Given its appearance, it's no wonder that the Strelitzia is some times referred to as the Bird-of-Paradise, or Crane Flower.
The Strelitzia Reginae is indigenous to South Africa - and in fact, although this isn't ours, we do have one in our garden. The foliage of this plant is evergreen and the large leaves are shaped a little like those of a banana tree - only smaller.
An interesting piece of trivia, that may help you out in a game-show some day, is that (according to Wikipedia) the Strelitzia is named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wife of King George III - although, I believe the flower is somewhat prettier than the painting of the queen shows her to have been. :-o
This photo is of the same building that I posted yesterday - only looking in exactly the opposite direction, and from the patio.
My grandparents use to live on a farm way north in South Africa and had a patio that was, in some way, similar to this one. The patio had red tiles, much to these, and was kept shiny with a brick-red coloured polish. I think my mother still has a photo of my brother and I covered in red polish after sliding around on the tiles. :)
I took this photo at Oude Molen in Stellenbosch. The Dutch words "Oude Molen" mean "Old Mill" and presumably refer to the old water-driven mill once located on the property.
I took a walk around the property and unfortunately couldn't find the mill; which I presume means that it was really really old and either fell apart or was replaced by one of the other buildings. I searched for information about the property but could find nothing much, except for references to Stellenbosch University's Oude Molen men's fraternity.
If you do know anything more about Oude Molen in Stellenbosch, please do leave a comment on this post.
Let's face it, companies like Red Bull don't sponsor awesome events for fun - they don't spend their money for nothing - it's all about advertising and brand building. That said; that out of the way, we're flippin' glad that they do and that's why we don't mind calling them awesome.
Red Bull sponsor dozens of events in South Africa, including music, BMX, freestyle motocross, surf, skate and even b-boying! Without sponsorship there would be far fewer (perhaps no) whole-day music concerts and extreme sport events... in fact I'd risk saying that most (if not all) large sporting events would simply not exist.
If you have an iPad - check out the Red Bulletin iPad app. I don't have an iPad, so leave a comment here and tell me what it's like.
If you never caught the first post in the series of photos taken at Stellenbosch cemetery – click here to see what the photos are all about.
I meant to comment in a previous post on how a graveyard is a universal leveler. Even though this is mostly true - to some extent anyway - in the case of this cluster of graves it's clear that the family was segregated from the rest of the cemetery's residents. Not only this, but it even looks as though the people in the two graves in front were placed there to guard over those behind the fence. Spooky.
I should actually have read the inscriptions on the headstones - I have a feeling there's a particularly sad story about this cluster.
If you never caught the first post in the series of photos taken at Stellenbosch cemetery – click here to see what the photos are all about.
I only spotted the large snail towards the bottom left of the photo after taking a few photos of this headstone. The question is, can you spot all three snails?
If you never caught the first post in the series of photos taken at Stellenbosch cemetery – click here to see what the photos are all about.
Most of the gravestones in this graveyard have started leaning over a little due to soil erosion and the natural movement of earth. These are in stark contrast to the photos I've seen of the impeccably neat and well-maintained US defense force cemeteries.
If you never caught the first post in the series of photos taken at Stellenbosch cemetery – click here to see what the photos are all about.
I first walked among the graves at Stellenbosch cemetery, taking photos, but later discovered that this little road wasn't only for official use, but was made for visitors to drive along - presumably because many people aren't able to walk the steep incline to see the graves of their loved ones.
I hopped in my car and took a drive through the graveyard - it was a little eerie, I have to admit.
If you never caught the first post in the series of cemetery photos – click here to see what the series is all about.
Sometimes the most unusual perspectives lead to the most interesting views. Looking at the photo on my over-sized monitor makes me feel like diving though the screen into the bed of leaves. Aren't they pretty? :)
If you never caught the first post in the series of cemetery photos – click here to see what the series is all about.
It never looked quite so haunting at the time, but looking at the photo afterwards gave Kerry-Anne and I both an eerie chill.
Only after closely inspecting this photo and others taken from different angles did I realise that this particular spot in Stellenbosch cemetery appears to be dedicated to children's graves - hence all the small angelic figures. It must be terrible to lose a child - especially a young one like Marina Van Eck. It looks like she was just shy of 5 years old when she died.
The inscription is an excerpt from the Christian bible and reads "Want aan sulkes behoort die koninkryk van God". translated this reads "For to such belongs the kingdom of God".
If you never caught the first post in the series of cemetery photos – click here to see what the series is all about.
This is a different perspective on the same grave as the one shown in my previous photo. Looking at how this one has deteriorated over the years, I wonder what this, and similar graves, will look like in 100 years from now. Will they be completely run down? Who will restore them?
If you never caught the first post in the series of cemetery photos – click here to see what the series is all about.
I wonder what the significance, or symbolism of this checkerboard gravestone is. Was it that the deceased was particularly good at chess, or simply that the style was fashionable at the time?
Cemeteries often have a few graves that look very different to those around them. Have you ever walked through a cemetery and wondered why particular gravestones have particular designs? I don't normally hang out at cemeteries, but on the occasions that I've visited one I've often found myself wondering what lies behind the distinctive nature of certain designs.
If you never caught the first post in the series of cemetery photos – click here to see what the series is all about.
It seems strange to me to have statues of angels watching over graves. I suppose what I find strange about it is that the statue is really only there for the living who visit the graves of their departed loved ones.
Do you think it offers some kind of comfort? Would you erect this kind of statue at a loved one's grave? How would you feel about one being erected in memory of you? I'm really interested to know.
I recently took a walk through Stellenbosch cemetery. The trip yielded so many interesting thoughts about life, death, and the living's memorial thereof that I've decided to post a few photos that show different aspects of the cemetery.
Don't allow yourself to get all depressed - but do take a moment to reflect on the meaning of life as you view this series of photos.
This lion-shaped water spout is found in an extremely popular place - a place that you're very likely to have visited if you've lived in Cape Town or ever been here on vacation for more than a week. Do you recognise the spout? Have you seen it before? Can you guess where it is?
Leave a comment if you have an idea of where I took this photo. Given the background, it shouldn't be too difficult for you to guess! :)
Except for the Scribbly Gum, this must be the tree with the strangest bark ever. The bark was fairly soft (compared to other tree bark, at least) and seemed to be slowly shedding.
Unfortunately I have no idea what kind of tree it is, so please help me out and leave a comment on this post if you know what kind of tree this is!
We often have beautiful clear weather in winter days, and were it not that on these days the air temperature remained at or below 20°C you'd most likely find this beach cluttered with people.
We do so miss the sun in winter. Even though we have plenty of sunny days, there are still far too many dull and grey days for my liking. Perhaps when I'm rich one day I'll follow summer around the world. Good plan, don't you think? :)
I took this photo from a farm just outside of Stellenbosch while having lunch with family. Perhaps it's just the cloud-cover, but doesn't this range of mountains remind you (even just a little) of Table Mountain?
Mussels are really hardy creatures. They withstand the relentless pounding of the sea in the stormiest conditions. However - even though they're so hardy, mussels have the unlikeliest predator - the starfish!
The starfish uses its powerful arms to slowly pull the mussel's shell open. Once the gap between the two shells is large enough it turns its stomach inside out and forces it into the shell and digests the mussel right in its own home! Who would have thought the sea star to be such a vicious foe?!
I'm just over 6 feet tall, and almost (very very almost) bumped my forehead into this delightful little surprise hanging near where colourful boats offload their fish at Kalk Bay harbour. Can you imagine anything worse than bumping into a clothes line populated with gooey fish?!
Although I never asked, I imagine that these fish have been set aside to become fish biltong in the cool sea breeze. I'm South African, and I've never had fish biltong. This is something I plan not to change. :)
These fish had been pulled from the ocean only a little while before I took this photo - so they'd be pretty safe to buy and eat. In fact, they'd probably be very tasty!
This isn't always the case though. Often you'll see run down bakkies (light delivery vehicles) filled with fish and ice parked on the side of the road. You'll usually see two or three guys (who've clearly been fishing for some time) each waving one or two long snoek fish in your general direction. The idea is that you'll be so tempted by the memory of your last snoek braai that you'll immediately pull your car over to buy one or two of their tasty fish!
To be honest though, I've never bought a fish from the side of the road, and this is only partly because I normally see the bakkie far too late to stop. In reality, the reason I don't go to more effort to stop is (a) because I hate cleaning fish and (b) because I've often seen the same bakkie parked for hours in the warm sun at the side of the road. Even though the fish are on ice - by the end of the day the ice is melted and the fish clearly aren't as fresh as they once were.
Call me paranoid - but have you ever writhed in pain after eating dodgy food, and can you say "salmonella"?!
When you look back from the end of Kalk Bay's harbour pier you stare straight towards, what could be, one of the most popular breakfast spots in the little town - Live Bait.
I wouldn't say that it's so popular because it's food is significantly better than their competitor's - I'd be more inclined to say that it's because they're perfectly located with a killer morning view of the sun rising over False Bay. Live Bait is certainly a place to visit for breakfast on a clear good-weather day. If you'd like to visit a slightly more posh restaurant, visit Polana (it's sister restaurant with even better views), positioned conveniently above.
Even though I don't much enjoy fishing - isn't this the most relaxing sight? Can you remember when you were young and could find time to relax in the warm sun - when you had no responsibility other than doing well at school?
Even if you don't enjoy fishing, perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to pick a warm and sunny afternoon to take a beach chair out to the end of a harbour pier and just sit, watching fishing boats sail and seals frolic in the bay.
Right now, while looking at this photo, I can't think of anything as boring as fishing. I use to fish a little when I was young, but the interest quickly wore off. Even though I, on occasion, went fishing with friends it was always to be social and never because I enjoyed the cold night air, icy spray of sea water, and fishy smell.
I find it so strange that so many guys seem to love exactly that about fishing.
To these particular fishermen's credit, they look as though they're handling their fishing expedition perfectly. Everything looks immaculately clean and tidy - and this scene makes me thing that they're out on the pier for reasons other than the fun of fishing. :)
Cape Town's Fire and Rescue Services comprise 30 fire stations and are called into action to deal with fire emergencies, motor vehicle accidents - and, well, every kind of emergency situation from underwater to high-angle rescue!
Follow Medic Nick (a Cape Town volunteer medic and firefighter) on Twitter if you'd like on-the-ground insight into the life of the men and woman who we often only recognise as super heroes when we need them.
Report fires by dialing 107 from a landline or 021 480 7700 from a cellphone, or call Fire Control directly on 021 590 1900.
A friend grabbed my camera and shot this photo while we were standing in the queue at a local supermarket.
This got me thinking about the times that we've been to Australia, the US or Europe and how even, though we have an adequate array of sweet goodies, folk in those countries have dozens more options when it comes to satisfying their taste buds. It's just not fair! :)
Instead of a bridge for pedestrians to cross over the train tracks at Kalk Bay station, there's this short subway that leads commuters below the tracks between platform 1 and 2.
If you catch yourself traveling the "tourist route" from Cape Town to Simon's Town, then you may like to climb off at Kalk Bay to spend an hour or three visiting restaurants like The Brass Bell and Cape to Cuba; or perhaps spend some time browsing the small shops that line the main road, and then wander over to Kalk Bay harbour to see the fishing boats and watch the sea-hardened fishermen offload their catch.
Kalk Bay's a great place to visit and comes highly recommended - even if you decide rather to visit by car (and perhaps stop there for breakfast before heading on to Cape Point).
The blue light that you see at the end of the tunnel isn't the result of artistic photo-manipulation, it's rays of sunlight being filtered through the weather-proof structure that leads from the platform to the stairway. It does look kinda awesome in a photo, now doesn't it? :)
The metro train route that leads from Cape Town Station to Muizenberg and along the coast to Simon's Town is the most popular tourist train route in Cape Town. Well... I guess that's because none of the other routes are frequented by tourists - probably because none of the other have such beautiful views!
The train itself is crummy inside - nothing much to behold, and it's a little dirty inside and (as you can see) especially so on the outside!
On the plus side, locals and visitors are able to buy a special tourist ticket that costs around R20. The specific ticket is a day pass that allows for traveler to hop on and hop off at any station along the route from Cape Town to Simon's Town. Isn't that awesome!?
