Goodbye Yolanda

Glamorous Yolanda arrived in our lives three years ago and within a short time became a much loved  member of our family.  Promotion within her company has meant that she is moving to Johannesburg and while we are going to miss her terribly, we know that she is going to love this larger city with its competitive working environment and buzzing social scene.  In our family occasions such as birthdays, holidays, visitors arriving from overseas and so, are all excuses for for special lunches or dinners and plenty of wine, so this departure was no exception.

The wine glass shapes and glorious hues of the wine were almost echoed by the sparkling waters of the nearby fountains.

My family have eaten sushi for much longer than me and I can remember a time when I refused to even touch  cold fish although I conceded that the artistically arranged platters looked really pretty.

Then one day I decided that life was too short not to try new taste experiences and, with some trepidation, grasped one of  "the slippery little suckers" (Julia Roberts - Pretty Woman) with awkwardly wielded chopsticks and managed to convey it to my mouth.  What had I been missing for all those years!!!  I was hooked and I think nearly every time we've been out since then I've opted for sushi, more particularly salmon roses.  The pale green wasabi paste,  however, was a whole other and more painful experience.

 This was one of the few occasions when I preferred to eat pan-fried Cape Salmon because Norwegian wasn't available on account of the Iceland volcano fallout.  I must say that this might just have been one of the most delicious and perfectly cooked pieces of salmon I've ever had.

Finally, after tearful goodbye speeches, an obliging waitron took this pic for us - that's my daughter Andrea at left back and Yolanda at right back.  We're going to miss you, Yollie, please visit soon.