Wild Nights & Crazy Days on the Mountain

Our mountain has many moods....

There are cloudy days when the wind springs up out of nowhere

And the table cloth covers the mountain like a sigh, a mere breeze, transformed in minutes to a howling gale

And a black south-easter soars over the mountain like a tsunami or a troop of demented dervishes

And the cable car is almost obliterated by cloud and sirens go off hinting at disaster as people hurry to get off the mountain 

   Before the famous white cloud that spills over Table Mountain when the south-easter blows makes it too dangerous - for this is the Cape of both Storms and Hope...

And as the story goes Jan van Hunks, an 18th century pirate, retired from the sea to live on the slopes of Devil’s Peak, spending his days smoking his pipe. One day a stranger approached and asked to borrow some baccy - though some say it was a pinch of dagga - the local name for marijuana. A smoking contest ensued which lasted for days  - Van Hunks finally defeated the stranger – who turned out to be none other than the Devil - and they both vanished in a puff of - cannabis - smoke. Legend has it that the cloud of “tobacco” smoke they left became the table cloth

This is not a legend - Table Mountain has been selected as winner of a global New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign beating the Grand Canyon, Loch Ness, Mount Fuji, the Amazon, the Great Barrier Reef and Niagara Falls to first place!

And other evenings when all is still - we climb into the car

And drive over the Nek

To my all-time favourite view

A Camps Bay sun set over the bay with umbrella pines in attendance

Where all one's hopes and dreams seem on the verge of coming true

And one's fears diminish as the sun plunges into the ocean

And the brightness seems to be a kind of happiness -
only don't look into its heart 'coz it can blind you

Until the colour bleaches into a monochromatic Japanese print and sobriety is restored

And sunny evenings when the cloud clings like a bridal veil to the mountain's shoulders

And an ordinary suburb is gilded and transformed into a sort of paradise

And even Mr P glows in the Magic Hour

Here the mountain on a perfect summer's day seen from our lounge

When you can take a walk with a just rucksack and a bottle of water 

And survey life the universe and other things from a new vantage point

And enjoy family visits like this wonderful gathering in December

Where all our gorgeous London Tel Aviv and CT fam chilled together on a wild night when the mountain disappeared altogether in a bank of whiteness and we ate and drank - if not quite till dawn - then at least late into the night

And yet the next evening might be clear and still and sublime

Or a February heat-wave where the mountain glows like burnished copper and the sky is like molten steel and your feet burn on hard-baked earth

Or a mighty south-easter can shake the city to its foundations rocking us in a savage embrace where the trees sway and winds roar and nights are filled with frightening dreams and nothing is what it seems

And in a momentary calm - friends come to visit - Morris H, Morris T & Rob Zipper - all from my long lost country, the mad kingdom of Z -  all now living in other lands but united by their love of the not so Dark Continent

And a string of unlikely girlfriends from distant parts gather on our mystic mountain - from left, Mush from Muizies and lately from San Diego, the two Melanies from the Mother City, ex Antipodean traveller Leeora once known more prosaically as 'Lyn' before a radical reinvention - and the magical Michelle of acting and painterly fame, currently of 'horrible Harlsden' - but we're waiting for you Mich!

The  diaspora converges - each with a strange tale to tell of departure and exile, loss and loneliness, love and adventure

Each united by this moment of synchronous meeting on our magic mountain

3 amazing strong women each with their own quests on our pavilion

The always elegant Marica T from London, Lausanne, Cannes and Cape Town - with Michelle F and Melanie S variously of Zim, CT and London

Here the brothers T - Morris in the colourful stripes and Richard on the right in cool white designer shirt with Antonio in centre

Richard T - Rive Gauche galleriest, collector of l'art brut amongst other things and now denizen of both Paris & Portugal - and partner Antonio - amazing artist of bizarre genius originally from Mozambique, currently camping out in a palazzo in Lisbon with an atelier in Paris

Old friends - Ingrid Z and Marica T equally at home in Hampstead and Africa

Our London SA neighbour the very charming Cas - aka Cheryl Ann S - enjoying a three month stay in the deep South

Head South - as our friend Jeff L, lodgings man - would say - and Vanessa R, queen of the magazines and Cas would agree - we are a cosmopolitan bunch!

The perennially youthful Jenny and Selwyn S - who have left behind London and Sydney for the beauty of Constantia and the comfort of family

Gill P - London lady of African roots comes for a drink with her fab family - 2 of whom have absconded permanently to sunnier climes

Adam P - our man in London - good looking and clever too - he's the script and development guy all the girls have their eye on

And the lovely Deborah P, who had the good sense to move here 5 years ago and is about to open an amazing dress and life-style shop in Bree Street - where we wish her much success along with her sister Sarah who works for an African craft co-operative

Gill with one of her foursome - youngest son, the dreamy epidemiologist - Jonny P - who lives in Paris where he works for Medicin Sans Frontiers and is currently single

Adam P and daddy P - the charming Michael who is a lawyer in London but still loves Africa

Another evening and the extraordinarily beautiful Dina E - daughter of Israel's Bob Dylan - I am sworn to secrecy as to his identity - and her gorgeous boyfriend Daniel Simantov aka Goodsign - son of our lovely friend Netti - both about to embark on their architectural studies in TA where we wish them luck

The bar-b-que brigade - Sandy, Tash, Mr P - another Hannah, Dina, Daniel and Dr TK former NHS psychiatrist - now retired and living the good life - painting writing and travelling

The wind died down, the wine was cold, the coals were hot and the meat was marinaded to perfection. What more could you wish for?

And here our house guests Sue T & Keith B

Sue's Birthday at outstanding Uitsig

With Mr P on a perfect night

And a moonrise over Hout Bay Mountains where we had a late but delicious supper with another ex Londoner who is a talented photographer and has recently returned

So Head South then - all our dear friends and family from different continents. We can't wait to see you on our mountain!