Cape Town with Aunt Helen

After 3 days in the wine country with Uncle David, we spent three incredible days near the beach in the Cape Town suburb of Camps Bay. We stayed a few blocks from Helen's adorable cottage on the beach in Bakhoven. Much to everyone who wasn't with there's chagrin, we lounged, drank wine, shopped and strolled around. We had great weather for the first 2 days; on the 3rd day a major gale kicked in, though we managed to brave the elements to pick shells and drink a toast on the beach to Jennifer, Michael, Nick and Chelsea -- all of whom were there in spirit. In fact, the full rainbow that appeared just after our sundowners above Helen's cottage was their way of letting us know they were around. We wrapped up our stay in Cape Town with the most amazing Turkish dinner at Helen and Nick's favorite spot -- Anatolis. It was a perfect wrap to the most incredible trip.

Drumming on the Farm

For our last night in Livingstone on the farm, Liam set up a drumming session with a local musician. It was great fun -- Granny announced to everyone how much better she was with her left hand while totally off beat and key! We sounded horrendous, but had a blast.

Water!

Bore holes (wells) are as common in Africa as Blackberries in the States. I set out with Simon to fetch water on the farm and to see what one looked like (city boy). Here I am pumping water looking quite farmer, I'd say.

Last Night In Kitwe

In true Nina fashion, she hosted a stunning meal for us on our last night at she and Simon's home in Kitwe. There were 13 of us for dinner, including two adorable children, Fynn and Sinead. Aside from a chance for me to meet Nina's social circle, it was a great chance to christen she and Simon's stunning new veranda -- river-side safari chic, I'd say!

Beachside in Betty's Bay

We had a leisurely breakfast in the Wilderkrans dining room this morning (formerly the farm’s stables) and then drove west to the Atlantic, and then down the coast a bit to meet Helen and Nigel at Nigel’s fantastic mid-century beach house in Betty’s Bay. After a stroll through the “jack ass” penguin colony (no, that’s not mom’s terminology, it’s actually their name) we had a casual Sunday lunch on the harbor in Kleinmond. This is easily the most beautiful place I've ever seen -- just incredible!

Cape Town with Aunt Helen

We arrived in Cape Town on Friday after a stormy, chaotic transfer in Jozi. Uncle David met us at the airport, and then escorted us out in our PIECE OF MAIRD renault (sorry, Colette, the French build the worst cars on the planet) to his home near Howe Hoek, the inn that Jennifer and Michael managed back in the mid 70s. We met up with Aunt Helen and her friend, Nigel, on Saturday. David, Helen, Nigel, Colette and I then headed out to Franschhoek for the South African Cheese Festival. Colette and I were in heaven -- the wine, cheese, scenery and people-watching were full-on first world. As we've felt for most of the trip, we wondered if we'd been dropped from a UFO onto another planet. It's funny how the first world can feel so foreign after so much time in the bush! We wrapped up the day with a braai at Uncle David's -- William and his wife, Marina, and William's mom, Chris, joined us for a great evening. All in all it was a fantastic day.

Gorge Swing with Liam

For those of you who know me, you'll find this most unbelievable... i actually jumped off a cliff in tandem with my brother, Liam, in Livingstone. It was a 200-foot drop. And for those of you who know me, you won't be surprised that I screamed like a girl all the way down! While I will never do something like it again, it was incredible to break through this life-long fear with my brother.