Appreciating nature

The southeaster is again blasting us out to sea, and with it comes some of the most photo-worthy waves I have ever seen. Murphy is once again laying down the law, as my camera batteries are flat and I am nowhere near a shop that sells these particular batteries, so you will just have to read my mind! Walls of bottle-green and paler cream soda are towering across the bay, the wind ripping the tops away into the wild blue yonder. The Kakapo reef is sending back tapering sprays measuring hundreds of feet and the turbulent white water of the dumpers is thrown straight up in a mass of foam. No surfers are out there - it may be dicing with death in these strong conditions and an unwary kiteboarder or windsurfer would be well on his way to South America. One picture from my cellphone will have to suffice for now.

You will have heard ad nauseum about my having to join the rat race for a month, but one distinct advantage is the drive over Ou Kaapse Weg in the early morning. Who could possibly complain about travelling to work through such spectacular scenery, which never pales into insignificance through frequent viewing. There are always new flowers - proteas, mountain dahlias, watsonias, ericas, keurboom, pincushions - a veritable feast for the eyes as you drive through Table Mountain National Park and have that endless vista to the far distant mountains of the Western Cape. That in  itself makes it worth getting up every morning and leaving the pleasant surroundings in which I live.

Two days down, 21 to go!

Behind a desk for a change of scenery

First full day at the office since, oh, it must be 2000! I'm talking about a business/commercial office, not my home office - that is an ongoing job with no office hours, 24/7. This is a temporary stopgap as the next person doing the job can only start in December and it's the busiest time of year, so I have obligingly stepped into the breach for a fee.

At first I fretted over getting up at 5.30 in the morning to miss the traffic, but I needn't have worried - the rooster next door is in full summer mode and begins tuning his throat at 4am, leaving me with plenty of time to lie there waiting for the alarm to go off. It's quite startling to notice how light it is at 5.00 and I thank my lucky stars that it's not winter! It was an easy drive into Claremont, with minimal traffic until Wynberg Hill, and even that was just due to the usual inability of people to close gaps, and missing a gear, causing a domino effect all the way back down towards Constantia. I did have a near miss when someone had to swerve to the side of the road to avoid driving into the back of me as I turned onto the Blue Route, as those early morning pedestrians (absolutely oblivious to the fact that they do not have right of way or should even be crossing at an on-ramp) were allowed to cross by some misguided person who also had no idea why he was on the road. So that could have been a nasty start, but as nothing happened, I put my foot down and turned the music up for a blast up the freeway!

I cruised into the parking garage well before 7.30 and was dismayed to find that the fee for a day's parking is R50 - when I worked there previously, the company subsidised the parking, but not this time. The cappuccino at Limnos (conveniently situated inside the building) was as good as I remembered it to be, and a generous size which could be sipped on for an hour or so. It, too, had suffered the effects of the demands of our labour force on the economy, but it has been built into my price, so no worries!

The young man who set up my computer so that I could begin work asked me if I knew how to use Outlook Express. My reply was along the lines of: "Just because I look as though I am the oldest person in the building doesn't mean I can't use a computer!" and he didn't dispute my inference. Oh well, I suppose it's that time of life when I am getting close to being the oldest person in the building, although not yet of pensionable age which is a good thing as I don't have one. An insurance salesman once asked me what my biggest asset was, thinking I would say property or something like that, but I whipped out a snappy reply: "Me!"

That is true for all of us. Our biggest asset is ourself - find out what you love to do and do it. If you don't like what you're doing, do something else. Never make do with what is expected of you and have a life less lived. I have changed jobs many times in my life, always on my own terms and always to do something new. You can also do it.

Brief reflection

A sudden return to winter in Cape Town has brought strong northwesterly winds with an accompanying heavy sea and grey skies. Still too soon to pack away those winter clothes. Sunbirds still chirp merrily although their song is muted by the crashing of the breakers nearby.

These photos were taken in the brief sunshiny lull between the fog and the cold front's arrival, which was rather sudden and unexpected. 

The weather matches the mood in our family at present, as we grapple to come to terms with the illness of a dear one. The world is showering us with love and kind words, with healing energy being provided from every possible corner of the universe, and we remain positive despite the greyness of the skies. Into each life a little rain must fall, but acceptance of cloudy weather is the way forward, as every cloud is followed by sunshine.

Kitties growing up

Mango Kitty and Mr Bigglesworth are now well into teenagehood, and with it comes the inevitable staying out late at night! They sleep all day, usually on my bed, and as soon as the day cools, they are over the fence and bounding around in the exciting unknown of the overgrown field next door. Soon they will be bringing home presents - mice, rats, little birds, lizards - for which I will have to show suitable gratitude and clean up when they aren't looking. But now we have to start the worrying - when will they be home, are they safe, will they get into a fight with the neighbouring cats, will the caracal come down from the mountain and spirit them away, will they get stuck up a gum tree and mew helplessly all night, will they raid the pigeon nest on the roof and make off with the nestlings.  The possibilities are endless, as all parents know.

The rattling of the dinner plate is usually enough to bring them bounding back over the fence and up the stairs, leaping nimbly up onto the kitchen counter (the dogs will eat their food) for a quick bite. That is when we close the doors and windows and curfew is officially in place. But at the slightest chance they will take the gap and be off into the night. The neighbours must think it very strange that we would call our cats intermittently until they return, as they are, after all, nocturnal! When they eventually are under lock and key, it's playtime - just to show there are no hard feelings!

A twitter in the twigs

There has been a spate of hatchings in the hedgerows, if all the young birds in the garden are anything to go by. In the early morning light, I sit on my deck overlooking the old gum tree with the sea beyond, waiting for a photo opportunity, either with the dawn light on a breaking wave or the early morning preening of the birds.
The smaller birds can alight on a twig, but the young black-headed heron prefers to stalk around outside the gate, with its comical back-and-forth lunging of the head movement. We have had a fairly resident heron in the field next door over the last 30 years, but this is the first time I have seen one that still has its juvenile markings. It was quite unconcerned by my presence and was in no hurry to leave, so I had plenty of time to enjoy its graceful beauty.

Birds appear to have no preference for the company they keep, and will happily share the same branch. The exception is when the sparrowhawks (black and red-breasted) or even the peregrine falcon arrive, which causes a mass exodus of birdlife from the tree as they scatter in every direction, a source of great amusement for me. Sometimes the raptor scores a direct hit overhead and then there are more feathers fluttering from the sky than you could ever believe a little bird requires. But in between these raids, life continues at a more leisurely pace in the treetops.

Extreme winds

It was a day when foam flew from cappuccinos, grit swirled and settled on plates of Eggs Benedict and vases tipped out their contents over tables. The southeaster gusted at strong to gale force throughout the day, making it completely undesirable to be outside despite the bright sunshine. Twigs and leaves were stripped from trees and the new spring growth took a bashing, wilting before our eyes. Clouds raced across the Peninsula mountains, and sand whipped and stung the legs of those still brave enough to venture down to the beach.

This is early summer in Cape Town, a time when we all wonder why we live here, and those who don't can smugly say "We don't have wind like this at home!" Windows and doors slam constantly, blinds are shredded as they are sucked out in the draught, tree branches thrash against the house as we huddle inside, safe from the raging storm. We jeer at reports on the news of a hurricane in some far-off land, as we clutch at our skirts and scarves and any other vulnerable clothing - this is a normal wind strength for us!

And suddenly - the clouds melted away, the wind dropped to a light breeze. We remembered why we live here, visitors recalled the reason for visiting, trees sagged back into shape and all was well with the world.

Wind giving us a good thrashing!

The southeaster is giving Cape Town a real thrashing today! The clouds racing up the Fish Hoek valley and tumbling over Chapman's Peak resemble flying dragons one minute and flying saucers the next. An instant later all has dissolved, only to reappear as if by magic in a puff of white. Clouds are nature's fascinating way of showing us the strength and diversity of the air currents as they are forced up by mountains, only to dissipate on the leeward side. Only a video would allow you to appreciate the current speed of the wind and a few snaps of the clouds are all that I have to offer. They are of the same mountain on different days.

More mayhem on our roads

I passed an accident today, at 3.30 in the afternoon. It had probably happened in the last 15 minutes, as it looked like a tow-truck convention, and the two paramedic vehicles arrived as I was next to the scene. It happened, as always, at the busy intersection linking Kommetjie/Fish Hoek/Sun Valley/Glencairn, and the probable reason is that one or both of them jumped the red light. It is endemic to South Africa that an orange light means accelerate and the red light should be ignored. However, you will frequently find incompetent drivers braking as they approach a green light, and even more often, not being in gear and ready to pull away on the change from red to green, thereby denying the line of cars behind them the opportunity to cross the intersection legally. This could well be a factor in our drivers' behaviour.

The cars involved were a Porsche and a Mini, both roughly the same size, and the Porsche knocked a robot out of the ground with what appeared to be a loss of a small amount of front bodywork, while the Mini was in the middle of the intersection with the front taken off and the engine in ruins. Overall, they appeared to have held up extremely well to a severe collision. As I passed the Mini, there was a beer truck on my right and a tour bus on my left and we were all headed for the same gap. Discretion was the better part of valour and I waved them on rather than become a tiny Golf wedge in a truck sandwich. So once again, bad road manners caused considerable inconvenience to all other road users.

We frequently see articles on the internet relating to 'The best 5 places to holiday", 'The best 5 restaurants in New York' and suchlike. Today there was a post on Facebook with videos of 'The 5 worst accidents in South Africa'. How embarrassing. They are all trucks and taxis causing mayhem and destruction with apparently little or no consequences for the drivers. The latest accident is not even featured yet, where a truck ploughed into 50 cars.

People don't like to be stereotyped, but until their most dominant traits fit in with what is considered acceptable in a civilized society, that is the way it will remain.

Some impressive waves during the year

Although we usually think of storms and cold fronts in the South Atlantic as being the cause of heavy swells along the Cape coastline when the sky is blue and the weather fair in Cape Town, there is another reason for a sudden onshore surge. Seismic activity along the tectonic plates deep under water send ripples around the globe and tsunamis have occurred all through history. The practice of building close to the sea has to come into question at times like this, and hundreds of years of little activity can instil a false sense of security. One has only to look at photos of houses built on stilts literally in the sand on the shoreline of the Pacific - and even multi-storey buildings - to wonder when the sea will reclaim its own. I would estimate that we live about 10 feet above the high tide mark, despite being a house or two away from the sea and the last hurricane did in fact deposit a scattering of kelp in the road nearby. The house is on stilts with garaging underneath, and I often think that maybe we should have it filled with boats rather than cars! Being of a philosophical nature, I don't worry too much about what might or might not happen, and prefer to enjoy every day as it comes, and particularly when the sea displays its power without posing a threat.

A brief tour of duty behind a desk

I had a practice day away from home today, in preparation for a month behind a desk in an office. In truth, it wasn't a full practice as I left home after 9, whereas when I go into the office, I will have to leave here at 6.30 otherwise the traffic queue to get through the Sun Valley robots will extend for about 4 kilometres. It seems unbelievable that this could be the case, but it is a bone of contention and a major factor in all objections to further development along the Kommetjie Road, as there is only one road from Kommetjie to Sun Valley and the most minor of incidents, such as a car parked at the side of the road, will cause a tailback for kilometres. A lack of driving ability in this area also exacerbates the problem.

But what will get quite a bit of getting used to is not being at home to take my 'weather' photo for posting on Facebook and Twitter first thing (there won't be time), or sitting on the deck with my camera at the ready, waiting for the sunbird to alight on a twig, or watch out for a flock of flamingos that regularly visits the Kom. A stroll along the boardwalk in the evening may be a thing of the past for a while unless dinner has been cooked by someone else, and my doggies will be alone (something very unusual for them). As for watering the garden, that might become a night-time activity, and housework (bleh!) will have to take a back seat until the weekends, which will be filled with admin work for our business as well.

How am I going to manage without my daily visit to the local coffee shop to catch up with friends, or the odd lunch further afield? What about a walk along the shady paths of Kirstenbosch, or a visit to the harbour at Kalk Bay to take pictures for paintings? When will I paint or write?

It is only when our freedom to pass our days in pastimes pleasant is taken away that we truly appreciate how lucky we are to be able to work from home and fit work into whatever hours suit us! It is only for a month, and one can never pass up the opportunity to earn a living, especially in an occupation that is worthwhile, but I am already missing home!

Putting plastic to good use

I have to share what I consider to be one of the best ideas I have ever come across - recycled plastic made into planks! Doubtless you know about this already, as park benches and tables have been made from this for some time now, but it certainly is a step up from the sjambok that you can buy at the robots which are made from recycled plastic bags. I hear that this material is being used for building houses, which will take care of an awful lot of plastic and save a few trees. The best part is that it is maintenance free, and anyone who has a wooden house next to the sea (like us) will be wishing that it was made from plastic! There is nothing worse than having to paint the house every few years!

A friend has transformed her garden and pool area into an amazing feature which undoubtedly has added more value to the property (and enjoyment) than the cost - I am told it is cheaper than wood - and it looks like weathered teak. Let's hope this catches on and we can get some of the rubbish out of landfills.

Friday evening at Hout Bay market

Maybe it's because I don't get out an awful lot (apart from coffee and lunches!) or maybe it's because I have an outlook that looks for the best rather than the worst, but I have to say that my experience of the Hout Bay market in the old warehouse near Fish on the Rocks was my idea of a good time! Admittedly it was a Friday evening when there is live music and the vibe was rocking - music always adds an extra dimension to an event - and those who have been there during the day have said it was just another market.

Despite the dark road outside the harbour, there was plenty of parking and security was everywhere. As a group of women, we felt unthreatened. Inside, the throb of jungle rhythm emanated from a stall where a large selection of LPs from our youth could be bought, as well as more recent, but equally dance-inducing selections. Stalls offering locally made clothing, shoes, rugs and baskets, wall hangings, some amazing light fittings, jewellery and crystals in raw form, local high end art, bags, beadwork and wooden sculptures provided plenty of scope for a friend to collect gifts to take back overseas, at prices that didn't make her cringe. There was a large selection of non-curio items which could easily find a place in my home and doubtless will.

But the greatest drawcard was the food! There were stalls offering everything from pancakes to vegan, Thai to Turkish, select-it-yourself stirfry (to die for, but easy on the chilli!) and steak. The chefs were no slouch, with a celebrity among them behind his own workstation turning out plate after plate. Once we had selected our meals, we sat down at a long table where everyone chats to their neighbours, and soon becoming best friends with total strangers, and when we were finished someone came to collect our plates! A coffee stand served unbelievably good cappuccino in a takeaway cup. Despite the place being packed, everything operated smoothly, with minimal waiting times and no crushing to reach the front of a queue.

The live music was outstanding, as is usually the case in Cape Town, which has a surplus of talent in this arena. A German couple who had arrived that morning told us that this was a wonderful experience for them - the cleanliness, quality of everything, cosmopolitan mixture of all races (that had to come up), with everyone just having a great time - way beyond their expectation. Hopefully this will continue to be their experience for the rest of their stay.

Both sides of life

The end of a perfect day in Kommetjie. A quiet afternoon spent watering the garden and reading, while next door the garage is broken into and a whole lot of stuff put into a Weber braai and trundled up the road. Not the ideal getaway vehicle, but what can you expect from a trio of tikhead opportunists who spend their waking hours peering over fences and observing comings and goings in the hope of taking something for nothing. Fortunately our alert residents and neighbourhood watch nipped them in the bud and they will hopefully languish in a cell for at least the weekend. Amazing what happens under your nose while you potter in the garden. It's not the first time it's happened either.

Having been to see the young girl who had been burgled and confirmed that lots of people were taking the matter in hand, I continued my stroll down to the bay, where all was peaceful. The tide rolled in and out, oblivious of the wickedness of the world, and oyster catchers chased each other noisily across the rocks as they settled into their roosts among the terns. Children played on the lawns and dog walkers walked their dogs. The sun shed its golden rays on the scene as if to confirm that life would go on as usual.

Ducklings on the pond

The Skilpadsvlei wetland in Kommetjie is now home to a Yellow-billed mommy duck and 7 ducklings! This very successful venture by local ecologists, with the support of the City of Cape Town, has seen an expanse of grass turned into a thriving nature area, with a large pond hosting a variety of birdlife, frogs and perhaps fish, surrounded by indigenous reeds and other vegetation. I helped with the planting of this last winter (see a previous blog) and it is rewarding to see how well everything has grown. The wooden walkway across the sometimes dry vlei area has successfully kept walkers on the straight and narrow and allowed nature to reclaim the area. When campers first came to Kommetjie about 100 years ago, this was a natural vlei, but the coming of development with drainage and roads turned it into just another unkempt field. Hats off to Wally Petersen for making this project his baby!

I took some pictures of the babies - hopefully they will all make it to adulthood!

Aaaah chooo!!

The heady scent of the jasmine growing up the side of the house and over the tree outside my window had given me the worst hayfever I have ever had! Now I have to keep all the windows closed, because as soon as I breathe it in, my nose drips like the proverbial plumber's tap. I have used two toilet rolls already to stem the drip and have even had to resort to taking an antihistamine for the last two days. This has ensured that I am in the Land of Nod by 9pm every night - I can't read more than 3 pages of my book and it drops to the floor!

The southeaster of the last few days didn't help anyone who suffers from hayfever, as there is something in the South Peninsula, and in particular the Fish Hoek valley, that gives off sneeze-inducing pollen as soon as the first southeasters arrive. If anyone can identify the plant that is the culprit, I am sure there will be plenty of hackers on hand to chop it out. I feel sure it must be an alien of some sort - Australian, probably, as that is where our alien vegetation comes from. Strangely enough, Australia doesn't allow wooden items through customs, although we are still suffering from alien infestation of species introduced from there. I suppose they don't want to risk a beetle. The positive spin-off from the rooikrans trees that were brought here (to anchor the sands of the Cape Flats, apparently) is that they grow incredibly fast, multiply rapidly after a veld fire and provide some of the best wood for our national pastime, the braai. Without it, I presume we would have run out of wood years ago. It also provides a source of income for the hapless homeless, who build their shelters deep in the bushes and systematically saw the trees down and chop them into fire-sized logs to sell at the side of the road. No matter how much they cut, it seems to renew itself, so it is actually beneficial to the economy - provides work, a source of income, best wood for a braai and just keeps on growing.

Perhaps the rooikrans should be recognised as South Africa's 'green gold'!

A blooming good time!

I'm enjoying the fruits (or rather, flowers) of my labour in the garden over winter as everything is flourishing, in fact, almost jungle-like. It's time to get out the secateurs, loppers and hand saws to trim the milkwood, which has grown like lightning since it became part of the inside garden in 2008. It started its life as a seedling in a tin, and spent 10 years root-bound in the tin before it was given to me for my garden in 1982. I planted it outside the fence and as a result it received no attention and no water for the better part of 26 years (is that possible?). I put it down to a milkwood being  slow-growing tree, but that is a fallacy. Given food and water, it has quadrupled in size in 6 years and I have shaped the inside to provide a bower of peace and tranquillity in that corner of the garden. Clivias and bromeliads thrive in its shade and robins and other small garden birds hop about in its branches.

The hibiscus, which suffered the same fate as the milkwood (being outside the fence), was a semi-bonsai for the same number of years until I fed and watered it and it is now producing the most beautiful flowers.

2008

2014

 
 This year I am trying roses again and here is the first bloom.

Southeaster starting to settle in

The prevailing summer wind, the southeaster (known as the Cape Doctor because it blows all the smog out to sea and cleans our air), seems to have settled in for a few days. The angle at which it blows is critical for wind conditions where I live. Sometimes the air is completely still here while it is howling 200m up the road. Today it is dead calm, interspersed with strong gusts that lift the dirt from the gravel driveway and blast it through the house - not my favourite thing in life! At other times, there is just a steady howl and not a door or window can be opened, which makes for quite a hot house.

The sea turns a Mediterranean turquoise after a good southeaster and becomes crystal clear, exposing the kelp beds and enabling you to see right to the bottom of the seabed (assuming you are leaning over the gunwales of a boat). The waves become perfectly formed at the Outer Kom, so that surfers can pick their waves at an even pace as they almost get blown backwards by the wind. It is at times like this that digital photography comes into its own, as I can easily take 100 shots with only 2 or 3 being salvageable.

The wind warms as it crosses the Peninsula and so we don't experience the bitter cold of the southeaster on the Atlantic seaboard. It comes as a shock to the system to get out of your car in Fish Hoek in the teeth of the wind, particularly after dark,and I am sure that many a resident sits inside listening to the wind howling through the eaves, wondering why on earth they live there! But as soon as the wind stops, we all miraculously forget how unpleasant it is and revel in the marvellous summers that characterise Cape Town!

Eina! (roughly translated as Ouch!)

I had a Chinese foot massage today. It was also a neck, arm, hands, back and leg massage. Don't get confused with  a western massage - those are fairly gentle in comparison. Two beefy young Chinese brothers set to on the pair of us, rubbing the knots and tension out of our muscles with fingers of concrete, paying particular attention to the acupuncture points. After making us aware of the most painful parts of our bodies, they massaged the muscles, squeezing the toxins from places we didn't know existed - you will probably remember giving your friends Chinese bangles in the school playground - a kind of wringing of the forearms in opposite directions.

Chopping with the sides of the hands up and down the muscles, and pummelling of the fatty tissue as if we were a bit of meat being tenderised certainly distracted us from the initial pain and as time wore on, those sore spots were relieved and relaxed. We were twisted and turned to realign the spine, suspended by our arms to put any dislocations back in place - all of this in a sitting position - then reclined for the most important part of the treatment - the foot massage.

If you don't like having your feet touched or are ticklish, this is not for you. But I just love having my feet massaged. At times it was so painful I could only giggle hysterically, as I didn't want to shriek, but that also eased as the fingers massaged away the pain. There were only two spots under my feet that were excruciating and when it really hurts, you let them know and they will tell you which part of the body is not functioning optimally. For me it was the blood and the kidneys (drink more water) as always. No matter who is analysing me, it's those two.

The session ended with a good pummelling, pulling of fingers and toes with a 'crack!' for realignment and a lovely cup of jasmine tea. They were professional, expert and pretty much only able to speak Chinese, and we left feeling on top of the world, as if our feet were floating above the ground. It is highly recommended that this, or any massage treatment, be undertaken weekly until there is no initial pain and then monthly to keep your body working as it should. Prevention is, after all, better than cure!

Fax-hunt frustration

It was a day of ups and downs yesterday - none serious, more annoyances really. The ups involved synchronicity and being on the receiving end of various random acts of kindness from friends. Sometimes it seems that I really am just in the right place at the right time.

The annoyances involved trying to send a fax without the benefit of a computer. You might scratch your head and wonder who in this advanced technological age still sends a fax via a piece of paper inserted into a machine, and yet there are circumstances where there is no other way. The difficult part of doing this is when out of familiar territory is finding an outlet that will actually do it for you.

I was in the supermarket checkout queue when I received a call to say I should send the fax (fortunately in my bag) within the next 15 minutes. Well, trying to hustle through the till was quite an achievement, as the cashier found it necessary to change the till roll, ask me if I wanted bags (no, I'm going to balance it all on my head) and no packer. I was in an unfamiliar store and its system requires you to sign the card slip (about as outdated as sending a fax) and I was already pushing my trolley when called back to do so. Time was ticking by. The Information desk informed me that I could use the internet cafe next door which was music to my ears and I bustled outside, only to find the door closed and a sign saying "Back at 2" which was more than an hour away. There is only one place where cellphone shopkeepers go on a Friday between 12 and 2, so I knew it wasn't a toilet break.

Where to next? I spotted a stationery shop further along the mall and pointed my trolley in that direction and trundled across the brick paving, dodging street vendors, advertising boards and shoppers who were apparently not running to a schedule. The lethargic ladies in charge told me I could use the internet cafe (they obviously don't know about the Friday thing), then said the pharmacy could help me. So back I trundled to the other end of the mall. Of course, the pharmacy couldn't help me (I have no idea why I was told they could) and said I should go to the library which was over the road. Time was now really on the red light (it's a Toastmasters thing) as I threw my shopping into the boot of my car and sped through the parking lot as best I could without causing an accident.

Hurrah! They weren't even closed for lunch! But of course the fax machine stood there with a sign saying "Out of Order". The lack of interest in my problem matched that of the previous encounters. I'm sure I gave them something more interesting to talk about than alphabetising their books.

Back in the car, I was tossing up whether to go to my niece's house about 5 minutes away where I know there is every mod con, when I got a phone call that let me off the hook - I just read the letter over the phone.

You cannot believe what a stressful event that was! It has happened before and reinforces my view that there are too many people in the world who are unwilling or unable to make a simple decision that could make someone's life a little easier. I have no doubt that somewhere on my fax-hunt a little machine lurked behind a counter.

Reining myself in

Well, despite knowing for years that I should not be eating gluten, the time has come when I really don't eat gluten, to enable my body to function optimally. So it's back to extremely limited eating - only fresh and unprocessed foods, but also no bottled sauces such as soy which apart from being GM has also got wheat in it. Fortunately I have had years of studying what I should be eating so it's not a problem. However, I was at a restaurant last night and there was not one dish on the entire menu that didn't contain something that is on my No list. So I just had cappuccino. Such is life. It will be well worth it in the end.

The doctor I consulted is in a 'lifestyle centre' and when I arrived at the building and looked at the list of practitioners, I could see that I had arrived at the cosmetic surgery centre of Cape Town. I could come out of there with a remodelled body and a sparkling white set of gnashers. A painfully thin but extremely attractive young girl hobbled into the lift with me, clutching at her stomach - obviously holding her stitches - and I wondered briefly what she had had done, and was pleased it wasn't me. Of course, it's not exclusively cosmetic surgery that is offered, but also reconstructive, so it was not necessarily her choice.

It was with great relief that I saw I would be seeing an anti-aging specialist (I have no idea what that would be in less flashy surroundings), and he was a delightful young man who has the correct approach to health care and nutrition - a perfect complement to the advice I currently receive from my own excellent nutritionist. He reinforced my existing knowledge that I am what I eat and that ultimately it is my responsibility to care for my health and ensure the best possible quality of life.

The most gratifying aspect of the visit was the knowledge that one of my large cosmic artworks adorns a wall in the building.

Oh, and also this beautiful rainbow over the Mother City.

Sudden swells

Yesterday started out as a continuation of the exceptionally perfect days we had over the weekend, but being Cape Town, something was in the offing. Far out to sea was a thin layer of fog, but temperatures had already climbed to mid-20s as I set off to Espresso.kom for my morning coffee. The sprawling milkwood provided welcome shade as we discussed matters of great import under its branches.

Without warning, a gust of icy air moved in from the sea, bending Spring's soft twigs and scattering papers from tables where they were previously undisturbed. In the distance we could see the white breakers of the Kom as they suddenly reared up from the ocean floor, ending days of relatively calm conditions - I could tell something was on the way by the noise of the sea the night before. It was as though nature had flicked a switch and turned on a fan, as it soon became apparent that we would all have to go home and put on jerseys due to the rapid drop in temperature. I set off down to the bay to see what was happening and managed to take a few pictures to capture the scene. Massive waves were crashing across the mouth of the bay, the first swells to reach us from a cold front passing by in the South Atlantic, and they swept incessantly onshore until the Kom tidal pool was full, the quickest incoming tide I've ever seen.

Three surfers were already out there to take advantage of the pushing tide, as the waves just kept on coming. The fog had developed in amazing patterns which maintained their shape for some time, before dissipating into a grey, cottonwool blanket which remained for the rest of the day, with just a peep of sun at sunset. Although the pictures will give an idea of the dramatic change in the weather, the sound of the waves unfortunately cannot be imparted. Suffice to say it was impressive!