Never plan too far ahead cuz the weather will catch ya out

After our camping trip with friends was cancelled on Friday (due to the forecasted weather), we decided to do a few more things around town for the weekend before our imminent departure in April.

Saturday morning we met up with friends for breakfast at the Neighbourgoods Market at the old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, an outdoor market selling fresh organic produce, organic coffees & tea, organic baked goods, specialty olives, hand-made farm cheeses, ethically caught fish and organic meats, fresh herbs, flowers and plants, freshly shucked oysters, hand-made chocolates, sweets and cakes, cured hams, wood-fired breads, fresh juices, gourmet sandwiches, wine farms, cordials, honey on tap, savoury bakes, malay foods, and more!

In the afternoon we endured a hot, windless afternoon by swinging a few buckets of golf balls at the Riverside golf range.

That night we had some friends over for a braai.

However this time, there was not one South African amongst us, and Matt had the luxury of braai-ing without any well-meaning SA men lurking around the braai giving scores of advice on how to create the perfect flames, when to turn the meat, how to check if it's done...

Saying that, we all got so caught up in conversation, our lamb kebabs ended up a bit charred around the edges.

We ended the day by watching Cry Freedom, an epic film about Steve Biko and his struggles for justice during South Africa's apartheid era. Highly recommended.

Like the weatherman predicted, it was a drizzly and dreary Sunday morning, but we managed to drag ourselves up to do some sea-kayaking in Simon's Town, where we paddled out towards the penguin colony and back.

Once we were on the water, it was exhilerating and actually the cool sea breeze was a welcome change from the past scorching weeks.

Simon's Town is SA's principal navy base, and it's not uncommon to see navy ships docked at the harbour and marines strolling around town, looking very smart in their uniform.

Back home for the rest of the day, with our feet up and doing what should normally be done on a typical rainy Sunday: nothing.