Windy

This is the Dutch Reformed Church on the main street of Franschhoek. It is usually set against a blue sky and has a backdrop of mountains - a photo I took yesterday is like that. Today we have cloud and the highest mountains, certainly this morning, were not to be seen. It is still warm to us (the locals are wearing jumpers!) - 20C instead of 29. And there has been a fair amount of sun this afternoon. It’s windy though. 

After a leisurely morning, with breakfast on the patio, we sorted things out a bit and then had a wander along the main Franschhoek street. Then we went for lunch at our favourite Wine Estate, Backsberg, just outside Franschhoek, and shared an excellent Cheese Platter. We bought some wine and had a great conversion with the lady (in Extras), who was working in the Wine Tasting Room and helped us take the wine to the car. She was laughing as she  told us about her first language of Xhosa, her second language of English and her ‘only when I have to’ third language of Afrikaans. It’s through such people that we get to know this country. A delightful lady. 

Back to the Dutch Reformed Church
Built in 1847, the Church is the oldest building in the village. It was built on land that was Huguenot farm land and, once built, the church and the manse formed the nucleus of the current village. Having learnt quite a lot about the Huguenot connection with Franschheuk (French Corner) when we were here last time, we were interested to read about these beginnings from a useful map/guide that Gordon bought this morning. 

We read about one of the original Huguenot farms, La Cotte, which was the one whose land was used on which to build the Church, and realised that it might still be in situ. Being us, of course we set out to find it. And find it we did. At the end of a residential street there was the gate and a very helpful security guard told us we could walk in and view the farmhouse (currently being converted into a hotel) and the old mill built in 1761 - see second extra. 

We had to laugh at a Guardian article today about Love Island (some sort of TV programme I think!), which is supposedly set on a secret  and isolated island, but which everyone round here knows is actually filmed on a villa estate in the Constantia Winelands, just outside Cape Town. The article says that all the current problems on the ‘island’ are caused by the wind - it has indeed been windy today!