I'm not really one for driving about on a motorbike - not because I don't think they're fun, but because I have far too many friends who've spent far too long in hospital because of them. Broken bones, disfigurement, and loss of limbs for the kick of adrenaline and the ability to beat the traffic? I don't think so.
These trees are on the slopes of Signal Hill. What may not be immediately obvious is that the area directly behind these trees has been stripped clean of most vegetation, creating a firebreak to slow the progress of the fires that break out on the hills and mountains in this area each year.
What you may find strange is that, to survive, the fynbos flora that covers our mountains and hills actually needs to burn, preferably in late summer, every 10 to 15 years. Strange hey? Read a little more about this on the Encounter South Africa site.
What I did find was an interesting directory on the Western Cape Government site (operated separately to the City of Cape Town site). The directory appears to list all kinds of Western Cape government departments and services along with contact numbers, addresses, and email addresses and opening times. The site's presentation is (at the time of writing) a little old-school, but the content appears really useful and easy to consume - which is what we want, isn't it?
While we're on the subject of LEGO, take a look at the photos a friend shot of Nathan Sawaya's LEGO sculptures and art while she visited Portland in the US. They really are awesome.
Irrespective of what they're named, and how diverse they are, don't you think they're pretty? Fields, meadows and forests, just wouldn't be the same without them.
No, of course not - there's no way I'd have been walking on the same trail as a lion. This is probably a dog - and a domestic dog at that. I promise, you won't find big cats walking about on Table Mountain. You'll find leopards on some of our other mountains (like the Boland mountains), but certainly not near Cape Town itself. Fortunately. :)
Have you used the shiny-new MyCiti buses? I unfortunately haven't had the opportunity as they don't yet operate out in the northern suburbs, where I live. The only time I've traveled in a similar one to the MyCiti buses was on a trip to Sydney. Well, not "on a trip to Sydney", I mean in Sydney, of course. ;)
In case you're in the mood to grab a few buddies and walk this path, I've drawn a map that starts where I parked and follows a route along a footpath. The walk will take around 30 minutes, depending on how many photos you stop to take. :)
Yesterday's photo showed the city center, with a large low-lying cloud bank crawling in from Table Bay. I walked along the edge of Signal Hill from the spot where I took that photo until I could see more of the harbour. Well, "see" is a stretch - all I could see was the top of that oil rig (looking a little like an alien space ship) rising up from beneath the cloud.
There are a few great places to walk along the slopes of Signal Hill, but do be careful and hike in groups - I imagine remote spots like these could be perfect for muggings.
I arrived in the city - the mist was thick and the sun shone brightly from above, silhouetting buildings and bridges though the cloud. It was the strangest feeling driving from a place that was sunny and warm (only 25 kilometers away) to a chilly city filled with cloud.
Doesn't the cloud out in the bay look awfully ominous?
If you've seen this before, and happen by some chance to know its history, please do leave a comment. I have a million possibilities running though my mind. :)
I recently saw a sign pasted on an office printer: "DO NOT PRINT A4 WITH THIS PRINTER!!!". Someone had clearly tried printing in A4 on our communal A3 printer - and I guess that was a big no-no. However, a more appropriate sign may have read "Please don't print in A4 to this printer, it causes bla bla bla.".
Perhaps it sounds strange, but I felt accused each time I walked past the sign. And, besides for that, the piece of A4 paper taped to the front of the printer simply lacked taste and class (in my opinion, of course). Naturally, I removed the sign in an attempt to restore some dignity to the office. ;)
Next time you create a sign, try making it a little more friendly - or if you're able, include a little humour. The world will be a far friendlier place.
Today it's far more difficult than it ever was to obtain a legal firearm. Some people are glad about this (as they believe it reduces the chance of violent crime, or injury and death due to negligence) and others believe that the government is out to undermine their ability to protect themselves.
Does your government restrict the ability to buy firearms, and if so, do you support this? (If you leave a comment, please indicate which country you're from, if you own a firearm, and try your best not to rant. This can be a fiery topic. ;) ).
Last Sunday I spotted a small group of dolphins splashing about in the water outside of the V&A Waterfront, near the entrance to the Granger Bay harbour. A little while after I spotted a whale (perhaps a hundred meters further into the bay) splashing about, having a whale of a time (go figure, right?).
After reading an article by David Hurwitz (who, last month, captured photos of orcas hunting dolphins in False Bay) it stuck me that it's possible that the whale I'd seen was in fact an orca (aka killer whale), and that the dolphins may not have had as much of a fun time as I'd previously imagined they were!
From what I can tell, these are Dormer sheep, a cross between Dorset Horn rams and German Marinos. Together the two names make Dorset-Marinos, or Dormer for short.
The Dormer was specifically bred to be a mutton breed capable of adapting to cold and rainy winters, such as what we're currently experiencing in Cape Town! (It really is very wet and very chilly today, by the way!). Apparently the reason for having lambs at this time of the year is because of the abundance of food in winter, and the lack there of in summer.
This photo is of Kerry-Anne (also really excited to be playing with lambs) feeding one of the babies a strawberry milkshake. Nice hey?
For what it's worth, it wasn't actually a strawberry milkshake, it's a special formula that the farmer provides to feed the abandoned lambs.
Remember when we could buy 97 octane petrol? If I recall correctly, we even had 98 octane - which is somewhat more awesome than the 95 and 93 varieties that we have access to today.
South Africans are all a little happier today because the price of petrol will drop by 55 cents tomorrow, 6 June. Take a look at this useful table for a view on the historical price of fuel in South Africa.
Also, if you're interested, take a look at this document - it has a list of fuel prices per country. Pretty awesome, hey?
I once saw someone driving along the N1 highway in the fast lane - in the direction wrong direction! Fortunately they realised their error before it was too late, and pulled off the road.
The Killarney Motor Racing Complex (map) opened it's doors, or rather, circuit, in the late 1940s. Since then it's hosted various motor racing events, from drag to stock car and supermoto races - even the odd Formula 1 race!
Visit the Western Province Motor Club's website for more information about racing events, or for how to get involved in motorsport.
