Omicron

 Or perhaps - O Shit! here we go again. 

The reaction from the UK and almost every other developed country seems a little OTT. Latest statistics show that UK (pop 68 million) had 39,567 new cases on Saturday 27th with 131 deaths while South Africa (pop 60 million) had 3220 new cases and 8 deaths - and the UK imposes a travel and flight ban?? 

Perhaps if the developed world stopped hoarding vaccines and instead helped the developing world to vaccinate greater numbers of their populations we would be able to avoid this stop/start approach which does nobody any good.

Banning travel to the southern half of Africa certainly won't stop the spread of the Delta variant which is currently shutting down most of Europe. Meanwhile, in his national address on Sunday night President Ramaphosa encouraged everyone to get vaccinated and floated the idea that this may become mandatory but did not introduce any new restrictions - yet.

The Chair of the SA Medical Association has stated that the first people identified with the variant have only shown mostly mild symptons. So no panic buying of toilet rolls yet but maybe I should start stocking up the wine cellar just in case?? 

 

Only in TEXAS

???????????

Visitors

 Our neighbours arrived safely on Saturday and we managed a drink and lunch at the Waterfront before heading home for the start of the Scotland match. Not a convincing win - followed by a disappointing performance from the Springboks. Wales had a good game against Australia and France were excellent against the All Blacks - bit of a rugby marathon - with a braai, Windhoek Draught and Delheim Pinotage to keep us going.

Wine tasting at Tokara on Sunday 

followed by lunch at Delheim,

but made it home for the Ireland game - another good performance - roll on the 6 Nations.

They had a busy schedule on Monday but we had a couple of bottles of Ridgeback Merlot to wash down our Back's pizzas when they got back - probably a glass more than ideal given that we had an 08.00 Yoga class on Tuesday.

Stirling played the Pearl Valley course on Tuesday while Linda and Patricia checked out the shopping in Paarl leaving me home alone for a few hours😄😄. Dinner at Noop - excellent food but very slow service - not sure I'd go back.

We'd planned a visit to Franschhoek followed by lunch at Hey Joe's Brewery before they headed for the airport on Wednesday but it all went pear-shaped when their health clearance for Qatar was declined. They resubmitted all the documents and headed for the airport with fingers crossed. It took nearly 8 hours for the clearance to be issued and they were unable to find any other solution so they missed their Doha flight and had to spend a night in Cape Town.

Back to the airport on Thursday to repeat the process and managed to get their rebooked flight, only to arrive in Doha and find that South Africa has been added to the UK Red List. Due to the difference between Scottish and English regulations, they are now faced with spending 8-9 days in Doha or 10 days in an Edinburgh  quarantine hotel - what a nightmare!!

Another Weekend

 Great hike to the La Paris abandoned fire lookout on Monday morning, early start only 4 of us and perfect weather. Up and back in under 3 hours and home for a shower by 11 am. 

Linda had her first appointment with a new hairdresser - she seemed relatively happy with the result!

Quite busy socially, curry with the Wilsons at Moksh on Wednesday, then an excellent lunch at the Fat Butcher in Stellenbosch on Thursday. Slightly chaotic service - which seems the norm - but very good steaks - thanks to Big John for the gift voucher. 

Met with Mike and Jacqui for sundowners at the clubhouse on Friday - almost ended in farce as their billing system had crashed so had to wait for hand written bill - and in a cashless bar it was then complicated to arrange the payment - think they need a bit more customer awareness training.

Just about to head for the airport to collect Stirling and Patricia - our Edinburgh neighbours. Planning a visit to the V & A Waterfront on the way back but the Cape Doctor is forecast to blow at 75-80km for the afternoon so may need a plan B (like Boris and Nicola???). 

Meanwhile Linda's off to a Russian Tea with some of the ladies - not sure it can be tea if it's served at 11.30 but......

Scotland v Japan, Braai, England v Springboks and Liverpool v Arsenal perhaps a few beers and maybe a glass of wine or two. A tough Saturday 

Where to start???

 Our visa extension application seemed straightforward - very helpful staff - now we have to wait for the decision. Otherwise, we had a great time in Cape Town  - an afternoon and evening at the Waterfront and then a great dinner at Utopia on Friday. Amazing views over the city towards Robben Island with Table Mountain behind us.

Excellent meal - with matching wines - an absolute steal at less than £20 each . Explains why the place was buzzing.

Much more relaxed on Saturday - after a leisurely breakfast we had a stroll around the gardens at Kirstenbosch, 

a bit of shopping at Canal Walk and still home in time for the rugby. Disappointing result for Scotland  - made worse by having to listen to a South African commentary team. 

However a storming win for Ireland - managed to cook dinner on the braai during the half time break - lets hope they can continue that form to the Six Nations and beyond. 

A good result for England but not really an impressive peformance. Will be interesting to see how they fare against the Springboks next week.

Lazy Sunday around the house - it was a hot day 28-29C  - with more to come. Hiking early tomorrow morning - on the hills above the estate and the week begins again. Preparing for a visit from our Edinburgh neighbours - should make for a lively weekend to come! 

More of the same

Just to keep us grounded, we’ve had level 4 loadshedding since Sunday morning and its scheduled to continue till the weekend. This has meant 2 hour blackouts three times each day which is inconvenient during the day – although very challenging for businesses – but the evenings are a little more disruptive, our lights have been going out around dinner time for the last 4 days. So I’m sitting writing this by candlelight  - although my blue tooth speaker is still working –with  Melody Gardot, Leonard Cohen and Claire Martin to keep me company. Must remember to pick up a UPS next time I’m in town!

We’re off to the Mother City for a couple of nights – staying with Ursula at Rouge on Rose as always – with dinner on Friday at her latest recommendation - Utopia. We’ve got appointments to apply for our visa extensions on Friday and planning a visit to Kirstenbosch gardens on Saturday.  

Busy sports schedule with World cup qualifiers, T20 Cricket final and the Autumn International Rugby – Scotland v Springboks and Ireland v All Blacks are probably the stand out fixtures - how the time flies by!!

Hiking

 

Planned a hike with Jacqui and Mike at Berg River Dam for Wednesday. About 11km, limited climbing and a swimming hole on the Berg river at the end. Weather was just right, cool start, little breeze and comfortable. Unfortunately, Jacqui brought along some new English friends who didn’t look like regular hikers – sometimes looks can deceive but not in this case!

Our progress was a lot slower than expected and there was quite a lot more water in the river than usual at this time of year. Our route along the edge of the river bed proved more difficult - shoes and socks on and off a few times as we waded across or along the river bed - and eventually had to retrace our steps. Made for a much longer day – right through the heat of the day. A couple of pints of Blonde Ale at Hey Joe's on the way home was some compensation.

The Goat Run

Before we left Edinburgh Linda had signed us up for the 8km walk at Fairview on Saturday. There were also a 15 and a 28km run along with a 5km walk. Large crowds for each event and after the first few hundred metres we discovered why it was called the Goat Run. Some very steep hills to climb and descend - definitely felt like we had earned the cold beer at the end - even if it was only 10 am.

In exchange for our ZAR 200 entry fee (about £10), we were also given a v generous goody bag:-

... and we were home before lunchtime!

I didn't recognise you with your trousers on!!

I was slightly nonplussed to be met with this greeting from Ally Legge when we arrived for our hike with her, Lyn, Wilma, Trish, Estelle, Petra and a number of others at Muizenberg on the back side of Table Mountain Park this morning - however I was probably wearing a kilt last time I saw her!

Great hike on the Ou Kraal trail - about four hour round trip with a lunch stop on Muizenberg Peak - with good company great views -

and almost perfect weather 20C and sunshine at the start and 24C at the end with a strong cooling breeze. 

Reminded that other people sometimes have different dietary requirements when Linda offered around Jelliatric jelly babies

- a present from her sister - they had to be examined and then declined because of the gelatin content - reminded how lucky I am to have avoided such dietary restrictions! 

While I had a recuperative glass of Chenin Blanc followed by ice cream on the front at Muizenberg afterwards Linda settled for a Rooibos & Lemongrass Kombucha (???) - although we both decided to skip the fish and chips that were offered. 

After a quick stop on the way home at a garden centre on the N1, we managed a glass or two of Rosé in the sunshine on the deck followed by a chicken casserole washed down with an excellent 2011 Delheim Chardonnay. 

Might have to rest tomorrow

We thought it was all over.....

A surprise this evening, when we arrived for dinner! The lodge staff had set up a private dining table for us in the library to celebrate Linda's birthday 

The wine pairing dinner was excellent and of course there was a birthday cake 

delivered along with a birthday message from Jeanette, Debs and Jade which explains how they found out!

To quote Kenneth Wolstenholme - ' They think its all over - it is now!' 

Definitely!

Another excellent recommendation

We have followed in the footsteps of Ali T and Neil at Timbavati, in the Kruger, in Stellenbosch, at a number of Edinburgh restaurants and again today in the Cederberg. In each case we have thoroughly enjoyed their recommendations and the Cederberg Ridge Lodge is no exception. Great location, excellent service, great food and a good selection of local wines - what's not to like?

After breakfast this morning we joined a visit to a number of rock art sites on the Sevilla farm - which also involved about 3-4 miles walking across the landscape.

Excellent guide - David - and a very friendly group of fellow travellers, including - almost inevitably - an English couple and their daughter who also have a home at Pearl Valley.

Managed to get back in time for Linda's spa treatment, a late lunch and then a glass or two of fizz to celebrate her birthday - in among the almost constant phone pinging with facebook, messenger and whatsapp messages. 

Dinner this evening will be the last of the celebrations for this year. Thanks again to all of you who sent messages or joined in the celebrations. 

Did I Mention Load-Shedding?

 A feature of life in South Africa, which I have mentioned once or twice before - going back as far as 2015 in our experience - is the continuing propensity for ESKOM - the national electricity generator - to be unable to generate sufficient electricity to meet the national power requirement. As a result they offer a series of rolling power cuts - known as 'Load Shedding' - which usually last for two hours at a time and can sometimes occur 2 or 3 times a day - and occasionally even more.

There are Apps which give the local schedules and provide notifications so we were probably not surprised although perhaps disappointed when my phone pimged on Saturday evening to tell us that the lights would be going out at 8.00pm. Luckily we still have candles, blue tooth speakers and head torches but still ...

Same thing Sunday evening - we'll need more candles! Hopefully the Lodge at Cederberg will be prepared.  

Our first week

There seems to have been a lot of shopping - but I guess that was to be expected after so long away. We've caught up with, or bumped into quite a lot of the folks we knew when we were last here. 

Mildly envious of Chris Wilson and his AC Cobra - but he lives here full time and has space in the garage for a plaything - he's been a useful source of information on how to do things here but he's a bit of a geek and teetotal as well - not a great combination. Think I'll just settle for my Ford SUV!

 

We restarted our yoga classes with Carelene - and had a great yoga session with her - and a few others -

yesterday morning at Hey Joe's Brewery followed by beer and burgers.

Also had our first gym session with big John at the Yard and we're set up for regular classes from 1st November. 

There's wine and beer in the cooler, food in the fridge and it was 34C on Wednesday. We had a bit more Edinburgh weather yesterday - 16C and rain. However the sun returned this morning and it looks settled for next week .

The Cape Epic finished on the estate this morning - pairs of Mountain bike riders at the end of a fairly challenging 7 day stage race - we were able to cheer them on as they passed by the end of our road. We managed a quick visit to the Freedom Market and then a leisurely lunch under a huge oak tree at the Lynx wine estate - perfect Sunday afternoon.

Away for a few days next week - Cederberg Ridge Lodge, recommended by Ali and Neil - for the last of the birthday celebrations. It means I've been able to defer the list of jobs that seems to be growing by the hour until the beginning of November.

Rental Co finally delivered!

A busy Sunday and more

 We changed our plan for a leisurely lunch at Delheim as a result of an invitation from the Andersons for sundowner drinks and a braai. 

We still managed a light lunch followed by wine tasting and serious shopping in the winery before we headed over to their place - great deck, fabulous views and their South African son-in-law manning the braai!

We had a very enjoyable evening which went on longer than intended and included more wine than planned - don't they always?  And that's before we started on the Mauritian Rum!

Getting up at 6.25 this morning for the walk up to the Paarl monument - which seemed like a good idea after dinner - was little harder than expected but it was a beautiful morning and the sky was so clear we could see Table Mountain on the horizon.

 Coffee and brownies at Fleet Coffee as a reward on the way home  and then a fairly lazy day - still getting things sorted in the house.

Wine tasting always makes me happy

Sunday lunchtime at Delheim in the tasting room Our friend August was plying us with some of their great wines - came away with a few cases - just in case there's another lockdown 

Arrived Safely - getting settled in!

So, an uneventful journey - a bit longer than Mr Shatner's recent space trip - but probably less controversial and more comfortable! If I could get Scotty to man the transporter room and beam me up from Edinburgh to Pearl Valley instantly, I'd be quite happy but in the absence of that option, the Qatar flight from Edinburgh to Cape Town via Doha is probably as good as it can be. 

The Port Health and Immigration clearance in Cape Town was efficient enough - about an hour in total from landing, while the bags were waiting on the Carousel as we got to the baggage hall. The weather was decidedly more like Edinburgh - cool and wet - but that had been forecast. 

Then the Car Hire company had to spoil the whole experience. I'm not going to name them yet on the basis that they have promised to make everything right - watch this space..... 

Despite having booked a specific vehicle on a long term mini-lease about 3 months ago, it took them nearly an hour to tell us that they didn't have the vehicle available and could only offer us a smaller temporary replacement. It was only a small SUV for god's sake - nothing special! 

They promised to deliver the correct vehicle today and failed - again - apparently they cannot find an available vehicle in this class in the whole region??? 

Our drive home was fine - a little wet, but the house was in good shape and the rain stopped as we unloaded. Amongst the unpacking - and figuring out again how everything worked - we managed a quick shopping trip into town and got a replacement SIM for my SA phone which had been disconnected while we were away - I'm sure this will generate a few more problems with online banking and a couple of other services - but thats next week's problem.

One day on and we're pretty settled - everything unpacked and in its place - wine and beer in the fridge - Friday night cocktail and Sushi in the clubhouse and a very pleasant Elgin Sauvignon Blanc from Vrede & Lust to accompany our fish stew.

Tomorrow is promised wet but then the Sun is due to return and the southern spring will be here. We've already booked Sunday lunch at our favourite winery

Of course, there had to be a glass of FIZZ!

505 days

Heading for the airport and our flights to Cape Town via Doha with Qatar Airways.

72 weeks since we arrived back on our repatriation flight.

Definitely out of practice, packing seemed to be a chore and we're not travelling light.

However, we're ready to go in lots of ways. I'm sure SA will throw up it's own challenges but it'll be good to leave Nicola and Boris and their respective dysfunctional circuses behind us. 

Hope that the predictions of doom and gloom are as inaccurate as some of SAGE forecasts.

Any bets on the next targets for panic buying - hope you've all got plenty of candles, Christmas crackers and of course wine and whisky.

Our first visitors are all ready booked in and Linda's been busy organising the social calendar.

Watch this space and stay safe and well.