Picnic with benefits

We are back in Cape Town after a long weekend staying at the house of friends, on a beautiful vlei in Stanford. A few days and a few nights took us much farther than we could have imagined. Quiet water, flocks of flamingos, croaking blue cranes, high white dunes, a seal surfing in the turquoise sea.

In a week we will be leaving for New York. There is a lump in the throat. I miss home. And I will miss home.

Back in Cape Town we went to Kirstenbosch for a picnic. I had not packed a cork screw. Don't ever not pack a cork screw. Even if it is prosecco. All the usual tricks did not work with the bottle of bubbly whose flush-with-the neck cork refused to leave the bottle. We now know that the gift shop does not sell cork screws. Poor Vince went down the hill then up the hill to no avail. The bubbles in the glasses belong to Appletizer.

Above, Protea repens. Not many proteas in bloom right now (their season is winter and spring), but this is a beauty. Below, silver tree, Leucadendron argentea.

Gardenia lutea in bloom with fruit at the same time. If you live locally, hurry and get there while they last. A flower a day.  These small trees are planted in a large clump at the top of the Cycad Amphitheatre and smell delicious.

The ericas were inundated with orange breasted sunbirds. They are remarkably unafraid and watching them was wonderful.

 

Guinea fowl and Cape francolin visited our picnic and begged.

The figs were firmly plump and sweet-tart, the melon cold and sweet, the quiches flaky-fresh and their filling barely set. The wine stayed firmly in its sleeve, waiting for another day.