Green Mountain

Love Letters

Fresh Air Is The New Luxury

Fresh air is the new luxury said The Monocle Minute three weeks back, while making a point about the necessity of ventilation and “five star” hotels with non openable windows.

Walking With Thuli

Prof Thuli Madonsela will summit Kilimanjaro for the second time in July this year. She, together with three of the Walk4Mandela team, trained with us this last week.

The most sensible thing to do

When walking earlyish one morning ten days back, the trail group were not alone. “As we crossed the wetland, I spotted the tracks of the Cape Mountain Leopard…

French billionaire, Francois Pinault, opened his contemporary art collection in Paris this weekend. Speaking on the opening of his private museum, Bourse de Commerce, he said “I want the museum to be a place where people feel better at the exit than they did at the entrance.”

For the birds

What is it about Johannesburg that delivers so many beautiful women? Many couples and mixed friends walk our trails but we are also frequented by girl hiking groups. When a delightful girl group departs we feel huge gratitude and remain conscious that we cannot expect to be blessed with yet another energetic, happy and generous spirited gaggle of gals. And then we are. Thank you Jozi for being a happy home to this seemingly never ending abundant stream.

Wisteria popcorn

Unlike the city, places to eat are few and far between out here. But each and every one of the few is exceptional. The apple crumble ice cream at Zest on Beaumont Wine Estate is indescribably fabulous. As is there kale salad with gruyere tart. When we are not cooking for guests, we often indulge in Zest’s Made at Home range. The paneer curry and fish pie are our favourites. The newish Beaumont Wines piazza and tasting room, and Zest Kitchen, are designed by my one and only, Barry Gould (pictured). Green Mountain Trail hikers end their experience lunching on this historic and special farm.

Open shade

Julia Teale’s “Sins of our forefathers”, lives at Langebaan Beach Cottage. The Atelier art awards were the perfect hunting ground for younger artists. Bought from the Atelier art competition in 1990, it was my first art purchase. We love this work and it feels right in this space on the West Coast. Langebaan Beach Cottage will be a perfect place from which to explore the 2021 wild flower extravaganza.

May the breeze be gentle

Reflation is a term I don’t completely understand. Wikipedia calls it an act of stimulating the economy by increasing the money supply or by reducing taxes, seeking to bring the economy back up to the long term trend, following a dip in the business cycle.

A creaking willow

The Nivenia Stokoei (pictured) are iconic to our Blue Mountain Trail. This week a group, from mostly Jozi, did some “girl time” while hiking the Blue, feasting and wining at South Hill, Iona and Almenkerk. You don’t have to be particularly flower interested to be stopped in your tracks by the wonders of fynbos.