Augusta de Mist

Today we took Route 62 out of Oudtshoorn, the alternative to the Garden Route as a means of getting back to the Cape Town area. It continues through the arid and empty lands of the Little Karoo, but becomes impressively mountainous. There were several quite scary passes, tremendous views, but I was glad when we arrived finally in the valley at Swellendam.

Augusta de Mist
We are now at a guest house we know very well, having stayed here on each of our South African jaunts. It’s a house with a magical garden, filled with vegetation of all kinds. In the garden, hidden away, are rooms, well really miniature houses, one of which we have. With a bedroom, spacious and comfortable sitting area, large bathroom and even a kitchen corner, these ‘rooms’ are perfect.

This is the view from our front doorway. If you follow the little winding path down, you get to a pool and seating in the shade. Further down you get to the house where breakfast is served on the verandah. Tomorrow we will be served here a pan-African dinner cooked by two charming ladies from what they call Augusta’s African Kitchen.


Wi-fi, which has not been reliable for the last few days, is even worse now. We are contending with weak/non-existent signals and power outages. I am just thankful that, with a lot of effort, I get a blip posted, I can do little more.



I find it hard to accept that Brexit has actually happened. I just hope that people are not too disappointed when they find all they were promised doesn’t happen. (If you want to read a superb, if devastating, account of how we got to this state and what the implications are, read Ian McEwan in the Guardian today.)