When it's still winter in April

Every year in London people seem surprised by April's weather. I've lived here for 7 years now and I'm pretty sure it's always been utterly unpredictable. I've mentioned before that I'm a sun lover, and I'm looking forward to summer as much as anyone. I've been trying to wear summery clothes towards the end of April but yesterday's snow (yup, snow!) has pushed me back into the realms of black tights and wrapping up in layers.

I've been wearing this scarf from Camden Market on repeat all winter, and I've layered it over my old faithful black leather moto jacket from New Look. My dress is New Look too, the burgandy pattern bringing out the colours in my scarf.

I've added another wardrobe staple, my Collectif shrug for warmth and covered up with thick black tights and Asos ankle boots.

 I love mixing textures; here I've got leather, jersey, embroidery and faux fur.

My current handbag is this gorgeous olive Odilynch leather number, which I also picked up in my Camden Market haul back in January. Do you have 4 seasons in one day where you live? How do you dress for changeable weather?

Dress: New Look

Shrug: Collectif

Jacket: New Look

Scarf: Camden Market

Bag: Odilynch @ Camden Market

Boots: ASOS

South Africa Day 11 - Coffee Stops, Chocolate and wine, Contemplation

It's our last day (sob) but it's ok, because before we go were off to the Boschendal vineyards to taste some wine. It's the first time we're driving out of the city rather than around it, but the mountain roads are much the same. We stop off at Kalk Bay en route, and enjoy a coffee overlooking the ocean road and seafront railway as trains pass through the little station on their way around the coast. 

Recharged, we continue our journey away from the sea and into wine country. After a little while, we're into the land of the vineyards and we continue past many signposts until we reach Boschendal. The restaurant and vineyards themselves are one way, the wine tasting is another. It's about lunchtime, so we head to the restaurant side first and sit outside, enjoying some freshly made dishes, washed down of course with a glass of wine. The grounds here are truly beautiful, there's a quaint British feel to the structured gardens and tree lined pathways. It's very serene, and another lovely sunny day which certainly helps add to the relaxed atmosphere. 

We finish our lunch and have a brief stroll around the grounds, before we head to the other side of the estate to sample a wine and chocolate tasting experience. First up is a tasty Sauvignon Blanc with a citrus infused chocolate, followed by a part oaked Chardonnay with a white chocolate. The chocolate is nice but the wine isn't to my taste, which isn't surprising since it's rare for me to find a new world Chardonnay that is. We sample a tasty Shiraz and the Vin d'Or, a delicious dessert wine with a golden colour that gives it its name. The chocolates on their own are ok, I'm not sure about the matching with the wines, but the wines themselves are delicious. We sample one more of the selection before buying a bottle of the Vin d'Or to take home, where it will invariably live on a shelf for years before we eventually find a reason to open it! We languish a little longer in the afternoon sun before heading back on the road to make the journey home. (It's worth noting that the non drivers helped the drivers out with their wine samples. Stay safe folks.)

It's been a lovely day, and an amazing holiday, and it's with a little sadness that we return to the cottages for our final night, eating the remainder of our food for dinner and packing up ready to head to the airport in the morning. Cape Town is really one of the most bizarre cities I've visited, with urban districts and built up suburbs separated by a huge mountain. It's normality for the people who live here, but as a visitor it remains unique and unfamiliar to traverse coastal cliff paths or winding mountain roads to get from one area of the city to another. We've packed lots of sightseeing in to the time we've had here and it's been a really great holiday. Erica and Steve are staying for a few more days but we leave in the morning and return our car, picking up some last minute gifts at the airport and returning to rainy Britain where we head straight to work from Heathrow. South Africa was a fantastic holiday destination, parts of it very similar to life at home and parts of it totally different. There are lots of other places in the world I'd like to visit next, but one day it would be lovely to return and see more of this spectacular country.

South Africa Day 10 - Table Mountain, Being Tourists and Teaching roller derby

We've only got a couple of days left of our holiday so we're up again this morning to head up to the top of Table Mountain. It's a short drive along the many mountain roads that link up the various areas of Cape Town, and we park up and join the back of the queue for tickets to the cable car. 

Erica and Steve set off a bit earlier than us and are enjoying a coffee at the top, as it was still in the clouds when they arrived, which is always a risk for anywhere up high with a view. The queue moves quite quickly though, and we're soon bundling into the large cable car to take us to the top. Once we're on the move, we discover the car itself rotates so that everyone on board gets a 360 view of the ascent. 

We get to the station at the top and go to find the others, grabbing a quick coffee ourselves on the way. It's quite windy but the clouds are clearing and the sun is bright in the sky. We set off around a short trail route which circles the area of the mountain top around the cable car station. On the way around, there is an assortment of large boulders which are perfect vantage points for taking pictures of the stunning view, and also posing in front of the impressive landscape of the horizon and the city below. There's wildlife up here too, with dassies darting in and out of the shade of the rocks and birds soaring overhead in the early afternoon sunshine. 

Further around the trail, there's an echoing canyon which is the source of much amusement for 5a few minutes. We continue along the pathway and arrive at a junction of sorts, where we can either head back to the station or explore a further part of the mountain. It's much more off the beaten track here, and there's a part of the route where we need to climb down a steep section with the help of a rope and iron fixings in the rock. It's also much quieter here, and it's great to be able to explore in a more peaceful environment. The sky has cleared now to a beautiful blue, and we traverse the uneven paths in the afternoon sun, marvelling at the fascinating rock structures and breathtaking scenery. We realise we're heading further into unknown territory and decide to trace our route back to the main path before it gets too late. 

We head back to the cable car and make the journey back down to the base, where we pick up our cars and hear to a nearby branch of Cape Town fish market for dinner. We start with a seafood plank, then I continue the seafood theme with more calamari for my main. It's unfortunately not quite as fresh as our lunch yesterday, but refuel us nonetheless, and we enjoy yet another beautiful sunset behind the mountains and over the bay. 

Craig and I are off to train with Cape Town Roller Derby tonight, so we say our goodbyes to Erica and Steve and head on our way to their venue. A couple of confused frowns at the satnav later, and we've found the sports hall and the familiar sight of colourful leggings and roller skates. It's a refereeing focused session, so after some quick pointers on technique for minimum skills with the whole league, we settle down to listen to Craig's wisdom and guidance on good reffing practice and relevant training. It's great to meet some of the skaters afterwards, and see how the sport has taken off worldwide. We have a quick beer and head back over the mountain range once again to our cosy Noordhoek cottage. It's gone midnight by the time we get home, and tomorrow is our last day before we return to the UK, so we head to bed for another peaceful night's sleep under South African sky.

South Africa Day 9 - Fur seals, Fish lunch and Finding Nemo

Well rested after the day of wedding celebration, we're heading g down to the V&A waterfront today, for a bit more sightseeing and exploration of Cape Town lifestyle. On the way, we take Chapman's Peak Drive, a fairly petrifying mountain road carved into the cliff edge. There are rockfall shelters along part of the road to prevent bits of cliff falling on top of the vehicles below. 

Once we're safely around the mountain, we head through the city streets towards the Waterfront, where we park in a multi story car park, the first time on this trip that we've really been anywhere that feels like inner city civilisation. Wandering down to the waterfront, we take a moment to pose for some pictures in front of the giant frame, with Table mountain as an impressive backdrop. 

We continue our leisurely stroll past many curio shops, down to the harbour front, where we see the boatyard, the tour boats leaving for trips to Robben Island and some cape fur seals swimming in the water. We cross the swing bridge to a platform where the seals are basking in the sun. It smells quite putrid down here, presumably down to these large sea mammals' love of rotting fish. Leaving the area quite briskly, we continue on past the iconic Victorian gothic style clock tower to explore the rest of the waterfront. 

We take a look at some more trinkets and head to the Cape Town Fish Market for lunch. We share 2 delicious seafood planks between the 4 of us to start, with a selection of samosas, king prawns and calamari on a wooden board accompanied by tasty dipping sauces. Next up I opt for a Big Bay sushi platter, which is quite small, but very fresh, and just the right amount to fill me up without sitting heavily for the afternoon. I sample another pleasant South African wine with my meal (I forget which it was!), before we finish up and head back along the waterfront to the Aquarium. We enter into the predator exhibit, with amphitheatre style seating looking into a huge tank filled with fish, shark, rays and turtles. It's currently feeding time, and we can see the staff in scuba gear amongst the sea life with their box of feed for the creatures circling them. We stay and watch for a little while, catching the end of the talk about the exhibit and its inhabitants, then continue on to explore the rest of the aquarium. 

There is an assortment of exotic species to discover, each in their assorted tanks to represent their native environments. The beautiful but extremely poisonous scorpion fish with its array of spines floats serenely in the water safely behind a glass screen. My favourite new discovery is probably the cow fish, with its characteristic 'horns', bright yellow colouring and unusual shape. 

Next up there's a large tank with an assortment of amazingly patterned but frankly terrifying looking eels, and further along, a tank with a hollow centre accessible through a hole at floor level which allows visitors a 360 view of hundreds of beautiful little clown fish. 

Along the way, there are giant crabs, starfish and tiny seahorses, before we pass some more sharks slowly drifting through their dark watery home and exit into the Penguin River exhibit. 

Out here the penguins include the characteristic crested rockhopper, with its distinctive yellow feathers and noisy cry. 

We head back inside and wander around the Ocean Basket Kelp Forest exhibit, peering in at the fishes and sea plants that are kept here. Trying to get a good picture of a black and white striped zebra bream proves pretty tricky, as they seem to swim away as soon as I think I've got a good shot. We make our way to the exit and leave the aquarium, heading back to the waterfront to grab an evening coffee.

It's another stop at Mugg & Bean, where we order enormous slabs of cake and watch the sun set beind the spectacular silhouette of Table Mountain. 

The evening's relaxed activity is a braai at the house where the groom's brother is staying, which consists of more meat, some beers and family time. We head back to the cottages and settle in for the night after another great day exploring South Africa's southernmost city.