Fairlady August 2017

It’s impossible not to sound like a total ass saying this, so I’m just going to come right out with it: I am writing this from a tiny little restaurant in Lisbon, about to dig into a steaming plate of clam and pork while trying very subtly to photograph the scene. Sadly, they don’t turn out to be the joyous photographs I wanted, because Portugal is playing soccer against Chile and, with a 0-0 score, things are a tad tense out here in the old city. (Oooops – they’ve just lost in a penalty shoot-out. A guy in the corner literally dropped his head into his food in despair). But here’s why I don’t feel at all bad about being a total ass: this meal (delicious, by the way), cost…

1 KING KONG , THE MUSICAL It’s not about the monkey, it’s about ’50s heavyweight boxing champion Ezekiel Dlamini, and people still talk about its first staging all those years ago. Now Eric Abraham has brought Todd Matshikiza’s brilliant musical back, and you’re not allowed to miss it. Starring Andile Gumbi and Nondumiso Tembe, it’s at The Fugard in Cape Town from 25 July to 2 September, then moves to JHB’s Mandela Theatre until 8 October. 2 ELIZABETH ARDEN WHITE TEA PURE INDULGENCE HAND CREAM It is beautiful: lovely texture, gorgeous fragrance, and just the right size. 3 LISBON Obviously. 4 SOUTH AFRICA Because we’re going to get it right. 5 STANDARD DEVIATION BY KATHERINE HEINY This is one of the funniest and least predictable books I’ve…

WINNING LETTER A dream come true Last month my wife and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. I have to share this story with you, given the role FAIRLADY played in getting our marriage off to a ‘storybook’ start. I met Berna in 1964 on a blind date. We were students at Potchefstroom University (NWU). Despite our different backgrounds – I’m English and Berna’s Afrikaans – there was a spark. We got engaged in the winter of 1966. Berna graduated and took up a teaching post in Potchefstroom while I continued my studies. After completing my degree, I received a bursary to do research at the University of Cape Town. While this meant a separation, we agreed it was an opportunity of a lifetime. We pledged our love by setting…

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The original Cape Dutch Manor House built in 1790 and situated on Bosjes farm in the Breede Valley has been in the Stofberg family since 1831. But what’s putting Bosjes in the news, is its striking chapel. Designed by Coetzee Steyn of Steyn Studios based in London, there’s nothing quite like this modern masterpiece, which seems to float above the water’s surface. ‘After a trip to the Sea of Galilee, the Stofbergs told me about their idea to build a chapel based on Psalm 36:7: “How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings,”’ says Coetzee. ‘I started looking at the magnificent landscape, Cape Dutch architecture and especially the mission stations of the Western Cape, typically built on or adapted from Cape…

‘And so began the rest of my life. It was, and still is, a life I never would have chosen, a life I was completely unprepared for. The unimaginable.’ The name ‘Sheryl Sandberg’ might not immediately ring a bell, but her job title will: she is the COO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg’s right-hand woman. (He poached her from Google back in 2007.) In 2012, she was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time magazine. And she’s been named one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune magazine, moving steadily up the rankings from number 29 in 2007 to number six last year. Sheryl is also part of a small, elite group of women, rare as unicorns: the female billionaires. But beyond…