Competition for the Kings Wark??

After an early morning cycle on Sunday, I scrubbed up to Linda's satisfaction and we headed to the Polo Club at Val de Vie for brunch - a lovely location, 16 Chukkas of Polo, a welcoming glass of Val de Vie fizz, and an excellent breakfast.

While the Kings Wark, Finn & Bear, Toast and our other brunch venues in Leith could all come close on food quality, the location and weather here definitely give the Polo Club the edge.

Another 6 Nations weekend

Leisurely start to our Saturday - a day off from cycling and yoga. We managed a relaxed and informative gin and Grappa tasting at Wilderer and returned home with a bottle of their Fynbos Gin for Linda - along with some designer tonic - and a Pinotage Grappa for me - a perfect night cap it seems.

Another reason why James P should bring Suzanne to SA for the March Break!

Ally and Sue stopped by for a drink this afternoon, before the rugby started. We watched Ireland's somewhat laboured win over Scotland followed by the Wales/Italy game where I would have to admit I was supporting Conor O Shea's Italian team.  Some interesting games to come and I'm still tempted to try for some tickets for the World Cup games in Japan.

Paarl Mountain

We woke to a cool overcast morning on Friday with the temperature at a very pleasant 20C and decided it would be ideal for a hike in the Paarl Mountain reserve.

As we left the car at 9.30 it was still grey and 21C and we were able to identify the butterflies as they sat warming themselves, but within an hour the sun was breaking through the cloud and the temperature was climbing. By 11.30 as we reached the top of the Bretagne rock - 654m above sea level - we had clear blue skies and 29C and the butterflies were too fast to see but the Anole were happy to pose for us - showing off their camouflage.

Headed home - after a coffee stop in town while they washed the red dust off the car. a couple of hours relaxing and then set off for an hour on the bike - trying to get used to riding in the hot weather.

Only managed one lap before I got a puncture - thankfully only a short walk from home - and by the time that was sorted it was time to get ready for dinner at La Paris - celebrating Ally's birthday.

Back in Roosevelt E. Roosevelt territory

ITS HOT - DAMN HOT!
I'm sure some of you may be interested to know that it is 5C in Edinburgh today according to my smartphone, but the fact that it is 43C here (about 109F for our Canadian friends) is of more immediate interest to us. I think the last time we experienced these temperatures was in 2017 in St Lucia in KwaZulu Natal.

I managed 30km on the bike in the cool morning air, followed by some essential food shopping and a wine tasting at Fairview which allowed us to purchase our wine supplies for the weekend. However by the time we got home for lunch it was already too hot for any outdoor activities.

Currently sitting inside with the blinds drawn and the AC blasting an icy breeze around me - with a chilled Elgin Sauvignon Blanc from Tokara to cool my inner self.

While my conscience is suggesting I should get up and do something useful, the effort of raising the wineglass is as much as I can manage.

Hopefully it will cool down this evening so we can make it to the clubhouse for a sundowner.

PS - Since it was the same price to purchase the new bike as it was to extend the rental until after the Argus, I am now the  proud owner of a very smart roadbike. Not sure what I'll do with it in 9 weeks time but that's a long way off.
Maybe I could take it to Mississauga on our next trip and go cycling with Malcolm and his club!

Monday morning

The grey skies and the rain have passed by and normal service is resumed.

What the weekend is for?

A very pleasant Braai on Saturday afternoon with Sue and Ally and Cam, along with Nicole and Ailsa visiting from the UK - thanks to Cam for the cooking. A glass or two of the Graham Beck MCC, and a Tokara Chardonnay to follow - in preparation for Sunday's ride I was trying to be good.

Home in time for the Six-Nations and a win for Scotland - although they'll need to be more controlled for the other games. Disappointing performance from Ireland - not the start we were expecting.

After the heat wave last week, wasn't sure whether to believe the rain that was forecast for Sunday morning, but sure enough, as I left the house at 6.45 the drizzle started. Thankfully it was dry at the start and stayed that way mostly for the first 60km. It was a very grey morning but the temperature stayed around 20C which was ideal for the race. There were a good number of hills but none of them seemed to match the race profile that had been published so I was quite grateful. However by the time we reached the final 10km marker, the rain arrived and stayed with us till the end.

Managed to complete the 72km course in under 3 hours without any mishaps and was home by 11.30 for a celebratory glass of the Muratie 'Lady Alice' MCC Rosé. Have to admit I didn't stir much for the rest of the day - other than a gentle stroll to the Clubhouse for a sundowner.

A flaw in the plan?

Having set ourselves the goal of only buying wine from the cellar door, we chose the Dieu Donne Winery for our tasting and lunch yesterday. Impressive location on the hillside looking down on Franschhoek, a good restaurant and a selection of 4 or 5 whites and a similar number of reds.

We only needed a couple of bottles of each so didn't expect there would be a problem. However, what happens when you don't like any of the whites? Thankfully, the solution to this unexpected problem was close at hand - visit another winery!

So, after an excellent lunch - the Springbok Loin was particularly good - and with our two Dieu Donne reds - a very drinkable table blend and a good Shiraz - we headed off to Tokara to taste their whites and found an Elgin Sauvignon and their estate Chardonnay more to our taste. Of course, making a detour via the Delicatessen on the way out resulted in the purchase of their premium Olive oil and a Balsamic and a bottle of Rosé just in case. I do love shopping after a good lunch.