Cape Peninsula, South Africa, October 2, 2005 — Flowers. Yep, I've been seeing lilies and protea and other wildflowers. But the mecca for flowers is Kirstenbosch garden.

We hesitate. The weather doesn't seem to be able to decide between nice and not.

But we do go to the Kirstenbosch gardens. The annuals are beautiful. The strelitzia (bird of paradise), the protea, the clivia. There are beautiful paths and various sculpture gardens. The gigantic greenhouse doesn't seem as neat as it did last time, however. Part of it is being renovated and a lot of the plants seem a little

wan. Maybe things look better in the hothouse in the summer. But the outdoor displays are, of course, much neater in spring.

We eat a snack at the garden. I shop for souvenirs but again they seem too expensive. I just get some postcards.

Egyptian geese and guinea fowl wander around like they own the place. The gardens are in the shadow of Table Mountain so it makes a beautiful backdrop.

On the way to the gardens we stopped at the roadside and peered at whales. It's cool when you just see them like that. Sometimes people are pulled over and pointing and that's your clue.

This morning I did a little shopping and I bought a couple of Sunday papers. So this evening while we watched junk TV (which my friend Mags blamed on me because it's American) I read both of them.