You wouldn't say that spring is still to come, now would you?
Monthly Archives: August 2011
My view from the Westin hotel
Unfortunately I never had one of the awesome rooms - the ones that face Table Mountain and the setting sun! So, if you plan on staying at the Westin, try to organise that you get a room facing Signal Hill's direction. :)
Below are a few more photos taken from my room on the 8th floor - a little later in the evening.
Red sky at night, sailor’s delight
We really do have beautiful sunsets in Winter.
Summer in Camps Bay
I took this shot from Kloof Road, just below where the famous Round House restaurant does business. This whole area has a huge number of short hiking trails that would be perfect as an early morning walk. I really wish that I could live in this area - besides for it being a beautiful area there would then be no excuse not to get regular exercise in the outdoors!
Buying and selling old bottles
If you have a fetish for old things, or even if you'd like to sell off a few rare old bottles of your own - visit this stall at the Milnerton Fleamarket.
All kinds of things
At the market you'll find a huge variety of items from garage tools, to old LPs, computer bits and pieces, old camera lenses and accessories, plastic containers, clothing, and much much more. If you're a compulsive buyer, allow me to suggest that you take a limited amount of cash with you, else you'll end up bringing home far more white elephants than I think you could imagine. :)
The Milnerton Fleamarket
The market was previously located a little further along the R27 at a particularly dusty spot which, combined with the wind, made visiting the market a little unpleasant. Today the market is located on a long stretch of dust-free tarmac and each trader has a clearly marked out and numbered spot (which makes it easier to find particular stalls on return visits).
Tsuyo Japanese restaurant has no mayor!
We visited Tsuyo for traditional Japanese Teppanyaki - which is a Japanese cooking technique whereby the food is cooked on an iron griddle. We started our meal with sushi (it's a Japanese restaurant after all) and then moved on to the main course.
The sushi was pretty tasty - though not as elaborate as sushi prepared at some of the other well-known spots. The teppanyaki was pretty satisfying and fairly filling - so much so that we decided even to skip dessert.
The only disappointing part of the Japanese experience was that we weren't served by a Japanese waiter! But then, this is Africa. :)
The Square at the Cape Quarter
Something that you may not be aware of is that if you make use of the underground parking, keep in mind that the two sections (The Square and The Piazza) share one large underground parking garage. You may enter the Piazza's parking garage and unintentionally end up in The Square.
On the other side
I'm reasonably tall so I'm able to see over the barrier to what's below - so this photo is for the benefit of those who can't see over the barrier. As you can see - all that you're missing out on at low tide is a large outcrop of rock! :)
A field of pylons
Before taking up photography I probably wouldn't have considered the possibility that electricity pylons, a symbol of the destruction of nature, could in some way be beautiful.
Green power (how much electricity do you use?)
I don't think we use that much energy, but wouldn't it be great if regular households could be completely self-sufficient in terms of energy? Perhaps some day hey?
How much electricity do you use each month, and how much do you pay for it. I'd be especially keen to know what you use and how much you pay for it - especially if you're from another country.
Green fields
A cow called Charpentier Magot
The tag on this one's ear reads Magot, and while Kerry-Anne thought that the label may be a reference to the cow's owner's name, in fact, from what I can tell the Charpentier Magot is a breed of cow (and given the name) possibly originates from France.
If you have any interesting facts about the Charpentier Magot, please do leave a comment on this post. There really appears to be very little about the breed on the Web!
The curious cows of Fair Cape
I took a little drive out the back of Durbanville, along the Malanshoogte road that passes by the Fair Cape dairy, on the Kuiperskraal farm (map).
The small herd of cows in this photo were lying next to a little dam, peacefully swatting the odd fly with their respective tails. At first they were afraid, they were petrified, (they seemed to be) thinking "who's this strange tall beast standing by our side?" *. But, then curiosity set in and the young animals (feeling safe with superior numbers) slowly mustered into a semi-circle of curiosity.
Aren't cows cool?
A windmill in Durbanville
So, this is the full picture of the windmill that I showed you in my previous posts. The mill was built in the 1840s. The roof, sails and machinery were removed in the early 20th century and the mill was converted into a horse-mill. Can you imagine how boring it must have been for the horses to walk in a circle all day, grinding flour?!
The mill is located in a small, and beautiful, middle-class cluster-housing complex. Isn't it just a great addition to the look and feel of the complex?
According to the plaque on the door the mill was restored to its current state in 1984 by the Natal Building Society.
A grain mill – of course
As I indicated in one of my comments on yesterday's post - I wasn't even aware that Durbanville had such a mill and only by chance caught a glimpse of it as I drove down a road, in one of the town's residential areas, that I don't normally use. Do you know this mill, and could you point it out on a map?
Recognise this?
Light at the end
Kerry-Anne and I had breakfast at the hotel - and while the food was perfectly good, and the service impeccable, I wouldn't recommend it as a place to have breakfast unless you're actually staying in the hotel. The breakfast area is tucked away inside the hotel, with no views to the outside - and there really are plenty of places in the area with far more beautiful views.
Still, even though the breakfast spot isn't wonderful, on the plus side, I think Winchester Mansions will remain my favourite place for Sunday afternoon tea and scones!
No smoking in public places
Old brands of food – old memories
Birds on a wall
SOS and the NSRI
The NSRI are a group of about 1000 unpaid volunteers around the country who respond 24x7 to calls for emergency sea rescue. Visit their site for interesting information about who they are as well as stats about how many lives they've helped save.
The instituted is highly respected and I have no hesitation in suggesting that you consider donating towards rescue equipment, fuel and the maintenance of their vessels.
Power outages and load-shedding
Seeing this picture reminded me how load-shedding seems to (at least for now) be a thing of the past. This year I recall having only a single outage lasting a couple of hours - but then, I suspect that was an unplanned outage. :) Our friends up north may not have been so lucky unfortunately.
Although I haven't heard confirmed news of load-shedding in Gauteng I've heard rumblings of outages and found these load-shedding schedules on Eskom's site.
Beaded sheep, beaded chicken
Besides for the shopping center, or places like African Trading Port at the V&A Waterfront, I've seen the people who make them selling these kind of beaded animals along the road.
Specifically, I've often seen them near the Tyger Valley shopping center and on the M3, at the Kirstenbosch traffic lights. That said, if you keep your eyes peeled you'll see many similar beaded animals for sale along the road all over the peninsula.
Fixing roads
Roadworks are terribly inconvenient and seem to appear from nowhere at the least opportune time; which is normally when I'm running late. But, even though they're frustrating at the time, I'd far rather have the momentary inconvenience than a lifetime of dodgy roads!
Xhosa play park sign
Isn't it interesting that the kids in the sign appear to be white, but the text is written in a traditional black language? Perhaps the old racial divide has fallen away more than we imagine. ;)
Old couple walking
When you're old some day you'll be glad that you kept yourself active.
High-speed stroller
I'm only kidding of course, she's great to be teaching her baby about the importance of exercise at such a young age, but I did find it amusing to see her speeding over the signs posted in my previous post. Imagine a police office ticketing her for racing around with her stroller (normally called a pram in South Africa). :D
On a side-note: I was in Las Vegas about a year or two ago and was confused for about 5 minutes over a sign at the entrance to the Wynn casino resort. It read "No strollers allowed". At the time I wondered if I would be allowed to enter the building since my intent certainly was to stroll around inside! I felt a little silly inside when I realised they meant prams. :)
No fun here!
A cactus family
According to the South African Cactus Pear Growers Association cacti were once used as a barrier to protect crops from wild animals. Perhaps we could replace our high fences and security gates with a few cactus plants? What do you think? ;)