I'm now in touch with wildlife. On Saturday morning when I walked onto my Sea Point balcony I saw a whale playing in the bay. En route to Pringle Bay past Gordon's Bay where the mountains appear like two protective arms holding the coast, we stopped along the way to look at two carbuncle-nosed whales squishing and squirting. I had mixed Martinis for our arrival at Pringle Bay as the fridge there takes an age to make ice and we always forget to purchase some along the way. Having just a sip each and munching on the macerated olives, we watched whales at play.

Although dead, the fish - broadbill swordfish, dorodo and Kabeljou at Hook Line & Sinker on Saturday night was so fresh it might still be considered Wildlife.

Sunday morning, while JP was mowing the lawn, I lazed in bed reading Jonny Steinberg's The Number about prison gangs. Absolutely riveting. As enjoyable but far less taxing is Robyn Cohen's hilarious account of her building renovations - Nearly Finished, which I'm also reading so that I can offer expertise and moral support to JP who is building a stoep onto his house. For now though I'm deep in bed, under the covers, with nothing but duvet between me and the world. 

I was so engrossed in the book that I didn't look up when I heard a rustling sound in the cupboard and merely said "hello" out of politeness. I may have been none the wiser had JP and a neighbour not begun shouting. I bolted upright in bed to see a baboon in the room. I bashfully covered by chest in case it decided to suckle. Although frightened, I had the perfect prescience of mind to consider my options: 1) I leap out the bed naked and scream across the room towards gawking on-lookers. 2) I manage to pull on my gown and run out screaming. 3) I remain where I am and hope the beast leaves of his own accord. Before I could come to a decision, the baboon dashed out of the room towards the garage. Now I was out of the bed and chasing after it while pulling on my gown and slippers.

The baboon launched himself onto JP's car roof and walked about trying to decide if he was angry or scared. Moments later, he left a smelly turd on the car and dashed off into the bushes on the adjacent plot where his family was waiting.

Baboon shit smells very bad. JP wanted to wipe it off the car with newspaper but I - cleverly I thought - suggested to hose down the car in the driveway. I'm not going to continue with the sick-making details of what followed, except to say my advice was poor, and all I managed to do was wash it from the roof, down the windscreen into the engine. 

Leaving Pringle Bay we stopped to watch the whales again and on arriving in Durbanville went to Limnos for coffee and cake. (Two coffees and a piece of excellent baked cheese cake and a marzipan roll came to R40). There was some commotion there. I woman, in leopard-print, had her bag snatched by animals of a human sort and was waiting for the police to arrive. Further down the road a noisy family of ducks and geese seemed to compete with the ubiquitous pheasant.

While driving to Milnerton over the Durbanville Hills with the sun low and Lucerne-green fields moving past like slow waves, I marveled at the staggering beauty of nature that surrounds us. Horses and cows in the afternoon after whales and baboons in the morning. Wildlife indeed.

I thought your blog on Pringle Bay was very funny!

You mentioned the book The Number in your blog and wanted to ask you if you had read any of Rohinton Mistry’s books? He writes predominantly about India – if not I really think you would enjoy “A Fine Balance”.

Have you read Shantaram? One of the best books I have read to date and a true story at that. Read so much on my year of travels and am now getting into it again.  I have just finished “Q&A” by Vicus Swarup – also very funny and touching. If you are into novels about India – these are the best! Also Amitav Ghosh’s – The Hungry Tide!

I have just started Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors by Lizzie Collingham which is fantastic and in-depth regarding the history of curry….

Can anyone else out there recommend good travel books such as the above?

Hiya Brian - I had such a good laugh reading this Blog and wonder whether the publishers mentioned earlier will print "Adventures With A Baboon" anytime soon!