MY PERFECT WEEKEND
Jena Dover doesn’t have time to sleep in
I begin my day
at about 7am with a workout. I don’t enjoy lying in on the weekend or on vacation. Either I’ll go for a run or do a high-intensity interval training session at a local studio, after which I attend French lessons at Wits Language School or Alliance Française. I’m strict about my French lessons as you tend to lose progress while based in a non-Francophone country if you’re not disciplined about lessons every week.
Afternoons are usually spent
at a long lunch with friends. At 35, I like to lunch with a purpose. I’ll either go to Pigalle in Sandton once a week to practise my French with my favourite waiter Pascal or enjoy a road trip outside of Johannesburg to a lunch spot — a little adventure to build up an appetite is my new favourite thing to implement because let’s face it, Johannesburg gets boring otherwise.
Johannesburg has so much more to offer
in its surrounding areas than its infamous mall culture. It’s all about how much effort you put into your days.
I’m a Netflix or Hulu girl.
I enjoy discovering new documentaries and series on either platform. If I’m not staying in, watching Netflix in the evenings of my weekend, I’ll be at the local cinema watching a film. I also like to get some reading done. Every Sunday evening, without fail, I grab a pizza and pasta at Danilo’s pizzeria in Riverclub, by far the best pizza in Johannesburg.
I recently had a birthday lunch
at The Kitchen at Lántico in the Forum. It was wonderful. Silver Orange in Hartbeespoort is also a favourite. They are both great options for an out-oftown experience. Also worth noting is St Tropez in Riverclub for its selection of imported French cheese and homemade baguette. After my morning workouts I often stop by for a coffee and grab some of that magnificent French cheese.
I have a very close group of friends
who I like to spend time with. I’m a relatively shy person so you won’t find me in big groups or at sceney restaurants anymore. Attending functions provides more than enough glamour for me. As I get older, lunches with friends become the substitute for those big nights out.
I have the most unfussy palate on the planet.
Anything goes. What I like to do is order three or four starters and three or four mains and just share them among the entire table so none of us miss out on the full scope of the menu. If I’m at home cooking I like to cook a traditional British roast and Yorkshire pudding as we have a few Brit expats always stopping by. They are always grateful for my Yorkshire pudding, which makes it all worth it.
The only books I can tolerate are nonfiction
and even then, generally only biographies or autobiographies. I recently finished The Churchill Factor — a highly entertaining observation of the great British leader by British politician, popular historian and journalist Boris Johnson. I try to read a chapter a night. I’m terrified of losing the concentrative ability to read, what with social media and the like shortening our attention spans. If it’s not a book it’s a podcast.
I have a playlist of Nigerian music I’ve created over the years
and I adore it. Naija music tends to be fun and upbeat without being exhausting. It’s either that or a podcast.
Before bed I like to tidy up my home.
Neaten up the space. Put all my devices on charge. There is nothing more restful than waking up in an ordered space. I also like to take a long bath and listen to a Sam Harris podcast. I really enjoy the subject matter and quality of experts he tackles on his show. It’s really heady stuff and I, more often than not, end up falling asleep to it.