Marilyn's - Crawl #5 Revisited

The Crawlers have spent the last two Crawls celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas.  For our December 12 and 19 Crawls we are winding down 2013 by continuing our Crawl Revisited Series.  Thursday, December 12, fifteen Crawlers, June Nash, Fran de Beer, Nomusa Nkomo, Margaret Zoetmulder, Dale Mitchell, Beth Vieira, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Sylvia Mynhardt, Colleen LeRoux, Lee Rodwell, Nicolette Hijmans, Heather Anderson, and first-time Crawlers, Graham Wood and Ken Heusinkveld, joined me at Marilyn's, 123 Villiers Rd. in Walmer.

This Week's Crawlers
Standing: Ken and Heather
Sitting: Nomusa, Fran, Colleen, Margaret, Nicolette, Beth,
Graham, Lee, Stella, June, Dale, Beryl, Sylvia

Marilyn's was the fifth coffee shop we visited back in 2011, and so much has changed at the shop since then.  New owner, Alan Fryer, and his new staff welcome patrons into the totally renovated shop.  The decor still features Marilyn Monroe but with updated artwork.  The old orange color scheme that locals associate with Marilyn's has been replaced with a more modern black/gray scheme that better compliments the photos/paintings of the mid-20th century celebrity.  I was especially drawn to the Marilyn Monroe umbrellas/"light shades"..... where do you get something like that?!?

Meet the Owner
Alan Fryer

Marilyn's revamped menu offers breakfast (served 8-12) and lunch selections, a variety of cakes, and most importantly, Illy brand coffee prepped by Thursday's barista Leisel (and other staff members).  The shop seats sixty-seventy customers in three intimate inside dining rooms, and twenty more patrons can enjoy the beautiful summer weather at outside shaded picnic-style tables.  Marilyn's is open seven days a week from 8-5.  There are a few parking spaces in front plus a large additional parking lot in the back.  If you haven't been to Marilyn's in a while stop in and check out its new menu and decor....you'll be glad you did!

Meet the Bsrista
Leisel

Outside seating

Just coming off of our December 5 Crawl when eight Crawlers "Christmas cracker whistled" their way through four Christmas carols, Thursday's Crawlers wanted to give it another shot.  Wow.....what a difference a week makes!  This week's whistlers sounded awesome....and with hardly any practice.  Great job, folks!

So with all the celebrating we've been doing it seems that Margaret Z. can't get enough.  So much so that she volunteered me, my husband and our house (!) to host a New Year's Eve party.  Lou and I will just be returning from our Christmas holiday in Namibia but I think I can pull something together.  I may need a little help from the Crawlers but if they're up for it, I'm game.  No promises on playing "Auld Lang Syne" on the pipes though!

~Thank you to Alan Fryer and the Marilyn's staff
~Happy Birthday to my granddaughter, Mia, in Cleveland, TN - December 19
~Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Until next time,

Ellen

Christmas Crawl 2013 at Borca Lorca

It was agreed upon by all the Crawlers months ago that this year's Christmas Crawl would take place on December 5.  We debated for weeks about the venue before deciding on Borca Lorca at the Moffett on Main Lifestyle Centre in Walmer.

We just visited Borca Lorca on August 8 of this year so the shop is not new for us nor is it an official "revisit."  However, we all loved it so much back in August and agreed that its fun and friendly atmosphere would provide the perfect setting for the 2013 Christmas Crawl.

Meet the Owner
Ryan Plakonouris

And perfect it was.  Borca Lorca's owners, Ryan and Tania Plakonouris, pulled out all the stops to make our December 5 visit especially festive.  They even put up with our Christmas cracker whistle antics.  Eight of our very talented (?) Crawlers whistled their way through "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," Good King Wenceslas," "O Come All Ye Faithful," and "Joy to the World."  The tunes started out pretty rough but, after a bit of practice, were actually somewhat recognizable.  Kudos to all of our "musicians."

Eight Whistling Crawlers
do-Lee, re-Leanne, mi-Stella, fa-Margaret Z.,
sol-Nomusa, la-Sylvia, ti-Colleen, do-Ann

The Christmas cracker whistles

Along with these favorite Christmas carols Thursday's Crawlers, Nomusa Nkomo, Celeste Hudson, Beth, Carl and Ann Vieira, Margaret Zoetmulder, Margaret and Arthur Marshall, Colleen Le Roux, Stella and Beryl Dawson, June and Cayle Nash, Leanne Waller and her sons, Daniel and Luke, Sylvia Mynhardt, Nicolette Hijmans, Lee Rodwell, and first time Crawler, Shelley Floate, also enjoyed Sumatran coffee, breakfast, chocolates, and lots of holiday cheer!

This Week's Crawlers
Margaret Z., Colleen, Nomusa, Beryl, Stella, Margaret M., Celeste, Ann, Beth,
 newcomer Carl, Lee, Luke, Leanne, Cayle, June, Daniel, Sylvia, Nicolette, Arthur
not pictured - Shelley

Readers, be sure to check out my August, 2013 Borca Lorca post, and PE residents get yourselves to Borca Lorca for great food and coffee and awesome hospitality!

~Thank you, thank you, thank you to Ryan, Tania and the Borca Lorca staff... you are the reason we chose
   BL for our Christmas Crawl!!!
~Happy Birthday to Crawler Sylvia Mynhardt - December 14
~Happy Birthday to my sister, Carol, in Millersville, PA - December 16
~Happy Birthday to my sister, Mary, in Edinboro, PA - December 17

Until next week,

Ellen

3rd Annual Thanksgiving Coffee Crawl

Last Thursday, November 28, was Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., and hence, the day of our 3rd Annual Thanksgiving Coffee Crawl.  As has become tradition, the regular Crawlers and a few extra guests come to my home for pie and Masterton's coffee to celebrate the holiday.

This year Crawler Lee Rodwell came to my house on Wednesday (Thanksgiving Eve) for a pie baking marathon.  In ten hours we cranked out ten pies..... 4 pumpkin, 3 apple, 2 pecan, 1 mincemeat (and a whole ton of Oh Boy rolls!).  Then Lee went home and baked a carrot cake just in case there wasn't enough food for the 26 people who would be eating dessert on Thursday morning!

Thank you to Lee for all your help.  Thank you to June and Leanne for letting me borrow your coffee makers.  Thank you to all the Crawlers and guests for celebrating Thanksgiving with Lou and me.

Enjoy the pics everyone!

Until next week,

Ellen

The kitchen counter during the marathon

Pies all done!

Chervonne, Margaret, Lou, Vicki and Dale

Nomusa, Leanne and June

Beth and Deirdre

Clary, Les and Arthur

Margaret and Celeste

Lee, Nicolette and Lee

Eugene, Colleen, Elaine and Dale

Arthur, Margaret and Ellen

Gail, Stella and Sylvia
not pictured - Beryl

The Coffee Kettle - Crawl #4 Revisited

It's been an insanely busy week with the Thanksgiving holiday preparations and celebration, hence, my blog post for our Nov. 21 Crawl is way late this week.  So let's get right to it.....

On Thursday, November 21, we made our Revisit #4 to The Coffee Kettle which has been located at 6th Ave. and Cape Rd. in the Westway Centre in Newton Park for almost eleven years.  Back in March, 2011 three other Crawlers joined me at The Coffee Kettle for the original Crawl #4.  On the 21st, there were ten of us, Vicki Minnaar, Lee Rodwell, Beth Vieira, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Gail Darne, Sylvia Mynhardt, Nomusa Nkomo, Nicolette Hijmans, and me, for for Crawl #122 (Revisit #4) enjoying Pavin coffee prepped and served by baristas Lisa and Chantel.  I recognized Lisa as the barista/server from our previous Crawl.  Other things have changed at the shop, though, in over two and a half years.....The Coffee Kettle is now being managed by Christelle Muller, there are some new staff members, and the decor has been changed to include black and white photos of "the old PE."

Meet the Manager
Christelle Muller

Meet the Baristas
Lisa and Chantel

The Coffee Kettle's extensive menu includes breakfast and lunch selections and cakes and pastries, all of which are served all day.  Separately advertised daily lunch specials, though, are served from 12-2.  The Coffee Kettle is fully licensed and also offers free WiFi to all patrons.  The shop seats approximately fifty people inside and there are a few tables outside if you want to enjoy the beautiful weather PE has been experiencing lately.  The Coffee Kettle's hours are Mon-Fri, 7:30-5; Sat, 8:30-2; closed on Sunday.  Check out the shop on Facebook under the name "Coffee Kettle."

This Week's Crawlers
Sylvia, Beryl, Lee, Vicki, Stella,
Gail, Nomusa, Beth, Nicolette

So, the news making headlines last week on Crawl day was the 50th anniversary of the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.  Television newscasts and newspapers around the globe covered the many tributes paid to this very popular and dynamic president.  At the table on Thursday we discussed President Kennedy, the Kennedy family, and what we remember of "Camelot."  Then, as often happens at the Crawl, a book discussion ensued, this time about a non-fiction piece entitled What Remains by Carole Radziwill.  It, in part, is about JFK, Jr. and his tragic and untimely death.
We got to talking about other books and it seems that about half a dozen or so of the books that I have here in South Africa I have taken from my sister Elaine's library (in Pennsylvania, USA) without her knowledge.  I promise I'll get them back to you on our next visit to the States, schwes!

Finally, for some comic relief toward the end of our Coffee Kettle Revisited Crawl, we got to debating 1-ply vs. 2-ply vs. 3-ply directly followed by my son Jeff's ever-increasing fear of crocs.  I'll let all you readers make that connection!

~Thank you to Christelle, Lisa and Chantel
~Happy Thanksgiving to all my family and friends in the U.S.  Enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend and get lots of your Christmas shopping done!
~Thanks to Elaine for letting me "borrow" so many books!

Until next week,

Ellen

Dessie's Santa's Cafe

It's that time of year again....The Christmas Shop is open at Moffett on Main Lifestyle Centre.  Not only can you find everything you need there to "Deck the Halls" but also, after all your shopping is done, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy some festive treats and your favorite hot beverage at Dessie's Santa's Cafe.  This year The Christmas Shop is located at the Checkers end of the shopping centre rather than at the Mr. Price end as it has been in past years.

Meet the Manager
Michael Macdougall

A delicious selection of holiday cakes and pastries

Besides cakes and pastries, toasties are served all day, and a light lunch is served weekdays from 11:30-3.  On Saturdays and Sundays only a light breakfast is served from 9-11:45.  Santa's Cafe will be open for the next four to five weeks during Moffett on Main's business hours: Mon-Fri, 9-6; Sat, 9-3; and Sun, 9-1.  Stop in and see Manager Michael Macdougall and have barista Vusi Gqamane whip you op a Pavin latte or cappuccino.  A visit to The Christmas Shop and Santa's Cafe is sure to put you in the Christmas spirit!

Meet the Barista
Vusi Gqamane

This Week's Crawlers
Beth, Dale, Nomusa, Vicki, Sylvia, Gail,
Nicolette, Stella, Beryl, June, Cayle

Thursday's Crawlers, Nomusa Nkomo, Gail Darne, Dale Mitchell, June and Cayle Nash, Beth Vieira, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Vicki Minnaar, Sylvia Mynhardt, Nicolette Hijmans,were in the Christmas spirit after spending time before coffee admiring all the light and tree displays at The Christmas Shop.  Once we sat down and ordered our coffee and cakes I told the Crawlers about my first summer Christmas shopping experience.


Lou and I moved to South Africa from New York in 2010.  We planned to go to the States for Christmas that year and I had this great idea that I would bring with me to NY some summer Christmas decorations as novelty gifts from the Southern Hemisphere.  Well, wasn't I in for a shock when, as Christmas approached, all I saw in the stores were snowflakes, winter scenes, icicles, snow globes, and every other kind of winter themed decoration!  So much for that great idea!!!  This year is Lou's and my fourth summer Christmas shopping season and I still experience major hemisphere confusion when I hear Let it Snow, Jingle Bells and Winter Wonderland playing in the stores while I'm dressed in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops, and shopping for bathing suits and beach towels!

Happy shopping to everyone and remember the Reason for the Season.

~Thank you to Michael and Vusi

Until next week,

Ellen