Stylish Spaces

Mohair - as the name suggests actually is hair - hair off the back of a specialist breed Angora goat, sheared twice a year to make a silky yarn that can be fashioned into anything from coats to cardigans to shawls and throws. Most confuse Mohair with Angora wool - which is entirely different. Angora wool is the fur off Angora rabbits, not goats. Mohair is known for its silky sheen and softness and was often referred to as the 'diamond yarn' for its scarcity and luxurious richness. But what I didn't know was South Africa is the biggest exporter and industry for the finest Mohair off Angora goats. My husband on a recent business trip to Cape Town brought back the most beautiful mohair throw and that ignited my interest and curiosity - after all Angora is in Turkey, miles and oceans apart from the southern tip of South Africa. It all started in 1838 with the Sultan's mistake. But going even further back, Mohair has been used to keep bodies warm since biblica...

For those of us destined to a life lived watching urban landscapes of solid and bulky concrete jungles - either by choice or necessity of earning an upkeep - bird watching, is the only and the most readily available/easiest form of dreamy escapism that takes our soul closer to nature without leaving the confines of our resident cities. I have lost count on how many times I have found myself stopping mid-sentence to stare at an amazingly agile, delicate, jittery bird in the bush or nearby tree, leaving either my husband or kids annoyed at leaving my sentence "hanging in the air" and ruining the fluid flow of conversation and the prevailing moods all around! But my bird watching is not a hobby, rather an almost instinctive, intuitive pull of nature. Some do it with a passion - there are plenty of bird watching societies out there with serious hobbiest willingly spending precious time (not to mention resources) to travel far and wide to catch a glimpse of rare birds in nature...