I have been trying to get flights to South Africa for ourselves today, from Barcelona to Cape Town. Given that we are 20 minutes away from one of the busiest airports in Europe, nothing goes direct from here to anywhere remotely close to South Africa. Barcelona must be the short haul capital of Europe!

Tracking down the right flights, at the right cost and on the right dates is extremely time consuming. I have spent two days trying to get the right connections, cheapest flights, shortest flight times and everything in between. I think that I have now got the best flights – from Manchester to Cape Town direct. All I now have to do is get us from Barcelona to Manchester in time for the main flight.

I think that EasyJet to Liverpool will be our best best with an overnight stay in Liverpool and a leisurely drive the next day across the 35 miles between Liverpool and Manchester.

Fortunately, this trip we are not doing anything complicated other than the boys being available to register for an ITF tennis tournament, so organising sightseeing trip is not an issue. However, I do think that a spa visit is going to be on the cards. After all the excesses of the last few months moving to Castelldefels and getting settled, I think that something very luxurious and relaxing is just what I’ll need to recharge the batteries.

Check out our spa resorts to see what I might be in for. Perhaps a touch of the Angsana Spa at The Vineyard Hotel or why not stay at the award winning Mount Nelson Hotel and experience the hot and cold stones at the “pink palace”. Or be more adventurous and stay out in the Winelands at Sante Winelands.

The sun is shining brightly here in Castelldefels, Barcelona with the temperature standing at 21 degrees. Although it is late summer and despite the Spanish trying to tell me that this is now Autumn, it still reminds me of balmy summer days and barbequing or braaing, as South African’s say. I came across the ideas below in iafrica for some snacks which are not the bought-type at all. How refreshing to be able to produce these simple snacks which do far more for us than processed packaged chips, peanuts and the like.

Check out iafrica for some other tasty dishes too. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, many braai recipes will adapt to the grill. Somehow though, that wonderful smell of drifting woodsmoke peppered with herby topnotes as you add a handful of rosemary to the coals can’t quite be replicated on the grill. Time to find out when you can get that holiday fitted in and finally discover South Africa for yourselves! Enjoy.
Marinate your own olives. It’s so easy. Buy the plain olives at your local supermarket. Drain them and then add your own touch. Try fresh thyme, chilli chopped very finely and lemon zest mixed with a little olive oil, and then leave for an hour. These make a great nibble and are bound to impress your guests. For great olives in Cape Town, discover homegrown olives out in the Winelands such as Morgenster, L’Olivier and Kloovenburg. Likewise for those of us here in Spain, we can find any number of impressive estate grown olives to turn that little black or green globe into a tastebud delight!

Spicy, caramelised nuts make great snacks too. Take a couple of handfuls of nuts: almonds, pecans and brazils. Place a little butter in a pan and add a teaspoon of sesame seeds and a teaspoon of dried coriander. Fry gently and then add the nuts, allowing them to become coated with the spice. Add a generous tablespoon of honey and cook until the honey caramelises. Cool on a sheet of greaseproof paper and serve cooled.

Speaking of Elephants, did you know that they love to get drunk on the Marula fruit?

The Marula trees give forth their golden yellow fruits during February at the height of the African summer and with the intense tropical fragrance floating on the warm summer breeze, lures wild animals of various species including herds of elephants from miles around to come and eat the juicy fruits. The elephants will walk for days to gorge themselves and because of this the Marula tree has become known as the The Elephant Tree.

The elephants have also endangered the trees, as they have a tendency to strip the bark. Not so good!

The tree is also held to be a strong aphrodisiac and many tribes still listen to ancient folklore when it was know as The Marriage Tree. Even today many rural people continue to conduct wedding ceremonies below its leafy boughs. Where better to make sure of a successful marriage, blessed by children, eating the fruit of the Marula tree and drinking its juice, but underneath its shady countenance!

Today, many jams, juices and alcoholic drinks are made from the fruit, along with a number of ranges of skincare products. Every part of the tree is used, proving that this is one of South Africa’s most useful plants, as it also helps to provide work for impoverished people by empowering rural women. Over 2400 women from rural communities benefit from the manufacture of the products. They are involved in either picking the fruit or extracting the marula oil from the marula nut.

In Africa, the marula is valued so highly, that to give someone the seed kernel of the marula tree as a gift, represents the greatest mark of friendship. Here I offer to you my virtual seed kernel of the Marula tree, as my gift to you …

Testament to the wonderful skill of the KwaZulu-Natal seamstresses who work miracles with beads was unveiled recently at the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg and no, it wans’t an elephant of any colour, pink or white!

Infact it was the South African flag, measuring 6 metres by 2.5 metres. Hanging in a wave shape the bright colours sparkle in the hushed atmosphere above the judges’ seats in the courtroom.

Commissioned by the artworks committee of the Constitutional Court, the collection itself consists of 200 works, collected since 1994 when the court came into being.

The pattern itself filled the main gallery of The African Art Centre in Durban and imparted a sense of panic at having to tackle the huge undertaking.

How Do You Swallow An Elephant? Bit by bit, of course and so the flag was split up into a series of panels, all stitched with the same threads and beads, one colour at a time.

An awning and tent making company assisted by stitching the panels and backing. Stitching the flag to the backing alone took nine days to do, eight hours a day, all by hand as to use a machine was impossible.

A true labour of love which when finished had all the seamstresses names embroidered into the green section – there for posterity.

Probably something similar would be too large to bring home, but you’ll find many different and clever uses of the famous beading work which will slip into the suitcase with no problems! Often the seamstresses keep their families on the income they get from their work, when everything else has failed to bring in the money they need to live off, so buy with impunity, the special skill of these beautiful works of art.

Photos: Lucille Davie, (City of Johannesburg)

Read a fantastic story in the Cape Argus the other day. Real pioneering stuff! You can just imagine fighting your way through the undergrowth to reach … the wine?

Doing a wine tour is considered a very sophisticated thing. You are supposed to know what you are doing, but it’s rather like opera for the beginner. How do you get the experience so that you know you like this “thing” enough to continue learning about it and so that you don’t feel a complete idiot the first time out?

Wine is like an exploration – of you. Don’t get hung up on what everyone else thinks. Trust your own instincts and if you like the taste, drink it!

I would love to be on Vukile Pokwana’s tour of the Eastern Cape to discover Xhosa maidens lurking in the backwaters …

I find it hard to believe, or understand why a country like South Africa having made the commitment to bid to host the Football World Cup now appear to be dragging their heels when it comes to providing the facilities and infrastructure necessary. They have finally received the spotlight they desire, now the hard talking has to be put into practice.Â

They know this, I am sure. I don’t need to teach my Grandmother to suck eggs, but (there’s always a but …) in typical “African” traditions, speed appears not to be of the utmost urgency.

Once again, leaders in the world of football are muttering dark forbodings for the year 2010. Franz Beckenbauer, Germany’s mastermind organiser of this years World Cup claims that “The organisation for the World Cup in South Africa is beset by big problems”.

How does he know these things? Is he just making mischief or are there real and justified concerns that prompt these statements?

Sep Blatter, Fifa president, is due in South Africa to urge the powers that be to speed up building work, saying that he would meet with President Thabo Mbeki and “explain the value of the World Cup” to the country’s parliament.

It’s those sorts of comments that surely cannot be helpful. If there was doubt that the country couldn’t showcase the World Cup in sufficent time or with the correct infrastructures in place, why did they give the country the (perhaps) poisoned challice to spend it’s hard earned cash fulfilling the requirements necessary to host the tournament?

Please South Africa, having made the commitment to the World Cup, keep that promise to your people to host this famous tournament in the best way you possibly can, starting right now. As a country you have so much to offer and to show the rest of the world. Don’t let us down.

Great White Sharks are set to be the subject of an expanded shark-spotting programme which warns surfers and swimmers about their approach.

Trained spotters scour the ocean near popular beaches and sound the alarm if they see one of these mighty predators.

In the only programme of its kind in the world, South Africa manages to balance protecting the great white sharks and beachgoers alike and stress that people pose a far greater risk to sharks than the other way around.

With binoculars and special glasses the trained spotters stand on the hills surrounding popular beaches, sound the siren and clear the water of people when one is seen.

Most swimmers and surfers are grateful for the attention given to both their safety and to that of the sharks. Over the last three years the system has worked so well that they are going to adopt it on other beaches.

Many spotters come from disadvantaged or homeless backgrounds and it offers a real job incentive.

On average there is just one shark attack on humans per year in Cape Town and six in total in South Africa. However, the great whites continue to hit the headlines because of close shaves due to the increasing number of surfers and kayakers.

In the False Bay waters above Muizenburg last year, spotters sighted 165 great whites. So far this year 69 have been spotted, but this will increase rapidly with fast encroaching summer season.

Len Compagno, a shark expert who provided scientific advice to the 1975 movie “Jaws” says that “sharks don’t make a living preying on people. If they did we would have serial man-eaters out there”. Len has continued to regret the impact that the film “Jaws” had on public opinion.

Great Whites are the only shark species that survive in the freezing Atlantic seas off Cape Town. The number of great whites in South Africa is believed to have stabilised at around 1,200 since 1991, although these figures are unreliable due to the vast distances the sharks swim. There is a drive to tag the sharks in the waters around Cape Town to monitor their movements.

Can’t help thinking about the Cornish Huers around the turn of the 20th century. Just like the shark spotters they stood on the hillsides about the bays and shouted down to the people standing on the shore to warn them of the approach of the herring shoals. Just goes to show that good ideas never die!