A reminder

We were in South Africa this time last year and it is a bit sad, however to be honest I do not think we would have gone this year, even if we could - we can’t afford to go every year. I think the sadness comes more from the thought that it was not our decision not go, we had no choice. I do think that, although this is a hard time, there is a danger that if we are told often enough that we are being deprived, we might find ourselves feeling hard done by because we can’t do something that we wouldn’t have done anyway! Just a thought. 


Anyway, I have all around me reminders of times we have spent in South Africa. For example, this little basket which sits on my table and holds a few of my sewing things. I bought it last year at a lovely shop I found in Franschhoek. 

Mia Mélange is a ‘proudly South African brand’ that specialises in handcrafted goods made from 100% cotton rope. The cotton is grown and spun in SA and the crafting goes on in a studio in Stellenbosch. They have outlets in Franschhoek and Cape Town. They also have an online shop. 

This is their excellent website and, if you look in the ‘About’ section, there is a lot of information and a delightful video showing their products, their shops and the full story of how the items are made. It’s a lovely video, well worth a few minutes of your time if you are interested. They also do a really nice Instagram feed.