Thames Bridges Bike Ride 2008

Fourteen bridges, 33 miles in aid of The Stroke Association along with 2000+ other riders.

As I wrote earlier ("Cash Rich, Time Poor") for Mum's 83rd birthday "We took our bikes with us on the train and on the way back we cycled 30 miles but that is another story..." So here is the story:

Instead of catching the train back we donned our cycling gear and pedalled off. The first part of the journey was along the new national cycle route 22. This took us along a delightful valley running parallel with the Hog's Back as far as Guildford.

There we picked up the River Wey Navigation. It started off with a proper tow path but as we got into open country it degenerated into meadow. Cycling over tussocks is hard work and our average speed plummeted. By the time we reached Weybridge we had covered 30 miles and it was starting to get dusk. So we hopped on a train for the rest of the homeward journey. That had always been the plan we just weren't sure which station.

Then Friday just gone Mary said "Let's not cycle home for gym and yoga followed by a fish supper. Let's cycle past Wandsworth and keep going to Kingston!" So that is what we did.

A very pleasant 20 mile commute along the Thames Path arriving knackered at KOT about 8 o'clock. We dined at Frere Jacques, looking a little put of place in our cycling gear, then caught the train home.

Sunday was what all this training was for. Up at our normal weekday time along with our friend Lynn to cycle up to Clapham Junction, train to Waterloo and cycle to the start line. We were on the very first batch over the line unfortunately we only got as far as the first bridge, Tower, when Mary's bike took a puncture :-( that lost us some time but we were soon on our way.

After that is was the same routine as previous years: cycle, pit stop, cycle, pit stop, finish and go to the Bell for lunch and a well deserved pint (or two), then train home. All in all we did over 40 miles.

Clapham Junction at 07:15

At the start

Puncture at Tower Bridge

Richmond Park

Rest stop

Over the finish line

Helmet hair style

See http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157605025427055/ for a fuller set of larger images.

Thames Bridges 2007
Thames Bridges 2006

May Day 2008 in Trullo Azzurro

We have just had a long weekend in Trullo Azzurro. Out on the Italian public holiday (01-May-08) and back on the English holiday (05-May-08). That latter due to the English habit of moving holidays to the next available Monday.

Unlike the previous two <quote>holidays<unquote> this was billed as relaxing. South Africa was decorating and shopping and our previous Italian trip was unbagging the over-wintered bedding and weeding. Our efforts plus a "re-activation" of the gardener means the beds are looking good and starting to look established.



And mostly it was a relaxing trip too, I am glad to say. Apart from moving 20 quintale (two tons) of logs from where the lorry dumped them to the newly created woodpile.



The spring flowers are in full bloom. The poppies are everywhere and the road side verges are full of all manner of wild flowers.



One thing about the local market is that there are no beans from Kenya or mange tout from Mozambique. What you get is what is in season. Most noticeably on this visit fresh peas. In the pod of course not shelled or frozen.



We went to Locorotondo Market and bought food for the weekend. We had neighbours John and Chris(tine) round for Sunday lunch and in the evening, as if we weren't full enough already, went round to Mino and Carole's where we were arm-twisted into staying for the evening meal.

They had 15 for dinner as the first guests of the season had arrived: a Dutch family and a group of, mostly retired, English ladies on a painting trip. So Mary and I were co-opted into the brigade for table laying and mushroom chopping. We had mushroom souffle, green pea and bean risotto, vegetable stuffed chicken and one of Mino's signature dishes bread and butter pudding. All washed down with plenty of their own home produced wine.

Cash Rich, Time Poor

This phrase could have been coined for us. We do not have a problem with work / life balance - we have an equally excessive abundance of both! What we wrestle with is the triple constraint of work / life / hours-in-the-day balance - trying to squeeze a quart into a pint pot. Hence two weeks without a post.

The last two weekends have had a tidy symmetry about them, both involving mothers and old friends. Last week end was Scotland to visit Mary's Mum, this weekend just gone was Farnham to visit my mum.

Last weekend we flew up to Scotland and did the usual: baby sitting for Mary's sister Sandra and George. Saturday was spent with May, shopping and cooking a meal. Sunday we went into central Glasgow for lunch with a couple of Mary's college friends: Christine and Geraldine and Alisdair.


The McLellan Family Celebrate Mum's 81st Birthday
Jane, Michael, Sarah, Pete, Mary, Mark, Geri, Ian.

This weekend we had my old friends Carmike&Lorna plus youngest son David for a DP. Saturday we saw the last night of "The Importance of Being Earnest" starring Penelope Keith. Sunday we went to Farnham for Mum's 81st birthday. We took our bikes with us on the train and on the way back we cycled 30 miles but that is another story...

The Persistence of Memory

Since about the age of fifteen I have kept a diary. Not so much "Dear Diary ..." more like "Went round to Bill's, played conkers".

I recently went up into the loft and came across my diaries from the early '80s when I was young, single and had a busy social calendar. When I read entries like "Drinks with Simon" and "Theatre with Caroline" I have to say I was thinking "Who the #~$* are Simon and Caroline?". Many of the names I recognised and am still in touch with but a scary number had sunk into the tar pit of time :-(

For a while I had a PDA - a Philips Nino - and that was my diary. When it eventually gave up the ghost I was left with 3 year hole in my memory. Now I have Gullible's Travels and it acts as off-site memory storage. It is like being able to Google my own brain to find out what I did and when!

So here is some spider food:

• Thursday, March 27, 2008 - Went to see the recording of Ready, Steady, Cook
• Tuesday, April 01, 2008 - Went to see Youssou N'Dour at IndigO2
• Saturday, April 05, 2008 - Hosted dinner party for siblings and partners
• Friday, April 11, 2008 - Went down to Farnham to give Mum some internet coaching

Furnishing the apartment 3

So I took the easy option and snagged the photos that Mary had already selected from our advert on http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p96973. The apartment is only 57.5 m² but the terrace is a whopping 64 m².

Everything you see in these photos was bought in the mad shopping spree that was our visit. And I do mean everything down to the bag of pegs in the bathroom and the washing up bowl in the sink. Plus, of course, the scatter cushions as well - it's a girl thing <rolls eyes>.

living room and kitchen

front view living room

terrace view towards mountains

view from kitchen

bedroom 1

bedroom 2

bedroom 3 (single bed)

bedroom 3 (2 beds)

Opening up Trullo Azzurro for the Season

The weekend was a flying visit to Italy to prepare Trullo Azzurro (formerly known as "Hovel in the Hills") for the coming season. We closed down back in October (see "Closing Down Trullo Azzuro for the Winter") now we have to get everything back out of the plastic bags and put all the bedding, sun loungers etc in the right houses.

It really was a flying visit, out 7:30 Saturday morning, back 21:20 Sunday evening. We went straight from and to work, staying at the SAS Radisson Friday and Sunday nights. Extends our trip and makes it feel more like a weekend break.

It was a productive visit. We met with Daniele the architect who brokered a meeting with the gardener who we had never actually met. We got quotes for some additional paving work and settled up our debts from last year, respectively. Then we went in to Cisternino to meet with Pierdonato to top up the kitty for the "meet and greet" and cleaning services. We also got an update on the water pump problems (don't ask). Finally it was out for a very enjoyable meal at Refugium Peccatorum with neighbours Chris and John.

Sunday we did popped round to see Mino at Truddhi where he kindly gave a bottle to the just-bottled wine we saw being pressed as grapes last year. Followed by an unplanned lunch at Chris and John's. The rest of the day was spent weeding the beds. No maintenance had been done over the winter and the place was looking very overgrown. Fortunately it is possible to make a huge visible difference in just a couple of hours. Then it was a final tidy up and off to the airport.

T5 may have problems with baggage but Stansted has problems with immigration. It took 45 minutes queuing to get through to the immigration desk so it was gone half midnight before we fell into bed. Which is why we stay at the airport. We are back out again in May for a long weekend over the May bank holiday which should be much more relaxing.

Hermanus Apartment on YouTube

As well as taking lots of photos of the apartment I took a couple of mini-videos with my camera:


The Living Room


The Terrace

If you want to see photos visit our ad on http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/

Street Life (Clerihews and Limericks)

Walking across Waterloo bridge this morning I was enumerating to myself those buildings that I could identify. Chief amongst them being, of course, St Paul's Cathedral where Mary and I got married.

Into my head popped a piece of trivia I inherited from my father, also an architect: a Clerihew about the architect of that fine building:

Sir Christopher Wren
Said "I am going to dine with some men.
"If anybody calls,
Say I am designing St Paul's."

The unbalanced and unpolished poetic meter and line length parody the limerick, which in turn reminded me of:

There was a young man of Japan
Whose verses never would scan.
When they said, "But the thing
Doesn't go with a swing,
He replied, "No, but I try to get as many words into the last line as I possibly can!" [1]

Our first braai

We ate out the first couple of nights and then decided we had to eat as the locals do and christen our 'braai' which is Afrikaans for barbeque. Out on our terrace we had barbequed ostrich burgers and boerewors, a spicy long sausage. Washed down with an excellent local wine.

We have a picnic table up on our terrace that Mary spotted and liked at a local furniture store but we decided sadly it would be not be possible to get it up the stairs and through the apartment. It was solidly built and did not dismantle. Next thing I knew four lads turned up to give it a go even though we had not ordered it. As luck would have it the four of them were able to grunt it up the stairs and, by taking *both* doors off their hinges, squeeze it through the apartment with millimeters to spare. Mary was a happy bunny.

Furnishing the apartment 2

Saturday as soon as the fridge was delivered it was back to Tafelberg Furniture to finish off the shopping. And boy did we shop. The third bed, a truckle, a three piece suite, four bar stools for the breakfast bar, bedside cabinets and assorted housewares. All to be delivered Tuesday.

By the time we got back it was late afternoon and time to get ready for the evening meal.

The next three days can be briefly summarized: Mary shopped, I decorated. Ten hours Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday till 2 was painting the ceiling and walls of the living room and smallest bedroom. It looks so much cleaner and fresher.

Today all the furniture arrived and the place is transformed from a messy disaster zone into a very smart apartment. Now it is off to Mediterranea for a nice meal to celebrate. The other to bedrooms can wait till christmas for their lick of paint.

Furnishing the apartment 1

We landed at Cape Town airport at 9am to be met by Ronel of Percy Tours. By 10am we were in Tafelberg Furniture at Somerset West looking at beds. Having bought two queen size beds and bedding it was off to Hermanus and the estate agent to pick up the keys.

At the apartment it was a case of drop off the luggage and into town to buy the bed linen. Then back to the apartment to take delivery of the beds. Impressive same day customer service.

Then it was back into Hermanus to buy a kettle and a fridge for delivery the following morning at 9am. By then the shops were closing so it was back home to make our bed.

We drove into town for a meal in the fish restaurant at The Marine Hotel; the first place we dined on our first visit to Hermanus. Then home to fall knackered into bed.

Father's Birthday 2008

... this year was on the Monday. So the three of us siblings-plus-partners gathered at Loch Fyne in Farnham on the Sunday for a celebratory meal with Mum and Dad. Followed by the giving of gifts and general chat back at the house.

Mary and I did not hang around over-long as the back bedroom decorating was nearly complete and we were due a guest staying with us Tuesday (last) night. A bedroom needs curtain pole and curtains!

Chatting to a colleague on the Monday and hearing of her family's "X is not speaking to Y" and "I can't remember when we last got together" reminded me yet against how fortunate I am with my lot.

Mothers' Day 2008

Was spent in Scotland visiting the MIL. The usual routine: Friday evening and night at Sandra & George's, Saturday daytime and night at May's.

The original plan had been the not-usual routine of meet up with friends in central Glasgow but it was not to be. So instead one of them, Geraldine, popped down to May's for afternoon tea:


Mary, Geraldine and May admire a pashmina

Sunday we met up with G & S and their two, Ross and Sandra, for a Mothers' Day meal. Then home late Sunday.

Triple Crown settling in

It is eight months since my implant and I went back to Ashok last week for a check-up. The hole left by the extraction has filled in with bone as has the dodgy area to the right of the right-hand post.


Post and crowns - eight months later

The whole thing is made to amazingly fine tolerances, measured in microns. The posts have to be exactly parallel so the two ends of the "Siamese" crown can slide on. Compare the above with the before. The dark area is the part that has healed nicely thank you.


Posts and temporary crown - just after operation

Sainsbury's line caught Haddock fillets

extra trimmed
a succulent flakey white fish

So says the label on tonight's supper and on the back label the legend:


Ingredients
Haddock.

(!) Allergy advice
Contains fish

Well I suppose it would! Another gem from the labelling geniuses.

Alto Adige Wine Tasting Dinner at Enoteca Turi

Another fine eating and drinking experience at Enoteca Turi. This time the wines were presented not by Giuseppe Turi but a guest speaker: Tom Harrow from A Moveable Feast. We had the pleasure of him at our table so we not only got the speechy bits but more background as we ate and chatted.

Stuzzichini
Tastes from Alto Adige Canapes
Muller Thurgau DOC Borgo del Posseri 2006
*
Carne salata con barbabietole rosse e cren
Salad of salted beef, roasted beetroot, horseradish sauce
Gewurztraminer Kolbenhof DOC Hofstatter 2006
*
Canederli con speck e crauti
Canederli with speck, home made sourkraut
Teroldego Rotaliano DOC Dorigati 2005
Lagrein Riserva DOC Steinraffler 2001
*
Filetto di cervo con tre polente, radici di stagione e funghi di bosco
Venison fillet, three polentas (buckwheat, plain, potato) roasted baby root vegetables, mushroom sauce
Barthenau Vigna S Urbano DOC Hofstatter 2002
San Leonardo Vallagarina DOC 1999
*
Strudel di mele
Apple strudel with cinnamon, pine nuts, raisins, rum
Moscato Rosa DOC Elena Walch 2004
*
Coffee and fried pastries

My favourites were the Gewurztraminer, a powerful wine at 15% in a sweet Alsace style, and the Vigna S Urbano, which had the lovely strawberry nose of a mature pinot. However when we ate the food the San Leonardo and it swapped places. The SL was a bit chewy on its own but came into its own with the food - very much a food wine. For those who like to know prices they were:

1. Muller Thurgau DOC Borgo dei Posseri 2006 £13.00
2. Gewurztraminer Kolbenhof DOC Hofstatter 2006 £22.50
3. Teroldego Rotaliano DOC Dorigati 2005 £9.50
4. Lagrein Riserva DOC Steinraffler 2001 £22.00
5. Barthenau Vigna S Urbano DOC Hofstatter 2002 £37.00
6. San Leonardo Vallagarina DOC 1999 £37.00
7. Moscato Rosa DOC Elena Walch 2004 (37.5 cl) £20.00

All available, of course, from A Moveable Feast.

Jury Service

It has been such a hectic week that I have not had time to write about the jury service. Mary prudently suggests that I do not identify the specific trials nor am I allowed, by law, to discuss the jury's private deliberations.

What I will say is that I sat on two panels: one trial each week and the jury acquitted in both cases.

In the first trial my personal view was that both complainant and defendants were lying but for different reasons. A "not guilty" verdict was not difficult to arrive at.

In the second case I was sure the accused was guilty but based purely on the evidence presented by The Crown we could not be *sure* - tafka "beyond reasonable doubt". In the end it went to a majority verdict based on some good defence work and the poor quality evidence put forward by the prosecution. Bit of an own goal by the police and CPS.

There were various instructive and entertaining aspects to the whole business. One of which was hearing Mi'lud and learned counsel utter the F-word and other demotic English phrases in their best BBC English.

Another item was the little ritual exchange as each police-person gave evidence:
Counsel "Did you make notes?"
Police person "I did."
Counsel "And were those notes made within two hours of the events?"
Police person "They were."
Counsel "And were the events still fresh in your mind when you made those notes?"
Police person "They were."
Counsel "Would you like to consult those notes?"
Police person, turning to the bench "If I may Mi'lud."
Mi'lud "You may"
Counsel "Thank you Mi'lud."

At the end of the evidence the usher swears an oath to conduct us to a "private and convenient place" where we deliberate our verdict. I have to say that in both trials we, as a group, took our responsibility seriously and a good quality discussion, based on the evidence, lead to the verdict.

Wikipedia on: Jury (England and Wales)

Valentine's Day Meal 2008

Our Valentine's Day meal was at Brian Turner's restaurant in The Millenium Hotel, Mayfair. I reckon it was fair value at 60 quid for all this *and* a glass of champagne and a heart-shaped box of chocolates.

 • Lightly Spiced Oyster, Ginger and Shallot
 • Maple Basted Quail Breast, Mushroom and Hazelnut Risotto Light Chicken Tarragon Cream
 • Warm Lobster and Halibut Dumpling, Wilted Ruby Chard, Caviar Butter
 • Cream of Celeriac Soup, White Onion Tart
 • "Between the Sheets" Sorbet
 • Rack of Kentish Lamb, Creamed Spinach Onion Squash Mash, Vegetable Spaghetti
 • "Chocolate Indulgence" Soft Centred Chocolate Pudding, Milk Chocolate Mousse Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Sauce

The food was excellent. Mind you, as usual, we bumped the bill up a bit with a half of Meursault from Giradin and a bottle of 2001 Chateau Gloria. Then a taxi home; ah the joys of living in Zone 2

Italian Wine Tasting at Charteris Wine Society

More specifically wines from The Wine Society presented by Nicolas Belfrage MW, an Italian wine specialist who helps the Society select their Italian range. We used "The Society's Guide to Italy" written by Nicolas as our agenda working through all 10 wines, two whites then the reds working North to South:

White wines
 • Coffele Soave Classico, 2006
 • Le Giuncare Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva, 2004 (Monte Schiavo)
The North East
 • Boglietti Barbera d'Alba, 2006
 • Pio Cesare Nebbiolo d'Alba, 2004
The North West
 • Hofstatter Pinot Nero Riserva, 2002
 • Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Allegrini, 2001
Central Italy
 • Poggiopiano Chianti Classico, 2004
 • Flaccianello della Pieve, IGT Toscana, Fontodi, 2004
Southern Italy
 • Agliancio del Vulture DOC 'Armand', 2001
 • Brindisi Rosso, Vigna Flaminio, 2004 (Vallone)

Of the whites I preferred the the Soave to the Verdecchio although the latter cost 50% more, and I was not alone there.

Not surprisingly my fave was the Amarone (gobs of fruit to use a Robert Parker-ism) but the Flaccianello, which was a new one on me, was right up there with it. The latter is a Super Tuscan and at GBP 32 and 33 respectively there was a gnats whisker between them in price and quality although the Amarone got my vote. However for that price I could drink four bottles of the Chianti Classico - hmmm, tough call!

Working North to South was a bit unfair on our chosen alternative homeland of Puglia. The last two were perfectly OK drinking wines but at GBP 5.95 the poor old Brindisi Rosso trailed home after the two Tuscans. However I still preferred both of the Southern reds to either the Nebbiolo or the Pinot Nero.

All in all another interesting and educational tasting.

Sitting on a jury

and playing with my new iPhone. I am just over half way through my (expected to last) two week jury service. I shall write more when it is all over but it has been interesting to see the English legal system in action. Meanwhile this is a test of this new techo-toy's ability to blog.

I should point out that this was written while killing time in the waiting area prior to being called down to court. Of course phones have to be switched off whilst sitting and when you retire to consider your verdict they take your phone off you completely.

Leoville-Barton Dinner Party

Saturday night we had a most successful dinner party, though we say it ourselves. Guests Bron&Maggie and Paul&Siobhan seemed to enjoy themselves.

We usually have a theme like "what we learned on the cookery school". This time it was a double theme: "a vertical tasting of Leoville-Barton" and "recipes from South Africa".

The starter and main course were out of The Collection Cookbook and the Tiramisu ice-cream recipe was from the chef at the Makanyane Game Lodge.


Leoville-Barton '82, '85, '89 and '95

Youngest to oldest:
'95 was fine but all agreed a little more cellaring would be good.
'89 was my favourite for balance of fruit and tannins.
'85 was second favorite but, by the end of the evening, had nudged ahead to first place.
'82 was a little faded. To my TCA sensitive palette there was a distinct whiff of cork taint.

And the Recioto di Soave with the dessert was perfect :-)

SA Trip 8: Epilogue

Now it can be told. We liked South Africa so much we bought an apartment in Hermanus, Western Cape, at the Hermanus Beach Club an hour and a half's drive from Cape Town.

"Hermanus has the status of being the best land-based whale watching destination in the world. Southern right whales visit Walker Bay from June through to December and can be viewed from aboard a boat, an airplane or the shore. Hermanus is home to the world's only Whale Crier who blows his kelp horn when whales are spotted along the central sea route." - http://www.hermanus.co.za/

It was an impulse buy. We had not gone out with the intention of buying a place but we loved it so much we had a giddy turn and decided to expand our property empire.

Part holiday home, part pension plan. The idea is to holiday there for a few years and when we retire, or down-shift, to spend the (European) winters down there.

The money went off to the lawyers yesterday and the apartment will be ours at the end of February. We go out over Easter to pick up the keys and fit the place out - a long way to go for a shopping spree. Our is the one circled in the aerial photo.




The apartment in not huge (two and a half bedrooms, one all-purpose living /dining / kitchen room) but the terrace is larger than the whole apartment!

SA Trip 7: Constantia

Mon 31-Dec-07 / Wed 02-Jan-08

A short hop from Robertson to Constantia for the final leg and the final wine tasting at Klein Constantia. Given as how they do South Africa's most famous sweet wine, and one that has an association with Le Gavroche, it had to be on the itinerary.



After which we met up with Andrew, an ex-colleague who moved to SA some 7 years ago. His three week tour of SA and ours managed to pass within a couple of miles of each other (!) on the 31st so we met for lunch and a natter.



After that if was off to the third hotel in the Liz McGrath Collection: The Cellars-Hohenort and a fine 5 star hotel it was too. Another Gala dinner for New Year's Eve:



New Year's Day we spent hours walking round the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens


That evening our last meal in SA was at the hotel in the Cape Malay Restaurant. Then an early night for an early start in the morning and the flight back to the UK - Boo!

More photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157603729120090/

SA Trip 6: Robertson

Fri 28-Dec-07 / Mon 31-Dec-07

We left Plettenberg planning a gentle, scenic journey to Robertson along Route 62 - "Scenic Route" as designated on the road atlas. Reading the guidebooks Mary suggested a side trip to Prince Albert over the Swartberg pass: "One of the most - if not the most - spectacular scenic passes in South Africa as well as being an engineering feat".

The sign saying 'unsuitable for caravans' was a mind-boggling understatement. It was a dirt track scarcely wide enough for two vehicles with precipitous drops and no parapet wall. When we got to the 1-in-7 uphill and had to change down to 1st gear I thought "they have got to be kidding!" The views probably were spectacular but I scarcely saw them as I was white knuckle, eyes fixed on the road.

I insisted on going the long way round to get back on track - not doing that again! Then we found that Route 62 was closed and we had another detour so it was 8 o'clock by the time we reached our destination: Fraai Uitzicht just outside Robertson. Eat, sleep.



Sat: We did a self drive wine tasting tour:

• De Wetshof
• Weltevrede
• Picnic lunch at Viljoensdrift
• Springfield

Tasting wonderful dessert wines at De Wetshof

Sun: A walk round the farm and then a tasting at the eponymous Robertson. We ate in Fraai Uitzicht all three nights as they were a little out of town and I try not to drink and drive and I do not want to miss out on all the wines!! Fortunately it was yet another awarding winning restaurant.


Robertson Wine Route - Canna by the roadside

Full set of photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157603720132394/

SA Trip 5: Plettenberg

Mon 24-Dec-07 / Fri 28-Dec-07

The Christmas period was aimed at the garden route to allow for relaxing and unwinding before we launched into the next round of wine districts. Not sure why it gets the marketing label of "The Garden Route" - seems much like the rest of the Western Cape to me but there you go!

We (I) drove for six hours in a torrential downpour, wipers on Max, through the worst weather of the holiday to arrive at The Plettenberg.



By this time we had discovered that the travel agent had booked us into three 5 star hotels in the same mini-chain: The Collection By Liz McGrath. We had done The Marine at Hermanus and were booked for New Year's Eve at The Cellars-Hohenort.

We had a gala dinner on Christmas Eve in the hotal *and* Christmas Linch in Christmas Day. It was still wet that day and everywhere was closed so we ended up dining in the hotel that evening as well. Just as well it was a 5 star restaurant :-)

Robberg Island Nature Reserve:


Wed: Boxing Day was a walk round Robberg Island Nature Reserve. Not for the faint hearted this cliff top walk with some real cliff edge scrambling over rocks. Hard work and we deserved our picnic lunch at the end.

Evening meal at Fu.Shi, food excellent but the kitchen was overwhelmed by several large parties arriving all at once. Three hours for a meal. I would go back but they got no tip that night.

Knysna Elephant Trail:


Thu: A walk in the Knysna nature reserve followed by an excellent pizza at Cornuti Al Mare.

For more photo see Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157603675664894/

SA Trip 4: Stellenbosch

Fri 21-Dec-07 / Mon 24-Dec-07

Lunch and beer tasting at Dieu Donne:



Because of our leisurely departure from Franschhoek we arrived in Stellenbosch with just some time to wander around around town and get a feel for the place. We went to visit Oom Samie se Winkel an Aladdin's cave of curios, nick-knacks and tourist souvenirs. Evening meal was in the Fishmonger restaurant.



Sat: Another wine tour, this time with Keith of Redwood Tours and the wineries were:

• Tokara
• Thelema
• Rustenburg
• Morgenhof for lunch
• Warwick
• Simonsig

Then De Volkskombuis for a supper of traditional Cape cuisine.

Sun: We hired two bicycles and cycled 10k up to Sugarbird Manor - a WWF guesthouse. From there we did a 9k Devon Valley walk. We then cycled all the way back to Stellenbosch for an afternoon of relaxing. A quick trip to the Village museum then evening meal in the hotel's "1802" Restaurant.



Our hotel was the d'Ouwe Werf, it may be SA's oldest inn dating back to 1802 but it was the one with the smallest and most cramped accommodation on our trip. A bit of a come down after Le Quartier Francais.

Full set of photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157603667627786/

SA Trip 3: Franschhoek

Tue 18-Dec-07 / Fri 21-Dec-07

The next leg of our trip was to Franschhoek and the wine region around it. This was the cutest town and the best hotel of the entire three weeks.

The drive over from Hermanus via Villiersdorp took in some stunning scenery: it was like the highlands of Scotland but with sunshine!



The hotel, Le Quartier Francais reminded me somewhat of the French Quarter in New Orleans. They seem to have brought up a whole "city" block of houses, removed the garden fences and created a unique hotel. That night we went for the seven course tasting menu with matching wines in the hotel's Tasting Room (as their posher restaurant is called) - a stunning display of culinary virtuosity and completely over the top.

Wed: We walked all the way to Dieu Donne for a tasting then walked back again. In the afternoon we did a conducted wine tour with Pauline.
Stony Brook
Haute Cabriere
Moreson
Rickety Bridge



Supper that night was at Topsi and Company.

Thu: We hired bikes and cycled all the way to the prison were Nelson Mandela was finally released. Then on to Boschendal for a tasting. We cycled back to the hotel and got a lift to La Petite Ferme for lunch. I cannot remember which colleague recommended this place but it was probably the best meal we had in South Africa. Supper that evening was at Reuben's yet another top-rated SA restaurant.

Relaxing after the meal at Le Petite Ferme:


Fri: Shopping for stocking fillers for each other as we, obviously, did not bring all the family presents with us. Then the Huguenot Museum followed by a repeat visit to Stony Brook to order a couple of cases for the UK. Next another tasting, this time at Graham Beck. Then lunch at Dieu Donne and a drive to our next stop, Stellenbosch.

Full set of photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157603659002934/

SA Trip 2: Hermanus and Walker Bay

Sat 15-Dec-07 / Tue 18-Dec-07

After the safari it was a return flight from the airstrip to Jo'burg then pick up the next leg of our BA flight: Jo'burg to Cape Town. There we picked up the hire car and drove to the five star Marine Hotel in Hermanus arriving at 8:00pm in time to change and go straight into the restaurant.

The next day we went for a cliff top walk to admire the fynbos vegetation that is unique to SA. Along the way we saw an owl, a Dassie (or Rock Hyrax) and lots of the flora. Our evening meal at an excellent seafood restaurant: Meditterrea. A recurrent theme of this trip was dining in the best restaurants in every town we visited.



The next day was a wine tour with Percy of Percy Tours. We had the tour to ourselves and, as Percy is a fully qualified tour guide, we had an excellent and informative tour. We would highly recommend Percy and this way of doing wine tasting - somebody else drives, no spitting out for me <grin>


Our itinerary for the day:

• Newton Johnson


• Sumaridge


• La Vierge for lunch


• Hamilton Russell


• Bouchard Finlayson - unfortunately just as they were closing


• Wine Village

That night we went to dine at Annie se Kombuis for some traditional SA food; I had the Bobotie.

Full set of photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8179454@N02/sets/72157603652425163/