November 2011

9th November  The month has started off with a flurry of domestic activity involving the mounting of a smart stainless steel gas fireplace in the living room and the replacement of my old stove with an under counter oven and a gas hob. As usual my timing was impeccable in as much as there is virtually no gas to be had at the moment due to unforseen closures of gas plants around the country. I will just have to scrounge off friends or eat out! I had a lovely day out with grandson Daegan on Sunday when I took him to see the penguins and we had a beach visit and picnic.

African or jackass penguin at Boulders Beach, Cape Town, followed by sand castles at Seaforth and sausages in the shade.

Wednesday 16th. As usual on a Wednesday I went for my Walk with the Wednesday group. We met at the Rycroft Gate to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and headed up nursery Ravine for the top of Table Mountain. Once at the top we split up with the larger group heading for Clef Peak and six of us taking an easier route down. It was a lovely day and I was enjoying the views and taking photos which meant that I was often some distance behind the rest.

Just after we got back into the Garden and while I was about 30m behind the other five a man came towards me up the path. He looked confused and I was just about to ask him if he was lost when he rushed forward and said, ” You don’t want to die, give me wallet, camera, cell phone”. I wasn’t about to argue and reluctantly handed over my precious new camera. While I was doing this another man ran up the path and behind me from where he was trying to pull my backpack off. This resulted in my landing on my bottom as the pack was secured round my waist. I unchipped the pack and they ran off as my fellow walkers started to appear on the path in front of me. The thieves had already tried to pull one ogf the other walkers pack off her back but her companions set about them with their walking sticks so they gave up. About 200m further down the path we came across a gardening contingent and they used their short wave radios to alert security. To cut a long story short my bag was found discarded, with the contents tipped out but nothing missing, the two men were caught with my camera which was returned to me. I didn’t get away from the Police Station for a few hours but at the end of the day it was the best possible of all outcomes. No one was hurt, all the goods were recovered and the thieves were caught.

Thursday 17th . Gill, Peter and I went out to the Roberson Valley wine route to stock up. We had a lovely day and the vehicle fairly groaned under the weight on the way home.

26th November. I took Daegan out for a few         

hours today and as there was too cold a wind

to go to the beach we went to Silvermine and

he walked all the way round the resevoir, with

lots of stops for rest and refreshment!

On Monday I am off to Plettenberg Bay for the week with friends from the Wednesday walking group.

29th November. We had a safe and uneventful drive through to Plett and met up with the others for drinks and talks about what we would be doing today which in the event turned out to be a wonderful hike in the Robberg Park.

The sea was an amazing colour and looked very inviting but was bitingly cold, unexpected for the Indian Ocean. We are staying in three adjoining self catering holiday appartments with reasonable balconies. This evening we are having a BBQ on one of them. One of the delights of the walk was the opportunity to get close to an immature Kestrel.

30th November. Last evening’s BBQ was a great success and Rory and Gill did a splendid job of cooking everyones meat while Cas and I did salads and new potatoes. The meal was rounded off with a delicious Melktart from Tessa’s Farm Stall. Tessa joined us for the evening.

Today the group did two trails. I joined then for the first, the Kalanderkloof Trail and beachcombed in the afternoon while they did the Salt River Trail.

Rory and Gill cooking up a storm!

The morning’s walk took us from forest………

tothr plateau and down to the sea.

Beachcombing beauties, the fruits of a couple of hours of happy fossicking!

1st December was a mostly wet day. We started off with a drive to find the historical old Timber Store. Not much remains of the building and there were no ‘storey boards’ or other information.

We drove out to Robberg Park again this time to look at a cave where extensive excavation has taken place and there is a good on site museum. This was very impressive.

We took a short beach walk in Keurbooms looking for a rock arch but were thwarted by rocky outcrops and the height of the tide. We visited Katrien’s lovely house on the banks of the river. Halk the group stayed for a river walk and four of us came back. Murphy’s law dictates that the sun come out at this point, we were not disappointed and I expect that the walkers weren’t either.