The Cellars

Felicity and P got up very early to come and fetch us from the airport. When I glanced in the mirror at passport control and then down at my swollen ankles, I realised these were really not the best circumstances to be introduced to one's daughter's boyfriend!

Later, I dropped F and P at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where they began their walk up Skeleton Gorge to the top of Table Mountain. On the way home I stopped at 'The Cellar-Hohenort' for a shorter walk. I met elegant Jean, who is pictured above, and has helped in the gardens for many years. I very much appreciated her joining me and offering her wealth of knowledge about the plants and insects. This is the end of the flowering season but there were plenty of hydrangeas and roses, as well as plectranthus, which is at it's best just now.

I took Hamish to Muizenberg as the waves were good. I was surprised to see the beach so busy. Hamish had only been surfing for 20 minutes when the shark siren sounded and everyone had to get out of the water. It turned out that it hasn't been set off for months so I reckon Hamish might be correct in thinking his scabs were an attraction!

We had supper at Kitima in Hout Bay. Felicity was feeling unwell and P became quite quiet towards the end of our delicious meal. We couldn't work out whether it was from sea food they'd eaten before we arrived, or from heat stroke/dehydration, after their strenuous mountain hike (they walked the long distance across the top to the cable car having run out of water).