In limbo

I am having serious IT issues and I cannot access the internet on any of my digital devices using Microsoft or Apple, I managed to connect to this site via Google Chrome so I aim to make the most of it.

Marmalade and Harry decided to accompany me on this trip, I think they got bored and cold last November whilst I was laundering my passport and picking up parking tickets in Spain, they are enjoying the temperatures over here but 35C was a bit too much for me in Stellenbosch at lunchtime today.

Anyway to start at the beginning, my good friends Peter and Helen gave me a lift to Llandudno Junction to catch the train to Heathrow via Euston, my seat ticket put me opposite Mike and next to Leonard a father and son team from Wisconsin who are travelling around the world for a year or so, they were good company after I got over the embarrassment of Leonard's conversation which mostly consisted of the F word and not in the quietest American accent I have ever heard, but the journey down to Euston passed quickly with us all telling tall stories.

Security at Heathrow Terminal 3 was a dream compared to Manchester Airport, the staff are efficient but personable and the queue was less than 15 minutes. In my estimation British Airways are coming on by leaps and bounds, not only was my seat in the World Traveller section comfortable with extra legroom but the attendant on my aisle was not only professional but young and took the time to make you feel as though you mattered, well done BA it has taken a while but you seem to be getting there.

Yesterday was a bit of a write-off, we landed just before 12pm local time and after an hour's queue to get through immigration/passport control my trainee counter clerk at Avis took another hour to sort out my hire car which is a very basic Hyundai i10 but to be honest it is fine for what I will be using it for and at less than £13 per day I cannot complain. I had researched the journey to my first stop between Stellenbosch and Cape Town and it worked perfectly, who needs satnav?  We arrived at Friedenhof to be greeted by Kyle who showed us to our home for the next four nights so after dumping the cases we did the normal orientation and necessities shopping before having a shower and a South African mega burger - no bun required, before an early night. 

Nine hours sleep last night, wonderful, and a relaxed start to the day with breakfast on the terrace and then some wine tasting and wine buying followed by lunch at the Deli-CAT-essen in Tokara winery outside Stellenbosch, this was a fortuitous find because it is not advertised in the tourist brochures and I only stumbled on it because I had arrived too early for the restaurant so I went for a walk in the grounds. The clientele were all local and I would estimate at the middle to top of the social spectrum which is probably why I was relegated to a bench on the edge of the patio but great plate of charcutterie and cheese along with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon along with this view made it a lunch to remember.

The view from my bench at the deli-CAT-essen at Tokara Winery

The winery wine-tasting/restaurant area from the 'Selfie Platform' ??