Dear Readers,  I am very excited to tell you about an upcoming adventure that I’m hoping to share with you all. Later this week, I’m off on a group tour of the Western Cape in South Africa – as this is mostly concerned with plants, my husband is staying at home. Our route is above, and I’ll be gone for about 14 days in total, including two long flights.

I am  slightly apprehensive, as this will be my first ‘solo’ holiday since I broke my leg back in 2024. In fact, I was originally planning to go to Svalbard, but the combination of rough seas and slippery icy landings made me think this wasn’t the most sensible plan. On the other hand, walking amongst the flowers of the Cape in spring is a very pleasant alternative, and I will be fascinated by the variety of ecosystems that we explore. I am ready to learn a lot, and to make friends with some other plant fanatics. I have been to South Africa before, but only for work (with one brief expedition to the Kruger many years ago), so I am looking forward to acquainting myself with this magnificent part of the world.

I am hoping that I’ll be able to blog as I go along, but please don’t worry if I miss a day – there’s always the chance of no Wi-Fi, exhaustion or, indeed, too much of the Cape’s delicious food and wine.

In the meantime, there’s packing to do, and last minute ‘things’ to sort out. But here’s a taste of what I hope to see…