This weekend’s weather was truly divine.  We wanted to go out for lunch on Sunday.

Actually I would have loved to sleep on the couch after reading my book, and Kennith take the kids out, but he was not having any of that plan.

Kennith and I are not the “book ahead” kind folk, we are the “throw kids in the car, drive to a place, and hope for the best” kinda parents.  This approach can lead to disappointment, but at the same time has an element of excitement and surprise in it!

Yesterday we went along to Le Bonheur Crocodile Farm.  The last time we had been there Georgia must have been 2, so we are talking 5 – 6 years ago.

I find little to no joy looking at animals – whether they are roaming the meadows or locked up in a 2 x 2 metre cage, I really do not enjoy it.

If I can smell animal faeces, then I enjoy it substantially less.

I have no idea what the draw card is of a petting zoo, or driving for two hours on a Landrover so you can spot 2 wildebeest 2km away from the road …. seriously there is absolutely nothing I would want to do less, than pet or stare at an animal.

But it might only be me.

We opted not to do the crocodile tour, though there was one every 45 minutes. I had zero urge to see big crocodiles and dead chicken carcasses … n0t even a fleeting urge in fact.

Our friends had been down to La Bonheur Crocodile Farm and said it has a great outside picnic area – I was suspicious. I pictured crocodile dung and flies, and I got a small shiver … not of happiness …. of decided unhappiness … but they said that there was fishing… the things we do for Connor-the-fisherman … and this was an outing we thought would be nice for him.

If Connor is happy, then generally the whining is reduced, and if the whining is reduced, then there is an outlying chance the rest of us may have a good day.  Call it the “Law of the Oldest Moany Child.”

We headed out to Le Bonheur.  I arrived wholly suspicious that this was just not going to be a fun day out … but I was proved wrong.

The venue is a bit “wedding reception empty hall” but once you get past that part, they have picnic baskets and I saw this sign they had put up – which made me smile, and then I warmed to the venue, and the prospect of spending the day with them.

They have a lovely outside area, where you can pitch your blanket (remember to bring one) and relax in the shade – they have big trees and the afternoon sun casts a lovely cool shadow across the grass in the late afternoon.

They supply a picnic basket and a full bottle of not-half-bad wine, and it is all quite delicious – there was bread, some cold meat, cheese, preserves, pate, water, nougat, and a few other things.  It is not the biggest picnic basket I have ever seen, but there was enough for us to consider it lunch!

We had our picnic lunch, and I gorged on cheese, with fig preserves, and when I was sufficiently full, I then lay on my picnic blanket with my book, and sipped my semi-room-temperature wine and kicked back.

There is a play area for kids – and if you are lucky a big herd of cows will come lumbering over and hang out in the play area.  The play areas are quite nice, and there is a lovely grass area for kids to run around.

They supply fishing rods and tackle and there are lots of people (big and small) who go along and dip their rods into the dam.  Connor did not catch anything, but I am sure that sooner or later someone would have.

It really was a very relaxing day out – I enjoyed it, and I felt thoroughly wine tired and lazy, once I had eaten my body weight in cheese.

The home-made bread and olive pate was mouth-watering, and we also got a tin of crocodile pate – plan to eat that tonight with more home-made (just not made in my home) bread and some more cheese, and yes, some more wine.

Definitely recommend this as a family outing if you are in Cape Town – actually this would be pretty good on your own, with a good book.  That would be phenomenally good actually.

It was not too busy, and I felt like I was picnicking in some pleasant person’s garden, and did not feel this over commercialised, over crowded buzz that so often is associated with Sunday lunch out in the Stellenbosch area.

Lovely day – but all days eventually end, and you need to get your shoes on, find your shirt and look at heading back home to the suicide hour that is bath/dinner/bed.

Wanna know more, click on La Bonheur Crocodile Farm webpage.