Long, long ago I had a little penpal. She was based in Franschhoek, which in those days was a charming, sleepy little town in the Winelands. Not much happened there besides the annual harvest but the town had beautiful old buildings which had stood there since the Huguenots sought refuge from religious persection in the […]
The haze of purple in the streets of Johannesburg is like being in a wonderful cathedral. It’s that time of the year again, my favourite season when my city becomes breathtakingly beautiful. The purple mistiness of the jacarandas blend effortlessly into the busy streets, the honking taxis, the urban sprawl and industrialisation of a huge […]
Changi’s butterflies in repose can only be distinguished in outline in the trees and shrubs above your head, while the larvae hang neatly upside in their night-time cages. But the bright, tropical flowers put out for their delectation in Singapore’s steamy heat invite a daytime visit to the hundreds of fluttering denizens of this unique garden.Only […]
It’s 6.30am and the sounds of secateurs and Cape voices reaches me as I reach for my morning coffee. I go outside in a big fluffy robe and look across the vineyards, stretched like cornrows tight across the scalp of the foothills surrounding the Franschhoek mountain. The workers are harvesting the grapes as they have […]
The French have been embellishing their champagne bottles and boxes for centuries, and each house has its signature look which is part of the “DNA” of that brand. Their wines, too, focus on the appearance of the bottle; the great Bordeaux have used renowned artists to design their labels for many years.I have always loved […]
Smooth and stately has always been my experience of Jaguar – as a passenger. It is a dignified car fit for royalty and I was taken to meet the young princes at the 2010 World Cup in a buttery Jaguar which purred its way through Hyde Park to the British High Commissioner’s residence.However, I had […]
