


An update on the "Kids Who Care Coffee Shop"

   *a record amount of money was raised by this year's third graders for their adopted charity

   *Daniel won the title of "Best Waiter"- (a little bit of nepotism never hurt anyone!)

   *Table 6 won the award for "Best Decorated Table"



   *Congrats Daniel and friends for a job well done!!!

~Thank you to Tim Gunston for hosting Liz's farewell Crawl--awesome venue!!

~Thank you to Liz for all your help with posting and reformatting my blog.  I still have a lot of work to do  
   but you got me started on the right track....love you, honey.

Until next week,

Ellen