Wednesday: Further travel was via Aurora and Veldrif in the forlorn hope of seeing more spring flowers, but to no avail. However, we did see some blue cranes, with the female not too keen on the advances of a male (headache?). Thursday and Friday were spent catching up with family etc. The Cape was stormy and wet; a tarpaulin had to be purchased to cover the caravan and stop water from leaking in.

Blue crane, Aurora, Cape Town

Flamingoes near Veldrif, Western Cape

Saturday: A trip up west coast from Cape Town, Malmesbury area, first stop Philadelphia, a small tourist trap with a Victorian era feel to it. The Peppertree tearoom was very nice and worth a visit. Next stop was the annual flower show and Evita se Perron in Darling. The flower show was a disappointment and unfortunately we were too late for a show by Pieter-Dirk Uys. Further to Yzerfontein, a beautiful coastal town without the harrassing hawkers found in Paternoster.

The Pepper Tree tearoom in Philadelphia, near Cape Town

Sunday: After 3 days of stormy weather at last the Sunday of the Cape Town marathon is a nice blue sky day. A 04:45 am wake up to get to the 06:30 start from Cape Town stadium (I provided moral support). A lovely atmosphere, although the ba-drop was a bit slow; this resulted in a melodious “move-it move-it move-it” singsong, all in good spirit in an African atmosphere.  I spent some time at the Waterfront, returning later to the finishing point of the marathon.

Table mountain, as seen from the Cape Town waterfront

Then it was lunch at Onse Huisie (http://www.onshuisie.co.za/) in Bloubergstrand.  The food was wonderful, with most of us having seafood (I had the snoek, known as barracouta in New Zealand and Australia http://www.ij.co.za/live/content.php?Category_ID=49).

Table mountain, from Bloubergstrand

Monday: A drive over Boyes Drive, Muizenberg, with a short stop at the shark spotter to look for whales.  We saw 5, which was a great delight; to our disappointment, though, we later realised that they were swimming away from the shore into False Bay and could not be seen at St James.  However, we spent some time with the seals and fisher folk at Kalk Bay harbour, before a short walk to Fish Hoek and a drive around the peninsula.

Whale spotting on Boyes Drive, near Muizenberg, Cape Town

A train at St James, on the railway line from Cape Town to Simonstown

Tuesday: Final day before leaving to return to the UK in the evening.  However, there was a treat in store, namely a trip to the top of Table Mountain in the cable car.  A little scary at first, as the cabin has a rotating floor, but this also gives everybody a chance to see every angle before reaching the top. A wonderful walk with some lovely people along the “plateau”, bringing back childhood memories…it was early afternoon and time to head to the airport.

View of Cape Town foreshore from the Table Mountain cable car, with Lion’s Head and Signal Hill, and Robben island in the background