The Flying Fish

Saturday 29 August was bitterly cold across the Western Cape. The type of cold that only comes when there is snow on the mountains. We don’t often get a lot of snow in the Helderberg Basin, but when we do, it is normally a pretty decent amount.   I didn’t get to see any of it, as each time I had a chance to peek out of the window, dark grey clouds had settled on top of the mountains. But, there was no lack of photos on Facebook and Whatsapp, so at least I got some idea of the coverage.   I declared Sunday a rest day. No admin, no DIYing, no worrying about the to-do list. I even slept in until 07:00, but as I sipped my coffee something told me to head to Radloff Park. So I did. It was a beautifully crisp and clear morning, and I could see the Hottentots Holland Mountains capped with snow. Even The Dome of the Helderberg Mountain still had a light dusting. Now that doesn’t happen often!   As I walked around Radloff trying to find the best vantage point, and the caffeine sta...

Enough to want get up at 5am and drive an hour, only to park your car at a random campsite, hop on your bicycle and cycle 35km one way to have a pie? And then cycle back. Well, I like pie… so that’s exactly what I did! I started to hatch this plan after Facebook told me about the Greyton Pie Run, happening in September. This is an annual event during which people cycle from Greyton to Riviersonderend, and eat pies and drink coffee from the Ou Meul Bakery. Bicycles, pie, coffee, I was keen! But, the dates clashed with other stuff happening in my life, and while the entry fee was pretty reasonable, it was a rather unnecessary expense (what with these strange times and being unemployed). And then, the cogs started to turn and I realised that I don’t need to sign up for an event to do something like this- I can go by myself! Spurred on by my genius, and the growing need to escape and take a break, I set about planning my route (there were only two to choose from really), finding a place to...