Since Paul's been in bed all day (see yesterday's post), and I've been trying to catch up on work, as well as taking our youngest, little William, off to the vet to be neutered, we're revisiting a previous photo subject today.

Can you work out where this picture was taken? We've posted a few shots of this location already, and the building has been around for many years...

I guess this says it all... it's not the greatest quality photograph but today I just didn't have the energy to fiddle too much. I slept most of the day away - Kerry returned home at about 16h00 with the life-saving batch of supplies above.

Fortunately so far she seems to have been able to get the better of her sore throat and sneezy nose through liberal doses of vitamins - I haven't been quite so lucky, and it's off to bed with a hot-water bottle for me.

We got some of that rain today, by the way. At last it really feels like winter.

We watched the sun set from a vantage point on a huge granite bolder in the suburb of Brackenfell. Even though we could not see the sun dip below the horizon, the colour the sky and light through the clouds was beautiful.

The hill that you see in the distance is known as Tygerberg Hill. We've, in the past, walked up the hill several times. From the top, the entire Cape Peninsula sprawls out before you - Table Bay visible on the one side and False Bay on the other. It was the favorite place of a good friend of ours who died tragically a few years ago - I think we'll remember Nicholas whenever we see this hill silhouetted by the setting sun.

For the last two days we've had glorious weather; none of that anticipated rain has arrived yet - it's now being forecast for Monday instead.

The building in the picture is Kelvin Grove Club - I was fortunate enough to have breakfast there yesterday, whilst listening to a world-renowned best-selling author speaking on financial freedom. Unfortunately I'm not a member of the club, so I can't invite any of you to join me there for a drink or a game of croquet. :)

To give you an idea of it's size, the V&A Waterfront mall in the Table Bay Harbour reportedly has more than 400 shops and over 80 places to eat, ranging from take-aways to superb restaurants.

Kerry-Anne and I love walking in and around the mall - even though we don't go there with the intention of shopping. There are hundreds of unusual items to admire and the atmosphere is light and airy, buzzing with tourists and local residents alike.

I don't believe that any visitors to Cape Town miss out on a trip to this place. If you have, I'd be keen to hear what happened to make you miss it.

As I was driving down the road yesterday, I spotted this furry little mole snuffling around on someone's lawn. Of course, I slammed on my brakes and jumped out to snap a few shots - he stopped for a moment to work out whether I was dangerous, and then, evidently deciding that I wasn't, happily went on with what he was doing.

I'm sure the owner of the garden wasn't quite as pleased as I was though - when I drove past on my way back about 7 minutes later, the mole had disappeared underground, and in his place on the lawn was a lovely large pile of soil. :)

Don't you just love harbours at night? Well now, I don't mean ones with big old oily tankers, although they have their appeal; I mean ones with sailing vessels, pleasure liners and the like.

Cape Town Waterfront is really beautiful in the evening. Especially on crisp clear windless nights like this one. The quays are lined with attractive boats, contrasted with industrial-looking harbour cranes, all reflecting beautifully in the water. I picked this photograph over others because of the intrusively blue Victoria & Alfred Hotel that stands out from the black night, making it easy for guests to find.

Kerry-Anne and I had dinner with friends at the City Grill in the Waterfront this evening. The food was good and our waiters were just awesome tonight, reminding us of our stay in Paris last year, where we found the waiters to be at the top of their game.

The particular area where I took the photograph is close to where we had our meal, and is lined with several classy restaraunts boasting a huge variety of food. They're a little on the pricey side, but the food and atmosphere are just awesome.

We joined the local gym late last year in pursuit of a healthier lifestyle. I started off swimming and although it was fun I found that the necessary high percentage of chlorine started to make me feel a little queasy.

Kerry attends Pilates classes and these days I'm back to walking the treadmill and playing with the circuit machines. I don't know that I'll ever be one for standing in front of huge mirrors admiring my biceps as I do arm curls :).

The gym, owned by Richard Branson, is in pretty good shape *heh heh*. The equipment is kept in good nick and the facilities are always clean. To the left of this picture is a set of huge glass panes looking in to the swimming pool area. The gym also has a healthy fast-food take-away/restaurant and a free-to-use Internet cafe.

All in all they make the best of a place few want to be.

The weather today was a little strange - there was plenty of heavy mist and cloud around this morning, and it was quite chilly until mid-morning (I put on two long-sleeved tops). The afternoon was really warm (I changed to short sleeves), and then at around 4pm the clouds came back again (I fetched my jersey). The only thing missing was rain - and we really could do with some of that over the next few months. The weather forecaster says there's a slight chance of some on Thursday - let's hold thumbs.

At the beginning of April our dams were just 53% full (30% down from December), and certain water restrictions are now permanently in place (for instance, we may not water our gardens between 10am and 4pm, and we may not use drinkable water for hosing down driveways or paved areas). Do you have any water restrictions in your city?

Another view from Signal Hill (see yesterday's post)... facing the other way this time. This is Lion's Head, which lies between Signal Hill and Table Mountain. The hike to the top is quite spectacular (and not too difficult - even for two very unfit people like us), as the path circles the narrow section at the top, giving you alternating views of the city and the ocean on the way up.

A favourite Capetonian pastime is hiking Lion's Head at full moon - although we've been up it during the day, the night-hike is something we have yet to try... Isn't it amazing that you can live in a city all your life and yet find that there are still so many aspects of it that you haven't experienced?

The city surprised its tourists today with a wonderfully warm and sunny autumn day. We decided to go up Signal Hill, where we were thrown into the midst of "tourist central" - we had endless entertainment watching people posing for shots of themselves with Table Mountain or Lion's Head in the background.

Signal Hill (from where I took this photo of Table Bay Harbour) is known for its Noon-day Gun, which has been fired as a time-keeper at noon each day for the last 200 years.

I can remember that when I worked in Cape Town's CBD the sound of the gunshot rumbling over the city each day marked the arrival of lunch-time :).

Taken from the balcony of the building where I work, this photograph is a typical sight in the Cape Town area. These guys are busy with construction around a newly developed upmarket apartment complex and shopping area. It looks to me like they are working on some kind of canal or rain-water overflow system. This particular area has a number of small but very deep dams surrounded by new apartment blocks and elegant restaurants.

This shot was taken from the Helshoogte Pass near Stellenbosch. The name "Helshoogte" is a contraction of "helse hoogte", which means "hell of a height". But I'm sure you'll agree that the view is heavenly... In fact, there are even more breathtaking views to be had along this stretch of road - we'll capture some of them for you in the future.

I would rate this as one of the 5 most beautiful stretches of road around Cape Town. Wanna see what the others are? You'll have to keep visiting... :)

The weather was absolutely gorgeous yesterday, and so we took a leisurely afternoon drive out to Franschhoek. The town of Franschhoek is about 45 minutes from Cape Town, and was originally settled in the late 1600s by a group of French Huguenot refugees. The town retains much of its French character, with most of the restaurants, wine farms and guest houses in the area bearing French names.

I'm hoping to get to the literary festival that will be held here in two weeks' time, so I'll try to get a few more pictures for you then. For now, this is the Dutch Reformed Church in Huguenot Street - the oldest part of this church was built in 1846.

Today is a Daily Photo theme day, and the theme this month is "City Exchange". After much to-ing and fro-ing and um-ing and ah-ing, and even a minor scuffle or two, we eventually settled on this shot, taken last October in the medieval French city of Dinan - one of our favourite spots in Brittany.

Look through the arches of the viaduct, and you will see rows of stone houses lining the tranquil Rance River - being there felt like being in the middle of a jigsaw puzzle picture. The medieval part of the city is full of romantic cobbled streets and half-timbered houses - very, very different to Cape Town. We had a rather interesting and unforgettable experience at a chocolatier here - be warned that when they label a chocolate "sel et poivre", they mean it quite literally.

80 Daily Photo sites are participating in the 1st May theme, "City Exchange"; please use the links to below to visit them. Due to time zone differences and other factors, the theme photo may not be displayed until later if you are viewing early in the day.

Monte Carlo, Monaco - Rome, Italy - Singapore, Singapore - Tenerife, Spain - Rotterdam, Netherlands - London, UK - Montréal (QC), Canada - Melbourne, Australia - Naples (FL), USA - Bastia, France - Hong Kong, China - Mazatlan, Mexico - Buenos Aeres, Argentina - Manila, Philippines - Arradon, France - Madison (WI), USA - Evry, France - Seoul, Korea - Shanghai, China - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Sequim (WA), USA - Singapore, Singapore - Budapest, Hungary - Baziège, France - Hamburg, Germany - Toru?, Poland - Nelson, New Zealand - Madison (WI), USA - Vantaa, Finland - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Mainz, Germany - Dubai, UAE - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Cork, Ireland - Stockholm, Sweden - Menton, France - Tel Aviv, Israel - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Kitakami, Japan - Stayton (OR), USA - Szentes, Hungary - Stavanger, Norway - Grenoble, France - Villigen, Switzerland - Paris, France - Hyde, UK - Moscow, Russia - Joplin (MO), USA - Jakarta, Indonesia - Greenville (SC), USA - Cape Town, South Africa - Asheville (NC), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Madrid, Spain - Auckland, New Zealand - Oulu, Finland - Lubbock (TX), USA - Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Baton Rouge (LA), USA - Sydney, Australia - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Vancouver, Canada - Seattle (WA), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Manila, Philippines - Lyon, France - New York City (NY), USA - Los Angeles (CA), USA - Brookville (OH), USA - Hayle, UK - Wailea (HI), USA - Saarbrücken, Germany - San Diego (CA), USA - Boston (MA), USA - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Cypress (TX), USA

This bell-tower is located right over the entrance portal of the Castle (see yesterday's post), and the first thing you see when you walk through the gate underneath is a little sign on the wall saying "Do not ring the bell" - posted, temptingly, next to a rope that disappears upwards through a small hole. I never understand why officials post notes like that - why not rather post one that says "PULL ME, PULL ME, PULL ME!!!" in enormous flashing red letters? With great difficulty I prised my own hand away from the rope, and bravely fought off temptation.

The tower was built in 1684, and the bell itself was cast in Amsterdam in 1697 - weighing in at just over 300 kilograms, the ringing bell could be heard from 10km away. It was used for all the usual bell-type things: warning of impending danger, calling citizens and soldiers for important announcements, and marking the hours.

Construction began on the Castle of Good Hope on 2 January 1666, and the majority of the complex was completed by 1679, making it the oldest building in South Africa (and I was interested to find that the Castle's postal address is PO Box 1 - I think that's rather fitting). It was built to replace the older clay and timber fort, built by Jan van Riebeeck in 1652.

The Castle has 5 points, or bastions - Leerdam (pictured here), Buuren, Katzenellenbogen, Nassau and Oranje. Leerdam was the first bastion to be built, and the flags on top of the outer wall each represent a different period in the history and government of the Castle and the Cape.

Beautiful view, isn't it? What a lucky lion, getting to look out over the city 365 days a year. We're back at Rhodes Memorial today, and this is one of 8 bronze lions that line the steps of the memorial. They're pretty large - I would estimate them to each be around 2m in length. Looking at this view, I'm sure you can understand why this was Cecil John Rhodes's favourite thinking spot.

When I was a little girl, my family used to go to the Easter Sunday sunrise service held at the memorial each year - you can only imagine what a wonderful experience it was to watch the sun rise over the city from this vantage point, whilst munching on a warm hot-cross bun.

Today South Africa celebrates Freedom Day, commemorating our first fully democratic general election, held 13 years ago. I found the photograph displayed in this picture about four months ago, discarded amongst some rubbish bags that I walked past in the upmarket suburb of Camps Bay.

We believe that the photo must have been taken on or around 27 April 1994 and shows ANC supporters celebrating their right to vote, their release into freedom, and the imminent victory of their political party.

The ANC is today still South Africa's ruling party, with Thabo Mbeki, successor to Nelson Mandela, at the country's helm.

If anybody knows who may have taken this photograph, please post a comment so that we can credit them.

It rained almost the entire day today. There were more than 60 road accidents during the evening rush-hour. One of the streets near our house was flooded. A tree fell over and blocked a road in the southern suburbs. Rush-hour lasted two hours longer than usual. I went out wearing two long-sleeved tops and a leather jacket, and was still icy-cold.

Winter has announced its arrival in Cape Town.

After tonight's big cricketing defeat, I feel a little like this stadium - empty...

For those of you that don't follow cricket, South Africa is out of the World Cup, after being beaten in tonight's semi-final in resounding fashion by our arch-rivals, Australia. You can get the dismal details of our innings here.

Fortunately we spent the evening watching the game on a big-screen at Newlands Cricket Club (pictured here), courtesy of one of my clients; the food was awesome and the company entertaining, so it wasn't all bad.

Better luck next time, boys.

The area where Rhodes Memorial is located was apparently Rhodes's favourite spot for quiet contemplation - hence this pensive pose. The inscription above the statue reads:

TO THE SPIRIT AND LIFE WORK OF CECIL
JOHN RHODES WHO LOVED AND SERVED SOUTH AFRICA
1853 - 1902
The inscription below it reads:
THE IMMENSE AND
BROODING
SPIRIT STILL
SHALL QUICKEN
AND CONTROL
LIVING HE WAS THE
LAND AND DEAD
HIS SOUL SHALL BE
HER SOUL.

Rhodes Memorial was built in 1912, in honour of mining magnate Cecil John Rhodes. An odd thing really - by all accounts, he was a ruthless colonialist, and was rather keen on making the British Empire as large and far-reaching as possible. He left a large area of land on the slopes of Table Mountain to the nation of South Africa, and Rhodes Memorial now stands on a section of that. It's an absolutely beautiful spot to spend an autumnal Sunday afternoon, and we'll show you a little more of it over the next few days.

P.S. Eamon, well done for getting it right, and thanks for stopping by!

P.P.S. Paul took this photo, and I'm in it somewhere. Let's see how good your magnifying glasses are...

Can you guess where we spent the afternoon? I'll give you a couple of clues:
1. It's a popular Cape Town tourist attraction and photo spot
2. It was built in honour of someone
3. The view from the top is spectacular

More about it tomorrow...

Three Anchor Bay lies between Green Point and Sea Point, 5 to 10 minutes from the city centre. It's a popular launching spot for sea kayakers; and the Sea Point promenade, which runs along the beachfront, is always full of city-dwellers getting their exercise - either walking, jogging, or rollerblading.
That's Lion's Head in the background, behind the apartment blocks; to the left of it is Signal Hill.

It's 22h46 and we've just come back from the movies (went to see Mr Bean's Holiday).

Judging by the comments we received on yesterday's post, it seems as though you folks love butterflies - so, at this late hour and in the absence of something more exciting, here is another butterbug (courtesy of Grant again), this time sitting on its dinner, a lovely juicy-looking banana.

This post is for all of you in the northern hemisphere as you celebrate the arrival of spring. It was taken a few days ago by Grant (a friend from work) while on a family trip to Butterfly World.

Butterfly World's attraction is the warm butterfly enclosure housing hundreds of free-flying butterflies. As a visitor you can walk among the butterflies and, reportedly, have them flock to sit on you if you wear the right perfume.

Isn't this one just beautiful?

Once they have rounded the breakwater, vessels wanting to enter the V&A Waterfront have to call V&A Bridge Control to request the opening of this Swing Bridge. For pedestrians in a hurry it can be a little disheartening to see the bridge being closed just before you reach it - kind of like a bad episode of The Amazing Race... Fortunately we're not often in a hurry when we visit the Waterfront, and besides, watching a ship gracefully entering the harbour quickly alleviates any irritation one may have been feeling over the imposed wait.

With apologies to Vanessa Carlton... it was just an ordinary day today, and this is an ordinary shot, taken in an ordinary suburb. If I'd moved my camera just a little to the left, you'd be looking at the Brackenfell Boulevard offramp, as it leaves the N1 - South Africa's main national road, which goes all the way from Cape Town to Johannesburg. But I thought this tree was much prettier, with its leaves reaching up to the perfect-blue sky to join those little fluffy white clouds.

It was a rather gloomy day today - autumn is here, for sure. This is one of the many entrances to the Canal Walk shopping centre, which is definitely my favourite Cape Town mall. It feels very spacious inside, and features all the big South African chains, as well as quite a few boutique stores. More than that, the mall is set in beautiful surroundings, with the canal giving it a rather special atmosphere.