Aren't giraffes just awesome? :) (Click those last two links.)
General
Obsolete air vents
To be fair to the building trade, these vents do let in huge amounts of cold air in winter and hot air in summer - which isn't ideal. On the other hand, the absence of this ventilation may be why many small modern town-houses seem to struggle with damp in winter.
No parking, seriously
No parking
A flat Amstel Lager
When Kerry-Anne and I last visited Paris together we stayed in a little hotel that had a huge Amstel sign outside it's doors. I found it amazing how something familiar, even a sign of a beer that you're not even partial to, helps make one feel a little more settled.
I just hope that some day someone will invent cans with a 1 month half-life. Not because it would encourage us to drink them faster, but rather that we wouldn't end up with cans like this one.
Sicilia!
The poisonous Frangipani
White Bougainvillea
The cow was cool – but a left arrow?
Spaceships and moo-cows
Glass not diamonds
No stopping on event days!
Imagine what it would be like for residents if people were allowed to park wherever they pleased. The roads are often so narrow that it would be impossible for residents (and perhaps more importantly, emergency vehicles) to navigate the streets in the hours surrounding an event.
Cape Town sewers!
Tired of climbing stairs?
Pretty red bougainvillea
Telephone poles – far too many wires
Telephone wires in most older suburbs and parts of the city still lie above ground, mounted on poles like this one. Several years ago Telkom, our (often regarded as infamous) land telecommunications provider, started using underground cables to in new development areas. I'm guessing that they're more durable and serviceable. Some day telephone poles like these, with their busy nest of wires, will be a distant part of history - much like candle-powered lamp posts.
An English Pointer
Startled kitty-cat
A skinny white cat
Please stand here
Windhoek Lager
Oh, and by the way, nope, that wasn't my bottle! :)
Into the gutter, down the drain
Fortunately it looks as though these drains have a bar to prevent such objects finding themselves meters below the ground in the storm-water drainage system. :)
Heavy umbrellas
Green things
H8M Fire hydrant close by!
Based on a few comments and an email it seems that consensus is that the sign indicates that there's a fire hydrant 8 meters (or, as in yesterday's post, 28 feet) from the lamp post. In retrospect, based on the shape of the sign I guess should have been obvious. :)
Steep streets
Ugly barbed wire
Perhaps government should introduce a new public holiday called Clean City Day, a day when everybody is compelled to spend at least two hours cleaning litter from public places.
See this article about last year's Clean Up day in Johannesburg, organised by Pickitup. Imagine this on a national scale!
The stairs are closed – you can’t sue us!
Don't you just hate that society has become so opportunistic that we're forced to spend money on signs that state the obvious to indemnify us in case somebody does something silly and decides to sue us because we never warned them? Sure, there are many cases when signs are absolutely necessary - but often they're just a waste of money.
It’s a cactus
Parked cars and narrow roads
Fortunately Kerry-Anne and I live in a suburb that was built when 1000 square metre plots and super-wide roads were the norm. I'd hate to live in modern security estates with their narrow roads and uniform housing.