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.

Moonstruck is a fund raising event organised by a local radio station, 567 CapeTalk, on behalf of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI). Held in February each year on Clifton 4'th beach, Moonstruck is an evening of music and fun - a date where friends and families get together to listen to good music and to share in a picnic on what must be Cape Town's best beach.

Today was extremely hot and there wasn't a breath of wind in Cape Town tonight. With the exception of cloud cover, it was the perfect night for Moonstruck. The very talented band entertained us with cover songs such as Piano Man, Hey Jude, Brown Eyed Girl, Substitute, Sweet Caroline and a brilliant rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody.

If you're in Cape Town in February next year, tune your radio in to 567 CapeTalk (Medium Wave, not FM), or listen to them on streaming audio to get details about Moonstruck 2009.

This poor fellow apparently had friends who insisted on a bit of fun the night before his wedding. Clothed in a tight-fitting dress, purple stockings, slippers and a black stocking as head-dress, he was made to wander around the V&A Waterfront asking curious onlookers for money to pay for the first honeymoon night with his bride. His entire outing was captured on video, of course - no doubt for the bride's future amusement.

Poor man. ;-)

The Sour Fig, affectionately know as Carpobrotus Edulis by the horticultural world, is one of the common plant species that you'll see in and around the Cape Peninsula. This succulent plant seems to like the hot weather and African sun almost as much as we do. Interestingly, the Wikipedia article seems to hold a low weed-like impression of the species, describing ways in which this invasive plant can be removed from the soil.

Contrary to the tone of the article, I really like the plant. I would imagine that the rapid-spreading mat-like structure it forms helps a great deal to prevent the erosion of our sand dunes... and oh, the bright flowers dotted among the deep green leaves are kinda pretty as well.

I'm pretty sure that our British friends will know all about Britannia. From what I've learned, Britannia was a goddess figure in the Roman empire several hundred years ago. Eventually, after the fall of the Roman empire, Britannia was used as a symbol of the British navy.

Now I have to wonder what is Britannia doing in Long Street, Cape Town? I'm pretty sure that this status must have it's origins in the time of British colonial rule of the Cape Colony. If you do happen to know what she's doing in Cape Town, please do let us know.

The suburb of Observatory is filled with all types of interesting people. In case you can't make out what's written on this car's roof rack, it reads "Gregz Art". This artwork consists of an old piece of wood, some electronic bits and pieces, an oil can, some plants and a few other odds and ends.

While being interesting, it's become evident to me that my ability to appreciate art is not as well developed as perhaps it should be. What do you think? Does this appeal to you?

Observatory was considered a "grey" area for years before the abolishment of apartheid. It's always been inhabited by many people of different cultures and colours. Still the same today, Observatory has adopted a New Age atmosphere, evident in the shops lining it's streets. It even has a monthly Holistic Market at the community centre where one can buy items from crystals to didgeridoos.

It didn't look as though this couple was taking a walk on Long Beach to get fit - they strolled along at a more than comfortable pace.

With the high incidence of divorce, it's great to see older couples still taking walks together on the beach. Our world is a busy one and it's easy to live past one another.

I guess that it won't be easy to tell, but I do wonder how many CTDP readers still go for walks with their partners.

The reason that I'm posting this photo is because of the sheer effort that I went to to snap it. I took it at Tweede Waterval (Second Waterfall), a few kilometres along a hiking trail in Jonkershoek Nature Reserve. Precariously balancing my camera on a ledge with water dripping just past the front of the lens, I stood perched below the camera over a body of beautifully clear water. We ran out of time and didn't actually reach the waterfall so I had to settle for this smaller specimen.

The 9800ha Jonkershoek Nature Reserve is located just outside of Stellenbosch and forms part of the Boland mountain range. One thing that we noticed while walking along the hiking trail was the diversity of the vegetation. While walking the trail, with fynbos pressing in all around, it was apparent how many different species of plants there were within an arm's length. In fact, I've just learned that there are more than 1100 plant species in the reserve.

Even though this reserve is home to the leopard, honey badger, klipspringer, and mongoose - we never saw a single large animal. What we did see was a rather strange and scared lizard (looking much like a dinosaur) and a little water snake.

Incidentally, after reading an article on Cape Nature's website, I discovered that the reserve is home to the Mountain Adder, Puff Adder, Tree Snake and Cape Cobra. I guess I'll have to take more care next time when rushing along the winding paths.

It was a lazy day in Cape Town. Some folks from in and around Johannesburg would argue that every day in Cape Town is a lazy day. Apparently we have a reputation of being far too laid back here at the southern tip of Africa. I guess this photo suggests that even our security forces are laid back! :)

Actually, our security forces work hard to keep our city centre safe. I've heard reports that our CBD is the safest in the country - this I believe is thanks to a modern CCTV system and high police visibility.

We split our time between two tech-related events in Cape Town last night. After a relaxed GeekDinner at Sloppy Sam in Green Point, we drove down to Long Street in the city centre for a noisy gathering of bloggers, organised by Vincent and Matthew, the founders of Amatomu.

This shot was taken at the second event, the Bloggerati get-together at Long Street Cafe. We had a great time at both venues, and met plenty of interesting people we'd previously only known from the Internet. ;-)

Excellent news: Stormhoek kindly sponsored the wine for GeekDinner - and we learnt, with great excitement, that their awesome wine is now available from Pick 'n Pay stores across the Western Cape. If you're in Cape Town, get some now, before we beat you to it.