Having managed to get through the winter without a day sick or missing out on a hike even once due to awful weather, I was eventually caught out in the first part of the month when it should have been spring.

Cold fronts stacked up in the deep south, one behind the other, isobars squeezed together on the weather maps and rain storms bucketed in as temperatures plummeted.

Just when most of us were beginning to dream of warm days, sun tans and the joys of summer living on the most beautiful Cape in the world, the wheels fell off.

Then I caught some some nasty virus which laid waste to my body and left me horizontal for days. With recovery in sight and plans being made to get outdoors for some fresh air, the cold fronts came back.

So I had to retreat to one of my regular stomping grounds where I can seek nature indoors - the Two Oceans Aquarium.

No matter how often I visit I never tire of the aquarium; there is always something to learn, something new to see and a sense of remarkable tranquillity about the place. The kelp forest has to be the most spiritually therapeutic piece of indoor real estate in the whole of the Western Cape.

Right inside the turnstile is the most wonderful and newly unveiled sculpture, Sacred Ocean by Noel Ashton. It depicts a mother humpback whale and calf "swimming" inside a cage made in part with the bleached bones of long-dead whales. The piece forms a focus for the International Fund for Animal Welfare's public awareness campaign on banning whaling.

I moved on to the tropical tanks of brightly coloured reef fish. It is impossible to describe the variety or vividness of colour, from the famous orange stripes of the clown fish to the bright blues of the parrot fishes and the tangs. Every colour of the rainbow is there, more vivid than the best high-definition TV screen and, in this case, being watched in wonder by dozens of school children.

The aquarium features both warm and cold water tanks to better demonstrate the variety of marine plants and animals which inhabit the ocean environments around the South African coastline. In the cold water tanks you can see West Coast rock lobster of dimensions rarely seen in the wild, individuals over 30 years old and of massive proportions. Throughout my wander I was astounded by the size of the fish, which obviously benefits from life in a relatively safe environment. It drew attention to the effects of over-fishing in our seas and the resultant depletion of both stock and sizes.

There were massive steenbrass swimming aimlessly among the constantly wafting fronds of kelp in the kelp forest, huge yellowtail circling the predator tank, wary eyes on the ragged tooth sharks with whom they share accommodation, and kob of a size you would almost certainly no longer encounter out in the sea.

Certainly, under the pressure of living in the open ocean, many of these fish would never reach such proportions but I couldn't escape the thought that while all marine animals tend to end up in the stomach of a predator at some point, we as humans are by far the most dangerous and frequently non-selective predatory species.

The exhibits aren't limited to the marine environs, and there is a spectacular river meander depicting the various species from the headwaters of our streams to the coast, and a new feature called Frogs beyond the Pond. This highlights the plight of frogs and their dependence on adequate wetlands for their survival.

There were gorgeously stripped "poison arrow frogs" and tiny arum lily frogs which live out their existence inside the flowers and are at risk from informal picking and selling of these plants at the roadside.

The aquarium not only makes for a great venue for a wander on a wet day, but it also provides entertainment and education. It has extended its special pricing structure for groups of two adults and two children until the end of the month, which makes a visit all the more affordable.

You should take the opportunity to pay a family visit before too long. Not only is it fun, it is important that our youngsters take an interest in the inhabitants of our oceans or there might not be much to take an interest in in years to come.