Saturday Spot: Se7en visit the Cape Winelands…

A couple of weeks back, when I thought the father person would be bringing me flowers he bought me this very fancy camera instead. It is all about “scale of expectation,” I tell you!!!

And in the box was a slip of paper that said free camera training with your purchase… My camera knowledge is so embarrassingly pitiful that I jammed the paper, with all the other papers and stuffed them with all those small print forms and technical goodies into the bottom of the box – hoping to forget them forever. I am a “jump in and see how this works” kind of person, the father person is a “lets see what all these papers say” kind of person. Well there was no jumping in here, it took about two weeks for me to pluck up the nerve to take a photograph. And then I started using it for special occasions. Meanwhile in the father person waded through all the paper work and he came across the free training slip and signed me up (waaahhhaaaa). Hopeless at anything schoolish, haven’t engaged my brain intellectually in years. Not to mention a logistical nightmare, it started at 8 in the morning, over an hours drive away AND I have eight kids.

So Saturday morning bright and very early, I whipped my little sleeping creature out of bed and drove him to Stellenbosch for a long morning of photography. He loved it!!! Well, no-one interrupted his nap, which is probably a first in living memory. Meanwhile I learnt so much in a single morning: All about everything and when my brain went into overdrive, no worries because I could see other people what needed to be done… There were aspects of my camera that I would never have thought of using and now I know they are discovered I will never look back. Not to mention photography tips, lots of ideas… Where have I been folks? I totally loved it!!! Thanks Nikon, South Africa… what a great service!!!

Meanwhile we had an excuse for a wander through the Cape Winelands, where there are so many things to do with kids that you just won’t believe it. We never go there because we just never get round to it… So the father person took the kids to Butterfly World where they had an absolute ball:

and bats:

And spiders:

And snakes:

And reptiles:

And roaming:

And birds and crocodiles and lizards and little buck and monkeys…

And butterflies!!!

And chameleons:

And fabulous fun!!!

By the time they were finished with butterflies we were finished with photographs… and met at the Mooiberg Farmstall, which is a popular strawberry picking spot.

Where the fields are filled with scarecrows, not pickers!!! And a playpark for the adventurous…

And the most amazing street of sculpture…

And finally onto Spier for a picnic lunch… Now Spier for those of you who don’t live here is one of the most visited wine farms in our area and a trip to the country for all extreme urbanites. For the “Health and Safety Folks” they have arrived in Utopia. This is the countryside where there is no actual dirt. There are ponies to ride at a price but no other animals to be seen. Your picnic is bought at a priceless deli – and they have thought of everything, right down to slicing your rolls for you. Very civilized!!!

It is pretty clinical, with manicured lawns and a pretty lake that no-one touches and everything is neat as a pin and there is no wild play and even the wildlife is “tame.” They do have a cool cheetah program and an equally cool eagle program but we were there for a picnic.

To get to the deli you have to wander through the market typical South African Street Market goodies at typical tourist prices… Lots of eye candy and photographs to take. Just think of a checkout aisle for the rich and famous and you are with me.

On to the picnic…

I got the feeling that very subdued children were welcome, but no mad games of chase or throwing of acorns into the lake. So some subdued play ensued, not wanting to disturb…

And a look at the ducks:

And a closer look at the people watching the ducks:

And that was us… ready to head home from the country and back to the seaside… aahhhh a little bit of ocean certainly makes the world go round.