Our last few days were split between Hermanus and Blouberg SW of Capetown so there were plenty of opportunities to shop and Hermanus particularly devastated my willpower! I found a beautiful shop called Beach House Hermanus and spent two hours plus in there - Linda my new BFF encouraged me to try things on by bringing things she thought I’d like to the fitting room ….. I liked it ALL Linda 😂 I settled on a couple of Frock ‘Roll dresses and a couple of tops and Ive worn everything which is always a good sign! They had a great selection of Carol Boyes and some lovely table linen and gifty things. It was brilliant! Also in Hermanus and inspired by the lovely decor in our AirBnB I headed to the mall and bought bedding, a comforter and cushions! At this point I booked an extra case in with the airline. Oh I forgot to mention the Springbok skin 😂
This was all before we had a day trip to PaterNoster and a gem of a place called ManeKi in a lovely little newly built arty square. They had lovely galleries and jewelry showcasing local artists and I could have gone mad but had to think small and beautiful so jewelry it was! The restaurant there was amazing too and in fact our whole day was amazing! Such a wonderful place that hadn’t lost its charm as so many of these little coastal sites have. Then there was Darling and an interesting place Heart of Darling with eclectic decor, a charming guy called Brian and unusual and lovely things to explore and so I ended up with even more …… on to Riebeck Kasteel and Chrystal Twine which left me speechless and if I ever win the lottery (which I don’t even do) and buy that barn conversion I hanker after, then this is where I will go to furnish it! Another beautifully wrapped package to add to my collection.
So getting it all home! I checked that extra bag in, my carry on case coming, ditched my toiletries and some clothes the morning we flew, found little pockets of space in both mine and Nick’s cases. We were not even at our new allowance. Phew! It all arrived home in one piece.
What I have eventually have learned is not to take so much with me especially to SA where I know I will find stunning clothes especially to holiday in. My favourite brand Iconic (I bought several of their dresses) also ships to the UK ❤️ a few days in Capetown at the start of my SA trip and I could travel with an empty case I’m sure! Will I be brave enough to do this 😉 Time will tell!
We spent out last day at Stark Conde which is the most beautiful vineyard in the world nestled in the Jonkershoof Valley. Their wines are excellent and we discovered it about thirty years ago by mistake - tasting was informal and free from a little counter from the winery - we were heading elsewhere and stopped to ask directions - felt it was rude not to taste their white wine! Neil Ellis was the wine maker then who went on to win loads of awards. We showed our map (no sat nav in those days) and I said we were trying to get onto this ‘blue’ Road to a restaurant for lunch. ‘Lady that’s a river’, I was informed to much laughter and we decided to stay and sample the reds and some cheese crackers and preserves appeared! Such a happy memory and it makes me happy to see how it has grown successfully since. Lunch this week was delicious and served beautifully and it was a fitting end to this years visit!
I love and miss this most special place and it’s people!
