This week’s things you don’t want to miss out on

What you want to know this week

Afrikaans accent voted the second sexiest in the world

Out of 7,000 languages in the world, Enjoy Travel’s 1.5 million readers awarded Afrikaans the second spot due to its unique tones and slang. The bad news is that top spot went to New Zealand’s Kiwi accent. Third was the Irish accent, fourth Italian and fifth Australian. Then Scottish, French, Spanish, southern US (think Texas, South Carolina and Louisiana) and Brazilian Portuguese.  

Fantastic library app (from Gus Silber's FB page):

Today, I learned, or TIL, as they say on Reddit, that your local municipal library can now access thousands of books, hundreds of magazines, and hundreds of audiobooks on the popular Libby app for iOS and Android.

If you don't already have a library card, you can sign up for one then download the app to your device.

Libby functions like a conventional library. You can borrow books and other titles for two weeks, after which you have to return them via the app.

I signed up for a card on the Joburg Library's site and got my access to Libby in two days. It's straightforward to use, and human librarians, rather than algorithms, curate the choice. 

Libby is free to use and is also available to readers in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. For further information, google Libby and your home province.  - Gus Silber on Facebook

Going places

Laduma Ngxokolo of MaXhosa Africa partners with luxury car brand

Mercedes Benz has long been associated with fashion. This year, it is partnering with luxury fashion creative director Laduma Ngxokolo of MaXhosa Africa, who has been announced as a friend of the top-end brand.

Finds

#1 Make fun of your run with Huawei Watch Fit SE

Nothing makes the world of fitness more dramatically interesting than a fitness monitor. In the old days, you went for a drive in your Volksie to measure 4km then you ran to a certain telephone pole four times a week and hoped you would get fitter. After two weeks you gave up.

With a fitness band or a smartwatch with GPS functionality, you can see in real time how far you have run and how many calories you've burnt, and you can monitor your heart rate and listen to music.

At home, on an app on your phone, you can analyse the details of your exercise, right down to your heart's ability to process oxygen (SpO₂).

It's incredibly motivating to see how you become fitter and achieve the goals you set on the app. The devices vary from a small strap without GPS functionality for R600 to an Apple Watch Ultra 2 at R20,000.

An excellent beginner option is a Huawei Watch Fit Special Edition for less than R2,000. It's much better than the cheap fitness bands and it touches all the functionalities of top smartwatches that cost R3,000 more. In certain modes, you can also measure how long and deeply you slept.

It's easy to learn to use it and the Huawei Health app on your phone, which works with the watch, is better than the Fitbit or Samsung alternatives.

#2 Gingham for your bed

The Fomolistas love all striped and checked prints. This exquisite Noni gingham quilt cover from Country Road at Woolworths caught our eye. R2,799 for a king-size.

#3 Herbs and spices

We are new converts to dried herbs. The hardier herbs like oregano, thyme and rosemary work better in a dried format than the softer herbs like parsley and coriander. Oregano has become a go-to in our kitchen for sprinkling in stews, over roast potatoes and in vinaigrettes (R31.99). Two other winners from Woolworths are the citrus finishing salt (brilliant on avo but also great with chicken) and the rosemary and sage grind (R39.99).

#4 A worthwhile sale

We hate clothes sales—especially a Woolworths clothes sale. Rummaging through racks of clothes is not our idea of FOMO. But the 25% off on two beauty products is a winner if you are a cosmetic junkie. Big-name brands such as Clinique, Estée Lauder and Jo Malone at 25% off if you buy any two products. Two products we love are Clinique's Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm and the brilliant, much-awarded Eye Double Serum from Clarins.

They say

A banana provides you with 400g of potassium, which helps to control your blood pressure.

Watermelon seeds have the highest nutritional value of any seed — they are high in protein, good fats and minerals such as magnesium, zinc and copper.

Did you know?

The colour of the cap on a bottle of water reveals what kind of water is in the bottle.

Black is alkaline water, blue is spring water, white is processed and green is usually flavoured spring water.

Last word

Quote of the week

Video of the week:

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION: Go to the bottom of this page to share your opinion. We look forward to hearing from you.