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Thursday 5 May.

 

 

We lay in bed for over an hour with a cup of tea and the paper before showering and getting up for breakfast. I hadn't missed anything last night in the rest of the football match, there was no further score and Man City are out of the European Cup. Ray had the recording of the game on the TV when we came down and I made the mistake of telling hime the score and spoiling it for him.

 

Chocolate daisy?

A cormorant drying itself.

More pretty flamingoes.

Carol & Ray's house is up that creek!

After breakfast we went over with Carol, Ray and the dogs to feed the friend's cat. We had another walk to Park Island afterwards while the others headed home. This time we took a path in the other direction and at the end we could see the channel that runs up past Ray and Carol's house. The path stuck to near the edge of the water all the way and the mountains were crystal clear and magnificent today. The weather was nice and bright, no clouds in the sky, but there was a strong bitterly cold wind blowing. We had taken Carol's advice this morning about wrapping up well and were grateful that we had worn our fleeces. The area was a mass of wild shrubs and as we passed one there was a strong distinctive smell of chocolate. I checked on a large bush with yellow daisy like flowers and it was coming from it. As we carried on there was a couple of small bridges to cross before we came to the bird hide we had seen yesterday. We went to it and had a good view of flamingoes and coots swimming in large groups in the water. The flamingoes were most impressive and colourful when they took off from the water, running along the surface before getting enough speed to take off. After we left the hide we reached the bench where we sat yesterday beside the statues of the seals but it was too cold today to linger and we took the familiar route to the bridge out of the island and back to the house.

 

A pleasant lunch in good company.

View from Constantia Glen dining romm.

There was a nice hot cup of tea waiting when we got in. When we were chatting Moira discovered that Ray didn't know that he could claim part of Carol's 'unused' tax allowance in the UK to reduce his tax burden. They got on to the HMRC web site, filled in the required form online and submitted it. We thought it would take a while but later in the day Ray got word that his tax coding had been adjusted accordingly. This will save him a few hundred £'s a year, so we have paid for our 'keep'.

 

 

 

Carol & Ray after lunch.

We left for lunch just before 1:00 pm to Constancia Glen where we booked yesterday. We wanted to sit outside with the outstanding view in front of us but we were worried about the cold wind. The area where we thought we would be seated was quite exposed but that was for the wine tasting, the dining tables were on a balcony, open at the front but covered at the sides and top to give shelter from the elements. It was a perfect setting we had a glorious panorama of the mountains with the fields and rows of vines in the foreground. It was a simple meal; we ordered the cheese board, a variety of small portions of cheeses, and the meat board, hams and salami with pickles and olives. I chose one of the vineyards red wines and it was much better than the plonk we usually drink. It was very nice and in particular we enjoyed a soft blue veined cheese called Camelot that was from KZN so we will look out for it there when back in 'Tweni.

 

After the meal we were returning home and I requested that we go back via Chapman's Peak. It is one of the most scenic route there is and part of the route of the 'Two Ocean's Marathon'. The road winds up the hill with outstanding views of Hout Bay and the mountains beyond then once over the top snakes down where it is carved into the rocky mountainside. Now we have views of the long sandy beach at Nordhoek that looks a delightful spot for swimming but the water is icy cold with the currents bringing the waters up from the Antarctic. Instead of carrying on to Fish Hoek Ray cut over the mountains by the Ou Kapse Weg (Old Cape Road), this road was used on the Two Oceans when the Chapman's Peak route was closed for a long time due to rock slides. Once over the mountains, the ones we could see behind the marina, we dropped down to Muizenburg and home. It had been one of the most scenic drives in the World and we always do it when in Cape Town.

The plan for the evening was to go to Muizenburg beach and let the dogs run along the sand then later pick up fish and chips for dinner. Unfortunately the weather was deteriorating, clouds were building up over the mountains and the wind was stronger. The decision was made to go anyway and we wrapped up well in long tracksuit bottoms and anoraks. It kept dry but the wind was strong as we chased after the dogs over the flat beach at Muizenburg but we didn't stay long in the now gale force wind. The fish and chip shop was nearby and as soon as Carol picked up the suppers we were quickly on our way home to keep them hot. Before we went out Carol had lit the fire in the lounge and piled on logs, so it was lovely and warm when we got in. The fish and chips were lovely washed down with a cool beer.

 

Muizenburg beach in the gathering storm.

Later we sat in front of the log fire and now we had to strip off some clothes as it was getting too hot. There was more football on TV, Liverpool v Villareal in the UEFA Cup semi-final. We just watched the first half again and Liverpool were leading 1-0. It was much better game than last night and we will wait until morning to get the result.

 

 

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