8 January 2023 to 15 January 2023

Usually when we visit Cape Town and the ‘old hood’ it’s for a specific purpose and we stay for the shortest time possible. This time staying at a caravan park for eight nights gave us the opportunity to enjoy our visit and spend time catching up with friends and family. I am not going to write about every visit but I do want to highlight some of the lovely spots we visited while enjoying their company. Hopefully, this will tempt readers from afar to visit the most beautiful city in the world. Yes, of course, I’m biassed!

Noordhoek is still quite rural with many people living on small holdings. Horse riding is quite big here.

A great place to visit and meet friends is Noordhoek Farm Village which has a few novel shops and eateries. The Food Barn is very popular and on Monday morning we were there just after opening time at 8 am and it was already quite busy. The Le Petit breakfast was more like a Le Grand breakfast. The menu declared that you would get one egg, any style, bacon, mushrooms and grilled tomato. Well, it must have been a very large chicken that laid that egg – or perhaps it was an ostrich! Three slices of bacon and six rosa tomatoes plus a portion of mushrooms – all totally delicious. I could not clean my plate!

One evening we met relatives for dinner at another Farm Village restaurant, Cafe Roux. Remember, it was still the school holidays and it was busy! Most of the seating is outdoors. Inside a local music group was giving a concert but you had to book and pay for that. Parking was at a premium and we were very lucky to nab a spot as another vehicle left. We also got a table in a quiet spot. It was a lovely barmy evening and at this time of year, it only gets dark after 8 pm. Service was good and the food was excellent.

In 1679 Simon van der Stel was appointed, by the Dutch East India Company as governor of the Cape of Good Hope. In 1685 he was granted land situated behind Table Mountain. It was an excellent area for wine growing and the scenery was magnificent. Groot Constantia is still producing wine today and the homestead is now a museum. We had the pleasure of going to lunch with my brother and sister-in-law at the restaurant called, Simon’s which has shady seating under the oak trees. Here too, the food was delicious. The Earl and Michael had calamari and Moira and I each had a Duo of Lentil and Quinoa Salad. I asked the waitress to take a photo and it looked like she did but something must have gone wrong because the image is nowhere to be found!

I grew up in Fish Hoek and didn’t live far from there for most of my adult life. The beach was my playground and it was a huge part of my children’s and grandchildren’s lives too. It holds many wonderful memories. So of course a visit to the beach was compulsory. Near the entrance is a chalkboard and my cousin writes inspirational memes on it almost every day. Take a look at Chalkboard on the Beach on Facebook

The evening before we left the children came for a farewell braai and enjoyed the facilities at Chapman’s Peak Caravan Park

Cape Town is a beautiful cosmopolitan city that has become a popular destination for tourists. Compared to other destinations it is also relatively inexpensive. Some of the main drawcards are the beaches, the wine route, and the surrounding nature. Here are few photos from my archives that might tempt you to visit our beautiful city.

The rest of South Africa also has so much to offer – hiking, kayaking, surfing, paragliding, deepsea fishing, scuba diving, nature, wildlife, adventure and fun. If you have never been to this part of the world, do yourself a favour and put it right at the top of your bucket list. You won’t be disappointed.

Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World from Di

Here are this week’s questions:

What is the most comfortable vehicle you have ever ridden in or driven?

I really enjoyed driving our Volkswagen Caravelle. It was comfortable, had plenty of space and was easy to drive in spite of its size.

What is the most uncomfortable vehicle you have ever ridden in or driven?

The most uncomfortable vehicle I have been driven in is called an John Deer Gator and the driver was only seven years old. I was not keen to take a ride with an unlicenced driver but he assured me that he would go over the bumps in the rough farm road very slowly – And he did! Still, I think I prefer to walk!

Have you ever ridden a horse (or a donkey at the seaside)?

When I was a child we had a pair of donkeys on our beach. They were named Spitfire and Hurricane if I remember correctly. When not working on the beach they were kept in a field not far away and we used to visit them and feed them carrots.

I have never been a keen horse rider but I have ridden a horse several times. Our two older daughters loved horse riding when they were children and one now owns her own horse and until recently participated in endurance riding.

If you could have one of these as a pet, which would it be and why?
Black panther, cheetah, leopard, lynx

I know this is an IF question and just for fun, but I just can’t imagine keeping a wild creature as a pet. I am privileged to be able to see many wild African animals in their natural habitat and they are all magnificent.

Gratitude:
Never forget to tell the Special Someone in your life that you love them.

Love this meme below. I recently had my best friend spend a few days with me and we really get each other and can definitely be stupid together. Love you, Jen!

I have joined From Cave Walls Survey. Here are my answers

1. How many times per week do you post? Do you post multiple times a day? If so, how many?

I try to blog once per week but often don’t. I usually blog daily (or nightly) when I travel and have something I want to share with others. Most of my posts are about caravanning and our trips to the game reserves in South Africa but also generally about the South African Lifestyle and travel to other countries.

2. How many blogs do you follow?

I follow 68 but not all of these bloggers are regular. I have a list of ten favourites that I check regularly.

3. Do you read all the blogs you follow every day? If not, how often do you read other blogs?

I go through phases. When I’m travelling it’s all I can do to fit in writing my blogs so I don’t read as many then. But when I’m at home I try to read everything that comes up in my Reader or email.

4. Do you seek out new blogs to follow?  If so, how do you find them?

I used to but now I have enough to interest me. Googling a topic eg- caravanning + Blog +Wordpress has helped me find new blogs to follow. I have also found other blogs by joining challengers and reading the responses of other bloggers. If I like their responses, I start following them. Also reading a comment on a blog I follow might tempt me to check out that person’s own blog.

5. Do you comment on the blogs you read? If not, why? Do you respond to all the comments left on your blog?

Only if I have something I really want to say. I always enjoy reading what others have written but sometimes just a like is enough.

I usually respond to comments on my blog.

6. Do you ever close comments on a blog you post? If so, why?

I have never felt the need to close comments.

7. Do you ever unfollow someone? If so, why?

Not really – I have unfollowed people who haven’t blogged for a very long time and have obviously given up blogging — or died.

8. What content inspires you to follow a blogger?

I love reading about the lives of other retirees and I very much enjoy reading blogs from people in other countries.

9. What content turns you off from following someone?

If the blog is too political I’m not that interested in following it. Also where there is a lot of negativity. Humourous blogs are a hit for me and also informative blogs. I follow people who are into nature, wildlife and birds. I also enjoy travel blogs.

10. How important is it to you that you add a photo to every post?

11. Leave me a link for one blogger (other than yourself) that you think I should check out.

Because I write about the lifestyle in my own country, the game reserves and other travel, I always include photographs. I also like using clipart and memes.