Saturday 21st January 2017.

Went off to Rondevlei Bird Sanctuary today. Lovely and sunny but very windy. It’s a conservation area just south of Cape Town and we managed to see 25 different species. –


Very dry at the moment –


Couple of flamingos coming in –


And a man on a mission through the wonderful dense beds of bulrushes –


Then a view of Pelicans and a few other species on a spit –


Then we saw this lovely fiscal flycatcher –


Followed by a weaver birds nest and some Laughing Doves. We saw the weaver birds but impossible to photograph in the trees!!! –


Called into Clovelley Golf Club for a lovely late lunch. Great view of the course –


Those are beautiful yellow water lilies on the pond. We had another feathered friend at lunch today –


Another good day. Been for a swim and now watching the Stoke/Man U game. Golf day tomorrow. 

Friday 20th January 2017. 

Just thought you’d like to see our villa – No32 – and our hire car – Saved on the car to afford the villa. 


We had a stroll down to the beach-


Lovely morning. Not too hot or windy. A couple of other pictures of the beach area –


Then thought we would try out our alternative form of transport – a little special –


Here’s our friendly lunch companion – 


He/she is a cape wagtail. Then a sign telling you all you need to know about FEET!!! –


And one about sharks –


Off for a birding day tomorrow I hope. 

Thursday 19th January 2017.

Very short blog today as we went to Royal Cape Golf Club and golf courses are notoriously difficult to photograph. Plus the fact – nobody else is really interested in our golf!


Beautiful backdrop of the mountains and the course is in very good condition considering they have had very little rain and it’s heavily played –


The maestro in action –


Here’s a cheeky family of ducklings looking for some food but out of luck –


And a very distant summer visiting yellow-billed kite –


That’s it for today. Down into the town of Camps Bay tomorrow.

Wednesday 18th January 2017.

If you refresh the blog I hope you will see a picture of Beatrice as the blog header. Seems to be working for me and not Gordon!!

Beautiful, hot and sunny. A lovely visit to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens just outside Cape Town. The gardens are quite dry this year as they are experiencing a water shortage. Lovely mountainous backdrop –


Pensive thoughts whilst studying information on the African banana tree which fruits once then dies! Not much of a life.


Cool blue of the Agapantha flower –


Then a lovely orange breasted sunbird –


Then a cheeky common waxbill –


This is the best way to cool off a very hot car. Thank goodness for material seat covering –


Then home for a well earned swim and just to show I am here!! –


The backdrop to the pool is the back of table mountain showing the cable car terminus and one of the gondolas – 


View of Signal Hill as the sun is going down –


Ok. Another great day. See you soon. 

South Africa January 16th to February 12th 2017. 

Ok. After a long delay let’s try and get started. 

A couple of shots from the plane on our decent into a very warm sunny Cape Town. A view of Table Mountain –


And good old Rolls Royce engines –


Then we arrived at our cottage to find we have a brand new kitchen with tri-folding flood to ceiling door onto the outside. I get so excited by the strangest of things!!!


Then we watched this female southern double collared sunbird trying to chase off her reflection (right) –


Yesterday we went down to the Waterfront shopping complex and watched the local pop group –

Leaving harbour with a little help –


And life on board goes on as normal –


Pollution the world over –


Then inside out of the searing heat 31C for lunch. The waitress who served us came from Russia and today there was a 55C difference in temperature to her home!!!


Fluid needed –


Then we visited the supermarket for provisions and were confronted by this –


Ok. That’s all for just now. See you later.