What a joy to spend a lovely morning at the Vineyard Hotel with these special ladies.

The Vineyard gardens have delighted and fascinated for over 200 years, and in 2016 they remain as innovative and ground breaking as they were when they were first created.

Its beautiful lush paths and by-ways that stretch across 7.5 acres of plush suburbia, its proximity to Table Mountain and the banks of the Liesbeek River, and its large number of interesting flora and fauna all come together to ensure that enthusiasts travel from far and wide in order to experience it for themselves.

These famous grounds were originally home to diarist and artist Lady Anne Barnard and husband Andrew, colonial secretary to the Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, Earl Macartney. The Barnard’s built their house in February 1800 and it was ground breaking from the start, being the first ‘English’ style house in the Cape. The gardens flourished, full of indigenous shrubs like protea and keurboom, as well as box and fir. Lady Anne’s own watercolours are remaining proof of this – one she sketched from the stoep refers to her garden as, “growing, growing, growing!”

Lady Anne Barnard was a dynamic, progressive woman, full of interesting ideas and as such, way ahead of her time. This spirit has remained so much a part of the property, translating into the way this extraordinary garden has developed and adapted over the centuries.

I cannot think of a better place to celebrate friendship! Thank you lovely ladies it was such a fulfilling morning and thank you for entrusting me to take photos of you all – I hope you get to enjoy the images for many years to come and look back on this day with fond memories.

“Close friends are truly life’s treasures. Sometimes they know us better than we know ourselves. With gentle honesty, they are there to guide and support us, to share our laughter and our tears. Their presence reminds us that we are never really alone.”― Vincent van Gogh