A summer stroll along the Cape Peninsula’s western coastline — With Cape Town’s city centre under the iconic shadow of the peaks of Table Mountain, Devil’s Peak, and Lion’s Head, few realise that these are just the start of the rugged Cape Peninsula mountain chain. With its fynbos clad sandstone and granite slopes, the mountains of Table Mountain National Park…

Enjoy the classic summer desert of home grown strawberries and cream — After a short trip to visit family in the UK, I am back in South Africa and the summer berry season is in full swing in the Cape. …

And other summer nature notes from South Africa’s Cape Peninsula — “There’s a snake… in the air vent! It’s a boomslang!” Three generations of the same family, from grandmother to grandson, were standing terrified in the street outside their home. This was the moment that I knew my lunchtime walk might be a little unusual. Summer is in full swing in…

Exploring an ancient woodland in Dorset, England — I recently took the long journey back from my home in Cape Town to visit family in England. It was my first English autumn in many years, which I spent in rural Dorset. It was a fleeting trip, leaving the howling southeaster winds of early summer in the Cape for…

Hello darkness my old friend — It is early evening in our corner of Cape Town’s southern Peninsula, in South Africa at the southwestern tip of the African continent before reaching the Atlantic Ocean beyond. I am busy writing, while the kettle is perched outside on my camping stove in the garden. …

A versatile harvest from your own backyard — As the warmth of summer reaches full swing, there are few things that epitomise home grown produce more than enjoying delicious tomatoes harvested fresh from the vine. Having been conditioned to the relative uniformity of supermarket produce, often few of us realise the extraordinary diversity of tomato varieties that are…

Hiking Cape Town’s Deep South — One of the joys of the flexible living of remote working in Cape Town is being able to head away from my desk during the week to enjoy hiking the mountains of the Cape Peninsula when the weather is at its best. In contrast to summer when the harsh southeaster…

A misty spring walk at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens — After an unseasonably warm and sunny winter in Cape Town, spring has started to arrive. Living in one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, in South Africa we are always living on the edge. …

Enjoy a rainbow of colorful eggs in your home — Collecting your own free range eggs is one of the biggest joys of keeping your own backyard chickens, a hobby that has grown in popularity in recent years. Whenever Easter rolls around, many take great pride in painting their own eggs to make attractive ornaments for display. …