South Coast beaches story

Yes it rained again - all but one day - yes Margate sucks, no it's not the South of France. But Pumula Lodge Hotel is as good as ever, clean, efficient, old-school with its sectioned veggie dishes and a la carte four-course menu. The car, the B-Class, failed to live up to its colour and was less efficient than it should be. Ultimately yet more fuel to the fire that suggests KZN is not my favourite prt of the country.

Mercedes-Benz AMG track day, Kyalami

It was hot, Kyalami is a shadow of its former self and Jozi is, well, Jozi. Despite all this, good fun, a feast of all the AMG variants. I didn't drive, concentrating on the photography, as I'd just spent a week in the SL65 AMG, and how do you top that?

Back to work 2013 - Oubaai and the Golf Hall of Fame

For the Mercedes Benz magazine so naturally, an SL65 AMG. The figures are crazy extreme - 1000Nm of torque, millions for the car, R650 million invested in Oubaai for the Hyatt development by the Kuwaiti group Kharafi. In the cold light of recession it all looks a little forlorn. Pre-meltdown excess kept alive by wealthy golfers wondering who is driving past in the flash Merc.

The year looks good from here - South Coast beaches next for Torque, then Kruger, Sun City and Swartberg through the pass. Patrick Farrell is staying on at HSM too, which means more work and Jayne Nankivell seems intent on more of the same.

And then there's the small matter of the sold apartment and the next chapter...   

The long road home

The final leg of the marathon end-of year tour. Into the Karoo and Cape Town-bound. Overnight with Chris Nortier on his farm Leeuput near Vosburg. It's been illuminating, fun, dusty, full of song and ultimately inspiring. The Cape is not all there is...