Halfpom

Start as you mean to continue...

Yes, that means exercise.....so we start the new year with every good intention & a hike to the Point. First we have to pass what must be my favourite (okay... one of) houses in the village at the moment..I just love it. Sorry I couldn't take a pic from the front as the owners were in residence and that would just be plain rude... You can see the Point in the LHS of the pic....

 And we start climbing - it is getting seriously hot now..stop to take a breath and prolong the moment by taking some photo's....here's an arty shot of Infanta..

En route there is some interesting fynbos, ericas and rocks with brilliant orange lichens..whatever the time of year in the Cape floral kingdom there is always something looking for it's 15 minutes of fame..

 
   
Three of us are taking a nice gentle stroll enjoying the smells & sights, whilst for Andy & Abby it is about the end goal rather than the journey so they've raced ahead..

 
You didn't seriously think we were just walking to the Point.....the prize at the end is a beautiful rock pool that is constantly being topped up by the incoming tide...

Pam broke her wrist on Christmas Day which meant that she spent most of it in A&E with the orthopedic surgeon! In practical terms this means that she can't get the cast wet otherwise it will go all horrid & smelly but she can't resist the rock pool so this is P making the best of a bad situation....we do have a good giggle..

 After we had cooled down we headed back to the village with one last view from up top across to the other side of the bay..

2010.....Happy New Year!!

It's the 31st December and I'm driving down to Cape Infanta - starting out from Cape Town you drive along the N2 for about 2 & a half hours, then hang a right at Swellendam and continue on the gravel road for another hour until you reach the sea. At first there's nothing that interesting...just wheatfields that have done their job for the year and are now lying fallow during the dry season waiting for the onset of the winter rains to come alive again...

 
On these gravel roads you have no choice but to drive cautiously and admire the scenery - anything else guarantees you'll become a statistic. The road is ever so gradually snaking lower and lower and the anticipation builds - will we see the river around the next bend...but no...more wheatfields shorn of their locks..

Suddenly it appears...a ribbon of silver surrounded by lush greenery..our first milestone.

 
And then some more wheatfields until the next highlight...Cape Infanta...at last...60kms on a gravel road is no fun for anyone...it's a real 'eat my dust' kind of road but it does lead to paradise....

As you enter the village you have to slow right down to 20kms an hour as there are children & dogs everywhere - playing cricket on the common, riding their bicycles and running between all the houses checking to see who has arrived...then you drive once around the common as it is a tradition, park on the lawn & gently unfold yourself from your cramped position in the drivers seat hoping desperately that the welcoming committee is holding an ice cold beverage....hopefully a Vawter...my new favourite drink...vodka with a dash of lime finished with sparkling water...

 
 
 After the kids have worn themselves out it is the turn of the grown ups...boules on the common anyone?..notice that there are two distinct teams...one wearing berets and one wearing silver party hats that match the boules - nice designer touch, guys..let the festivities begin...

As the sun sinks ever lower in the sky, the smell of burning wood begins to perfume the air....not just any wood - rooikrantz wood....we'll have none of that charcoal and gas BBQ rubbish here, thank you very much!!

Oh, the tummy is seriously staring to rumble now...doesn't that spatchcock Moroccan chicken look delicious?

And to make it extra special - tonight is a full moon as well as being the start of a brand new year & decade.....HAPPY NEW YEAR...May 2010 bring blessings in abundance to ALL... 

  

Lunch at Rhodes Memorial..

We have visitors from England for Christmas and the poor things have had a bit of a torrid time - Ian managed to catch a horrible tummy bug just in time for Christmas....it's just as well South African doctors still make house calls as the poor man was so ill he couldn't even walk. The doctor was on the doorstep at 08h15 and Ian got two jabs for his trouble....guess who had no Christmas lunch. Then Sam went down with it too..... When they both felt a bit better we took them to Rhodes Memorial where the open air restaurant there does (according to Pippa) the best spaghetti bolognaise ever...

Nice views from up here..

And just for the record, only Pippa & I managed to escape the dreaded bug..all the others in the household came down with it...the poor doctor was called once more to adminster to yet another patient...

Tinsel Dog....

It's the 25th of December - that's right it's CHRISTMAS & before I could get away they tied a piece of tinsel to my collar....& now everybody is laughing at me.... including the neighbourhood dogs who are all out walking their owners. How am I supposed to pretend that I'm really a Rottweiler when I look like this......I've a good mind to call the SPCA right now!!

 
 Yumm, yumm, yummy.....boy that Christmas lunch was SO good!

  
Hmmm - didn't think I had a sparkly side but now I think it quite suits me...

Festive spirit....

In a bid to get into the festive spirit, I accepted an invitation to join some old friends at the Carols by Candlelight at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. I'd never been before but clearly many of the 5000 odd people attending had.....and so will I next year!!

 
 What a gorgeous setting & we couldn't have asked for a more perfect evening....everyone brings a picnic, their kids & blankets to spend an evening singing good old fashioned carols. The gates open at five o'clock and the crowd was entertained by an all girl classical band featuring electric instruments...name to follow when I've found out who they are..

 
When darkness falls the candles are lit creating a magical atmosphere.....

  
Remember - Once in Royal David's City, Away in a Manger, We Three Kings of Orient Are, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing & finally Silent Night.....if this doesn't get you in the mood for Christmas then nothing will...  

 
A very good night was had by all - finishing with a rousing rendition of Silent Night...

a fresh start...

Apologies that I've been offline for so long....well I'm in South Africa again & just finding my feet. Among old haunts revisited yesterday were Starke Ayres garden centre  where I bought some lettuce seedlings. It tastes so much better if you've grown it yourself... I stole some flower bed space and here they are all neatly planted..

A nice selection of cut & come again leaves that will hopefully provide us with salad for many weeks to come. The blue petals on the ground are the remains of the gorgeous jacaranda flowers which are in full bloom at the moment - everything is a carpet of blue..

I was ably assisted in my gardening endeavours by my new best friend...the aptly named Buddy...who came to us via DARG, an animal rescue centre in Hout Bay. He's very cute - part papillon & part corgi (the corgi part is our guess based purely on his body shape)..and a lovely personality.

His favourite activities (after gardening) include chasing sticks & squirrels (v exciting) and going for a ....W....A....L...K. (shhhh...can't say the W word to loudly).

 Just to put him into context & give you an idea of how big he is (ie not very)..

Something else that catches your eye in the garden athis time of year are the alstromerias (inca lilies)- which grow like weeds & are a great source of cut flowers for the house..

 

  

Old favourites....

Now that my time in England is drawing to an end, I find myself wanting to visit a few places one last time before my departure. One old favourite in Nottingham is Le Chien et moi - I'm pleased to advise that Mulberry has settled into his role as mine host and now rushes to greet everyone at the door.

 
Another favourite is Bromley House Library, whose entrance is a nondescript narrow doorway tucked between two shops just off Nottingham's Market Square on Angel Row. Once through the door one enters a different world - a step back in time to a more genteel era & way of life....

 

 

Sunday walk in a Sherwood Forest....

There's nothing quite as invigorating after a Sunday breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast & marmelade as a walk in the forest. Here are a few pics of the forest we enjoyed in all it's autumnal glory...

 
 
 






Ahhhhhhhhhhh.....now we're ready to attack the week ahead.....

Motorway blues....

As some of you know I've been shuttling up and down the motorways of Britain these last few months....more specifically I've come to know the M5, the M42 and the M1 very well indeed. Tomorrow is Friday & time to head out again....let's hope I don't see this as soon as I come down the off-ramp....

 
CONGESTION...SLOW DOWN...QUEUES AHEAD it says on the overhead signage....REALLY I hadn't noticed!!!

And thirty minutes later.................nothing's changed except that I've had time to dig out my camera & take some photo's when what I should have been doing was 70 miles an hour..towards my destination!

 

All Saints night...aka Halloween..

Halloween was never a big thing in South Africa when I was growing up...don't know if things have changed since then...so I can't remember ever carving a pumpkin. This might also have something to do with it not being pumpkin season in the southern hemisphere at this time of year?? This Halloween I decided to have a go....oh boy, did not realise you could have this much fun all for the princely sum of £1.49.....I was quite pleased with the results...no horrible grinning pumpkin faces but tasteful lanterns instead...

 
As you can see we got a bit carried away & started raiding the veg box for any suitable lantern material...unfortunately they don't keep but we did enjoy them while they lasted.

We,ve had a lovely Indian summer this year and this has meant a bumper crop of beautiful leaves on the trees.....took these on a walk this weekend..

 
 
 
& finally a lovely beech hedge exhibiting all the stages of autumn..

 
I've always meant to go down to Westonbirt Arboretum, reknowned for its spectacular show of autumnal colour....time is running out so must make the effort soon otherwise the leaves will have dropped off.