20th - 28th January

Friday 20th - am exercise, slow morning, washing ( drop off 2 large garbage bags,go for coffee & get back clean, folded clothes for $10) afternoon and evening with ridiculously generous  cozzie Phil , his daughter Nicole Gallie and Carissa (Nicole’s friend) exploring my old haunts & then the wineries of Stellenbosch & Franshoek. Topped off with a sumptuous diner overlooking Table Mtn and vineyards.

throw the dice and write about: 

1. best part
2. best taste
3. best human construction

4) best natural wonder

5) funniest language experience / word of the day

6) worst thing 

Wil (#1) Phil’s endless humorous banter especially about his “raspberry” (blackberry) & “bookface” (facebook), also the tour of old schools and houses of the suburb he and Jen grew up in included and number of places he’d rolled cars

Kel (#4) grapevines - I love the triangle shape of the bunches, the pretty leaves and how easy it is to pick a yummy treat.

Jen(#5) ou (bloke) ; koppie (hill) ; bakkie (ute); boettie (brother)

Jeff (#6) worst thing - nothing!  OK the “flat white” at the restaurant, geez we are coffee snobs!

Saturday 21st - am exercise, spectacular drive to Robertson, met by Helen and Steve Slaney (Jen’s oom and tannie), drive to Laura’s gift shop for a “ howzit”, then to an oasis winery by the Breede River where we had a tasty hamper and chat, back via Dassiehoek to H&S’ house, lekker braai (=BBQ) with the whole family (- Gary who is in Nigeria working)

Dice Throw:

Wil (#4 best natural wonder) the Langerberg Mtn Range because it is awesomely huge making me feel quite insignificant.

Kel (#1 best part) riding in the back of gary’s Landie ‘cos there were no seatbelts and we could stick our heads out the window like dogs

Jen (#2 best taste) snoek pate on the hamper spread at Breede River. It is such a richly memorable flavour and quite unlike other fish with its unique almost beefy oily/smoked taste

Jeff (#5 words of the day) just now, now now, right now - all can mean immediately, last year, in a few hours.....?!?

Sunday 22nd - slow breakfast, Jen 2 hour walk over koppies ,round dams & through vineyards with Laura & Pacino (pointer dog), lunch braai at Steve and Mel’s homestead on veggie farm.

Wil (#4)  the ICEY Atlantic Ocean at Clifton Beach - my whole body was numb when Mom called me out

Kel (#1 best part) playing & especially swimming with cozzie Kristy because

Jen (#6 worst part) having to leave the Slaney Farm only to come home (the drive was however quite spectacular and we chilled off at Clifton Beach when home see the last part of the day  - tough)

Jeff (#2) boned lamb on the braai, hommus, home grown tomatoes, chillies, sundried tomatoes onions, tzatziki in pitta pockets for lunch

Monday 23rd

am exercise (Jeff stayed in bed with a book!); drove out to the Art & Craft precinct at the Old Biscuit Mill and enjoyed a fine REAL flat white made in the Espressolab where coffee was been freshly roasted on site. At 3ish we joined Muriel, Martyn & Stewart at Kirstenbosch botanical gardens for another (not so great) coffee & a wander.  Home via Rhodes Memorial where younger brother Mike tried to fly off a 3 m high granite plinth when he was 3. Our stirfry had a rather SA bend, flavoured heavily by some tasty boerewoers.

Dice rolled for individual comment ( see key)

Jeff (#4) enormous variety of indiginous fynbos

Jen (#6 worst part) watching the endlessly changeable weather around the coastal mountain ranges to try to determine suitability for a boat trip to Robben Island only to finally pull out off the idea!

Wil (#2 best taste)  gelati bowl at Kirstenbosch tearoom with the Paynes - it had a whole jug of warm toffee to pur over the top.

Kel (#1 best part) music game in Jazzie (Honda Jazz hire car). One person sings a distorted version of a song  & the first to guess goes next. It’s funny!

Tuesday 24th

drive out to the west side of Table Bay past Somerset West to Kleinmond where we lunched & furiously nattered with Mom’s first cousin, Jenny Rousseau (now 78 & fantastic) and her husband, Frank. We stopped off for an amazing swim at Spark’s Bay seapool. On the way home, the drive was beautifully punctuated by a swim at Gordon’s Bay.  Such an endless choice of fine beaches in this majestic coastal city.

Evening dice roll before tucking into bed with books.

Kel (#3 - human construction)  the seapool at Spark’s Bay. It was warm and had sea urchins,starfish and fish in it.

Wil (#2 - taste) bovril on raisin toast for brekkie - kinda like home....

Jen (#6 - worst part)  driving across the Cape Flats where as far as I could see were rickety tin rooves housing the city’s poor black people. I did circle work imagining the insides to be cosy, colourful and welcoming; reasoning that a bit of adversity is a good thing; reminding myself that happiness is connectedness and as a group they are always in packs kicking balls, dancing, singing, talking, walking....but too much hardship & struggling is overwhelming. Are they stinking hot, unbearably freezing, intolerably hungry, utterly exhausted, hopeful?

Jeff (#4 - natural wonder) wonderous mountain passes and coastal ranges framing every picture & around every bend (Kogelberg ranges)

Wil’s worst part was seeing human litter on the exquisite beaches & his favourite word is now “gat” (pronounced - gutteral “g” or phlegm - ut !)  - meaning hole.

Wednesday 25th January

am exercise, Jen run, Jeff swim, then on the Boat to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent so many years in prison

lunch at Newport (favourite local spot by the seafront -salads & coffee STILL subOz.... searching..)

some afternoon bargaining at the markets, then to Camps Bay for a bob in the waves as the sun set, home for dinner

Evening Dice Roll

Kel - best natural wonder was the many colours of the sunset

Wil - chicken snitzel burger at Newports; crunchy , fresh lettuce & tomato and nice garlic mayonnaise.

Jen - worst thing was the water pipe bursting with a loud bang and soaking Jeff and Kel at Robben Island

Jeff - best part of the day was doing laps in the sea water pool at the sea front, breathe to the west and you see the ships in the bay, breathe to the east and you spy Signal Hill atop all the highrises of Sea Point 

Thursday 26th ( Australia Day)

up EARLY at 0630 for brekkie before meeting the Paynes to walk up Table Mountain. Perfect day. 2 hour round trip only from car park high up. Onto a magnificent brunch at the oldest winery in the Cape, Groote Constantia. Late avo/early evening swim,walk & rock hop along the Clifton Beaches. We’re mindful that early next week we’ll be in the UK and probably subzero. Soaking up the vitamin D. Wil cooked a yummy chicken & vege korma stirfry for dinner.

Dice Roll

Jeff( best taste)  Wil’s chicken korma stirfry - beautiful bountiful veges, some still fresh from cousin Stevie’s farm

Jen( best part) the morning recipe - hardish walk, big feed, stroll around olde winery in good company

Kel ( worst part) waking up early - I was having such a nice sleep.

Wil (natural wonder) all the huge granite rocks along the beach to climb to the top of.

Friday 27th

exercise, cable car up Her Lady Table Mtn, off to Robertson to the Slaneys for an overnighter.

dice roll:

Wil (best man-made thing ) cable car because of it’s 4000L ballast undercarriage which helps it balance in strong winds & it’s circular rotating floor to get panoramic views as you ascend/descend

Kel (best part) staying up swimming in the dark with my cozzies until 1030 & Uncle Steve jumping on Wil, Dad & I in bed when saying goodnight.

Jeff (worst part) crowds going up Table Mtn - 800 people/hour in peak season!

Jen (nat wonder) Table Mtn - unendingly charismatic, silently dominant and graceful, lingering in Her beauty, calling me always to Africa , my motherland.  

Saturday 28th

woke late to breakfast with Helen & Steve and then off to the farm for a tour of local wineries, lunch and a swim before the drive back to Cape Town.

Wil (worst part) leaving the Slaneys. I really enjoyed them all so much and want to see them again soon

Kel (best man made) paint ball gun. It makes a great sound and I love the sploshes of bluey-purle paint it shoots.

Jeff (saying) “oozit” - Afrikaaner’s version of “ howzit” & bokdrolickies

Jen (best taste) Graham Beck’s “Bliss “ champagne ( tippy top best champagne in the region - ONLY $12/bottle)