Once not so long ago (2013 to be precise), in a country not far from here (in fact, right here), Marli Theron was sitting in her little girl’s bedroom, wondering what she could do to make the space extra-special.  As she was pondering, she was playing with pieces of felt.  And as she was playing, her imagination took flight, quite literally,...

Mankind’s knowledge that taut, vibrating strings can produce intriguing and entertaining sounds dates back to prehistoric times. Fast forward a century or 14 and a continent or two from this ancient discovery, and one finds that the once humble string over bow or gourd has evolved into a European family of stringed instruments, covering the spectrum...

At Petal Faire Nursery , we sometimes have customers who are no less rare and unusual than the plants we sell. I was recently contacted by someone whose story is just too fascinating not to share ( with his permission, of course ). About a month ago, I received a call from a Mr Pierre le Roux in Malawi who was looking for water lilies and lotus...

If your piano is not tuned and maintained regularly, you could start smelling a rat, quite literally – lurking amongst the mechanical parts.  You may also find a colony of fish moths in the keypad or hammers.  And that’s just the animal and insect life that could endanger the wellbeing and value of your precious instrument.  The...

Gardeners are always looking for new and better ways of getting the best out of their plants, so I thought I would share some of Howard Garrett’s facts and tips about foliar spraying for feeding or pest control purposes. Apparently, the idea started as long ago as 1844 with the discovery that rain could leach plant nutrients from leaves. Experiments...

Everything Johan Viljoen is, does and stands for can be summarised by three words: The Piano Master.   Looking beyond the name, however, lends depth and credibility to a brand that symbolises a singular commitment to and passion for pianos. After all, being a piano tuner and restorer means more than just tightening a string here,...

How many gigs have I been to where I thought… “I can’t believe there’s no-one here… more people should have seen this!” Today, it is probably more difficult than ever to get people to come out of their homes. Home entertainment in the shape of online movies and shows has made it a toss-up as to whether we go out tonight or...

Annette Watt recently told me a lovely story about her 91-year-old mom’s quest for a specific almost extinct variety of orange for her marmalade. Along with gardening, Franci Muller’s great passion is making preserves. Starting in Zimbabwe where she was born, and now in Caledon in the Western Cape, wherever Franci has lived, she has always had a...

In January 2020 I came upon the idea for doing marketing for ANY business very cost-effectively. I produced my first radio ad in 1986 for Jacaranda FM. Yes, that seems a long time ago, but this also means that I have a lot of experience in the field. Since then, I have produced literally thousands of audio ads for broadcast on a variety of mediums....

Zach Bush is an American medical doctor and global influencer who is advocating for soil health and regenerative agriculture. In this time of doom and gloom, Bush is passionately optimistic about our ability to turn around the damage done to the planet and advance human health and resilience against disease. He predicts a major turnaround in...