Yay, summer is here – it is official – the swallows are here! Today the sky is a cobalt blue, the sun is hot and this morning as I walked my daughter to school we had the pleasure of seeing a large flock of swallows chasing insects, wheeling high in the sky, darting and looping, seeming to play tag against a backdrop of majestic Table Mountain proudly embracing Cape Town. It’s one of those summer days where the sun is blazing but it is cool in the shade and a slight breeze has now picked up, no doubt getting stronger as the afternoon approaches.
Recently we went for a drive around the outskirts of Durbanville, (the back road past the quarry) and through some lush valleys dotted with charming wine farms. As we drove further we then turned down through the edge of D’urbanville and headed out towards the farms. It was hypnotically beautiful. Previously green hills have now been baked by the summer sun, turning gently sloping pastures into golden fields, patterned by neatly mowed wheat, stacks of straw bales dotting the fields. As we drove down roads lined with stately tall gum trees we could see the ice blue sea in the distance, as well as the sugar white sand dunes, glistening like snow in the hot sun, and eventually ended up at Melkbosstrand… which has an enormously long beach and an ice cream stall painted in different shades of purple which sells delicious ice cream. Then we took the coast road back to Table View, passing a huge oil rig making its way into Cape Town harbour for repairs, watching sea gulls playing in the wind and pelicans gliding gracefully above them.
Cape Town is so diverse and beautiful and it makes my heart glad to be here. Work is going well. We have welcomed some new clients and are so happy to be able to save them time. Some of our clients like to call us “their wife”. We are the “wife” that does all the chores. Here at Virtual Concierge Services (www.vcsww.com) we assist our clients by providing a virtual assistant (or virtual “wife”) to take care of all the mundane tasks (for example, fetching laundry; organising insurance claims and obtaining licence disks). All the time-consuming jobs that are holding them back, weighing them down or distracting them from what is closest to their heart, whether it is family or career. We are doing Christmas shopping for some of our clients too. We are also setting up a database for one new client and reconciling invoices for another. Our talents are diverse!
We are fortunate to be meeting with new and exciting people and businesses. We had a really interesting and exciting consultation with Unwembi Communications (Building Africa’s Digital Future) last week. Check out www.unwembi.co.za. Unwembi is a leading, digital development and communications house based in South Africa with a unique style and work ethic. Unwembi’s specialist range of services concentrates on the design, development and delivery of successful digital solutions. Virtual Concierge Services Worldwide is extremely happy to be involved with Unwembi and we look forward to a very successful time ahead!
I am sure you will remember us mentioning we attended the Concierge Conference in September? Well one of the prizes we won at the Concierge Conference was a voucher for high tea for two. So recently I was able to treat my mum and aunt to a three course high tea at the luxury five star Table Bay Hotel, based in the V&A Waterfront, www.tablebayhotel.co.za. It was an exquisite experience! The service was impeccable. It was delicious and I would recommend it to anyone, and a huge thank you to Table Bay Hotel for the prize!
We also recently attended a coastal networking event organised by Xtraordinary Women founded by Gwen Kloppers. Xtraordinary Women (www.xtraordinarywomen.co.za) is a platform that leads, inspires, supports and recognises entrepreneurs in South Africa. Their aim is to encourage and support ordinary women to do extraordinary things. Our event was hosted by Gwen Kloppers and Robyn Lambrick with guest speaker Dr James Liddell from the Lifestyle Clinic, and his “Festive Season Tips & Detox” talk was well received, plus we got to meet some lovely ladies.
Time is flying by. I cannot believe it is Christmas next month – luckily I have already started my Christmas shopping so am not panicking at all this year. However if you need some assistance, give us a call – we can help you.