Category Archives: Brandy

Wellington Wine Walk far more than about wine, about olives, gin and Buchu too – Day 1

 

Last week my school friend Jenny Stephens and I spent two days on the Wellington Wine Walk, a guiding service offered by school friend Elaine Wegelin and her colleagues Katrin Steytler, and Carol-Ann Jeffrey.

Jenny, Elaine, and I grew up in Wellington, and sat on the same school benches at three Wellington schools. Having left Wellington after Matric 50 years ago, it was not just an eating and drinking adventure, but it was a catch-up of how our hometown has grown and developed in this time. Continue reading →

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 48 of Level 1, 7 November 2020.

 

Saturday 7 November 2020, Day 48 of Level 1, Day 226 of Lockdown 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for starting our day with the first sign of the sun in two days, and the luck of being able to do our walking sections throughout the day without any rain; for a lovely breakfast at Dunstone Restaurant; for being shuttled to VillaMar at the other end of Wellington, for an informative coffee tasting; for a winetasting at Doolhof Wines, at the end of Bovlei; for a sunny walk alongside the Kromme River to Welvanpas Family Vineyards for lunch and a winetasting; for a walk to close to Bosman Family Vineyards, a wine producer, and the largest producer of ‘stokkies’ (new vines created by grafting onto Rootstock) in Africa; for being shuttled back to our car at Diemersfontein, picking up our purchases made at our different stops in the past two days; for safely returning to Cape Town; and for being happy and healthy. 🙏💙 Continue reading →

Corona Virus: Lockdown Journey Journal, Day 47 of Level 1, 6 November 2020.

 

Friday 6 November 2020, Day 47 of Level 1, Day 225 of Lockdown 😷

Corona Gratitude 🙏

#Grateful for the huge amount of rain that has fallen today, in Cape Town as well as here in Wellington, excellent for the new vines that have just been planted; for the fabulous flexibility of our Wellington Wine Walk hosts for keeping us dry, in shuttling us to all our stops today, as it poured non-stop; for the entertaining and educational tastings of Buchu, Olive oil, and Wines at various stops in Wellington; for our cosy accommodation at Dunstone wine estate; for a good dinner at the Dunstone restaurant; for a warm bed; for the confirmation of the Carte Blanche interview with Carte Blanche presenter Derek Watts happening at my home next week; and for being happy and healthy. 🙏💙 Continue reading →

Jubilation: Step down to Corona Lockdown Level 2, Alcohol and Cigarette bans lifted by President Ramaphosa, inter-provincial Travel opens up!

 

After 76 days at Level 3, and 66 days at Levels 5 and 4, President Ramaphosa this evening announced that the whole country will move to Lockdown Level 2 as of midnight on Monday 17 August, and has given the country a Christmas-in-August gift, with the cigarette and alcohol  bans lifted, the latter with some new regulations. Inter-provincial Travel will also be allowed. Continue reading →