South African Break Aways

SUBURBAN STROLL – II (with garden & animal views), Cape Town

You will remember from our previous post that we stumbled upon a beautiful garden on a morning stroll. A few days ago, I decided to walk a different route to see what else is hidden in this lovely suburb of Cape Town … and was surprised to find some animals and more lovely plants and flowers.

I smelled this garden long before I saw it! The sweet scent of *fynbos tickled my nose and I stopped to take a few pictures and enjoying these lovely smells.

*Fynbos: This is a distinctive type of vegetation that is only found on the southern tip of Africa. The name originates from an old Dutch word (‘fine bush’) and include proteas, daisies, legumes and vygies – many of these plants are shrubs with small, hard leaves.

The wonderful smell of a fynbos garden
Fynbos from closer (on the left is the well-known Spekboom, aka Portulacaria afar)
Flowers are not unusual where fynbos grows
It’s also a water-wise garden

From the fynbos garden, the street leads to a small park – this is quite common to find in the suburbs in Cape Town. I was fortunate to see quite a few animals enjoying the sunny weather.

An Egyptian goose walking to the nearby dam
Rabbits taking a morning nap
A squirrel balancing on a fence

There is also a small playground for kids and next to that a beautiful dam that was enjoyed by a few birds.

Kids playground
A bench overlooking the dam
A lonely goose on the dam

Close to the park is a newly built primary school and the gardens here are beautiful. It was great to see (and smell) more fynbos … and rows of the lovely spekboom.

Lovely spekboom garden opposite the school

On my way back to our friends’ house, I saw another water-wise garden. After a few hot summers and dry winters, the residents of this suburb certainly gave their garden layouts another thought and came up with beautiful designs.

Another fine-looking garden
Colourful succulents
Small shrubs decorating the garden
Colourful flowers and sweet smelling frangipani

Back in our friends’ garden, I took a last couple of photo’s to remind me just how great it is to enjoy nature – even though it’s in your own (or your friends) backyard.

A white feather that I found on my walk
Katryn (one of our friends’ cats) trying to catch the feather
Abby, the family dog, is keeping a watchful eye on the chickens
Last sunlight on a strelitzia
Another cat, this time Mimi, enjoying the sun and lovely strelitzias from the garden

We had a great time staying with our friends, who opened their house to us for two weeks while we were waiting for the call from Berto’s new company on where to we should relocate.

In our next post, we will share a last view of Cape Town on a hike in a local nature reserve. Which mean … yes, the decision was made and we are currently in our new city/town for the next year (which is not Cape Town) … we will tell you more about this in coming posts.

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55 thoughts on “SUBURBAN STROLL – II (with garden & animal views), Cape Town”

  1. Wow, just look at all the wonderful flowers and plants that grow in your part of the world; I especially love the colourful succulents – it’s something you would never find in Ireland. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. I must admit, I never thought succulents could be so colourful … since I’ve started to really notice them, I’m totally surprised that it’s not just green 😉. Our climate is ideal for these lovely plants to flourish and I see more and more people starting to add them to their gardens. Thanks for taking the stroll with us Aiva, may you have a great week as well. 🌸

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    1. Oh yes, the succulents are indeed beautiful (and there’s such a wide variety of these plants). As far as I know, the Egyptian goose is native to Africa, but also widely found in Europe (I think especially in the UK). I’ve once heard that the Egyptian goose is actually a duck in goose clothing 🤔 … no wonder I sometimes get confuse between a goose and a duck!

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    1. Thank you Marion. Yes, it was a wonderful stroll (and I’m always happy to see animals on my walks – they just make me smile 😊). I must admit, the gardens in this suburb are truly beautiful and it was such a pleasure to walk here every morning!

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    1. Dit is opwindend! Ons voel-voel nog hier en daar – met die dat ons tans in ‘n Airbnb tuis gaan, voel dit nog so bietjie soos vakansie, maar ek dink die realiteit sal vinnig inskop wanneer ons in ‘n huur huis intrek en die tasse uitpak 😉.

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    1. It is such an unusual smell – it reminds me of the open fields and hiking trails 😊. And the best thing about this garden, it’s low maintenance and water-wise … sounds perfect to me!

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    1. Jy’s reg Aletta, ek dink om vetplante en fynbos in jou tuin te he, sal altyd ‘n wenner wees! En dis eintlik ongelooflik hoe min aandag hulle regtig vra (en dan nog so mooi groei ook). Dit is ‘n pragtige woonbuurt – baie naby aan ons vorige woonbuurt toe ons in die Kaap gebly het – en my stappies het mooi herinneringe terug gebring.

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  7. What a neighbourhood it seems to be in terms of houses and garden. The phrase “how the other half live” springs to mind. Or at least it does to a hopeless nomad like me. Some wonderful flowers, plants and animals along the way Corna. I do love an Egyptian Goose, we saw so many of those in the parks of London earlier in the year. I am also taken by the strelitzia, plus I learned a new word! The cat photos, of course, only make the article all the more delightful. A few weeks back we house sat a cat called Mimi in Edinburgh!

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    1. I’m glad that even a ‘hopeless nomad’ like you enjoyed these images of peoples’ gardens 😉. I must admit, it’s a really beautiful neighbourhood and it was such a pleasure to walk around here. Oh yes, I have seen several pictures of Egyptian Geese from our UK bloggers – it seems they are quite happy there in London too. A Mimi-cat in Cape Town, as well as in Edinburgh … it must be a popular name for cats then!

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  9. Wonderlik om te sien dat inheemse tuine nou so gewild is in Kaapstad. Dit gaan beslis n verskil aan die waterverbruik (vormorsing) maak.

    Ek sien ook uit om te hoor waar julle vir die volgende jaar gaan gedy!

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    1. Ek dink die Kapenaars het ‘n groot ‘kop skuif’ gemaak wat tuinmaak aanbetref … en die fynbos en inheemse tuine is vir my so mooi! By ons huis in Langebaan het ons geen gras en net potte vol vetplante (ons water rekening is oneindig dankbaar 😉). Ek sal jok as ek se ons is ingeburger in ons nuwe woning (ons is in elk geval tans in ‘n Airbnb) en sal seker eers oor so 2 weke in ‘n huur huis intrek … dalk sal dit dan nie meer soos vakansie voel nie!

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  10. ‘n Stukkie veld in die stad… en dit bring sommer rustigheid in die woongebied, né. Eenvoudige diertjies soos meerkatte en hasies help in die proses. Mooi fotos. Ek dink ons moet oplet na die goed as ons stap… daar is soveel detail vir ons oë as ons net uitkyk daarvoor.

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    1. Dit is heerlik om sulke plekkies raak te loop terwyl die N1 net ‘n paar kilometer weg is! ‘n Mens kan amper nie dink dat jy amper in die stad is nie … en jy’s reg, ons het soveel mooi om ons – ons moet net om ons kyk (op en af en links en regs 👀).

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      1. Ek luister anderdag na ‘n praatjie… ‘n sielkundige wat sê die kopbewegings skei iets in jou brein af, wat help teen depressie (het natuurlik meeste detail vergeet). Dit is waarom hul depressielyers aanbeveel om te stap… hul kyk rond en beweeg hul oë en koppe.

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      2. Dit is baie interessante inligting hierdie Elsabe! Ek ondervind altyd dat my gemoed heelwat ligter is na ‘n stappie (kan jy jou indink hoe ons gevoel het na 729km te voet op die Camino in Spanje 😁). Ek was nog altyd lief vir stap en ek en my man trek gereeld ons stapskoene aan – al is dit net vir ‘n paar kilometer … dis sommer dan dink-tyd, gesels-tyd en lekker-tyd!

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    1. I do think that water-wise gardens are the way to go (in our part of the world anyway) … and it’s not dull and grey as one might think at first! Our new city/town is a bit of an adjustment, but I’m sure we’ll settle in quickly – it is after all what we make of the situation 😉. We will tell you guys shortly where we are and sharing some pictures!

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  12. It’s interesting to see how beautiful gardens can be created without the need for lots of water. And I enjoyed meeting the two cats 🙂 I’m also of course very curious to see where you go next!

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    1. It is indeed fascinating to see how these gardens flourish without much water … it means beautiful gardens during summer and winter! I enjoyed the cats as well (there are actually three of them) and they were quite entertaining. We will tell you shortly where we are – I’m actually on my way now to take some pictures 😉.

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    1. I have never seen the botanical garden in Pretoria (only Kirstenbosch Botanical garden in Cape Town), but you’re right about the stunning jacaranda trees … that is a beautiful sight. We are busy settling into our new city/town – it might take some time to adjust, but I’m sure we’ll enjoy our time here. I have walked around today to take some pictures and will share these with you soon 🌊.

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  15. Waterslim tuine raak al hoe meer. Ek is dankbaar dat al hoe meer mense die realiteit van waterskaarste besef en steeds mooi maak om hulle.
    Ek neem aan julle dingetjies raak darem nou ook al mooi uitgesorteer?

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    1. Dis baie waar Toortsie … net nog ‘n bewys dat inheemse tuine en fynbos ‘n lieflike tuin kan maak. By ons huis in Langebaan het ons ‘n hele paar potte vol vetplante en hulle vertoon so mooi (en vra so min aandag en water). Stadig maar seker is alles besig om in plek te val … dit gaan ‘n groot aanpassing vra, maar ons is reg vir hierdie nuwe uitdaging.

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    1. Well … you know how it is in Cape Town at the start of winter … one day sunny and the next rainy! But I was fortunate to have a few sunny mornings to enjoy these walks. Thank you so much for your encouraging words Morag, it’s much appreciated 💌.

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  18. Hi, Corna, I so appreciate when homeowners “rewild” their property. The waterwise gardens are the best. I enjoyed all your photos of the animals and plants. I have to go to the next post now to see if you’ll be moving to America, fingers crossed! 🌞

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    1. Oh my, I had a good laugh now Lisa 😄 … America? No, that’s maybe just a tad too far! But I’m happy that you enjoyed this post – there will be coming more of nature (from another part of South Africa) soon. Have a great week my friend.

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  19. Such a lovely post, thank you for sharing Corna💕🌸It’s amazing the beauty you can experience on your suburban stroll. I love the fynbos, the flowers and beautiful gardens and of course the animals, they are adorable.

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    1. It was a lovely stroll … sometimes the beauty is in our own neighbourhoods! I’m a huge fan of fynbos (the smell is something I have not yet encountered anywhere else in the world)! It’s true, animals do lighten up a post 😊. Thank you for taking the time to read about our time in Cape Town.

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  20. How unusual that the fynbos is only found in the south of Africa. I’m curious about the fragrance. The plant you called strelitzia I know as bird of paradise. Very common in Latin America and so lovely!

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    1. I have seen plants in Spain that almost looked like fynbos, but don’t have that particular smell. It’s a sweet fragrance mixed with the field smell (haha, that’s how close I can come up with an explanation 😉). You’re absolutely right, strelitzia is also known as bird of paradise (or crane flower as commonly known here in South Africa) … such a unique kind of flower!

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