I've been a year in South Africa now,
Which has flown by so fast, I don't know how
Since I've written twelve of these posts I decided to vow
This one'd be a poem, if you let me allow*
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| 'My first wine tasting' (a children's book I'm working on) with Phil Adsley (who quickly escaped after my arrival) |
The weather's been great,
The company fantastic,
There's not much I hate,
And I'm not being sarcastic
It's a hell of a journey
But the scenery's bombastic
Plus parts show placodermi
Are not all quite 'past it'
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| That was a reference to East London (not shown above) |
In the first month or so here
I had a few problems
A flat tyre on the rear
And buying a car
Is pretty damn dear
But still it's awesome
Since the price of the beer
Puts it all on par
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| Which subsequently makes going to the cricket pretty cheap and enjoyable! |
Magnificent wine and sumptuous meals
All back-dropped by splendid views of the hills
Plus the animals around, like the penguins and seals
Make even a 'normal' day here seem full of thrills
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| Some photos in this post are actually from this month! |
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| Me waiting to be told I'm still broken, with 'severe ligament damage' |
I'm settled in Cape Town finally and happy in my place
With the view of the mountains and their spectacular face
And I've found a system at work
Which isn't in itself too much work
Of course it's hard being so far from home
But it's not like that was something that was unknown
It's been annoying since I broke my damn bone
And I've not yet found anywhere that makes zabaglione
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| Some pretty amazing views though |
I thought I'd create a list of my highlights
However it turns out when I tried to pick out the top sights
It's a difficult process to try to pick out the best days and nights
There's not even really been any downers or frights
The usual collection of trips and of markets,
and what not have endured along with sunkets,
And that goes along too with the braais and relaxing,
And the incredible sunsets
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| I'd had a lot of wine at this point, hence the slopeiness |
Probably the best time of course is when people are visiting
Since we get to be explore, relax, and get to be inquisitive
Seeing some of the hidden secrets and share in superlatives
Pretending to be a tourist instead of trying to be native
On that note in August (this month) my mum came to visit
With my sister who just got to Warwick uni, ribbit ribbit
Which was one of the nicest times I've had here, exploring some new
Like Franshoek, new vineyards, and bunny chow (a kind of stew)
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| Mum in Franshoek |
I finally did Bo'Kaap with the colourful streets!
Another wonderful addition to the attractions that Cape Town reaps,
The Rhodes Monument too,
And the Crypt Jazz restaurant woo!
As well as the usual suspects of course,
Sojourning with whales and flowers and a stripy horse
I'd be doing a disfavour
If I didn't finish on the flavours
Of the amazing Test Kitchen
Which is easily pitchin'
As the greatest culinary experience I've ever had
Since some of their ideas were totally rad
A tasting experience far exceeding,
Even if it left my wallet a little bit bleeding...
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| Oh, this is just shortbread with duck parfait, dark chocolate, and 24-carat gold, have you never had billionaire's shortbread? |
...dry.
Here's to another great year! Thanks to all who've made the time here so good, as well as to those who've visited; to those who are coming to visit, I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am. Lekker may bruh!
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| Because I definitely haven't taken enough sunset photos |
Song of the month: Look What You Made Me Do, by Taylor Swift, because I was forced to (though I didn't resist much)
*The rhyming scheme is...unusual
