Before I tell you about my three dinner guests, I have to give away a little of what took place when I joined LUT's dinner party with Violet and Malala. Please don't tell LUT everything I told you, but you can tell her that it was a wonderful fun-filled dinner party!
Violet and Malala arrived before me; I'm often late, typical South African I wanted to make a grand entrance but immediately saw Violet's disdain. Bad start with a difficult lady!
LUT said how delighted she was to host the three of us and introduced us. The aromas coming from the kitchen made me wonder why she does not do food blogging!
Violet became quite uppity when introduced to me, this South Africa with her strange accent. She turned her nose up, thanked LUT for the invitation, and was very taken with Malala. Violet admires strong women and expressed her admiration for the work Malala does. She tried correcting my pronunciation in her frank manner but eventually gave up, realizing I was a hopeless case!
I took a bottle of one of our best Cape wines and something for dessert - Tipsy Tart, which, as the name suggests, is bound to make you tipsy. It is a rich dessert infused with the best South African brandy. I hid a hip flask in my bag so I could smuggle it into the kitchen for topping up.
LUT quickly saw my ploy and decided to play along. She offered us a pre-dinner cocktail. Don't tell LUT's hubby; he was away on a business trip - she added a tot of his rare Whiskey to Violet's cocktail.
Malala, of course, does not partake in alcohol, and was quite amused as Violet became more animated; she even seemed to be warming to me!
Malala was charming and passionately told us of her fight for education, the trauma of when she was shot, and ending up in the UK. She used to be a blogger, so LUT and I told her a bit about Hive. Imagine onboarding someone as inspiring as her!
Violet tilted her head and looked at me with new eyes when I told her of the success of my Airbnb, which I started from scratch nearly ten years ago. My accent no longer seemed to bother her.
The dinner was outstanding, and when it was time for dessert, LUT distracted the other two ladies so I could smuggle the hip flask into the kitchen and make the tipsy tart even more tipsy;) LUT made a non-alcoholic dessert, so Malala did not miss out.
Violet tucked into the tipsy tart and asked for a second helping.
Well, that's when the real party started; she had us in fits of laughter with her dry sense of humour, sharing tales of the goings-on at Downton Abbey.
Malala wanted to meet Snowpea, who was tucked up in bed already, so I was left alone with Violet.
We were on good terms by this time, and I could see she had something on her mind, so I went to sit next to her. She started telling me about her life in the South of France and her secret love affair with the Marquis de Montmirail, pecking away a few tears, which eventually turned into floodgates. Fortunately, I had tissues so she could gather herself before the other ladies joined us again. I also teared up, having lost my love.
The woman had a heart after all, but I knew it right at the outset, despite her high and mighty manner when we met.
The night ended with Violet giving us all a big hug and inviting us to Downton Abbey. She surprised me by saying she would love to visit South Africa after hearing what I had to say about the natural beauty of our country and would book her stay at my Airbnb. Malala said she misses blogging and for sure would look at Hive in between her busy schedule.
I was sad to leave. It was lovely meeting LUT in person; the food was delicious, and the company excellent.
Image from Canva - edited
Well, I got so carried away telling you about LUT's dinner that I almost forgot the real object of my story is to tell you who my three dinner guests will be and why I've chosen them.
Can you just imagine the friendships that will form when LUT's Three Dinner Guests explodes and how many fascinating people we could onboard! We're asked -
If you can invite three people to dinner, who would you choose and why? They can be anyone from the past or present, real or fictional, someone you know or a total stranger, and one of them must be from Hive.
Not easy to choose someone from Hive, as I have a very long list of very special friends here, but there is a lady who I've had some wonderful light-hearted conversations with, who always manages to get a smile on my face when I'm feeling down, and is a lady with swift fingers, the lovely . I hope she accepts and brings her piano with her.
She understands my need for a parasol, also knows mine is getting a tad worn out, so perhaps she will bring me a new one. But, she'll have to travel to Portugal to buy one, and that's a big ask. ;)
I'm just joking, she need not bring her piano, nor a parasol, just bring herself!
Who else?
Poet, songwriter, singer, and author Leonard Cohen.
Why? His lyrics about life, love, loss, and spirituality speak to me. He, for sure, has written and performed some of the most beautiful, soul-piercing music. A deep thinker who would keep the conversation going deep into the night. Perhaps he and could collaborate and do an impromptu song together.
My favourite Leonard Cohen lyric is:
There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.
We would need someone else to lighten the mood, and although he was a freedom fighter, he also had a wonderful sense of humour. Nelson Mandela, fondly called Madiba, was a man of peace who, despite being incarcerated for 27 years, held no bitter feelings, but said:
I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve.
and more words of wisdom which is so very true, something LUT's guest Malala is still fighting for:
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
I would love to hear the wisdom he and Leonard Cohen would come up with!
Deep thinkers, witty, and entertaining- all three of my guests have these attributes.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm no feminist, but I for sure would need another woman at this dinner party. Mipiano and I could help to add a light-hearted touch with our bantering!
Those three guests for sure would make for a memorable evening!
Psst...As this is your initiative LUT, you will be given sole access to watch via live streaming if you want to eavesdropπ
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