It's Sunday and what a great day it was. We spent a quiet day at the cottage on Saturday, except for a quick trip to Wynberg Pharmacy for some supplies. Marcia had developed some pressure sores, probably due to all those hours in the plane, and we needed to redeuce the pressure and protect the areas to give them a chance to heal. Our resident nurse, Jenny, was called in for consultation and a plan was devised. Thus the trip to the pharmacy. Quite an amazing pharmacy compared with those we have in the States. It's probably not really so different except in what sorts of things can be obtained without a prescription.

But now back to today. Lynn Jackson, the director of GISP, invited us to her house at Hout Bay for lunch. Hout Bay is further south down the Cape Penisula on the Atlantic side. We woke to a cold, gray, windy morning. Not a great day. We were told that the weather on the other side of Table Mountain could be quite different. And when we arrived at Lynn's house it certainly was. We sat outside in the sun under beautiful blue skies for most of the afternoon. It was delightful. We toured her garden (the picture is just a sample of the stunning clivias in bloom, not to mention all the orchids about), met her two schnauzers--Salt and Pepper--and her two cats--Smoky and Tiger--and eventually her 18 year old daughter, Nicole. Nicole was studying for a pair of finals to be taken this coming week. She is finishing high school and is hoping to attend the University of Cape Town to study business/commerce, something to do with accounting. It was nice chatting with her over lunch. And it was very nice chatting with Lynn to learn about what she has done over the years and what is ahead for GISP, some changes that might be quite dramatic.


Lynn had checked and learned that Chapman's Peak Drive was open. It had been closed for some time but reopened just last week. This is a cliff road along the sheer cliffs of Chapman's Peak between Hout Bay and Noordhoek. What a road! The picture doesn't begin to do it justice. The sun was bright and the wind was blowing and the vistas were incredible. Then we arrived at Noordhoek and the views of the villages tucked in the valleys and along the coast were just beautiful. Again the picture is a poor representation, but it is the best you will get. Notice the house with the thatched roof. There were a number of these down the hill in Noordhoek. Nice digs! And there were people walking out on the beach. I can't imagine anyone thinking about even getting near the water. These are the cold waters coming up from the Antarctic. The beaches on the Indian Ocean get the warm water!

From Noordhoek we headed east toward Fish Hoek, which is on the eastern coast of the Peninsula on False Bay. We didn't get to the coast but could see it. Quite a sight even from a distance! We headed back north toward home. We went past numerous vineyards and through Tokai Forest Reserve. What a gorgeous drive. Then a stop at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden for a visit to the shop and bookstore. Lots to look at and I got stuck in the bookstore trying to decide which field guides I had to have. Many too many to consider! Will have to return as they closed the shop around us. That won't be a problem. Not to worry, they waited to close until we had collected numerous items for purchase.

The protea vendors were out front when we went by earlier in the day but had gone when we left the garden. Probably will need to replenish the supply by next weekend. Marcia can't get enough of them. And it appears on the weekends there is more variety.

I'm done and it is not yet time for bed. Yeah!

Edward