Food Glorious Food

Christmas is all about food! A turkey roasting in the oven with all its trimmings, Christmas pudding, cakes, chocolates we all know that we don't hold back at this time of the year! But what is good for the goose is not always good for the gander, especially if the 'gander' is your dog or cat!

Below are some foods you should and shouldn't share with your pet.

Good Food Stuff!
. Cooked Meat - Turkey, ham etc this is fine in small quantities try to avoid giving your pet too much fat and skin as this can cause an upset stomach and diarrhoea.
. Vegetables - most cooked vegetables (carrots, beans, courgette brussel sprouts etc) are fine in moderation but remember that potatoes are hard for dogs to digest.
. Eggs are fine cooked or raw
. Fruit is ok but can be acidic and cause upset stomachs. Don't give your pet fruit with pips or stones, Rhubarb is toxic!
. Dog /cat treats - the best way to treat your pet at Christmas!

Bad Food Stuff!
. BONES! Go easy on the bones, they can cause constipation and obstructions. Please do not feed your dog or cat cooked bones! These bones splinter easily and can cause damage to your pets mouth,
oesophagus and intestines.
. try to make sure that meat/veg scraps are not covered in spicy sauces or contain too much fat.
. PUDDINGS! Your pet really does not need pudding! Most puddings contain ingredients that are toxic to your pet.
. CHOCOLATE contains theobromine that can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle twitching amongst other symptoms and can kill your pet. The sugar substitute XYLITOL is highly toxic to your pet. A tiny amount of this substance can cause seizures, brain damage, hypoglycaemia and liver failure and will kill your pet!
. ALCOHOL! Please do not allow your pets' access to any alcohol.

Moderation is the key to a happy stomach!

General tips for happy healthy hols!
. Cats love trees- especially Christmas trees! If you have an inquisitive cat try to make sure that access to the tree is supervised! Baubles and decorations can be dangerous!
. give your pet space - Christmas time can be hectic with a constant stream of visitors your pet may become over active or anxious. Take your dog for a good walk before visitors arrive, a tired dog is a good dog! Make sure there is somewhere quiet and safe they can go to chill, perhaps with that special
doggy chew treat!
. Be especially vigilant of your old pet, they may get disorientated in a crowd.
. Don't let your pets have access to rubbish bins or bags!
. Don't overfeed your pets.
. Ask your visitors not to feed your pet titbits.

Do buy treats that are specially formulated for your dog and cat from your vet or pet shop.
Playing with your pet will help distract them from all the glitzy decorations!
Most of all enjoy that special time at home with your best friends.

Kenilworth Veterinary Hospital
47 Kenilworth Road, Cape Town, Kenilworth, South Africa
Tel: 021-671-5018
www.facebook.com/kenilworth.vet

Graffiti an illegal nuisance unless permitted!

Many Cape Town suburbs have bits and pieces of graffiti on walls and buildings. Some range from childish defacing to off-putting images and content, others show amazing skill and application. They often appear to sprout up in the still of night, so the creators cannot be seen (or caught?). But are these necessarily illegal and how does our local authority deal with these?

The City of Cape Town's 2010 Graffiti By-Law aims to regulate the display of graffiti and to restore 'surfaces affected by graffiti'.

What is Graffiti?

'Graffiti', for purposes of the By-Law, refers to:
. 'any inscription, word, figure (other than a figure indicating a street number), letter, sign, symbol, sketch, picture, drawing, mural or design';
. applied to any natural surface or man-made surface;
. on any property;
. which is visible to a person from a public place; and
. has not been authorised by the City.

''Mural art'' means art in the form of a painting, applied directly to a wall, fence or structure.

Disallowed without a permit

The By-Law prohibits anyone to apply graffiti in any street or other public place without a permit. The point of departure of the City of Cape Town (the City) City is that the existence of graffiti within the City's area of jurisdiction is a public nuisance and is thus subject to removal in terms of the By-Law.

Section 9 of the By-Law deals with permits, allowable graffiti in other words . It permits graffiti (which will be visible to a person from a public place) where the artist has obtained the required permission from the City. An application for permission must be made in writing and must include:

. the intended size of the graffiti;
. the materials and implements to be used;
. an accurate likeness, illustration or depiction of the intended work;
. proof of the consent of the owner of the property and of others affected thereby; and
. motivation why the artist wants to create the work.

An applicant must be advised within 30 days after submitting the application of the outcome.

Designated areas

The By-Law also provides that the City may designate certain areas and spaces to be utilized for graffiti after consultation with the relevant communities and subcouncils. Anyone wanting to make use of these spaces for graffiti, still needs to obtain permission from the City and is also obliged
to remove the art or decorations after the expiry of a three month period (unless a three month extension has been applied for).

Property owner's liability'

The person applying the graffiti may be ordered by the City to remove the graffiti and if this is not adhered to, the City may have it removed.
However, property owners should note that the By-Law also provides (in section 4) that if the City cannot identify the creator of the graffiti , it may serve a notice on the property owner requiring him or her to remove the graffiti.

Section 6 further lists the duties of owners as follows:

(1) Every owner and every occupant of property must, at all times maintain free of graffiti any wall, fence, building, structure or thing located on such property.
(2) Every owner of property must remove from that property any unsightly graffiti within 10 days of the owner becoming aware of the graffiti on his or her property. "

Who to go to

In terms of the Graffiti By-Law, an application for permission to apply graffiti can be made to lesley.truter@capetown.gov.za.
On the other hand, if you want to report illegal graffiti, you can contact lawenforcement@capetown.gov.za or call 021 596 1999.
Otherwise contact STBB SMITH TABATA BUCHANAN BOYES on www.stbb.co.za for
assistance with all aspects of your property ownership.

Christmas Recipes

Christmas is a time of celebration. And many of us spend lots of time in the kitchen! Here are 3 delicious recipes for you to enjoy this Christmas! Have a fantastic festive season and New Year's celebration. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Serves 3-4

Ingredients
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
225g turnips or parsnips
½ punnet button mushrooms
2 medium carrots
1 medium leek, chopped
1 large stalk of celery, chopped
1 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs sage, minced
1 sprigs rosemary, minced
2-3 sprigs thyme, minced
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1-2 cups vegetable stock
1kg sweet potatoes, boiled
2 egg yolks
Olive oil
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper

Method
1. Roast the carrots, turnips, and mushrooms for about 20 minutes
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pot over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, celery, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Sweat the veggies for 5-8 minutes until translucent. Add the herbs, black pepper, and tomato paste, and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly so the tomato paste doesn't stick and burn
3. Add the rest of the olive oil and the flour to the pot. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes. Slowly add the vegetable stock while stirring, starting with about 1 cup. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a simmer, then add more stock if necessary to bring the sauce to a thick stew-like consistency. Remove from the heat
4. Mix together the chickpeas, mushrooms, turnips, carrots, and the filling.
5. Mash the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Whip the egg yolks until smooth, and add to the mashed sweet potatoes. Mix until everything is combined.
6. Heat the oven to 180°C. Spread the filling in the bottom of a casserole dish. Spread the mashed sweet potatoes evenly on top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

(Recipe adapted from Harvard.edu)

Cauliflower and Broccoli Cheese

Ingredients:
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
¼ cup flour
500ml fat free milk
500g broccoli, cut into florets
75g mature cheddar cheese
1kg cauliflower, cut into florets
½ cup bread crumbs
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
25g flaked almonds

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C
2. Lightly sauté the garlic in the butter
3. Stir in the flour for a minute to make a paste, then gradually add the milk, whisking as you go, until it is smooth
4. Add the broccoli and simmer for around 20 minutes, or until the broccoli is cooked through and starts to break down
5. Mash with a stick blende
6. Grate in half the cheese and season
7. Arrange the cauliflower in a baking dish, pour over the broccoli white sauce and grate over the remaining cheese.
8. Mix the breadcrumbs, thyme leaves and almonds together and scatter evenly over the cauliflower cheese
9. Bake for 1 hour, or until golden and cooked through

(Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver)

Spiced Berry Jellies

Serves 12

Ingredients
500ml berry juice
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
2 gelatine leaves, hydrated in cold water
125ml blue berries

Method
1. Bring the berry juice and spices to the boil. Remove them from the heat and take the spices out of the pot
2. Stir in the hydrated gelatine leaves until completely dissolved
3. Pour into a bowl together with the blue berries
4. Divide into 12 shot glasses and chill until set (about 1½ hours)

Optional:
Replace ½ the juice with sparkling sweet wine and add 1 extra gelatine leaf

HVCID Overview

Who: HVCID is a non-profit community association, managed by volunteers to enhance the overall safety, security and community interests of Harfield Village.

What: The HVCID have successfully negotiated with ADT to reduce their monthly fee for Harfield Village ADT clients, who are part of the HVCID initiative.
The new agreement not only provides cheaper household Armed Response, but ADT have also given us 2 dedicated Harfield Village response vehicles to patrol the Village. Before, we shared vehicles with clients in neighbouring suburbs.
Additionally, ADT household subscribers can access the new Street Patrol coverage, meaning that customers can also call for help for an incident outside of the home - in the street or park (as long as within the boundaries of Harfield Village, up to Kenilworth Road).

The result of this negotiation means cheaper Armed Response, dedicated 24 hour security presence for our village, and quicker response times as the patrol cars are already in our area (versus travelling to us from Wynberg or Lynfrae, for example).

How: The above benefits are only available through the HVCID, so make sure you have signed up - the only way we could negotiate such a good deal was by committing to a large number of  participants.

Existing ADT clients - once signed up through the HVCID, will have their premium adjusted to reflect the new fixed rate of R399 (including VAT) per month. This covers both household armed response as well as the new street patrol.
New ADT clients - once signed up through the HVCID will receive the same reduced rate and service package. A basic alarm system can be included in their fee.

Should you wish to sign up (new or existing ADT clients), please do so online at www.hvcid.co.za/adt-sign-up/ or email us for a sign up form at admin@hvcid.co.za or call Jenni on 081 412 6109. For new contracts, ADT will then contact you directly.

Non-ADT clients - Should you choose to remain with your current security provider (such as Princeton or Chubb etc.), or you prefer not to have alarm monitoring at your home, you can still join the ADT Street Patrol option. The cost is R199 (including VAT) per month. Princeton, who support the HVCID initiative, have kindly offered to reduce their household armed response fee to R285pm (including VAT) for their HVCID clients who wish to add the ADT Street Patrol to their security portfolio.
Please sign up via our website, click on the ADT Sign Up page and tick the Street Patrol option. Contact Princeton, who will adjust your contract accordingly.

CONTACT LIST

Situation	Response	Contact #
House break in	Step 1 Home owner to hit panic button or call own service provider (ADT, Princeton, Chubb etc.) Step 2 Notify the police: SAPS National or Claremont Step 3 Notify Jenni @ HVCID	ADT – 086 1212 301 Princeton – 0860 222 820 Chubb - 0861 444 911 SAPS National – 10111 SAPS Claremont – 021 657 2250 Jenni - 081 412 6109
Street or public park incident / concern	Call Jenni who will contact the ADT patrol cars And/or Call ADT – Only if you are an ADT / HVCID member And/or Contact HARLYN Neighbourhood Watch	Jenni 081 412 6109 admin@HVCID.co.za ADT - 086 1212 300 HarLyn NW – 071 802 2454 (manned by a volunteer patroller 24/7)
HVCID Hub Manager – Jenni Coleman – 081 412 6109 – admin@hvcid.co.za

What to plant in December

Plant List for December:

Amaranth, Basil, Bush and Climbing Beans, Beetroot, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Butternut, Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Carrot, Chard/Spinach, Chives, Chilli Pepper, Cucumber, Eggplant, Kale, Ginger, Globe Artichoke, Kohlrabi, Leek, Lettuce, Potato, Pumpkin, Radish, Rhubarb, Sweetcorn, Sweet Potato, Sweet Pepper, Tomato, Watercress, Watermelon, Zucchini

Tip of the Month:

There's no festive season gift that gives more than a plant. How about giving a family a punnet of various Lettuces for them to grow together, or a lemon tree for new homeowners, or a fruit tree for someone who has just had a baby? Giving plants is one of the best gifts you can give. Know someone's favourite herb? There you go! A happy, safe and bountiful festive season to all who celebrate!

Patchwork Business Listing on the Harfield Village Website
Patchwork Facebook Group

CHRISTMAS ICE-CREAM

INGREDIENTS

One jar Fruit Mince
100 mls brandy - or more (good idea to sample a cupful
(250mls) first to check quality)
60 gms chopped glace cherries
100 gms chopped pecans


METHOD

Soak fruit mince, brandy and cherries overnight.
Next day, mix into 2 litres vanilla ice-cream together with pecan nuts.
Freeze until needed.


"I have been an agent for over 30 years and have an excellent track record in the Southern Suburbs area. I am professional, love what I do and put my heart and soul into every aspect of my work."

Lyn Staples
Estate Agent
Cell: +27 (0)82 846 0739 | Office: +27 (0)21 674 1120 | Fax: +27 (0)21 774 4927
Email:lyn@norgarbproperties.co.za
Focus Areas: Kenilworth & Claremont Village