It was a glorious day today, so we decided to head off to the Cape Outdoor Adventure Expo for the afternoon. We saw all kinds of things, from luxury tents and quad-bikes to paintball guns and climbing walls; we tasted delicious wines and liqueurs (and bought a bottle to bring home, of course); and allowed ourselves to be persuaded that we need a holiday - to Mossel Bay, the Wild Coast, Namaqualand, Mozambique AND the Seychelles, if all those exhibitors are to be believed...

The evenings are getting warmer, the days are getting longer, the sky is getting prettier, and moods are improving all round. We really are a nation of sun-lovers, and I think we've all had quite enough of winter, thank you.

Isn't the colour of the sky in this shot absolutely beautiful?

On Wednesday I took my mother off to the annual O Magazine Tea Party, which was held at the Vineyard Hotel and Spa in Newlands this year. It was a very genteel affair, complete with cucumber sandwiches (and plenty of other absolutely decadent tea-time treats), pretty outfits, hats (obligatory, and such fun), and lavish pink table-settings. We were treated to a performance by the lovely Lira (pictured at the top right), who got everyone to their feet and even made a few of us become part of the show ourselves... It was a great opportunity for women of all ages and races to bond over a cup of tea and to celebrate our common strength. I can't wait for next year.

We took a leisurely Sunday afternoon drive out to the back of Durbanville today (about 30 minutes from Cape Town city centre). We stopped to take a few shots here, near the turn-off to Clara Anna Fontein, a private game reserve. Although we don't live too far from this area, we'd never actually stopped here before. This spot is about five minutes from the town of Durbanville, but feels like it's miles out in the country - quiet and serene, with wide-open spaces.

Alright then, this will probably be our last cricket-related shot for a while. Today was semi-final day in the T20 World Cup, and it was New Zealand in action against Pakistan at Newlands. (South Africa sadly didn't make it to the semi-finals, after being beaten by India on Thursday evening. I'm still a little sore about that, so the less said the better...)

Paul managed to capture this unusual painting-like cloud formation while the rest of us had our eyes on the game this afternoon. (For those of you not familiar with cricket, the subject line of this post is a reference to Elton John's song "Daniel" - the New Zealand captain's name is Daniel Vettori, and he happens to be my favourite overseas cricketer to watch.)

Pakistan won today's game, and will be meeting India in the final on Monday - it promises to be an absolutely fantastic game, full of big hits and sneaky wickets.

Looking at these trees you wouldn't say it's spring, would you? Well, it officially is, and the weather over the last few days seems to be confirming that - warm, with mostly blue skies, and most telling of all, wind. Spring is our windiest season here in Cape Town, although on most days the wind only comes up in the afternoon and subsides by about 5pm.

I'm not too keen on wind myself, but I can live with it because it means... yes... you guessed it... summer is around the corner!

This shot was taken at the V&A Waterfront, above the amphitheatre. Free concerts are often held here, drawing plenty of tourists and locals alike.

Another shot from the T20 World Cup... Two matches were played at Newlands Cricket Ground today - Australia beat Sri Lanka in the first, and Pakistan beat Bangladesh in the second.

This shot was taken during the second game. There was a great atmosphere in the stadium by that time, with supporters of both countries taking turns to run in front of the crowd urging us to shout for their respective teams. These students seemed to be having a really good time in the sun and were only too happy to pose for photos. Looks like fun, doesn't it?

Summer is on its way... :)

So I discovered today, when we took part in the Blisters for Bread event in Green Point. 10km is in fact a really, really long way to walk!

I last took part in Blisters for Bread when I was 7 years old; back then I did the 5km route, and as I recall, it was easy-peasy. Paul pointed out sympathetically that many things were easy-peasy when I was 7, lugging around a total body-weight of about 20 kilograms. I won't tell you what I'm lugging around now, but let's just say that it's a tad more than that.

Blisters for Bread is held to raise funds for the Peninsula School Feeding Association, a non-profit organisation that has been providing meals to under-privileged children at their schools for almost 50 years. Sadly, there are many children in our city who don't get sufficient nutrition at home, because their parents are unemployed, sick, or simply don't earn enough to provide proper meals for their family. You can imagine that it's very hard for a hungry child to pay attention in class and succeed at their schoolwork. If you're interested in supporting this cause, you can read more about how to donate money to them here.

We went to a rather unusual birthday party last night. This is our very talented friend Matthew, who plays guitar for a local band called These Three Words. For his birthday, a couple of his friends blindfolded him and drove him to a farm, where about 50 of us were waiting to surprise him. The rest of the band members were already there too, with all their equipment set up, ready to play. Matthew was led up onto the stage, his blindfold was taken off, and his guitar was handed to him. Can you imagine his surprise at finding out that not only were ALL his friends there for his birthday, but that he was the entertainment at his own party?! :)

We went to watch Air Supply live in concert last night, and I have to say, the years have been kind to these guys. They performed with absolute energy and charisma, and looked as though they were having as much fun as I imagine they had when they were just starting out 30 years ago. That's Graham Russell on the left (you'll notice that his feet aren't actually touching the ground...) and Russell Hitchcock on the right.

The best part of the evening? Right at the end, after the encore, Graham tossed his guitar pick to Paul. Both of us play guitar, and we've wanted to start a band for ages - maybe now that we have a "lucky pick" we'll actually be inspired enough to do something about that. Watch this space... :)

Another rainy day in Cape Town...

I was caught unawares by today's heavy rain, but these shoppers in Claremont seemed pretty prepared, all dressed up in their raincoats.

I hope the shoes at the stall on the left didn't get damaged during the downpour.

Today, the last of the four bronze sculptures at Nobel Square - and I'm sure you'll recognise this man straight away.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 (together with FW de Klerk) in recognition of his relentless attitude of forgiveness and reconciliation despite all that had been done to him and his people.

A new 9-foot bronze sculpture of Nelson Mandela has just been unveiled at Parliament Square in London. Interestingly, both the sculpture in our picture and the new one in London depict Mandela in his famous "Madiba shirt", which has become firmly entrenched as a South African icon.

You can see our post about Nelson Mandela's cell on Robben Island here.

Back to Nobel Square at the V&A Waterfront for the third of the four bronze sculptures (see the first and second). This is Frederik Willem de Klerk, better known to South Africans as FW de Klerk... or even just "FW".

FW de Klerk was the President of South Africa from 1989 to 1994, during the final years of apartheid. I remember the 1989 elections well, though I was just 13 at the time; one of the opposition parties put up posters saying something along the lines of "He's just a new rider on a dead horse", implying that FW de Klerk taking over the reins of the National Party would not make a difference, since the National Party was still doing and saying the same old things.

Well, it seems that FW did in fact make a difference, unbanning the ANC, entering into negotiations with black leaders, releasing Nelson Mandela from prison and helping to end apartheid. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, and was made deputy-president under Nelson Mandela in 1994, a position he held until 1996.

I often wonder whether things would have been different if another leader had emerged in the National Party, or on the other hand, if the more liberal Democratic Party had been voted into power in the 1989 elections.

The second of four bronze sculptures at Nobel Square at the V&A Waterfront, this is Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of the Anglican Church in Cape Town.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, and was chosen to head up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission after the dismantling of apartheid in the 1990s. He has always remained outspoken against injustice, criticising the shortcomings of the old and new governments even-handedly.

It was Desmond Tutu who coined the now-popular term "Rainbow Nation", which I think aptly describes our diverse and oh-so-colourful country.

Unlike yesterday's "statue", today's really is made of bronze. This sculpture forms part of Nobel Square at the V&A Waterfront, a tribute to South Africa's four recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.

This is the late Albert Luthuli, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1960. He was the president of the ANC in the 1950s, and was banned at various times during those years. Banning was similar to house arrest - banned individuals were restricted to a certain geographical area (not always their home town), and were usually not allowed to be in a room with more than one person at a time (other than family members).

The irony here is that Albert Luthuli's banning order was temporarily lifted in December 1961 so that he and his wife could attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo. How could the government of the day have failed to recognise what the rest of the world saw so clearly? It's beyond me.

This bird, of the species Helicopterus maximus, was parked outside a hotel in Somerset West - a very pretty, leafy area about 40 minutes from central Cape Town. Imagine the convenience of using a helicopter to get around - no more traffic jams, no more robots (that's what we call traffic lights in South Africa), no other drivers doing silly things in front of you... and a beautiful view too!

Pay a visit to Durban Daily Photo today and see a picture of the oldest public building in the city. Durban is situated along the south-east coast of South Africa, about 1600km from Cape Town.

A mini-flock of birds taking their daily dip in the pond in front of the National Gallery... if you zoom in you'll see that they certainly aren't ducks, though.

There are seagulls all over the city, and you'll often hear their cries around the suburbs too. I absolutely love the sound they make, particularly at this time of the year; it always reminds me that the ocean is not far away.

Pay a visit to Durban Daily Photo to see photographs of another part of our lovely country, and while you're there, please give CrazyCow a warm welcome to the CDP family. :)

It was another rainy day in Cape Town today and I was rushing a little too much to stop for any photos, so it's back to the graveyard we go...

I always find cemeteries so fascinating - just think of all the stories that lie buried here. Who was Maureen Rose Lewis, for example, and what led to her death at just 34 years of age?

I guess we'd all like to leave some mark on the world, and in this digital era that's certainly a lot easier to do. Future researchers will merely have to google us or view our Facebook pages to find out what we were all about. :)

This pretty park area is in the vicinity of the houses we've shown in the last two posts. It looks like a lovely spot for a sunset walk, right in the middle of a residential area. I guess it will look quite different in ten or twenty years' time when those trees beside the path have grown up a little.

Burial is apparently still a more popular choice than cremation in South Africa, which means that our cemeteries are filling up fast. Of course, once land has been used for a cemetery, it cannot be used for any other purpose in the future, so I'd think some careful planning is needed here.

Personally, I'd prefer to be cremated anyway (well, isn't this just a morbid post?), although I believe there are environmental concerns around the pollution caused by crematoriums too... so it really seems to be a no-win situation.

What is the custom in your country or culture?

This plane belongs to another of our domestic budget airlines, Mango - unusual name for an airline, don't you think?

I suspect that unlike Kulula, they weren't going for the camo look with this bright orange design...

This is the plane we flew home in on Sunday - funky, isn't it? Do your domestic airlines also have brightly-coloured planes like this one? This plane belongs to kulula.com, who have a reputation for being the fun airline. Their safety briefing is very amusing, as long as you're not scared of flying... :)

I noticed this lamp on the side of a building in Loop Street on Monday - it's right opposite the offices of a client that I visit fairly often, and yet I've never seen it before. Which just goes to show how terribly unobservant we can be as we go rushing through our lives, busily doing our work and fulfilling our obligations.

Producing this blog has certainly taught me to slow down and be more observant, paying more attention to the people, things and stories around me.

The title of today's post is the answer to that of yesterday's. This is what the highway looked like today at around 11h30, as seen through my windscreen - not exactly ideal driving weather, but I rather enjoyed the trip, with Toto's apt lyrics "I bless the ra-ains down in A-africa..." blaring from my iPod. :)

It seems winter has decided to come back for another round.

Crispy bacon, fried eggs sunny-side-up, chips, steak, fried tomato, hot buttered toast and a big steaming cup of coffee - this is what breakfast should be. Oh, if only our waistlines and arteries would allow us to eat like this every day!

Anyone who's ever been on a road-trip in South Africa should be familiar with the Wimpy breakfast. There are a number of Wimpy restaurants located at large one-stop petrol stations along all of the country's main routes, and after you've woken up at 4am to get an early start on the road, there's nothing quite like an 8am breakfast stop at the Wimpy to cure a carful of yawning heads and rumbling tummies.

There are 100 blogs participating in this theme day. Use the links below to visit them, and enjoy breakfast around the world:

Saint Paul (MN), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - New York City (NY), USA - Tel Aviv, Israel - Hyde, UK - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Mainz, Germany - Stockholm, Sweden - Paderborn, Germany - Singapore, Singapore - Haninge, Sweden - Nottingham, UK - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Manila, Philippines - Boston (MA), USA - Seoul, Korea - Singapore, Singapore - Joplin (MO), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Paris, France - Sequim (WA), USA - Greenville (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Boston (MA), USA - Chennai, India - Madison (WI), USA - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Toulouse, France - Seattle (WA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - La Antigua, Guatemala - Selma (AL), USA - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - San Diego (CA), USA - Lubbock (TX), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Sheki, Azerbaijan - Sydney, Australia - Mumbai, India - Seoul, South Korea - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Saarbrücken, Germany - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - New Orleans (LA), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Austin (TX), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Villigen, Switzerland - Montréal (QC), Canada - Stayton (OR), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Moscow, Russia - Springfield (MO), USA - Inverness (IL), usa - Arlington (VA), USA - Cologne (NRW), Germany - Anderson (SC), USA - Oslo, Norway - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Manila, Philippines - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Bandung (West Java), Indonesia - Stavanger, Norway - Bastia, France - Hong Kong, China - Wailea (HI), USA - St. Louis (MO), USA - Chicago (IL), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Sydney, Australia - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Kansas City (MO), USA - Grenoble, France - Paris, France - Evry, France - Saigon, Vietnam - Prague, Czech Republic - Cape Town, South Africa - Brookville (OH), USA - Brussels, Belgium - San Diego (CA), USA - Wellington, New Zealand - Newcastle (NSW), Australia - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Shanghai, China - Zurich, Switzerland - North Bay (ON), Canada - Lyon, France - Naples (FL), USA - Olympia (WA), USA

I stopped to grab some lunch at High Street Shopping Village, and thought a shot of this mini-carousel might be in order. There was not a single child to be spotted anywhere - I suspect the weather was just a little too cold for them - so both the carousel and the teeny-tiny ferris wheel nearby were standing empty and motionless.

I think this might be what my mother was talking about when she used to tell me that something was "sky-blue pink with yellow spots"... Paul tells me that he's never heard that expression before, but I used to hear it all the time when I was growing up, usually just after I'd asked my mother a particularly silly or overly inquisitive question, or one she just really didn't feel like answering.

Mothers have all kinds of clever ways of deflecting difficult or irritating questions (questions like "What's for supper???") - do you remember any from your childhood, or do you have any that you like to use on your own children?

Remember the restaurant Avocado? Well, I got to spend another rainy Friday afternoon there today, this time with a few more people, and with food.

And this is the outside of the restaurant building - the name kind of makes sense now, doesn't it?

Another of those promised cold fronts hit us today. A little while after I took this shot, the wind picked up and the rain came bucketing down all around Cape Town. CapeTalk radio was inundated with calls and text messages from people reporting flooded roads, mudslides and overflowing rivers. There were even reports of rock-falls on Victoria Road, which runs along the base of the mountain past Camps Bay and Llandudno.

Check out Lynn's pictures of the floods in Cheltenham, England - I'm pretty sure that there's nothing that Cape Town's skies could produce to compete with that!

An archive shot today, since I'm still sick (thanks for all the kind thoughts, by the way!) and the weather is very, very grey, wet and chilly. Apparently we have four cold fronts heading our way, with snow expected overnight and gale-force winds tomorrow. For the last month or so the weather has been remarkable - we really have had a beautiful winter so far.

Oh yes, the picture... this signpost can be found near the bottom of Government Avenue in the Company Gardens. I guess it could be a little overwhelming at first, but at least you wouldn't need to ask anyone for directions!