La Piazza, at the huge Canal Walk shopping mall, is host to several fine restaurants, many of which overlook a beautiful (man-made) canal. Kerry-Anne and I met up with a friend at Primi (lower right in the photo) where we lazed comfortably on huge couches, sipping our coffee, watching people wander by.

We'd already had dinner, so I think it must have been the proximity of so many nice restaurants that made us hungry all over again. But, we stood fast and resisted the tempation to order some kind of post-dinner snack.

We celebrated my mom's birthday today, so all we had time to do was take a quick drive past Green Point, where cyclists competing in the Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour were finishing the arduous 109 kilometre race around the peninsula. As he did last year, South African champion Robbie Hunter won the event - this year in 2 hours 27 minutes!

109 kilometres around our peninsula is no joke. For guys like Robbie, it's a very serious and well-planned race. For many of the 40,000 other cyclists, it's a day of fun, with little training and often little planning. I've heard reports that up to 65 people were taken to hospital as a result of road accidents, fatigue, kidney stones and heart attacks.

A colleague of mine is presently trying to convince me that I should take part next year. I keep having to explain that I don't have a bike and it's really very difficult to cycle with a camera in hand. :)

Visit Cape Town Daily Photo Extras to see a few of the other shots we managed to take.

We spent a pretty awesome afternoon at Mzoli's, in the heart of the township of Gugulethu. Technically, Mzoli's is a butchery. But I doubt you've been to a butchery quite like THIS before. Instead of trying to explain how it works, I'm going to suggest you visit Andy's blog, and read his excellent description instead.

It was the first time either of us had been to Gugulethu, and Andy, who organised the outing for us, took us on a little walk around the block after lunch. The people were overwhelmingly friendly to us, both at Mzoli's and while we were walking through the neighbourhood. I imagine we stood out a little - there aren't too many white faces in Gugulethu on any given day. :-)

In short, we had a great time, and if you're looking for a different, close-up view of vibrant township life, then see if you can make lunch at Mzoli's part of your visit to Cape Town. A number of tour companies offer trips to Mzoli's and the surrounding township, but if you want an arguably more authentic experience, I'm sure we'd be able to find a fair number of ordinary Capetonians who'd be happy to take you. I'm certainly up for another visit.

Visit Cape Town Daily Photo Extras to see more of our photos from Mzoli's.

Friends of ours got married to each other today on this very beach. Kerry-Anne and I rushed through to Strand beach after work to watch Andrew and Richal exchange vows on the beach. It really was a beautiful wedding - take a look at a couple of extra photos that we published at Cape Town Daily Photo Extras

I did a really stupid thing a few days ago... I broke my camera. Yip. Broken-broken. But more about that in a moment.

The Hadeda (a type of Ibis) is a very very loud bird. They're pretty common to the Western Cape, and very common to the dam right behind our apartment. The Hadeda is easily recognised by its loud squawking, which sounds much like haa-haa-haa-de-dah - hence the name Hadeda (pronounced haa-di-daa).

As I mentioned earlier, I broke my camera. Two of the pins that plug into the memory card snapped off! Anyway, I was referred to Tim Fisher at Cape Camera Repairs. Having heard of repairs taking weeks I was dreading not having my camera for even a few days. Imagine my surprise when he assured me it would take only a day or two to repair. Well, he kept to his word and so I guess today's post is compliments of Tim at Cape Camera Repairs. Thanks Tim!

I you have a moment please visit our extras blog where I've posted three more Hadeda photos taken this evening.

Edit: A friend kindly informed me that these birds are indeed not of the Hadeda Ibis variety, they are in fact from the Sacred Ibis clan - differentiated by their white plumage. Thank-you Riaan!

This reminds me of one of those kiddies' puzzles - how many cranes can you count in the picture? (I got to 17, but I could be wrong.)

These cranes are over at the construction site of Green Point Stadium, one of the stadiums that will host several soccer games during the 2010 World Cup. In the middle of February, city spokesperson Pieter Cronje apparently said that a third of the stadium is already complete, and that it's well on its way to being completed on schedule, by 15 December 2009.

I find the presence of the cranes on our skyline really inspiring - to me, they're a symbol of progress and growth.

If you're very, very observant, you might have noticed that the SA Blog Awards button to the right has changed a little. That's because we've been nominated! Yes indeed - we were thrilled to discover that we've received nominations in three categories: Best Photographic Blog, Best New Blog and Best Travel Blog. If you enjoy our blog, please click on the button to vote for us, and while you're there, have a look at some of the other nominated blogs and vote for those you fancy. What an awesome first birthday present for Cape Town Daily Photo!

Yes indeed - it's been a whole year since we posted our very first photograph on Cape Town Daily Photo. In that time, we've visited new places, seen new sights, and done things we'd never done before, all in the interests of getting a good shot. It's been maddening at times - usually at about 23h54 on a weeknight when we suddenly realise that we haven't done a post yet - but mostly it's been out-and-out fun.

Thanks to:
- Eric, for unknowingly inspiring us to start this blog
- Alice, Jules, Jenty, Joy, Abraham, and ALL the other regular commenters - it's always great hearing from our readers, and it really makes a difference to our levels of enthusiasm :)
- All the other City Daily Photo bloggers, especially those who visited our blog right in the beginning and made us feel that we really were part of a community
- All our friends in Cape Town (and the rest of South Africa!) - it never ceases to delight me when I'm introduced to someone who lives in this city and they say, "Oh, YOU'RE the guys who do Cape Town Daily Photo!" It's fantastic to know that so many of our fellow Capetonians and South Africans read our blog regularly.
- And finally, thank you to you, whoever you may be - even if you've never left a comment and we've never met, the fact that you visit here means the world to us.

We still have plenty (PLENTY) to show you in and around Cape Town, so don't you worry, we'll be back tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. And so on and so on, until you get tired of us.

This kind of photo opportunity deserves a super steady tripod and one of those really expensive lenses that I'm always seeing at cricket matches... you know, the ones that are about a meter long and have a lens diameter similar to that of a small car's tyre.

I shot this photo early this morning from our balcony. Kerry-Anne said it reminded her of one of those lengthy immunity challenges in CBS's Survivor. You know - the ones where contestants are compelled to stand on a pole for hours on end. Our friend here lasted for several minutes before taking a dive off into the water - in search of a peanut butter sandwich no doubt. (Peanut butter? Google here.)

This is the view that greeted us this morning when we woke up and went downstairs for coffee and breakfast. (Yes, we did wake up rather late - not surprising though, considering how little sleep we've had since Wednesday.)

We've been listening to the birds in the reserve all day, and it really does feel as though we're on holiday here. I feel more relaxed than I have in a very long time, and I'm looking forward to exploring this part of Cape Town for a change.

By the way, we have an important milestone coming up this week... do come back on Tuesday to see what it is. :)

So today we're all settled in our temporary home at Century City - kindly sponsored by our super-dooper estate agent, Jeanne-Pierre from Milieu Properties. In days to come we'll bring you photos from in and around the area, but today it's Theme Day.

Today's photo was taken in the city centre, on Darling Street just up the road from the Castle. The mural is of Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Cissie Gool and Imam Haron.

Take a look at our CTDP Extras Blog for more graffiti and street art around Cape Town.

Sorry for being late with today's post. Since our move we've had limited internet connectivity - and that which I do now have is also kindly sponsored by Milieu Properties. Jeanne-Piere, you're a star! :)

Please use the links below to visit a few of the 144 City Daily Photo blogs taking part in today's Theme Day.

Adelaide, Australia by Gordon, Albuquerque (NM), USA by Helen, Aliso Viejo (CA), USA by Rodney, American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Anderson (SC), USA by Lessie, Arradon, France by Alice, Ashton under Lyne, UK by Pennine, Athens, Greece by Debbie, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Bandung, Indonesia by Guntur Purwanto, Baziège, France by PaB, Belgrade, Serbia by BgdPic, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Bicheno, Australia by Greg, Boston (MA), USA by Fenix, Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Boston (MA), USA by Sarah, Whit, & Leyre, Brighton, UK by Harvey, Bucaramanga, Colombia by Fernando, Budapest, Hungary by Isadora, Budapest, Hungary by Zannnie and Zsolt, Buenos Aires, Argentina by Karine, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Cape Town, South Africa by Kerry-Anne, Chandler (AZ), USA by Melindaduff, Chateaubriant, France by Bergson, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chicago (IL), USA by U R us, Chicago (IL), USA by b.c., Christchurch, New Zealand by Michelle, Clearwater (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Clearwater Beach (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Cleveland (OH), USA by iBlowfish, Cologne, Germany by April11, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Detroit (MI), USA by Taittems, Dunedin (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Durban, South Africa by CrazyCow, Evry, France by Olivier, Forks (WA), USA by Corinne, Glasgow, Scotland by Jackie, Greenville (SC), USA by Denton, Grenoble, France by Bleeding Orange, Guelph, Canada by Pat, Helsinki, Finland by Kaa, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Hyde, UK by Gerald, Inverness (IL), USA by Neva, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Joplin (MO), USA by Victoria, Juneau (AK), USA by Gwyn, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin, Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Le Guilvinec, France by ds2944, Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl, Lisbon, Portugal by Jsaltao, Lodz, Poland by ritalounge, London, UK by Ham, London, UK by Mo, Mainz, Germany by JB, Maple Ridge, Canada by Susan, Mazatlan, Mexico by Kate, Melbourne, Australia by Mblamo, Melbourne, Australia by John, Memphis (TN), USA by SouthernHeart, Menton, France by Jilly, Mexico, Mexico by Poly, Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Greg, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Montréal, Canada by Douber, Moscow, Russia by Irina, Mumbai, India by Kunalbhatia, Mumbai, India by MumbaiIteanu, Naples (FL), USA by Isabella, Nashville (TN), USA by Chris, Nelson, New Zealand by Meg and Ben, New Orleans (LA), USA by steve buser, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK by Cassie & Chris, Niamey, Niger by Dinabee, Norwich, UK by Goddess888, Nottingham, UK by Gail's Man, Ocean Township (NJ), USA by Josy, Paris, France by Eric, Pasadena (CA), USA by Can8ianben, Pasadena (CA), USA by Petrea, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia by Murphy_jay, Pilisvörösvár, Hungary by Elise, Port Angeles (WA), USA by Jelvistar, Port Elizabeth, South Africa by Sam, Port Vila, Vanuatu by Mblamo, Prague, Czech Republic by Honza03, Quincy (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Radonvilliers, France by Deslilas, Riga, Latvia by Prokur, Rome, Italy by Giovanni, Rotterdam, Netherlands by Ineke, Saarbrücken, Germany by LadyDemeter, Saint Louis (MO), USA by Strangetastes, Saint Paul (MN), USA by Kate, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation by Lark, San Antonio (TX), USA by Kramer, San Diego (CA), USA by Felicia, San Diego (CA), USA by Zentmrs, Santa Fe (NM), USA by Randem, Seattle (WA), USA by Kim, Seattle (WA), USA by Chuck, Seguin (TX), USA by Thien, Selma (AL), USA by RamblingRound, Sesimbra, Portugal by Aldeia, Setúbal, Portugal by Maria Elisa, Sharon (CT), USA by Jenny, Silver Spring (MD), USA by John, Singapore, Singapore by Keropok, Sofia, Bulgaria by Antonia, St Francis, South Africa by Sam, Stavanger, Norway by Tanty, Stayton (OR), USA by Celine, Stockholm, Sweden by Stromsjo, Subang Jaya, Malaysia by JC, Sydney, Australia by Sally, Székesfehérvár, Hungary by Teomo, Terre Haute (IN), USA by Zann, Terrell (TX), USA by Bstexas, Terrell (TX), USA by Jim K, The Hague, Netherlands by Lezard, Tokyo, Japan by Tadamine, Torun, Poland by Torun Observer, Toulouse, France by Julia, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina by Jazzy, Twin Cities (MN), USA by Slinger, Vienna, Austria by G_mirage2, Wailea (HI), USA by Kuanyin, Wassenaar, Netherlands by Rich, Wellington, New Zealand by Jeremyb, West Paris (ME), USA by crittoria, West Sacramento (CA), USA by Barbara, Weston (FL), USA by WestonDailyPhoto, Wroc?aw, Poland by Loompi, Yardley (PA), USA by Mrlynn

If you're wondering where we've been for the last day or two... you must have missed the previous post. We're in the process of moving house and for a month will be housed in a loft apartment at Century City (just outside the city, over the road from Ratanga Junction theme park).

29 February saw box upon box being carted out of our house onto a big truck. Hanssen Removals made the whole process run really smoothly: they were calm, professional and without any sense of stress, allowing us to feel at ease as they made off with all our possessions. ;)

Kerry-Anne and I are preparing to move house at the moment. We've been packing boxes and cleaning out cupboards all day... and so I'm posting a photo that I took a few weeks back at an intersection in Cape Town. For interest's sake, the building in the background is the Southern Sun Cullinan Hotel.

It's been a hard day and it's now almost 1am - we're certainly ready for bed.

Now isn't that a tongue-twister. See how many times you can say "red lantern green lantern".

Kerry-Anne and I went along to 27Dinner at the Wild Fig restaurant. As we were leaving the restaurant I found that the outside tables were dotted with red and green lights, these lanterns. Aren't they pretty?

Sure she's been resprayed, and sure she's not quite as zippy and doesn't have all the features of the new MINI, but isn't she pretty? Except for the new ones, I don't recall ever seeing a MINI convertible. I bet getting parking in Cape Town is a breeze :) for this vehicle's driver.

Special notice for readers who receive our posts via RSS or ATOM feeds:
We've started using FeedBurner to publish our feeds and would greatly appreciate it if you could take a couple of minutes to change your feed URL to this one. If you're unsure of how to do this, send me an email and I'll help you get it sorted.

I've been trying to think of something interesting to say about this photo, but I've come to realise that all I can really say is yes, we have dogs in Cape Town and yes, we have doors. In this case the doors appear locked - poor Woofles, made to sleep outside on the patio on such a bright and sunny afternoon. It's a dog's life. :)

I don't know what part of "Don't shoot me while I'm taking photos" my friends didn't understand. I got pelted on at least two occasions while standing up to take photos of the paintball massacre that ensued as part of a friend's bachelor's party.

Lockdown Paintball Park is currently situated on the Bottelary Road between Brackenfell and Stellenbosch. I say "currently" because it seems that the location is moved every so often to conserve the vegetation in the area as well as to keep it interesting for regular gamers.

Click here to take a look at more of these photos published on our extras blog.

We were just entering the V&A Waterfront this afternoon when I noticed that there was rather a lot of smoke coming from the slopes of Signal Hill - too much to be from someone's backyard braai, I thought.

Then I saw the line of flames creeping along the side of the hill... and then, with much excitement, I spotted the helicopter and bambi bucket. If you live in an area that suffers a lot of bush-fires, you'd be familiar with the bambi bucket - we see them overhead pretty often in summer. But not usually from quite this close, which is why we couldn't resist getting a few photos.

Click here to see more photos of this helicopter in action.

This shot looks quite Mediterranean, doesn't it? Of course it's not, though - as I expect any Capetonian would be able to tell you, Blues Restaurant is situated on Victoria Road in Camps Bay, overlooking the beach. Most would probably also tell you that it's one of the pricier restaurants in Cape Town. We haven't ever eaten there, but will remedy that soon (when we're feeling flush) and report back on the experience. I didn't realise that it had been around quite as long as it has - the restaurant apparently celebrated its 20th anniversary not too long ago.

The sign on the pillar is for Baraza, a Zanzibar-inspired cocktail bar - according to their website, "baraza" means "meeting place" in Swahili.

If you've been to either establishment, please leave a comment and let us know what your experience was like.

Can going to the beach possibly get more relaxing that this? For years I've seen this gazebo on Camps Bay beach. I've always thought that it looked like a great way to spend a half hour, but have never actually had the nerve to lie out in the open having a massage as people walk by. Perhaps that's just the introvert part of my personality coming to the surface... If you were at the beach, would you make use of this service?

Confession time. I have driven past this hand-painted sign more times than I care to recall (having lived in Cape Town all my life and all that), and on many of those occasions I have thought to myself, "What a curious sign... I wonder what it's all about..." But it is only now, today, that I can actually say, with some degree of confidence, "Aha! I know what Potliz is."

Potliz is in fact a ceramics studio ("pot" as in "pottery", see?), established by someone named Liz Albrecht (yes, it all makes sense now!).

The team of artists working at Potliz produce some awesome work, and now that I know that "Pot Liz" is not a woman selling herbs of dubious origin and intent, I shall make an effort to visit the studio and invest in some of their merchandise. The colours and designs are really beautiful, and the prices look pretty good too.

Apart from anything else, I think they're to be commended for making such original use of a hole in the wall. :-)

15 December 2007

Dear Father Christmas,

I've been a really, really good boy this year. I've helped a number of little old ladies across the road, and I've saved two kittens from certain death - one was stuck high up in a tree and the other was about to be savaged by a mean-looking boerbul. I took fluffy toys to the children in hospital, and I ate all my vegetables.

With this in mind, I'd like to put in my request for a Christmas present: I'd really, REALLY like to wake up on Christmas morning to find a tricycle under the tree, with a big shiny bow around it. Yellow is my favourite colour, by the way.

Yours faithfully,
Big Mike

Father Christmas will always bring you exactly what you ask for, provided you're good throughout the year. Just ask Big Mike - he got his trike.

February... it's the hottest month of the year in Cape Town; which makes it the perfect time to find a spot on the beach and just relax. Read a book, have a nap, or just gaze at the beautiful view - the beaches of Cape Town are surely the place to be.

As we walked towards Victoria Road we heard the beating of drums long before we saw these four guys performing a traditional dance for the patrons of the many trendy restaurants that line Camps Bay beach.

We later spotted them doing the same dance for sunbathers on the beach. Sand went flying as they went through their moves - it was awesome to see the performance.

There aren't many places in Cape Town that have this type of architecture. There are certainly not many prominent land marks that are quite as well lit and that look quite like this building does. Where do you think I am?

This little fellow is part of a mechanised children's ride we spotted at the Canal Walk shopping centre. I used to love these animal-shaped rides when I was a little girl, and would always beg my mother to give me coins so that I could make them go. If the truth be told, I still love stuff like this - but I've noticed that people give me odd looks if I climb onto one now, so I try to fight the urge. ;-)

Don't forget that nominations for the SA Blog Awards are open at the moment - if you enjoy Cape Town Daily Photo, please do nominate us, along with a few of your other favourite blogs. Today, we suggest you take a look at the Wine Country blog - a fun and non-threatening guide to all things wine-related, with a particular focus on the area around Paarl (located about 40 minutes from Cape Town CBD).

This is the view that greeted us when stepping out of the Canal Walk shopping mall this evening. This canal stretches the length of the shopping centre, providing entertainment by day in the form of canoe and gondola rides and exquisite evenings as the sun sets and the light dims.

The building on the other side of the canal is a Protea hotel - wouldn't it be lovely to stay in one of the rooms for a night or two? This isn't a plug for the hotel, I in fact have no idea whether or not it is a nice play to stay - the atmosphere outside was just so quiet, relaxed and serene that I had the impression it would be a great place to stay.

If you've been to Cape Town you'll recognise this road... or, at least by virtue of the backdrop you'll know more or less where it is. You'd be forgiven for calling it Kloof Nek Road and hey, I'd even forgive you for thinking it's Buitengracht Street - in fact, this is New Church Street.

To explain, one of our national highways, the N1, becomes Buitengracht Street. Buitengracht becomes New Church. New Church becomes Kloof Nek Road. Kloof Nek Road becomes Camps Bay Drive. And Camps Bay Drive eventually curves around, and ends at a traffic light facing the white sands of Camps Bay Beach.

We had a mid-week break away from our laptops this evening. Vinny Lingham, of Synthasite, celebrated his birthday at Relish, a trendy and cosy restaurant/bar in Cape Town. While spending time socialising with friends, I spotted a chalkboard with this really interesting pizza menu on the wall. Click on the photo to read the menu - the combinations of ingredients sound absolutely delicious.

Disclaimer: CTDP cannot accept responsibility for the irresistible pizza cravings that you may develop during or after reading this menu.

I'm a real sucker for cute fluffy things, like bunnies and kittens and Winnie-the-Pooh; so when we spotted these Easter Bunnies on the pavement (that's a "sidewalk" for our American readers) outside a house in the northern suburbs, I made Paul bring the car to a screeching halt so that we could get some photos. Aren't they gorgeous?

Today is the first day of nominations for the SA Blog Awards. If you enjoy Cape Town Daily Photo and think we're deserving, please nominate us by clicking on the big shiny SA Blog Awards button to the right.

And while you're there, do nominate a few of your other favourite South African blogs - to give you a couple of ideas we'll mention one or two of our own favourites each day. Today, we suggest that you head over to SA Rocks, to read a mix of some awesomely positive stuff about our country.

Today was spent mostly indoors. After the sun's blistering heat yesterday - today it rained... a lot. It was still pretty warm and in fact it seems as though our house has absorbed the heat of summer and is refusing to relinquish it, even under a cloud of rain.

Apart from going to Moonstruck yesterday, we also briefly visited Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens where I photographed this sculpture. The courtyard that leads into the gardens is dotted with many similar sculptures of people, animals and even a very-much-larger-than-life bean pod.

In very un-customary fashion I took a walk with Kerry-Anne through the souvenir shop. We were both quite surprised at the variety of items for sale: the shop had a wide range of really good-quality and unusual souvenirs - not the traditional trinkets that I was expecting. Though perhaps more expensive than other shops, we both felt that their products were actually reasonably priced. In fact, Kerry-Anne seems insistent that I return to buy a whole bunch of things that she loved.