This squirrel spent at least three or four minutes digging (slightly frantically) in the soil. I assume he'd lost his prize nut. I don't think he found it.
Author Archives: Paul
Starfish
The charity, started by a group of young South Africans in 2001/2002, and is a registered non-profit organisation and as of 2001 are partnered with Global Fund, CIDA, PEPFAR and AUSAID.
Consider supporting Starfish.
Sit, relax, and observe
A friend recently said that a great form of exercise (for a photographer) is just to sit, relax, and observe without a camera in the hand. So, next time you're out taking photos and you feel as though there's nothing interesting to shoot, consider taking an extended break to just sit, relax, and observe - you're sure to find the most interesting photos.
Circle in a bench
Big Boy bike
Crabs!
Do you remember catching crabs? Wasn't it fun?
No crabs came to harm during the shooting of this photo. ;)
Stop signs and pointy arrows
And, if you were wondering, those aren't bullet holes - they seem to be old mounting holes. I presume these signs were either moved here from another location or that they were simply remounted on new brackets.
Swim goslings swim
I found these two and their mom in the Company's Gardens in Cape Town. As I've whined before, it's been exceedingly hot in Cape Town this past week, so don't you think it nice of their mother to take them to the gardens for a dip?
Sometimes it’s better to be cold-blooded
I wonder how this tortoise feels about being out in the sun, and if it's perhaps preferable to be cold-blooded on days like this.
A Blonde mural
Lifeguards in training
Now, obviously it's just silly to generalize like that, and even though the myth isn't true I'd have to guess that it holds at least some merit and that a much higher percentage of white people, vs. black, are able to swim.
I'd love some perspective on this from any of our black readers, so please leave a comment below if you have an opinion on the subject.
The Wheel of Excellence
I guess the fact that it's stayed means that the V&A Waterfront, and the wheel's owners are making a packet of money from the attraction.
Glencoe Quarry
The quarry was super-quiet inside and surrounded by sheer rockfaces - there were huge boulders on the ground, patches of neat grass, and a handful of rock climbers practicing their skill quite high up against the rockface. It was quite different to the hiking trail that we'd just been on!
When we arrived this time I discovered a large metal door in my path and this slightly-defaced sign indicating that the quarry had been closed to the public. I also happened to notice a small pathway leading up and around the quarry to a spot that rock climbers (including the one I spotted descending from the pathway) seem still to make use of.
It's sad that the area had to be restricted. I'm guessing that it could have been closed off because the quarry was so secluded that it may have been dangerous for people to spend time inside. It's sad, but the unfortunate reality of having that kind of area near on the perimeter of a large city.
Please don’t feed the seagulls
Squirrel in the garden
I found little Egbert (his mom named him after King Egbert of Wessex, I believe), scurrying between trees looking for the best acorn nuts. He, naturally, dashed up the side of a large oak tree as soon as I approached to get a better look. I think he thought I was trying to follow him to his secret stash. I wasn't.
The place where I found Egbert is a small park in Cape Town, over the road from the well-known Rafikis restaurant and bar in Kloof Nek road (map). The little park has two or three large oak trees and is surrounded by a beautiful chest-high fence. It has a few swings, a seesaw, and a climbing gym for kids. It even has a couple of benches where parents can rest while kids work off their excess energy.
It's a lovely little park and worth popping in to if you're in the area.
A silent carousel at the V&A Waterfront
While the carousel looks awesome, we were very disappointed that it lacked that typical carousel music - well, it lacked music completely! Who would operate a carousel without music?!
So, even though it only costs R10 per person the absence of that enchanting music disappointed us so much that we decided to skip the ride. :(
Singing and dancing, African-style
For reference, there are two Moyo restaurants near Cape Town - this one, at Eden on the Bay, and another at Stellenbosch's Spier Estate.
Grassy beachfront
Unlike the beaches on this stretch of coastline, the beaches that back on to Table Mountain have nooks that are perfectly sheltered from the wind, so there's always a spot to sunbathe in peace - even with Cape Town's infamous wind gusts across the peninsula! :)
Kite surfing at Big Bay
I wonder how regular beach-goers feel about having surfers wiz past with pointy boards at break-neck speeds. I'd probably rather find an alternative spot to swim. :)
The thirsty hydrangea
We had a few at out previous home, and even though their large leaves were kept out of the direct sun it seemed as though I could never water them enough! They ultimately passed away - it was sad. :(
An owl at Boschendal
While the visit to Le Café was pleasant and not too expensive, the service was only alright. It wasn't 4 or 5 star quality - something that I would have expected from this well-known premium estate. The omelets and coffee that we enjoyed was good, but we found it strange that the omelets excluded cheese - something that I thought all omelets would contain.
The open-air setting below large oak trees is very pleasant and relaxing, so even though our Le Café experience wasn't what we would have expected, it's still worth the visit.
The largest sailing catamaran in Africa?
If you're not sure what a catamaran is - well, it's quite simple. A catamaran is a boat with more than one hull (generally two hulls). What makes this kind of boat perfect as ferries, or sunset cruises, is that the double-hull design makes this class of boat faster and far more stable than its single-hull sister.
Ocean cables and cable ships
You may find it interesting to read a little more about the history of cables ships and the laying of the first transatlantic cable here.
Atlantic Adventure’s high speed ride
I considered the trip (instead of the deathly-slow Steamboat Vicky trip) but we wanted to take our two nieces out on a ride and this one (while cheaper and longer than the Australian Thunder Jet) was more than we could spend on the trip.
Take a close look at the back of the boat - see the guy with his arms raised? Looks super-happy hey? :D
Were pirates insane?
Seeing this ship reminded me of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, which in turn reminded me of how much I enjoy Jonny Depp's acting. But, before I get too distracted from my point... imagine how crazy men aboard pirate ships must have been to willingly sail rough oceans (in dodgy ships with few supplies) picking fights with other vessels miles from dry land.
How insane.
It’s a new year!
The World vs. the Southern Cross
Okay, I'm kidding, and so I'll just put it out there that if someone has a cabin aboard The World that they'd like to entrust to us for a while, I sure wouldn't turn it down. :)
The World – the largest privately-owned yacht
Assuming that you have the cash, and the time to spend doing pretty much nothing at all, wouldn't it be awesome to own a cabin aboard this beauty?
No1 Jetty 1976
A trip on the Waterfront’s Steamboat Vicky
Steamboat Vicky eventually returned to the jetty empty. It appeared as though she's dropped her passengers off elsewhere to lighten her load for the return trip to her home jetty. According to the skipper they were having trouble with the 100-year-plus steam engine's water pump... and I guess you can imagine that a steamboat without a water pump is more of a boat, less of a steamboat. :)
We started the extremely slow trip around the harbour (according to the skipper the boat has two speeds, slow and stop). The trip lasted about half an hour - and in the next few posts I'll share a few photos that I took of other boats in the Victoria and Alfred basins.
If you decide to take a trip on Steamboat Vicky, I'd advise against sitting in front. During the trip I nervously kept an eye on the uncomfortably-hot flames that were leaping out from under the boiler only 50cm away from my ankle. Also, don't take a trip on a very windy day - the skipper had plenty of engine trouble trying to get old Vicky back to her jetty, and eventually dropped us off at a spot close to the Clock Tower.