25 December 2010
Up went the Christmas tree and the fairy lights. Like its owners our tree is a much travelled tree. Bought originally in Antigua it next appeared in Phuket. Then having circumnavigated, it was once more back up in the Carib, last year in St Lucia. Now in its third season it is here in Hout Bay! Christmas Eve was also Tzigane John's birthday so we celebrated in grand style once more with a lovely lunch at La Colombe restaurant, in the Constantia Uitsig vineyard. With a taxi to take us there and back many bottles of wine were drunk, the whole bill most generously paid for by John. It must have cost a small fortune. We were also joined by BWR friends John and Marian Morse who are in South Africa on vacation. Christmas day festivities began with champagne on Tzigane, followed by lunch at Mariners Wharf Restaurant, here at Hout Bay. A party of eight of us had the sole use of the Queen Mary Room. This small private function room is decorated with all kinds of QM memorabilia collected over the years by the restaurant owner. With the door closed we could make as much noise as we wanted. Again the wine flowed freely and a good time was had by all. Naturally Christmas is not the same for us without our families but we made the best of it and had a jolly good time. With only four months to go now to the completion of this around the world it somehow seems really important to us not to break the trip. It also enables us to see and explore as much as possible of this wonderful country. Who knows, we may never have the opportunity to come back. Our whole philosophy in life is to grab it by the horns and enjoy!
Susan Mackay