St Georges Cathedral

I spent a wonderful time in the cathedral, reminiscing about my choir days and listening to the sublime music sung by an opera singer who happened to be practising at the same time. So beautiful, it moved me to tears.  It reminded me of one of the first spiritual experiences I ever had - one that I had as a young choir boy here at the cathedral.

Some facts about St George's Cathedral

• Oldest cathedral in Southern Africa, founded in 1901 with the laying of the foundation stone by the Duke of Cornwall and York (later King George V).
• Designed by Sir Herbert Baker, the cathedral features classic neo-Gothic architecture and was constructed using Table Mountain sandstone.
• Known as the “People’s Cathedral” due to its central role in South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle.
• Archbishop Desmond Tutu used the cathedral as a base for non-violent protest, prayer meetings, and political activism during apartheid.
• Famous for its Peace Marches, which began on its steps and drew national and international attention to the apartheid regime.
• Home to a renowned choir and hosts frequent concerts, contributing to Cape Town’s cultural life.
• Contains beautiful stained glass windows and intricate stone carvings, including a stunning Rose Window.
• A symbol of spiritual resilience and social justice, it remains an active place of worship and civic engagement.
• Located in the heart of Cape Town, near Parliament and Company’s Garden, making it a prominent historic landmark.

Exploring Ely

We explored the town of Ely today with Mike and mum and had a lovely day. Started off with lunch at the local pub where we got to enjoy the stunning weather in the garden.

The highlight of Ely was the cathedral. Very impressive. Built in 1077, it took 292 years to build (stats provided by Mike after a bout of research!)

How is this for a skylight!

This swan was quite a friendly fellow.

Mike saw an antique shop full of old things an enthusiatically encouraged us in. I entertained myself by taking portrait photos of little figures around the shop.

A stroll through Cambridge

Monday is a public holiday and since we have Kerry and Mum and Mike to stay (it's a wonderful, full flat!), we thought we'd go on a tour of Cambridge. We walked into town past the River Cam. Mike's got his handy rain proof hat on and it sure came in handy later on in thre day


A grand facade

Punting along

No tour of Cambridge would be complete without a shot of some punters!


Trinity College

We visited Trinity College. What beautiful lawns - though of course they're strictly out of bounds. Lawns in Britain are generally there to be admired, not walked on!

Trinity College

A pretty flower in Trinity College gardens

King´s College

Chapel always seems too lowly to decribe this awesome church. Catheral more like! The roof is my best part - absolutely spectacular. Ally and I loved watching the Choristers here at the Sunday service - brought back great memories of my own days in the choir.


Choir Pews

Inside King's College Chapel. This is where we came to watch the King's College Choir earlier this year. Brings back memories of my own choirs days thought the pews weren;t quite so grand. Nor were our voices if i have to be honest!

Windswept Ally and co

Ally and Mike outside the chapel

Taking a breather

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Caroline comes to visit...

What a great friend!

Caroline visited us this weekend from Sweden which was a real treat. She arrived on Friday and left Sunday evening. She's wonderful fun and gave us a great excuse to get out a bit over the weekend and not get totally bogged down in Ally's HR annual plan which has to be in on Tuesday.

Granchester

This is why I adore Cambridge - what heritage, what culture we have on our doorstep! Granchester is a famous orchard in Cambridge where people have been having tea since 1868. In fact, over the years, more famous people have taken tea here than anywhere else in the world. E.M Forster, Rupert Brooke, Virginia Woolf, Bertrand Russel, Maynard Keynes - they all loved this place.

Ruper Brooke's poem "The old vicarage, Granchester", immortalises the afternoon tea in the orchard with lines like: "Stand the church clock at ten to three. And is there honey still for tea?"

Breakfast on the Balcony

We ate very well this weekend. Ally sent Caroline and me off to the shops on Saturday morning to buy a spot of lunch but that's always dangerous because we both love shopping. So we arrived back laden under bags of DVD's and CD's and at least a week's worth of food.

In Prague, on the spur of the moment, I decided I would go on a sugar diet for the month of June (only allowed natural sugars, no chocolate or ice cream etc.) I did this cause I realised i am addicted to sugar and that's it's probably not to healthy. God, it was hell for the first three days!!

I had a crazy craving for meringue and felt pretty grim. Now it's fine though, and I must say I have noticed a nice stabilising in my energy levels. Still, I can't wait for my reward at the end of the month - a big slab of chocolate is what I've promised myself!!!

La Tasca

On Saturday evening, we went La Tasca, to a great restaurant with Caroline in Cambridge that serves Spanish food. You get to order lots of little courses and then mix and match. Great dishes with exotic spanish names that the waiters know and no-one else can pronounce. The restaurant is very popular with a great vibe and is worth visiting if you are in Cambridge.