Just to give you an idea of the typical Portuguese Azorean architecture, blending commonly white painted plastered rock walls with dressed volcanic corners, lintels, window surrounds and cills, steps and walls in a strong contrast of colour and beauty and durability. It wasn’t long before we enjoyed lunch at the sailors’ haunt, Pete’s Cafe Sport …

One hundred years after Boney’s passing a boy was born to the doomed Greek Royal family who would make history as the tall handsome figure who always stood just behind England’s longest serving monarch, Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth or Lilibet as her father, King George VI would call her. Prince Philip was many things …

The views from High Knoll Fort were amazing but it is not the highest point, that was left to Diana’s Peak. The Palladian Mansion is Plantation House where the British Governors have resided since pre-Napoleon times. There has been one lady Governor who is now working in Nepal. The Governor residence is a very comfy …

Sunday 14th March dawned benign with a promise of blue sky and mirror calm water in our sheltered marina. Two yachts left early, Conrad and his crew from Switzerland aboard their 47-foot Hanse and Henk and Marjolein on Jori, but we took a leisurely approach, moving most of the contents of the foc’sle onto the …

My faithful Phillips Atlas gave me the clue as to the country of origin of the standards flying at the stern of the ships in the first photos. Before 1630 The Netherlands was a part of Spain, hence the Spanish flag on what were almost certainly Dutch ships. The second photo shows the Dutch ships …

There is definitely an element of healthy competition when it comes to pumpkin growing at the Babylonstoren Winery Garden and we arrived in the middle of the season for them. The biggest monster sat in all its glory in the bottle and jar shop; the Atlantic Giant Pumpkin weighing 143.5kg. But more about them later. …

That is how it must feel to a South African Fur Seal as it slips into the water with barely a ripple or splash, unless of course it has been barracked and pushed into the water by a temporary adversary. We have never seen them draw blood on each other but, boy, do they squabble, …

We were lucky with the weather for our visit to the Kirstenbosch Gardens with Christina and Werner; the mountain tops cut sharp clear lines against the clean blue sky. Nor was it too hot, so chatting on the elevated walkway while standing in the sun looking up to the mountains and down the valleys to …

I awoke to a fishy smell that pervaded our cabin, it was just as bad in the saloon. The source was yet another upside-down cormorant, floating in the water, a large chunk of its anatomy now in the belly of a seal. Poor creature. After breakfast Mohammed drove us in his cherished white Toyota Corolla …

I’m not sure but he certainly was loveable and a pleasure to walk for the few minutes we were allowed with him on the fourteenth of Feb. This four-year-old wire-haired boy had only been in the rescue centre for a week and they did not expect him to stay long because of his quiet, well-mannered …