Sept 6, Day 14

We woke to sunshine and the promise of a nicer day. 

We spent some time watching the birds outside our window before going down for the typical guest house breakfast. Eggs, any number/ any way, tomato, mushrooms, bacon and sausage (missing from this plate). There is also usually a cold breakfast bar with yogurt, fruit, cereals, cheese, cold cuts, and bread. 

Lucky for us, it was a nicer day to visit Birds of Eden, the world's largest free-flight aviary. They say they have over 3,500 birds. Most are previously caged pets which is why they have over 60 different species of parrots. I have no idea how many we saw. Most of them were high up in the trees. Our favorite was a bird that looked black until it was in the sun. Much like hummingbirds, its green and blue shimmered. But the best part was when it flew, the underside of its wings and tail feathers were brilliant red. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capture that in a photo. They also have a large number of flamingos and red ibis, and the a pair of blue cranes which is the South African national bird. Since all of the birds are "rescues," they are served a variety of food three times a day.

Time for lunch and another winery. Newstead specializes in "Cap Classique" bubbly wine aka champagne. It is another family-run winery, so nice they aren't owned by a large conglomerate. They also offer infused craft cocktails. We ordered one and a Vegetarian Platter. We were interested in their wines. They offer four. You can have a tasting of all four, each is changed separately, about $1.50 each. 

We are staying on a dairy farm for the next few nights. Jenny's cousin and husband began raising cows, then vegetables, then added a farm stall (stand) that also serves breakfast and lunch. When their daughter got married, her husband wanted to raise chickens, so they added eggs and free-range chickens to their offerings. We showed up just in time to watch the herd enter the milking barn.

Then we took a ramble into the private nature reserve which is also part of the property. I really like the QR codes attached to some of the trees. While we only did a few, it took us to information about the native plants and trees.

We enjoyed dinner from the products we bought that were produced on the farm: chicken liver pate, smoked fish pate, seeded crackers, cheese, ice cream, and locally made fruit bread. 

We were told that there is security patrolling through the night to make sure the animals are safe. I guess, in this case, I don't mind that category includes us.