The Final Sunset from Worthing Pier

My mum passed away on 3 September. Mum, my brother Chris and I had spent a wonderful weekend in Worthing, and this was the sunset from Worthing Pier that we enjoyed on the last evening.

We drove home on the Monday and Mum passed away that night. Her big, beautiful heart finally stopped working. We are all devastated.

Hold those you love close to you, tell them you love them, cherish them. Live each day to the full and don't take a minute for granted. Rebuild those bridges you've burned. Life is too short and too fragile.

I had some posts prepared but beyond that, I don't know when I'll return. I'm busy for the next several weeks clearing out Mum's house. I would like to post about that final weekend in Worthing, if only to keep the good memories alive.

Twilight Dining at the Westwell Wines, Kent

Nestled in the heart of Kent's picturesque countryside, Westwell Wines is a hidden gem that beautifully marries tradition with innovation. Their range of wines, crafted with passion and an unwavering commitment to sustainability, offers a true taste of the English terroir*. The vineyards are a lush green at this time of year, offering views of the North Downs while you savour the unique flavours of Kent.

* The French word terroir was new to me! It's defined by the Oxford dictionary as "the characteristic taste and flavour imparted to a wine by the environment in which it is produced".

Back in March when I walked the Augustine Camino through vineyards and orchards, I made a promise to explore more vineyards in Kent. I was delighted when my friend Amanda suggested the outdoor pizza night at Westwell Wines, complete with pizza, wine and a DJ.

The event was on a Friday which meant I had to arrive nice and early in order to mitigate the regular traffic nightmares in Dartford and Kent. As it was, I only arrived with 20 minutes to spare after planning to be there much earlier. I pottered about in the vineyard, took a cheeky selfie and found our table. The pizza evenings are very popular, so it's essential to book ahead.

When Amanda and Kieran arrived (on time, because they travelled from Amanda's home in the next village) we went up to order our pizzas from the very friendly staff.

We went into the gift shop to order our drinks. I ordered a delicious sparkling grape juice as I had a long drive ahead of me that evening. Amanda ordered a Pinot Meunier, which had a rose gold colour, and Kieran ordered a Chardonnay.

Westwell is very dog friendly and there were free treats and water bowls for dogs. There was also water available for humans to help ourselves, colouring materials for kids, and shawls to assist with the evening chill.

The Alkham Valley pizza was delicious; I had salami, olives, buffalo mozzarella and basil on mine.

We enjoyed Simply Ice Cream for dessert. The ice creams are handmade and free from additives or preservatives. I had Divine Chocolate, which was indeed divine, but I was also quite envious of Amanda's Heavenly Honeycomb. There was also a range of Simply Pawfection frozen treats for dogs on offer. I need to borrow a doggy!

Once we'd finished our food and drink, we couldn't resist the allure of the vineyard and went for a walk. How peaceful and quintessentially Kentish does that look?

The grapes are looking very healthy - in my completely uninformed opinion - and will be ready for harvest in late September to mid-October. I'm quite determined to return with Stephen one day so that I can enjoy a glass of wine.

Westwell Wines
The Vyneyarde
Westwell Lane
Charing TN27 0BW

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Happy 26th dating anniversary to Stephen and I! We met on the evening of one of my best friend's wedding which means they also celebrate tonight. And next year their oldest daughter, my goddaughter, is hopefully coming to the UK to volunteer for 9 months. Fingers crossed that goes ahead!

Wandering around the Italian Town of Brivio

I spent five days in Italy at the end of June and it was absolutely glorious. I was visiting my friend Sue, with whom I worked in South Africa twenty years go. Sue holds a very special place in my heart (for many reasons); she saved my trip to New York City in 2009 when she arranged for me to stay with her sister when my accommodation fell through at the last minute.

We decided to explore the nearby town of Brivio on my first morning there. Our first stop was Tofè Cafè where we enjoyed coffee and pastries under the trees, while looking over the Adda River. I learned that you need to order caffè latte or latte macchiato because if you just ask for latte (milk), they will bring you steamed milk. Funny that.

It felt so good to be in Italy again and to breathe the mountain air deep into my lungs. I wasn’t even too bothered by the cloudy skies although I was hoping for some sunshine during my trip. It’s heading into autumn here in England and we’ve only had a few days of summer weather.

After finishing our pastries, we wandered up to the Ponte di Brivio and circled back into the town. Brivio is nestled in the heart of the Lecco province in the Lombardy region, and benefitted historically from its strategic position on the river Adda between Milan and Bergamo.

With its cobbled streets, charming buildings and picturesque riverside views, Brivio was just the tonic for my weary urban soul.

I learned all about Nerone, Brivio’s beloved mascot who finally passed away last year. Despite being feral, he was cared for by the town’s residents and news of his death was published in local newspapers (see Prima Merate and La Stampa). he is missed and has a bench dedicated to him now.

It will surprise absolutely nobody that I was already considering moving to this little town by that morning. Italy and the Balkans always have that effect on me.

We walked past this closed down ristorante and I began to dream further. What would it take to take over the property and do it up again? Alas, more than I have. I learned many years ago that I’m good at working for people but not so good at motivating myself to take care of my own business.

After our short exploration, it was time for lunch. We headed into Serendipity Cocktails & Food for a traditional worker’s lunch. The workers lunch is a heavily subsidised meal that usually costs €12 - €15 and includes a set menu, with very little choice, plus sides, water, coffee, wine or beer. I ordered the Venus rice risotto with prawns, cherry tomatoes and vegetables to start and liked it so much that I ordered it several more times during my short trip. Venus rice is naturally black. Sue had the Sardinian gnocchi to start. For main course, I had the strips of beef with balsamic vinegar and Sue enjoyed the Milanese plaice with tomato sauce.

This was only the first in a series of excellent meals and I finally feel like this trip broke the curse of our Italian road trip in 2014 where we made very poor culinary choices.

The Views from Calton Hill, Edinburgh

We weren't sure what to do on our first afternoon in Edinburgh. I hadn't done my usual travel reconnaissance because this trip was about my friends Nic and Sarah, who had travelled from South Africa. It turns out that my rudimentary tour guiding skills were very much in demand. "I'm sure you'll think of something", Sarah remarked, reminding me that I'd been to Edinburgh before.

Not wanting to disappoint, I frantically looked at a map of the area surrounding our hotel and was relieved to spot an enticing-looking green space to the east. That would do nicely.

The moment we passed Greenside Parish Church and joined the Greenside Path up to Calton Hill, we felt that we could breathe more deeply. We were in a green space and surrounded by an abundance of flora.

We followed the signs for the North Viewpoint and were greeted with the incredible views above. The large body of water to the north is Firth of Forth, an estuary made up of the River Forth and other rivers. In the mid ground lies New Town, which was built in three phases in the 18th and 19th century.

There was just something about the view that made people stop and quietly drink in the sights. It was lovely to find a moment of calm in this busy city.

We finally decided it was time to explore further. Behind us stood the National Monument of Scotland, its unfinished columns rising like a skeletal Parthenon against the cloudy sky. Construction on the neoclassical structure, a tribute to the fallen Scottish soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars, began in 1826 but was ultimately abandoned in 1829.

Next to the National Monument stands the Nelson Monument which looks like a tiny leaning tower of Pisa.

To the west, we looked past the Dugald Stewart Monument to see Edinburgh Castle in the distance. The clock tower in the mid-distance is the Balmoral.

Our final stop on Calton Hill was the dome of the City Observatory. The official observatory moved to Blackford in 1896 due to light pollution and these days the observatory buildings house the Collective art gallery.

We began to make our way down the hill, this time passing round the back of the Greenside Parish Church.

We headed towards an eating area we'd seen from the hill and found ourselves at Edinburgh Street Food in Leith Street. It was a serendipitous find because ESF was the one place Sarah had wanted to see in Edinburgh.

After eating our body weight in street food, it was time to check into our hotel and get ready for the evening's festivities.

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A Little Life Update

I have indeed been missing for six weeks, again. I travelled to both Edinburgh and Italy in June, which was marvellous, and had been planning a quiet July. Well, you know what happens when you make plans. Stephen had laser eye surgery (and really suffered with it), followed by a severe allergic reaction to insect bites, and then he caught Covid. It was his third time and while it wasn't life-threatening, he was still very sick. After three weeks of valiant nurse duty, I caught Covid too. Added to our burden, Stephen had a major audit at work and I was working weekends to try make up for lost time. I really need a holiday!

I'm slowly catching up on blogs and comments. I have also made a plan to blog about all my adventures in Scotland and Italy over the next months, as well as catching up on posts from South Africa, Germany and other trips. Hopefully it won't be too confusing as I jump around - the thought of catching up chronologically on trips from the last year is just too daunting to bear!

How are you all doing?

Out & About in Edinburgh: A Whirlwind Visit

I recently took a whirlwind, thirty-six hour visit to Edinburgh to see my university friends Nic and Sarah who were visiting from South Africa. I flew up on the Tuesday morning from London City Airport and returned, thirty-six thousand steps later, on Wednesday evening.

There were so many interesting things to see as we pottered about. These were some of my favourites sights.

There are two things you'll see if you drive around the Scottish lowlands - heather and grouse. Naturally, I thought these little statuettes were grouse but I was wrong! Located on Leith Walk, they are pigeons and were sculpted by Shona Kinloch.

Don't you love the clock in the background? I love the standing clocks seen in towns and cities around the world.

We popped into Vinyl Villains for a look around. This tiny store was a collector's treasure trove, full of both vintage and current vinyl, CDs and even VHS tapes.

We walked up Windsor Street and stopped to admire these pretty houses.

I was very amused to see Greenside Parish Church because I went to Greenside High School in Johannesburg. Many suburb names in Jo'burg come from Scotland including Blairgowrie, where I lived, and Craighall, where I went to primary school.

We walked up Calton Hill, which I'll tell you all about in my next post, and enjoyed views for miles.

On our second day, we visited the National Museum of Scotland where I saw a cast of the tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots. The original lies in Westminster Abbey.

This was my second visit to Edinburgh and the first time I managed to get a decent photo of the Scott Memorial. I blame it on the unpredictable weather and the fact that monuments and buildings aren't whitewashed in Edinburgh like they are in London. It was established in 1994 that cleaning the Scott Monument would do more harm than good.

Did you know that the Scott Monument is dedicated to Sir Walter Scott, author of Waverley and Ivanhoe? I didn't until this trip. I thought it was the 'Scot monument' and a dedication to the people of Scotland.

Another sight I'd previously failed to capture - and I've been to Edinburgh airport three times - was the Edinburgh sign. Last time there were tons of people in front of it and none of them were my loved ones!

In the next posts, I'll tell you all about our trip up Calton Hill, a ghost tour, a very pretty street, and a visit to the Scottish National Gallery. In the meantime, you can read all about my previous visits to Scotland and the lovely towns we visited.

A Safari Flight with Air Ventures Hot Air Ballooning

My mum lives vicariously through me; she’s proudly told me so since I was a teen. When I told her that one of my biggest dreams was to go on a hot air balloon ride, she bought a Safari Flight for Two from Air Ventures Hot Air Ballooning for my 50th birthday. Spoiler: it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.

We met at 5.15am on a chilly autumn morning at Kloofzicht Lodge & Spa, which just happens to be one of my favourite venues in Jo’burg. Two strong cups of coffee later and we were ready to drive to the launch site. We met the team and watched as the balloon was prepared for our flight. Once the balloon was vertical, we all climbed into the basket and held our breath.

We’d been warned that conditions were so still that morning that there was a small chance that we would not be able to ascend. Suddenly the most subtle gust of wind prevailed and the balloon began to slowly rise into the air.

It felt magical to rise above the morning mist and see the landscape open up before our eyes.

Looking out over the edge of the basket, we were able to see in every direction as the pilot slowly turned us around.

While I enjoyed our first glimpse of the shadow of our balloon in the distance, our pilot Marc searched for signs of animals on the ground.

First we began to descend as Marc had a special treat for us.

We were almost at ground level and we began to drift over the surface of the Crocodile river. It feels strange seeing that in English, I know it by the Afrikaans name, Krokodilrivier

The key was to get as close to the surface as possible without getting the bottom of the basket wet. Given how chilly it was on that morning, we were all very invested in not getting our feet wet!

I’m happy to say that Marc handled it with expert prowess and we soon began our triumphant ascent.

Once again, we were treated to breathtaking vistas.

We had seen giraffe, zebra and springboks on the road to the launch site but we finally spotted some wildlife from the air. Believe it or not, there are two black rhinos in that photo.

We flew past the rhino and the pilot began to slowly double back so that we could get a closer look.

This photo is on zoom but the rhino were no more than 50 metres away. I was amazed by how calm they were and how little we seemed to phase them.

Up in the air again…

It’s obvious that I will never tire of these views.

We began to descend again as we spotted some springboks in the distance. The springbok is the national animal of South Africa and they are named after their distinctive jumping style of running. There are 72 species of antelope in South Africa and we usually refer to them by name. The South Africans on the flight became quite bemused that certain tourists kept correcting the pilot each time he identified one (‘no, that’s an antelope’).

We spotted blue and black wildebeest grazing. The wildebeest were more wary of us than the rhino and treated us to a display of them chasing away over the plain.

We also saw ostrich, blesbok and water buffalo from the air but were not close enough to capture them.

By now the sun was high in the sky and our experience was coming to an end.

There were times when I regretted not taking a better camera with me on the flight but then I’d look down over the edge and realise I’d made the right decision. We were also warned that  landings could sometimes be rough and I didn’t want to bash either myself or a chunky camera.

In the end, Marc executed the most gentle landing ever – directly onto the trailer.

We were treated to mimosas which went straight to our head and we were handed certificates of completion. Stephen thoroughly enjoyed himself and wasn’t bothered by the height at all. We both loved it enough to want to do it again one day.

All too soon, it was time to drive back to Kloofzicht Spa where we were treated to a buffet breakfast overlooking the beautiful grounds and lake.

The Safari Flight, including breakfast, is R3,270pp which is approximately £150.

@mandyist A sunrise safari flight with Air Ventures #CapCut #southafrica #hotairballoon #safari ♬ Return To Innocence - Enigma