Current Favourite South African Youtubers

I recently added the title 'Vlogger' (video-blogger) or rather 'Youtuber' to my belt (click here to watch my videos!). As I am South African, I wanted to take some time today and share with you some creative South Africans who have their own youtube channels. Youtube is dominated by American voices, and so I am very happy to share these ladies with you. They make me proud to be South African!

I am always on the lookout for new Youtubers to follow and support, so if you also have a Youtube channel please leave me a link to your channel in the comments below so I can say hello.

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MY CURRENT FAVOURITE SOUTH AFRICAN YOUTUBERS

In no particular order, here they are. Simply click on the image below to be redirected to their blogs and youtube channels. 

Cape Town based beauty & lifestyle Blogger LeChelle Taylor. You can find her blog over here: Taylor Made

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Pretoria based beauty blogger Luzanne. You can find her blog here: Pink Peonies

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Cape Town based beauty and lifestyle blogger Chereen Styrdom. You can find her blog here: For the Beauty Of It.

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Johannesburg based beauty blogger Chantelle Bester. You can find her blog here: Not Another Poppie

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Pretoria based beauty blogger Chicara. You can find her blog here Lipgloss Kisses

Am I missing out on any other awesome South African vloggers and bloggers? Please let me know in the comments below if you have a youtube channel, or if you know someone who does that deserves a mention. I am always looking for more Bloggers & Youtubers to connect with!

Buan, South Korea. A glimpse into our small town.

Farmboy & I have been living in Buan, South Korea for the past 2 & a half years and have really enjoyed the change in lifestyle from our first year in Korea where we lived in a huge city (Daejeon). This time around we are in 'rural' or 'countryside' Korea, but if you were to walk the streets of our town you would find it hard to declare rural. It looks like almost ever other city/town in Korea apart from the fact that we only have 1 main street lined with stores. 

However a 2 minute drive out of town and you'll find wide open spaces, tractors & four wheelers driven by old men with their old lady(ies) riding shotgun. Every street corner and square inch of open space is cultivated and tended to with loving care. 

Here are some photographs from an early evening drive around my town. The nights are getting cooler and the leaves are falling from the trees. I can't wait to photograph the red and yellow colours of Autumn, and of course the crisp, white snow of Winter still to come.

I was even able to get my pup #ShadowTheJindo to pose for a few shots too. Click here to read more about is story and how we found him on the side of the road last year September. 

Photographs taken with my Nikon D700 and 50mm 1.4 & 24 - 70mm lens.

The Lead up to our Farm Wedding...Looking back three years on

Tomorrow is mine and Farmboys 3 year wedding anniversary. Farmboy asked me this morning if I can remember what we were doing this time 3 years ago, and as I thought about it I was overwhelmed with gratitude and every other mushy feeling for all the friends and family who were around us and spent countless hours helping us prepare our wedding venue. 

We got married on Farmboy's family dairy farm in Creighton, Kwazulu-Natal (South Africa). For those who haven't heard of Creighton, it's a teeny tiny town about 2 hours in land from Durban. We had our ceremony in the barn, and then our reception in the cow shed.

It was a huge undertaking to take the very much working cow shed and barn and turn them into our dream wedding venue. It would not have been possible without so many people, especially my mother & father in law who did so many things behind the scenes from the physical moving out of the cows and so much more. Here are my photographs of the shed & barn from the few months leading up to the wedding:

Here are some of my favourite photographs from the lead up to our wedding taken by my dear friend Sophie Smith of Sophie Smith Photography. Farmboy and his dad handmade all the tables, I sourced all the cutlery, plates & glasses from a lady in Joburg (A Vintage Affair) who kindly let me (gently) transport everything to Natal. The flowers were arranged by two of the kindest local Creighton ladies (Rene & Gail) and then friends and family came from all over the country to help lend a hand wherever they could. I think the lead up to the wedding was perhaps even better than the actual day as we were able to spend quality time with everyone whereas on the actual wedding day everything went by so fast.  

Tomorrow I'll post a few of my favourite photographs of our wedding day.

Thanks for stopping by.

x

Who is CityGirlSearching?

I recently wrote this blog post and asked readers what it is they want to see more of here on the blog. One of the comments was from Nihaad (who blogs over here) and she said she'd like to know a little more about me and the journey I took to get where I am right now. I don't usually share very personal posts on my blog, as I often think that no one really wants to hear the day to day ramblings of yet another blogger, but her comment made me think. Since it was still churning over in my mind a week later I have decided to start doing a few more personal posts, thrown in amongst the beauty reviews and travel guides.

I'd love to hear from you as to whether this is something you want to read more of, and as always look forward to your comments below. 

The girl behind the brand

I am a 27 year old South African living and teaching English in South Korea with my husband and rescue pup, Shadow the Jindo. In 2009, just before graduating from Rhodes University with a BA in English Literature & Industrial Psychology, I met this farmboy.  He was everything I was not, and considering I had a long term boyfriend at the time, I was simply not interested. Fast forward a few months, while making T-shirts together for a non-profit charity group we were both a part of, and I felt myself falling head over heels for this barefoot free spirit. You can read the full story here.

After dating for 5 months we left South Africa in search of a little adventure in South Korea.

Packed and ready for our first trip to Korea.

We were both unemployed, and wanted to see more of the world and so when TeachKorea did a presentation at our University we both dove straight in, competed our application forms and started the long process of moving to Korea. In February 2010 we boarded a plane and began our first year of teaching in Daejeon, one of the biggest cities in South Korea. We did lots of traveling (Cambodia, Jeju Island and The Phillipines) and spent a very interesting year learning a lot about ourselves and of course each other as we navigated the sometimes difficult waters of life in a foreign country. Towards the end of our one year contract, Farmboy was feeling under an immense amount of pressure to have concrete answers for friends and family with their constant bombardment of "What next?" "When are you going to get a real job?" and "What are you going to do when you get back to South Africa?". We knew everyone meant well with their questions but it didn't help our worries about the future.

The first 6 months back in South Africa were really hard. Farmboy had by then been out of University (having graduated with his BSC Honors in Biology & Environmental Science) for 3 years, meaning he was 3 years behind his classmates in the job sphere. We were living with my mom in Joburg (alternating between visits to his family farm in KZN). I was loving being back home, being brought tea in bed by my mom and being able to catch up with her after being gone for such a long time. But it wasn't real. We were living in a bubble, a very happy bubble for me and a very frustrating bubble for Farmboy. We had some money saved from Korea, but not much as we had really wanted to travel and experience as much as possible while in Korea and so there were financial pressures too. To give you an idea, in 2010 a first time English teacher in Korea with no experience (with a TEFL certificate) was paid R18 000 a month and was given a rent free apartment. We both had no loans to pay off and the cost of living was relatively inexpensive. But, holidays cost money, eating out costs money (when you miss home and the comfort of home cooked food and you realise you have no problem spending R200 a person for a curry that tastes a little bit like home). As we lived on the outskirts of a big city it took us an hour to get into the main areas where the shops and restaurants were and so we were also spending a lot of money on taxis. And then let's not forget the amazing fashion, stationery and makeup products Korea is so well known for. After a year, Farmboy had R40 000 saved and I had R75 000. I had more saved than him because he always paid whenever we went out for dinner (such a gentleman).  This may sound like a lot of money, and it was when it was all clumped together. But when rent costs R4 000, food costs R4 000 and petrol costs another R2 000 that money isn't going to go very far. We also needed to buy Farmboy a car. We chalked up our time in Korea to fun and adventure, and not as a saving year abroad.

Then there was the pressure we were feeling regarding marriage. We had both gone full circle with our feelings towards marriage (at first I had no desire to get married and he wanted us to take our relationship seriously and commit to one another, this changed when we got back and I wanted to start thinking about marriage and he was wanting to wait until we were both settled with steady jobs). During this time I had been for numerous interviews with companies wanting to take complete advantage of me and my skills in blogging and social media. After a few freelance social media positions and a short, horrible 6 week stint as a wedding & conference coordinator, I decided to do my Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching in Pietermaritzburg. Farmboy had at this time finally secured a great job in Pietermaritzburg and had moved there to work on the oil pipe line between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. He moved in with his grandparents in August 2011, and I followed in November that year, moving into a tiny one bedroom flat. 

Life went on, I was studying and Farmboys job allowed him a lot of flexibility. It was mostly field work and when he had done what he needed to do he could go home so it meant we were able to spend a lot of time together which was great.

We got engaged in May 2012 and were married on his family dairy farm in September that year. You can see more photographs from our wedding here. After the wedding and an incredible honeymoon in Greece (click here) we returned to 'normal' life in Pietermaritzburg. We were happy about the life we had begun together, but I was feeling antsy.

So many of my friends at the time were wanting to start a family and I just wanted to hop on a plane and experience strange things again. Korea began to creep up into our conversations more and more. But by this time Farmboy had gotten a great job in Hillcrest at a really awesome Environmental agency and had been traveling all over Africa (he was doing Environmental Impact Assessments on mining sites) and as awesome as it was for him, we were apart for weeks at a time. I had also found a great temporary teaching post that I was hoping would become permanent. But a few weeks after starting my job, I was told the school could no longer offer me a permanent post and it hit me exactly where it was that I wanted to go next. Farmboy and I then made the difficult decision to pack up our lives again, and start the process to return to Korea.

As we already had a years experience in Korea it wasn't long before a couple post was offered to us. We thought we would have had more time but by April 2013 we had to make a definite decision and decided to accept the contracts for Korea. Our jobs started in June and so Farmboy gave his notice, we spent our last month visiting family and friends in KZN and Joburg and finally boarded a plane bound for Korea (again) on the 23rd June. 

Korea round 2!

We have loved our second time here in Korea because it has been so different from before. We are now in a tiny town out in the countryside, we are earning a bit more and our family got a little bigger last year when we rescued Shadow from the side of the road. 

Our goal this second time around has been to spend 3 years trying to reach our saving goal. We have just started our third year and with that money we hope to either buy a house somewhere, or to put it away for our children's education. There are lots of options for us for when we return home next year, but right now instead of worrying about them, we are trying to enjoy our last year of complete freedom.

Living in Korea isn't always as easy and glamorous as it looks in my photographs. It's hard being on this side of the world when family members are sick and when grandparents pass away. It's hard being here when it seems like our classmates are making such huge successes of themselves out in the corporate or 'real world'. It's also hard being away from everything you have ever known as normal (food, ways of doing things, ways of solving problems) and it's hard being in a country where very few people can understand what you are saying. 

It's hard being a young adult in this day and age, with jobs being so hard to come by and so many people trying to start their own businesses. Not all of us will be successful entrepreneurs and not all of us are able to (or want to) be like the people who live those idyllic lives on Instagram.  I often put so much pressure on myself to have a super successful blog, to have a million followers on all my social media platforms, to be that person who becomes a great success over night. But this is just not real. I am okay with being a teacher when we go back, being a farmers wife or just having a regular job (okay this is still something I am making peace with but I know that in my heart of hearts it doesn't matter what job I do, and someone has to do the 'normal' jobs...if no one worked in banks, hospitals, schools, kitchens and restaurants the world just wouldn't work). 

Social media only shows us the best of the best, the highlights of peoples lives and those highlights are mostly (if not all) staged and styled. We have to asses our own priorities and be honest with ourselves about what makes us happy. We have to learn to be completely accepting of ourselves and who we are . I want to be someone whose day doesn't depend on how many likes and followers I have. I want to stop letting social media dictate my mood. I do believe it is possible to lead a balanced life with Facebook & Instagram as a part of it. I don't believe we have to get rid of it all to be truly happy, but I do believe there has to be a balance. I still have a way to go with getting that balance right, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Right now I am in a bit of a funny head space with this blog (wanting to take it full time but not really having any particular focus for it). I know people read my blog and think that I have got everything figured out but really, I'm just like most of you; a young woman trying to carve a space out in this world.

Writing this blog makes me happy.

Taking pretty photographs makes me happy.

And having people I don't know comment and email me to tell to say they found something helpful or felt inspired by something makes me feel like all the effort and time I put into this space is absolutely worth it.

That's why I blog. 

Where are you right now in your life? Do you have blog, what are some of the reasons you blog and some of the reasons you keep on blogging? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. Sometimes we just need to hear that someone is going through something similar to realise that what we are feeling is completely normal. 

Farmboy and I have traveled to so many incredible places because Korea has given us the opportunity to save as well as travel. We have met so many like minded people and are grateful for what we have here. We may go through feelings of frustration and anxiety about the future (just live every other person!) but we have each other (and Shadow) and we have our faith in God that everything will work out. His plan may be different from ours, but whatever it is, it will better than anything we can imagine for ourselves. 

Hello everyone! Welcome back, I have a few questions for you.

Dear readers, thank you for coming back to visit after the last 2 weeks of silence here on the blog. Farmboy and I have just got back from a wonderful trip to Borneo (lots of travel information and photographs to come soon) and I have started work again today. Farmboy and I both teach English here in South Korea in a small town called Buan near the West Coast of Korea. 

If you're new to the blog then click here to find out more about what it is I write about. I've also laid out all the categories of my blog in a helpful way so don't miss out on my previous posts.

I have lots to share with you over the coming weeks but I would love to know from you what you would like to see more of here on the blog.

Are you wanting to read more in the lines of travel guides? Would you like to see more recipes? More makeup reviews? More personal posts about life here in Korea? Would you like me to make more videos (click here to visit my Youtube channel and see the videos I've done so far)?

I really do love blogging but for me what I love even more is providing useful information and content for you, and so you telling me what you'd like to see more of helps me to keep on creating.

I hope you all have a wonderful start to your week and that your Monday helps you start the week off with a bang!

AFK for the next 16 days!

AFK (away from keyboard) - hubby would be so proud to see me using his gaming lingo to describe the next 2 and a bit weeks of holiday. The Huttons (ie Farmboy & CityGirl) are off super early tomorrow morning to make our way to the airport.

As per usual we are cramming a million things into one day starting with:

An early drive to Daejeon to drop off #ShadowTheJindo at the boarding kennels > hide car somewhere where we won't incur huge fines or have our wheels clamped > race to the airport bus and hopefully get 2 tickers before they are sold out > head to the airport to make our afternoon flight to Kuala Lumpur and then onto Borneo, Malaysia.

While we are away you might want to pop by and visit me on Instagram (@roxyhutton) where I will surely be posting lots of photographs of our travels:

Or you can look through these travel posts and travel guides to help you plan your next holiday...the world is your oyster!

A Winnie The Pooh Baby Shower

One of my dear friends from university will soon be having a baby boy here in Korea. This is both a very exciting and scary time for her, being so far from friends and family back in South Africa. Even though it may seem incredibly daunting to some people, Vicky and her husband have done everything they need to stay up to date with how things work here when it comes to giving birth, and have an amazing support system, made up of new friends who have all come together to help in any way they can. Her friends threw her a very surprise baby shower a few weekends ago, and I was able to be part of the surprise, and to capture a few photographs of the special day. Everything was organised and put together so beautifully, and the Winnie the Pooh theme was just so cute. 

Vicky, you are so brave and so strong. I admire you more than words can say and I can't wait to meet your baby boy.

x 

For any soon to be moms here in Korea, there are a whole number of really great Facebook support groups created by fellow expat moms. Let me know in the comments section below if you would like me to put you in touch with them.

Happy Birthday Farmboy!

Today is my handsome Farmboy's birthday. This is his fourth birthday spent in South Korea (the first in 2010) and the last three have been since 2013. Tomorrow starts our final teaching contract and the last year countdown until we are back home in South Africa. It's going to be a good year!

This morning was celebrated with homemade cream cheese brownies (most definitely NOT Banting but very much birthday approved) tea and prezzies. #ShadowTheJindo has never been allowed on our bed...EVER...but he must have sensed it was a special day as he leaped up onto the covers to smother Farmboy in puppy kisses.

To my husband, my best friend and my partner in adventure...thank you for choosing to do life with me. For being so strong, so encouraging and just so darn cute with your jokes and your tricks that you constantly play on me. Life would be so boring without you in it and I look forward to all the birthdays and special days that lie ahead for us. 

#DiyDaysInKorea {Picnic Meet-Up)

This past weekend I organised the #DIYDaysInKorea ladies a picnic meet-up in a little park in Jeongeup. Our usual get togethers usually involve doing some form of DIY (and chatting...there's always lots of that...oh and food...there's always so much good food!). These meet-ups are a way for us crafty (and in my case, definitely UNCRAFTY) ladies here in South Korea to spend quality time together. We even have a Pinterest board for us to share ideas and inspire one another, we're cool like that. 

It was such a nice opportunity to get together, without spending a whole lot of money, and while still having fun. 

If you're here in Korea and you'd like to join in the next time we get together, join our Facebook group (click here), we'd love to have you!

Here are some photographs from our afternoon together.

Enjoy!

x

Everyone brought such amazing food (most of it home made...like those milk tarts and the bread). I even tried making a Banting bread (top photograph above) which came out quite well, although I will admit to eating a slice or two (or three) of Alysha's loaf. 

We even had three pups join us which provided us all with a lot of entertainment. My pup, Shadow (the big black one) and the white one are both Korean Jindos (of the mixed variety hehe) and all three dogs were rescue pups found here in Korea.

Thank you so much to Marilize who got hold of my camera and snapped the lovely photographs below. It's so nice to be on the other side of the lens for a change.

We would love for you to join us next time, simply pop on over to our Facebook group to join in.

I hope to meet you soon!

x

Rescuing a puppy in Korea

While out on an early morning walk on Monday this week, my Korean rescue pup Shadow (the black & tan one above), found a tiny crying ball of fluff, discarded in a drain alongside a forest road. I took a closer look and saw a terrified little puppy, huddled under a pile of leaves and branches. I also saw that there was another white ball of fluff further up the drain that wasn't moving and was covered in flies. I had no idea what to do. We already have our own rescue dog, who is going to cost us a lot of money to take back to South Africa (we are talking $1000's, so please think carefully before deciding to adopt a dog here in Korea!) but at the same time I couldn't just leave here her. In Korea, if you find an animal and take it to the vet, legally the vet has to keep it for 10 days to allow time for their owner to claim them. As it was clear this little one had been abandoned, my very kind vet didn't ask too many questions.  You can imagine what happens to them if they aren't claimed after 10 days. 

After much deliberation, Farmboy and I both decided we couldn't just leave her there to die and went back to get her. Knowing we couldn't keep her I jumped on Facebook in search of a foster/forever home for the shaking puppy. We took her straight to the vet and apart from a flea and mange infestation and a bacterial infection she is fighting fit and ready to live. 

Regardless of your view of social media, it does one thing better than anything else, and that is network and connect people. Within a few hours I had so many people offer to foster her and a number of people willing to take her permanently. Thanks to each and every person who shared my Facebook posts this little puppy has a loving home to go to next week. 

Here are a few photographs of where we found her, and what she looks like now, a couple of days after finding her. Shadow just adores her and he won't be the only one misses her when she's goes next week. 

As we have been through this whole process before, I have written a couple of blog posts on owning a dog here in Korea. If you have been thinking of it you might find these posts useful:

-OWNING A DOG IN KOREA {PART 1} WHAT YOU NEED TO KEEP YOU AND YOUR PUP HAPPY.

-OWNING A DOG IN KOREA {PART 2} HEALTH CHECK UPS & VACCINATIONS

From all my Facebook & Instagram posts it may seem like owning a dog in Korea is the easiest thing in the world. Please remember that I, just like most other people on social media, showcase the highlights. Owning a dog here in Korea is hard work, and you need to be prepared for not just the expenses of owning a dog (the vaccinations, neutering, dog food which is sooo much more expensive than back home & of the course the final cost of taking the dog back to your home country) but also what daily life with a dog is like here. We have a 'large' dog for Korean standards and deal with terrified neighbours and kids running away screaming on a daily basis. Koreans just aren't used to keeping dogs as pets, especially big dogs and are always horrified when they hear that Shadow lives in our apartment with us. Also, Korea isn't built for pets, so finding a place to exercise him is always an issue, finding a place for him to go to the bathroom without Koreans chasing us away from their beloved veggie patches is always a nightmare, finding places to stay that will accept dogs here in near impossible (we camp A LOT) and of course taking your dog around if you don't have a car is a huge challenge if they aren't small and able to fit in a little carrier. We wouldn't change our experience with Shadow for anything in the world, but I do wish we had known from the beginning exactly what we were in for when we found him. If you have any questions about owning a dog here, please feel free to email me or leave me a comment below. Also, there are sooooo many dogs and puppies needing homes here in Korea, if you have been wanting to get a dog please consider adopting rather than buying from the pet stores.

Below is a website that lists all the dogs (and cats & other animals!) available for adoption, as well as Facebook groups where animals that have been rescued are also posted. There is also a group called Everything Paws which is a fantastic resource for pet owners here in Korea. I've also included the links for buying and selling second hand pet items and information on traveling abroad ie. back to your home country with your pet. 

-Everything Paws: Tips & DIY Ideas for pet owners in South Korea  

-Rescue Korea adoption website

-Buy & Sell Pet Related Items in Korea

-Airborne Animals

Do you have a pet here in Korea? What has been your biggest challenge so far? I'd love to hear from you!

Weekly Wishes {14}

Hello and welcome to my Weekly Wishes series where I talk about my goals and wishes for the week ahead. Popping them here on the blog  helps me to stay on track with the things I want to do or get done. These posts are part of a link up by The Nectar Collective where Melissa has a wonderful community of women who link up their weekly wishes and are there to support and encourage one another. It's also a great way to make new friends and find new blogs to follow, why don't you join me?

WEEKLY WISHES

1. My main focus this week is on growing #ShadowTheJindo's Facebook page. Yes, that means my dog now has a Facebook page. I'm sure many, many, many of my friends are rolling their eyes right now but I'm okay with that. I want to use the page to help create awareness of the Jindo breed and hopefully help more abandoned pups find their 'fur'ever homes. I know that there are so many dogs needing homes all over the world, but as I'm currently in Korea, this is where my focus will be. If you'd like to find out more and follow Shadows adventures then please click here. 

2. I did a semi-styled shoot with a new friend Alysha this weekend and I want to finish editing the photographs and start posting them. It's cherry blossom season here in Korea and so we took full advantage of the gorgeous blooms and had a wonderful time together. Alysha blogs over at The Wayfaring Heath, a blog aimed at wholesome & natural living where she posts wonderful recipes as well as easy to do DIY's for the home. Here latest post is all about how to freeze fresh herbs, something I'm constantly having to do here in Korea as herbs are so hard to come by! I'm looking forward to sharing the rest of these photographs with you!

3. Lastly Farmboy and I are busy planning our summer holiday trip to Borneo! As excited as I am about the trip, it's becoming a bit of a logistical nightmare and AirAsia is being such a pain with their credit card security systems. They do have an amazing app which offers really awesome discounts when using it, but it just won't take my money! This is one of the downsides of living in a country where you can't speak the local language, trying to communicate with my bank here to ask how to solve the above issues is nearly impossible. Anyway, I'm hoping to have it sorted out this week before the price of flights go up! In the mean time I'm looking at my photographs of our trip to the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia to help me stay sane while AirAsia gives me grey hairs.

That's all I have for this week. Do you have anything you really need to get done this week? Drop me a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful week everyone <3

Happy Easter everyone

Happy Easter to all of you today wherever you may be in the world.

x

Weekly Wishes {13}

Hello and welcome to my Weekly Wishes series where I talk about my goals and wishes for the week ahead. Popping them here on the blog  helps me to stay on track with the things I want to do or get done. These posts are part of a link up by The Nectar Collective where Melissa has a wonderful community of women who link up their weekly wishes and are there to support and encourage one another. It's also a great way to make new friends and find new blogs to follow, why don't you join me?

Spring is finally here in South Korea and I couldn't be happier! The blossoms here are of my favourite things about living here, even though they don't last very long. So every chance I get I have been outside with my camera trying to find new ways to capture them. Do you get blossoms where you are in the world? Back home in South Africa we do get pretty blossoms, but nothing like the fruit trees here in Korea. Spring will be one of the things I miss most when we do decide to head back home, that's for sure. A change in seasons (much the same as Monday, the start of a new week) is always a good time to set some new goals and I'd love to hear yours too!

Weekly Wishes

1. Continue with the lead training my husband and I have been doing for our pup. Yesterday was the first time I have tried using hotdogs and boy oh boy was he a good pup. I'm hoping the sausages work, and that I am able to wean him off them too so he learns to walk just as nicely without the treats as with them! 

2. Film a new Youtube video. I was recently tagged in a Youtube Challenge by Amy from the VDBees and I have been terrible at making it happen. I did film another video last week (yes, that is me sitting in a pink bathtub!) and so this week I want to film my challenge video.

3. It's also strawberry season here in Korea and I need to find some good recipes of things to make with them. I tried making strawberry fruit roll ups yesterday (they were a complete disaster!) and next up I have ideas for a cheesecake (Banting friendly of course!) so we shall see if that materializes. If you follow me on Instagram (@roxyhutton) you would have seen that I did make an incredible Banting cheesecake last week, so I am hoping to use the same recipe with my strawberries. I will post it here on the blog if it is a success!  Do you have any other ideas for what I can make with hundreds of strawberries???

4. SEE MORE BLOSSOMS! Rain is forcast for the entire week starting tomorow, so I hope it lets off for a few hours one afternoons so I can capture some of the cherry blossoms in my area.

That's all I have for this week. Do you have anything you really need to get done this week? Drop me a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful week everyone <3

South West Coast Beaches in South Korea

A few weekends ago Farmboy, #ShadowTheJindo and I road tripped down to the South West coast of Korea in celebration of the first warm day the year. The beaches here in Korea are a little different from what you typically see in the rest of South East Asia (click here to see a little more of Wido Island which we visited this time last year, also here in Korea). Even though it was far from tropical, it was a great day out and our pup had a ball chasing my scarf.

This beach was located on the coast between Gochang and Yeongwang.

Have you visited any beautiful beaches here in Korea? Please drop me a comment below, I'm always on the look out for new places to explore.

#ShadowTheJindo likes to chew

7 months ago, a small bundle of black and brown fluff came into our lives and turned our world upside down. Owning a dog here in Korea was never part of the plan, but then again, when exactly does life go according to plan?

Shadow is a black and tan Korean Jindo, a breed of dog native to Korea, and very much unknown to the rest of the world (click here to read more about Jindos and how we rescued Shadow from the side of the road).

But, he is a puppy, and so no matter his breed, he likes (or rather loves) to do what all puppies love to do...CHEW.ALL. THE. THINGS.

Up until now, he hasn't done too much damage, mostly because he stays in his room while we are out at work and he hasn't been big enough to reach things on my desk. Well, I guess it's safe to say nothing on my desk is safe anymore.

Have you ever come home to any 'surprises' while owning a dog? I'd love to hear from you! 

Weekly Wishes {12}

Hello and welcome to my Weekly Wishes series where I talk about my goals and wishes for the week ahead. Popping them here on the blog  helps me to stay on track with the things I want to do or get done. These posts are part of a link up by The Nectar Collective where Melissa has a wonderful community of women who link up their weekly wishes and are there to support and encourage one another. It's also a great way to make new friends and find new blogs to follow, why don't you join me?

Image by TJ Stationery & Gifts

It's March, and even though the above image shows maple leaves (it is the start of Autumn for my friends who made this lovely graphic over at TJ Stationery & Gifts) Spring will be on it's way for us here in South Korea. It's been a very cold winter, with lots and lots of snow and I for one am really looking forward to the cherry blossoms and short sleeves that follow Winter. It's always a good time to set new goals for the week, and I'd love to hear yours too!

This Weeks Wishes

1. Wake up at 6am every morning this week and take my Korean pup out for a long walk. We have been doing a lot of training with him, but something he is really rather terrible at is leash walking. I'm hoping that one solid week of walking the same route will put him in a good routine and that he will learn to walk nicely with me, instead of dragging me down the street. 

2. Drink more water. This is a goal Is et every week, and one I think can only be good for my body!

3. Cut out the late evening snacking! I have gotten into a very nasty habit of craving something sweet right after dinner. When there's nothing in the house then I can usually satisfy my craving with some tea, but there have been a few things hiding in the far corners of the grocery cupboard and I have sniffed them out and devoured them. MUST SAY NO TO CHOCOLATE!

4. Find more direction with my Youtube channel. I am in the process of buying a new video camera to take my videos to the next level, but I have been lacking the inspiration for new content lately. So far I've done a few makeup reviews and DIY's, is there anything you'd particularly like to see? I need to sit down and brainstorm some new fun video topics!

That's all I have for this week. Do you have anything you really need to get done this week? Drop me a comment below, I'd love to hear from you.

Have a wonderful week everyone <3

Farm fresh, free range eggs {& how two CityGirls had such fun collecting them}

Last month Farmboy and I were home in South Africa for our Winter Holidays. We got to spend time with all our respective families, and had a most enjoyable time on his family dairy farm. As a CityGirl, and considering I had only ever seen eggs come out of grey boxes, collecting eggs is still very much a novelty. This time round I had the help of my gorgeous cousin Jess. Together we set about collecting all the eggs from various chickens dotted around the farm. 

Thanks for a wonderful eggy adventure Jess <3

Farm Holiday in South Africa

Farmboy and I have been at home on holiday here in South Africa for a week now, first spending some time in Joburg, the Drakensburg and have finally touched down on the family dairy farm in Creighton, KZN.

Here are a few snaps of the drive from Joburg, as well as my first morning waking up to the cows and chickens, and wide open spaces that make this place such a wonderful retreat from Korean life.