So after a few hours roasting slightly on Hout bay, we went across to Kirstenbosh with the parents and Sally (old school friend) for Carols by Candlelight. The day was spectacular - not too hot, not too windy. It's difficult to describe the Kirstenbosch amphitheatre and the photos probably don't do it justice - you walk up a wooded hill and come out onto this enormous lawn which slopes down into Newlands forest - all you can see for miles is trees; it really gives a feeling of what the Cape must have been like hundreds of years ago.

There were thousands of people - mainly families, and the whole evening was quite surreal. We hadn't been to a carol service for years, and I'd forgotten how much fun they could be. Had a superb picinc on the grass while waiting for the sun to come down. Although the day had been crystal clear, a bit of cloud edged around the mountain just in time for sunset - giving us a spectacular display where the whole sky began blazing pink and orange. Tried to capture it on camera but really didn't do it justice.

As it got dark we lit our candles and they started the show - really peaceful with very good vibes, although our little area seemed to have more candle related conflagrations than anyone else around us. We finished up at about 10:30-ish, feeling surprisingly Christmas-y and then wandered round to Forries with Sal, Pen & Lara for a drink. It's been really great seeing Sal again ... there's nothing better than catching up with old friends.