My brain is tired so I haven’t got further than Tony Jackman’s recipes. For entertainment I like listening to American podcasts of people phoning in to ask for advice about their personal problems.

The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood for its celebration of women’s friendships, and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings because it taught me to see the broken hearts of others. Most recently The Women by Kristin Hannah and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

Love Actually. Still Love Actually.

I don’t have time to watch a lot of series. Also, I don’t own a television. But I have written a series of little stories for my nephew about a tiny dragon who lives in the Karoo and causes chaos because his secret power is invisibility. He hasn’t quite gotten the superpower of focus. So currently he is on a mission to buy [dragons do not rob stores] all the marshmallows in a small Karoo town. But then he loses concentration and becomes visible to all. In the local Pick n Pay. Who knows what will happen next? It would be nice to see that on Netflix.

An elephant (will happily replace a human with elephants any day); Daily Maverick deputy editor-in-chief Anso Thom is the calmest person I know and she can parallel park – just in case we need it. My nephew Jacques because he knows all the types of crocodiles, and can do maths in his head. Also, he will remember to bring the hand sanitiser.

Italy. Because Italy.

Cows (long story that involves red gumboots and a tree).

My house. I live on the banks of a river in half a forest with real owls.

Coffee, prayer and gratitude, cuddles with the cat.

Write 1,000 words a day every day. Be the kindest person you can be. Also, buy one book every time you get paid.

I would love to make people explode every time they lie.

Josh Groban’s Christmas album, Michael Buble’s Christmas album, Piano Guys’ Christmas album, and of course the soundtrack to Love Actually.

I am a convert. I like learning new things. Also hoping that AI will help me to find out what happened to the couple who had a huge fight in front of Checkers in 2021 because he wanted to wear camo to their wedding. It has been bothering me for years.

Ice-cream. And replace the bread with cookies. I have been on a health kick so my life is currently filled with spinach and seeds.

Opera singer Pretty Yende, Eileen Carter from the SAHRC, Kelvin Naidoo who survived a kidnapping in Gqeberha this year with grace and resilience.

Intern at Die Burger.

The people, the elephants, the 3am Afrikaans you hear in Cape Town.

I can honestly say I have never done karaoke. For the sake of humanity.

I am suspicious of people who wear costumes. For those who knew me in my early twenties that look wasn’t a costume. It was my fairy princess stage.  

A secret-ish ice cream place in Gqeberha, where I live, called the GQ Creamery. It is on the more dodgy side of town but open until 2am and you can WhatsApp them to order. Umgowo Ice-cream from when you are going through the most or sommer net.