Livin the life

Last night was another one of those nights that makes me feel so blessed to live in Cape Town and especially the Bay of Hout.

It was my friend Dawn's 40th birthday and she was determined not to celebrate it, she was in mourning for the loss of her 30s. She is a stunning woman who looks about 30 but she was getting hung up on that number. We tried to get her to organise something to celebrate but she was not having it. Her husband Gavin spoils her and took it upon himself to organise a drinks evening as a surprise.

One of our friends dragged her there on a pretense of some women's event which she didn't really want to attend, but Gav kept telling her she couldn't cancel on her friend.

She arrived at the venue and we all jumped out in the dark and surprised her. Then we were all piled into 2 vans and driven down this teeny little winding road to the actual beach. We entered what looked like a wooden chalet and were greeted by a room which looked like a cosy lounge in someones tastefully furnished home. There was a roaring fire and all of the windows were open to let in the sea air. We were in the beautiful hotel Tintswalo Atlantic which hangs off the side of Chapman's Peak.

Each room has a view of the entire bay, the decor is just stunning and the service was perfect. Every time you got near the bottom of your glass, a waiter magically appeared and topped you up. (and my thumping head is proof of this). They laid on snacks, and these were served by a personal chef who described each thing to us. There were skewers with salmon or fillet, grilled prawns, fish cakes, potato and feta samosas, spring rolls and other nibbles.

After dinner they have a tradition where each guest is given a stone with their name on it and we all had to chuck them over our shoulders out to sea while making a wish. It created much giggling that all of the girls' rocks just clunked onto the stone beach below the balcony, the men liked to pretend they actually made theirs land in the water. (I doubt they did)

We all sat out by the sea drinking and laughing while candles flickered in the trees above us. When it got chilly we were given soft blankets to wrap round us. It was just divine.

I feel so blessed, amazing friends, a wonderful family and this sort of experience right on our doorstep.

Update: As mentioned above we all made a wish, subsequently I saw a shooting star and made the same wish. The wish was related to a court case I have had going for several years...and this morning I got my 1st ever call from our lawyer to say the people we are suing want to settle....and I am covered in goose bumps. Maybe it is true that if you ask for it, the universe will attend to your needs.