Sorry if you have received this twice - my former heading has caused this to be junked on some computers!

With just a few days left of our wonderful nine weeks in South Africa, I am sending you my final blog entry before we fly back to France on Wednesday.  

Delighted to be reunited with Gail, our dear friend from France, with her new husband, Roger, we invited them over to Hermanus for a BBQ. Gail and Roger now live between their home in England and their place in Somerset West, here in South Africa. We had a great time catching up, drinking local wine and enjoying SA's fabulous beef fillet, cooked on the braai.

The weather was fabulous for our first week in Hermanus and we spent much of the time exploring the local beaches and restaurants, our favourites being Grotto Bay and Milk on the Beach at Onnus. By the time Frank and Denise Moore arrived (our special friends in France), we had whittled the selection down to a few more favourites.

The Moores had a reasonable flight from London and made the journey from Cape Town to Hermanus in a hire car in good time. We are so pleased to have them here with us, and much of the time has been spent making the most of all the gorgeous restaurants in and around the town. The four of us met up with Gail and Roger at the Paul Cluver Wine Estate for a superb lunch last week. The restaurant is a beautiful old Colonial style villa set amongst the apple groves at Grabouw, conveniently located half way between Somerset West and Hermanus. On Sunday, our last day here before leaving for Cape Town, we are meeting an old school friend of Mike's, Tim and his wife, Pru Crawley, at the Oak Valley Wine Estate. These vineyards specialise in fine dining and don't disappoint.

On the third day of their stay with us, poor Denise took a tumble when out for a walk and broke her shoulder. We whisked her off to the local hospital where she received immediate attention. There wasn't a lot they could do but they strapped her up and prescribed pain killers. She has, however, not let it spoil her holiday and has soldiered on with amazing courage.

We revisited the Saturday market again on Saturday with Frank and Denise and partook of the 'street' food offered from the many stalls. It was noisy, fun and a very local experience. We've also visited the lovely old colonial town of Stanford and then on to Gaans Baai for lunch at the shark and whale port.

A highlight of our stay in Hermanus was a Sunday seafood feast at De Vette Mossel. Thirteen different dishes are prepared on open fires at Prawn Flats around a central bonfire. The venue is on the shores of a massive lagoon with fabulous views.' Eat as much as you like' we were told be a very entertaining Afrikaan presenter, who also told us they only spoke English at De Vette Mossel 'in an emergency'!

We have enjoyed some beautiful sunsets over the golf course upon which our lovely house is located. Frank and Mike had a morning's golf earlier this week - 18 holes, but they did hire a buggy to help them on their way.

We leave Hermanus on Monday morning and head back to Cape Town where we are staying at the Silvermist Wine Estate overnight to indulge in a birthday dinner at the famous La Colombe - another gourmet treat.

Thank you joining us on our travels and for your wonderful comments. Sadly TravelArk doesn't have the facility to let me answer each one, but they are really appreciated. Until 2024...