Always Marry An April Girl
Praise the spells and bless the charms,
I found April in my arms.
April golden, April cloudy,
Gracious, cruel, tender, rowdy;
April soft in flowered languor,
April cold with sudden anger,
Ever changing, ever true —
I love April, I love you.
Ogden Nash

Hello Friends
Welcome to another the next month in the endless cycle that move us in never ending circles through the changing seasons and heralds the arrival of winter, my favourite season.
Autumn leading headily into winter and in theory giving us time to withdraw into self, rest and reflect, eat delectable hot soups, warm breads and drink hot liquid chocolate from steaming cups. Already the days grow shorter and the mornings the light comes a little later. There is a chill in the air and a slight chill in the wind that is blowing gently through my shop at the moment. Not to mention my swimming pool was covered in yellow leaves this morning from last night’s wind and rain, some of the things about autumn are just not THAT fabulous!
March was an incredible month for us at Lollipops Catering and Indulgence Café. We shared in the joys of 30th’s 50th’s and 80th birthdays, the joys of new life and we paid homage to those that passed away. We ate sushi, played 30 seconds where we discovered that the clues for Mrs Balls Chutney was to grab your scrotum and virtually dump its contents onto the non-existent plate of curry in front of you. Not the greatest clue in the world but worth copious amounts of priceless laughter. Auriol Hays serenaded us into March and the early arrival of Easter shuffled us into April.

Scenes from a 50th birthday at Indulgence

Scenes from an 80th, my Mum’s in fact!

We went out for sushi on Sunday night and I can honestly say without a shadow of a doubt that our sushi is among the best in Jozi. The sushi we ate out didn’t even rank as far as I was concerned, was very unimpressed! Not to mention that this same restaurant charges R130 for a bottle of Fairview La Capra Merlot, which we use as house wine at R80 a bottle! Never let it be said that you don’t get value for money at Indulgence Cafe or that I’m biased in any shape or form!
All in all a great month for us but not I think, as a whole, for South Africa where our soldiers died defending foreign soil, where we celebrated Human Rights Day but a small criminal percentage of our citizens fail to respect the rights of others, raping and murdering with gay abandon and where the police will drag you, cuffed, behind a police vehicle for parking on the wrong side of the road. Maybe the onset of winter will give everyone pause to re-evaluate and question the way we do things and merely accept things in this country of ours, Cry the Beloved Country!
If there is to be a viable country in the future of SA something needs to happen now or soon this country will become ungovernable and most inhospitable

A HUGE thank you to everyone who helped us collect eggs for needy and impoverished kids! We collected, with the help of you guys, News Café Woodmead, Café 1145 in Blairgowerie, Odd Cafe in Greenside, the Fourways Farmers Market and you, the people who read these monthly and weekly missives in excess of 1000 eggs. Photos are coming in slowly but in the meantime I have these to share with you! Thank you so much for contributing eggs and for taking the time to go buy some and drop them off. I am super impressed. (Is this a good time to start asking for blankets and clothing for winter for the needy?) I would also like to say that you to Maggie Tshule and Dee Mullan for handling the distribution of the eggs for us.

These are some of the pics of the kids we donated eggs at Emthonjeni Community Center, Zandspruit and The Coalition of Angilcan Children’s Homes

On to happier things and what we have lined up in April for your entertainment………………..
The month at a glance…………..
1st Easter Monday, and we are open, this is not a joke!
3rd Wednesday Quiz dinner
4th Thursday R100 dinner
5th Friday Pot luck dinner : Keira Witherkay jazz guitar evening
10th Wednesday AuthorTalk with Gareth Crocker, Penguin
11th Thursday R100 dinner
12th Friday Pot luck dinner
17th Wednesday Games evening
18th Thursday R100 dinner
19th Friday Pot luck dinner
24th Wednesday sushi evening
25th Thursday R100 dinner
26th Friday pot luck dinner
27th Public holiday Freedom Day……………..we are OPEN
30th Tuesday evening before the public holiday
1st of May Wednesday Quiz Dinner

Wednesdays:
Our Wednesdays are I know, a little confusing, as they change from week to week but there is a rhythm going now with quiz first, followed by social and games and ending the month with sushi. This month though I am making one small change as we are slotting in an Author Talk smack bang in the middle of the month on a Wednesday evening. I thought it would make a nice change from the normal Saturday afternoons.

Quiz Dinner
Wednesday 3rd April THIS WEDNESDAY!!!
Starting and ending April we have our monthly quiz dinner, this is proving to be a fun filled evening with good laughs! Dinner is a light self service buffet that stays out the entire time so you can help yourselves. The quiz is 9 rounds of 10 questions in which time you get to find out how much you don’t know about things you thought you knew a whole bunch about. I am hoping that once we have had this going for a number of months we can start a quiz league and the regular teams can compete for great prizes but that is further down the road. In the meantime the evening costs R120 per head. The wining team will have half the cost of their meal, drinks excluded, deducted from their bill. Only teams of 4 or smaller are eligible to win the prize so sorry if you are 5 or more.

The Link to the FB event:

http://www.facebook.com/events/501585963239659/

AuthorTalk
Wednesday 10th April
In a slight departure from our regular Saturday afternoon AuthorTalks, Gareth Crocker will be joining us on Wednesday 10th April to chat about his new book, Never Let Go. Gareth has a couple of books under his belt already, one of which is being made into a major motion picture called Finding Jack. Come have a light buffet dinner and meet Gareth, see what he has to say and his books will be on sale if you would like to purchase one and have it signed by him! I am about a third of the way through my copy and absolutely enjoying the book, it is an easy read with a very believable plot and characters.
This is an AuthorTalk so please remember to bring along your two books, one to swap and one to donate. We donated a huge amount of books to Animals In Distress in February and I am looking forward to going even bigger during this year!

Link to the FB event:

http://www.facebook.com/events/542221229131957/

From the publishers:
In April, we are releasing Never Let Go by Gareth Crocker. It’s a departure from his previous two novels, Finding Jack and Journey from Darkness, and is a suspenseful psychological thriller. There is some continuity however as, like his previous books, this is a story that will move you.

Never Let Go is a story of a parent’s worst nightmare, the loss of a child and the possibility of getting them back.
As he presses a revolver to his head, Reece Cole sees his little daughter’s handprints on the windowpane. One last, painful reminder of her all too short life. But then he notices something about the handprints that defies belief. Something that verges on the impossible.

He spends the next few days frantically trying to make sense of what is happening. Then a stranger stops at his gate with a small grey envelope. Inside is a single white card, inscribed with six breathtaking words: “I can bring your daughter back.”

About the author

Gareth Crocker’s debut novel, Finding Jack (2011), was published in New York to international acclaim. It was translated into several languages and featured in eight volumes of the Reader’s Digest Select Editions. In 2012 Penguin Books published his adventure novel, Journey from Darkness.

Gareth lives in Johannesburg with his wife and two young daughters. He writes only at night, unless Manchester United is playing.

Visit Gareth’s website at http://www.garethcrocker.com or follow him on Twitter @garethcrocker.

Games Social Evening
Wednesday 17th April
This evening is shaping up slowly, but it is taking time. Bring some games, bring your family and your single friends and spend an evening with us having fun, playing games and enjoying a delicious meal. Dinner is a light buffet and is available the whole evening for you to pick at.
Always fun, always entertaining, join us!

Sushi Evening
Wednesday 24th April
I have to say that our sushi is amongst the best that I have tasted in Jozi. We do limit you to salmon only but there is enough varieties of sushi and sashimi to keep everyone happy. We have ironed out the delivery delays in getting the sushi out the kitchen faster so join us towards the end of April for a really fishy evening. As always vegetarians are taken care of and there is always a chicken or other dish for those who want to come along but don’t want sushi. The menu is ala carte so eat to your own budget. For bookings 0117825063

Thursday Dinners
I am still standing by this meal being the best value in Johannesburg! R100 per head excluding drinks and gratuity. You really cannot go wrong. There is a little something for everyone. The actual kitchen is closed at night so you are limited to our plated menu but eating here is well worth the experience. People are starting to book this venue for function on Thursdays because they know exactly what it is going to cost them up front. I think it is a fabulous idea, well I would, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

4 April
Vegetable samoosas with tzatziki
Roast leg of lamb, roast potatoes, roasted butternut with almonds and syrup and mint jelly
Or
Fried fish and chips with coleslaw salad
Or
Tomatoes stuffed with spicy vegetarian mince and topped with grilled cheese
Chocolate pot with dipping seasonal fruit and marshmallows

11 April
Tomato and basil tartlets with parmesan shavings
Roast pork fillet with apple sauce, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli and feta salad
Or
Fish sosaties with mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli and feta salad
Or
Cannelloni stuffed with creamy spinach and feta, topped with cheesy sauce
Chocolate cups filled with chocolate mousse and black cherry sauce

18 April
Vegetable soup with home baked rolls
Chicken curry and basmati rice with sambals and topped with poppadom
Or
Beef olives with sautéed potatoes, peas and carrots
Or
Cous-cous topped with vegetarian bolognaise and topped with grated parmesan
Malva pudding and custard

25 April
Garlic and chilli button mushrooms with separate toast
Gnocchi with bolognaise sauce topped with parmesan shavings
Or
Grilled chicken breast fingers with honey and soy marinade, Chinese noodles and stir fry vegetables
Or
Pan fried tofu steak topped with eggplant mayonnaise with crispy French fries and
Peach Cobbler

First Fridays
The first Friday of every month is a cause for celebration at Indulgence and this coming Friday is no different. Auriol Hays set us on this path and Keira Witherkay is taking us the next step forward.
This remarkable jazz guitarist will be right here to entertain you on Friday 5th of April, so book your table and come spend the evening with us listening to some background vibes while you eat our magical food or is that listen to some magical music while you eat our background food? No, it isn’t that either, come eat lekker food and listen to some awesome music. Cost per head is R120 which includes dinner, live music and a welcome drink. Sounds great to me! For bookings 011 782 5063

The link to the FB event:

http://www.facebook.com/events/514696615243745/

Pot Luck Fridays
The rest of the Fridays in April are all Pot Luck. So whatever the chef puts out to eat. Always a good variety and choice of food, not expensive at around R75-R90 per head for dinner. Come relax and unwind and make Indulgence the place you can ease out of the week and into the week end!

Our Kink and Fetish Market was the best one we have had so far. It has taken us two years to build it up to a point where it really rocked. There were 11 stalls with all sorts of goodies, everyone sold stuff and loads of people popped in to browse, shop, eat and chat to friends!
These pics are care of a professional photographer who was there on the day (and a couple of mine for good measure!)

Our March AuthorTalk with Hagen Engler was a real treat. He is funny, entertaining and very with it and the white boy can rap with the best of them! Although I don’t think that he has Eminem’s money! What I did love about him was that he mentioned his wife a couple of times and his love for her shone through as well!

There is no prize for reading all the way to the end of this blog entry but you do deserve a medal, so I am going to give you one. Pop me an email telling me if you enjoyed reading this blog entry, if it should be longer or shorter with more or less pics in or if it is great just the way it is and I will give you a reward for being so fabulous!
Thanks so much for sharing March with us, we look forward to sharing April with you
Much Love and Many Lollipops
Mandi