December in the Fairest Cape*

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On the 15th of December the Brat and I flew down to Cape Town with my best friend, Ash, and her daughter, Amber (the Brat's best friend). The Brat has been to the Cape a couple of times but was too small to remember it very well, so he was super excited. SO still had to work, so he looked after the zoo at home, as usual!

We had a bit of turbulence during the flight - the Brat and Amber slept through it but Ash was terrified (she's worse than my SO!). I had to hold her hand while she prayed and hyperventilated into a bag, and as soon as it was over she ordered a beer to calm her nerves!



Coming in to land



We were staying at Ash's ex-mother-in-law's place in Constantia - very larny! As soon as we had unpacked the car we were off to Clifton. Some rather large waves for the Cape!



Lion's Head



Hartlaub's Gulls on Clifton Beach



The Brat loving the super soft, white sand at Clifton No. 4.



It was quite chilly (for December) and the water was freezing!



The Brat and Amber braving the icy waters.



Nearly 7pm and the sun was still shining brightly!



For our first night in Cape Town we headed to the Upper Deck in Hout Bay for dinner.

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The next day we caught the train from Plumstead Station to Kalk Bay for lunch at the Brass Bell.



It's a trip of about 20 minutes and for most of it the train tracks run right next to the ocean. At Kalk Bay station you get off the train and walk straight into the pub!



The view from our table.



Battling with Tinypic, so will carry on when it decides to cooperate!

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Still at the Brass Bell, this Kelp Gull came to check out our lunch, which was delicious fish and chips.



After lunch it was time for a walk through Kalk Bay



Looking towards SImonstown



From the train heading home...Muizenberg or St. James...not sure.



This "staircase" caught my eye at one of the stations.



Later that afternoon I took the kids to Clifton while Ash went shopping for Amber's birthday, which was the next day.



Hartlaub's Gull



A perfectly good blurd shot ruined by the kids!

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The next day was Amber's 16th birthday and we had a full day planned. The morning was spent at Clifton beach (again ) where the Brat reflected on the holiday!



At about 1pm we left Clifton and headed along Chapman's Peak - an amazing road!



We were headed to Cape Point Vineyards which overlooks Noordhoek beach. We had booked a picnic there, and you sit in the gardens with blankets and pillows, surrounded by mountains, vineyards, a little dam in front and the sea in the distance. The picnic was delicious and was of course accompanied by a lovely ice cold Sauvignon Blanc.









It was a blissfully lazy afternoon and whilst having a lie down I spotted my first lifer for the trip...a Jackal Buzzard! Please excuse the pics but it was very far away!

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The next morning was spent at Clifton again where the kids tried their hand at some paddleboarding.



By now I was all beached out, so I decided to head to Kirstenbosch and surprisingly the kids agreed to join me!

First up, some fluffy Egyptian goslings.



Never seen a Strelitzia this colour before...beautiful!



This massive tree is near Van Riebeeck's hedge and just begs to be climbed!



We'd heard about the Boomslang walk, which is a walkway suspended above the canopy, and does have some beautiful views...but those darn kids kept getting in the way!



Then, my second lifer for the trip...a Cape Sugarbird!



What gorgeous tails they have!



Yummy proteas!

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My 3rd lifer was a Karoo Prinia.





Lifer no. 4 - Orangebreasted Sunbird..this was one I was really hoping to find!





We saw quite a few Southern Double-collared Sunbirds, but I battled to get any good pics.





The colours of these proteas are too beautiful!



Lifer no. 5 - Swee Waxbill!



Just a cute ball of fluff.



Possible Lifer no. 6 - a Forest Canary? It has the dark chin and streaking on the front.

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Still at Kirstenbosch...



Another beautiful strelitzia.



A Common Waxbill.



While watching the waxbill I got the feeling I was being watched...and I was! This Natal Spurfowl was standing dead still about 1 metre away from me, staring hard!



Another Southern Double-collared Sunbird.



The best pic I could get of a very hyper-active Cape White-eye.



On our way out Amber spotted something hidden in a tree...a juvenile African Goshawk!





This bonsai is 100 years old (or thereabouts)!

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We spent the following day visiting three very different wine farms in Stellenbosch. I know this doesn't fall under our national parks but what a beautiful place!

Our first stop was Morgenster which is well-known for it's award-winning olive oils and we took part in the olive oil tasting...it was delicious!



Next was Tokara, which is a very modern farm with lots of interesting sculptures dotted all over the place. Apart from their excellent wines they also make delicious olive oils!





There is a formal wine tasting room which overlooks the wine vats or you can visit the more relaxed Deli and have something to eat...which we did!





I found two little birdies in a nest.



Our last stop was Muratie which is over 300 years old and is a more typical wine farm.



These spider webs in the tasting room are over 70 years old and are "protected"! There were plenty of huge spiders in there too!





We found this in a tiny little room and it turned out they made a port called Forever Amber, so Ash had to buy some for Amber!



This tree is as old as the farm!



Unfortunately I was the designated driver, so didn't get to enjoy any of the delicious wines, but it was of my most memorable days of the trip!

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The next day we headed down to Cape Point and stopped at Simon's Town for an early lunch.





We ate at the Salty Sea Dog...delicious food and very cheap...and some music thrown in!





We made a very quick stop at Boulders and found a few penguins, but we didn't walk down to the viewing area.





We eventually reached Cape Point and I was very chuffed that my Wild Card got the Brat and I in for free!



Amber wanted to walk up to the top but she eventually compromised and we agreed to take the funicular up, and walk down!

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Once at the top, the cameras were going mad with beautiful vistas to capture in every direction.











This is the "new" lighthouse.







The only bird we saw at Cape Point!





And that was it for our Cape Town holiday!