Kommetjie-September '11 TO
Time Out & Traveltime offers friendship and fun                       Travelling down roads least travelled                                    Visiting places not normally seen by tourists                                Great company and excellent meals are to be expected                              It transfers you out of your everyday life!

TRAVELTIME - Previous Outings

ELGIN OPEN GARDENS
2011
Saturday 29th October '11

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The slide show above shows select  photos taken in the gardens we visited.
(Click on the thumbnails to enlarge a specific photo)
Other photos and details are published below.

Garden shows held in late October should have bright, sunny days but when we visited the Elgin Open Garden Show on the 29th October, we had almost 'winter-like' weather. Pouring rain along the length of the N2 - and even light rain on arrival at the first garden!  Freshwoods was our first garden visited - and, oh what splendor!  The bad weather was quickly forgotten.

Black bamboo apparently very rare, made for a good game of hide-and-seek whilst Jamie, our coach driver, and Bernice thought it was easier to hide behind the beauty of a magnificent pom-pom bush.

Our second break was at the Wildekrans Country House near Houw Hoek.  A few ladies indulged in an early lunch whilst the balance enjoyed tea and coffee.

The very unusual sculptures had the ladies trying interpret them! The horse in rigamortis position elicited funny comments- the second sculpture of the four men out walking was far easier to understand.

We headed to South Hill where we hoped to have lunch - but there was NO-ROOM-AT-THE-INN!! The cold weather makes people pour into the available restaurants.
Eventually by 14h30 the rest of the group were starving and a quick phone call to Joan at FRESH, the newly opened restaurant on the Paul Cluver Wine Estate had them rescued.  "Come on over" said Joan and when we arrived she had moved her restaurant clients around so the 10 of us could have a very comfortable table in the best position in the house.  What country hospitality.

Bernice was more than thrilled with her Beef Ale Pie.  The outdoor loo (it doesn't have a conventional roof) had us all intrigued...........who ever poses for a photo in the loo?  Here Carol and Jamie were quite happy to stand and display themselves (or the loo??)

Our very happy group outside FRESH after lunch.  The weather was a negative factor as far as garden viewing goes - but at the end of the day, everyone seemed to have enjoyed the day out in the country, and a very happy bunch of ladies headed back to the city in the late afternoon.

Keep love in your heart.
A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.

Oscar Wilde
Published 30th October '11

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