National Stereotypes?

For the purposes of research only, we dropped in to Rickety Bridge winery for a light lunch yesterday. While our lunch was excellent and we enjoyed tasting a couple of their wines, we couldn't help but notice the group of French tourists who arrived just after us.
In true French fashion - despite being in a South African winery - they all drank Windhoek lager with their lunch - and that was before they had been in the tasting room!

time to get away

After three weeks at Pearl Valley, it felt like time for a change of environment for a couple of days so we headed about 200km north to Draaihoek Lodge just south of Elandsbaai. The place boasted a private beach, comfortable accommodation and good food. Think they delivered on two out of three.

The beach was everything we expected - miles and miles of unoccupied sand with only the gulls, terns, Cape Gannets and Dolphins for company. We walked as far as we could morning and evening - there is definitely something therapeutic about striding along a deserted beach with only the sun, wind, sea and Linda for company.


The accommodation was comfortable but just a little tired - however it had everything we needed. Unfortunately, the food was disappointing - they have easy access to wonderful fresh fish and seafood but there seems to be a West Coast cuisine which insist in taking great ingredients coating them in batter and cooking them to death. 

Our fellow guests were a mixed bag - mostly German tourists who were happy to socialise together but probably as keen as I was to get into conversation with another foreigner.

Our receptionist was very friendly but probably fitted into a group that I would have to describe as non-gender specific.

We travelled further north to Lamberts Bay with a stop at the Verlorenvlei for some birdwatching on the way. Great flocks of Spoonbills and many other waterbirds but only one new species to add to our list. We also stopped at the Rocherpan National Reserve on our way south but the pan was dry and it was already 31C by 11.00 so we didn't linger long.

Home for the time being

This is our townhouse at Pearl Valley. Although it is on the Golf Estate, the golf course is not visible from the house. We are able to walk the paths around the course in the evenings or early mornings but it is off limits from 7.00am to 7.00pm in case of stray balls...

There is a good variety of bird life on the lake in front of the house including a couple of pairs of Red-knobbed Coots which are sitting on their nests. There are also some huge carp which are close to 3 feet long.

While we get the sun directly on the deck in the late afternoon, when it can get very warm, for most of the day it is shaded and very pleasant. In addition there are some blinds around the edge of the deck if the sun gets to hot.

Otherwise, we are pleased that the house matches the agents description and is well equipped - haven't needed to use the 80 bottle wine cooler yet  - there's plenty of room in the fridge so far.

However, it was announced today that ESKOM - the State electricity provider - has introduced load-shedding again due to generating capacity problems. We are currently at Stage 4 which means that we are blacked out on a rolling schedule for two periods of about 2.5 hours each day. Not sure yet if this will be a short term problem but time will tell. Luckily we have a gas cooker and the gas Braai, so we are unlikely to starve and the power hasn't yet been off for long enough to affect the chilled wines or beers.

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!