Today is World Biodiversity Day, so I thought it would be fitting to show you a little more of our own biodiversity - another member of the Protea family, and a busy little bee.
The focus of Biodiversity Day this year is the effect of climate change on our biological wealth - apparently two newly-extinct species of frog have already been identified as victims of climate change. It's a sobering thought that these photographs we take today may be the only way that future generations will get to see certain species.
South Africa doesn't yet have a very well-developed recycling culture (not like in Sydney, for example, where different garbage bins are provided for different types of waste), but we've started paying more attention to recycling and being less wasteful in our own household. It's difficult of course, when companies keep producing their products in "convenient" over-sized throwaway packaging. I think being mindful of your effect on the world is the first step.
P.S. Visit our friend Duncan's Engineer Simplicity blog for an informative post on energy-saving light-bulbs.
Good thing I brought my laundry in when I did... who would've expected rain this afternoon? The sun was shining beautifully in through the lounge windows, when suddenly I heard rain beating down on the roof at the back of the house. I rushed to grab my camera and managed to get a few shots of this monkey's wedding before it was all over.
There's something very magical about the rain falling while the sun's shining, and I suppose that's why this phenomenon has been given all sorts of folkloric names in many cultures. What is it called in your country?
There's a lot of construction activity going on at the Cape Town International Airport right now, mostly in preparation for the Soccer World Cup, which will be held in South Africa in 2010. Do any of you have experience of a major international event of this scale being hosted in your city or country? Tell us about the good and the bad - what can we expect?
There's been a lot of controversy here about whether or not our new stadiums and other infrastructure will be ready in time for 2010 - I'm an outright optimist though, so I already have my vuvuzela. :)
Today was a curl-up-under-the-duvet-and-read-a-good-book day - rainy, windy and cold. We didn't leave home, although Paul did venture outside late this afternoon during a break in the rain, and this is what he found: Snoopy, all kitted out in his winter gear, skiing down a very small slope on our driveway. I'm not sure where the snow came from though, because it doesn't snow in Cape Town. Perhaps he brought his own mobile ski slope along with him...
P.S. Congratulations to the Blue Bulls on being the first South African team to win the Super 14 rugby tournament. Bring on France 2007!
Since everyone in the northern hemisphere has been showing off their wisteria of late, I thought we should brag with a few more of our pretty flowers too. This is another protea (we first posted one here). I'm no horticulturist though, so unfortunately I can't tell you which species this is.
Hopefully if my brother stops by (who conveniently IS a horticulturist) he'll be able to shed a little light on the matter. :) Anybody else is welcome to take a guess too, of course...
This is not quite the famous "tablecloth" (although Paul suggested that it looked a little like the tablecloth had fallen off the edge of the table), but rather Table Mountain dressed up in her warm winter woollies...
I had to do some grocery shopping today, so I thought I might as well show you where I like to shop. The entrance is below the sign that says "Woolworths Foods", and yes, you guessed it, the store is Woolworths. There are many branches throughout Cape Town - some branches sell only food (like this one), some sell clothing as well, and some specialise in homeware. I've been to Woolworths in Australia, but despite the shared name, it's a very different store.
This post is for Mandi in Tel Aviv, who mentioned that she's suffering from Woolworths withdrawal symptoms, and for Abraham in Brookville, Ohio, who previously pondered what stores we might shop at down here.
Since Paul's been in bed all day (see yesterday's post), and I've been trying to catch up on work, as well as taking our youngest, little William, off to the vet to be neutered, we're revisiting a previous photo subject today.
Can you work out where this picture was taken? We've posted a few shots of this location already, and the building has been around for many years...
For the last two days we've had glorious weather; none of that anticipated rain has arrived yet - it's now being forecast for Monday instead.
The building in the picture is Kelvin Grove Club - I was fortunate enough to have breakfast there yesterday, whilst listening to a world-renowned best-selling author speaking on financial freedom. Unfortunately I'm not a member of the club, so I can't invite any of you to join me there for a drink or a game of croquet. :)
As I was driving down the road yesterday, I spotted this furry little mole snuffling around on someone's lawn. Of course, I slammed on my brakes and jumped out to snap a few shots - he stopped for a moment to work out whether I was dangerous, and then, evidently deciding that I wasn't, happily went on with what he was doing.
I'm sure the owner of the garden wasn't quite as pleased as I was though - when I drove past on my way back about 7 minutes later, the mole had disappeared underground, and in his place on the lawn was a lovely large pile of soil. :)
The weather today was a little strange - there was plenty of heavy mist and cloud around this morning, and it was quite chilly until mid-morning (I put on two long-sleeved tops). The afternoon was really warm (I changed to short sleeves), and then at around 4pm the clouds came back again (I fetched my jersey). The only thing missing was rain - and we really could do with some of that over the next few months. The weather forecaster says there's a slight chance of some on Thursday - let's hold thumbs.
At the beginning of April our dams were just 53% full (30% down from December), and certain water restrictions are now permanently in place (for instance, we may not water our gardens between 10am and 4pm, and we may not use drinkable water for hosing down driveways or paved areas). Do you have any water restrictions in your city?
Another view from Signal Hill (see yesterday's post)... facing the other way this time. This is Lion's Head, which lies between Signal Hill and Table Mountain. The hike to the top is quite spectacular (and not too difficult - even for two very unfit people like us), as the path circles the narrow section at the top, giving you alternating views of the city and the ocean on the way up.
A favourite Capetonian pastime is hiking Lion's Head at full moon - although we've been up it during the day, the night-hike is something we have yet to try... Isn't it amazing that you can live in a city all your life and yet find that there are still so many aspects of it that you haven't experienced?
This shot was taken from the Helshoogte Pass near Stellenbosch. The name "Helshoogte" is a contraction of "helse hoogte", which means "hell of a height". But I'm sure you'll agree that the view is heavenly... In fact, there are even more breathtaking views to be had along this stretch of road - we'll capture some of them for you in the future.
I would rate this as one of the 5 most beautiful stretches of road around Cape Town. Wanna see what the others are? You'll have to keep visiting... :)
The weather was absolutely gorgeous yesterday, and so we took a leisurely afternoon drive out to Franschhoek. The town of Franschhoek is about 45 minutes from Cape Town, and was originally settled in the late 1600s by a group of French Huguenot refugees. The town retains much of its French character, with most of the restaurants, wine farms and guest houses in the area bearing French names.
I'm hoping to get to the literary festival that will be held here in two weeks' time, so I'll try to get a few more pictures for you then. For now, this is the Dutch Reformed Church in Huguenot Street - the oldest part of this church was built in 1846.
Today is a Daily Photo theme day, and the theme this month is "City Exchange". After much to-ing and fro-ing and um-ing and ah-ing, and even a minor scuffle or two, we eventually settled on this shot, taken last October in the medieval French city of Dinan - one of our favourite spots in Brittany.
Look through the arches of the viaduct, and you will see rows of stone houses lining the tranquil Rance River - being there felt like being in the middle of a jigsaw puzzle picture. The medieval part of the city is full of romantic cobbled streets and half-timbered houses - very, very different to Cape Town. We had a rather interesting and unforgettable experience at a chocolatier here - be warned that when they label a chocolate "sel et poivre", they mean it quite literally.
80 Daily Photo sites are participating in the 1st May theme, "City Exchange"; please use the links to below to visit them. Due to time zone differences and other factors, the theme photo may not be displayed until later if you are viewing early in the day.
This bell-tower is located right over the entrance portal of the Castle (see yesterday's post), and the first thing you see when you walk through the gate underneath is a little sign on the wall saying "Do not ring the bell" - posted, temptingly, next to a rope that disappears upwards through a small hole. I never understand why officials post notes like that - why not rather post one that says "PULL ME, PULL ME, PULL ME!!!" in enormous flashing red letters? With great difficulty I prised my own hand away from the rope, and bravely fought off temptation.
The tower was built in 1684, and the bell itself was cast in Amsterdam in 1697 - weighing in at just over 300 kilograms, the ringing bell could be heard from 10km away. It was used for all the usual bell-type things: warning of impending danger, calling citizens and soldiers for important announcements, and marking the hours.
Construction began on the Castle of Good Hope on 2 January 1666, and the majority of the complex was completed by 1679, making it the oldest building in South Africa (and I was interested to find that the Castle's postal address is PO Box 1 - I think that's rather fitting). It was built to replace the older clay and timber fort, built by Jan van Riebeeck in 1652.
The Castle has 5 points, or bastions - Leerdam (pictured here), Buuren, Katzenellenbogen, Nassau and Oranje. Leerdam was the first bastion to be built, and the flags on top of the outer wall each represent a different period in the history and government of the Castle and the Cape.
Beautiful view, isn't it? What a lucky lion, getting to look out over the city 365 days a year. We're back at Rhodes Memorial today, and this is one of 8 bronze lions that line the steps of the memorial. They're pretty large - I would estimate them to each be around 2m in length. Looking at this view, I'm sure you can understand why this was Cecil John Rhodes's favourite thinking spot.
When I was a little girl, my family used to go to the Easter Sunday sunrise service held at the memorial each year - you can only imagine what a wonderful experience it was to watch the sun rise over the city from this vantage point, whilst munching on a warm hot-cross bun.
It rained almost the entire day today. There were more than 60 road accidents during the evening rush-hour. One of the streets near our house was flooded. A tree fell over and blocked a road in the southern suburbs. Rush-hour lasted two hours longer than usual. I went out wearing two long-sleeved tops and a leather jacket, and was still icy-cold.
After tonight's big cricketing defeat, I feel a little like this stadium - empty...
For those of you that don't follow cricket, South Africa is out of the World Cup, after being beaten in tonight's semi-final in resounding fashion by our arch-rivals, Australia. You can get the dismal details of our innings here.
Fortunately we spent the evening watching the game on a big-screen at Newlands Cricket Club (pictured here), courtesy of one of my clients; the food was awesome and the company entertaining, so it wasn't all bad.
The area where Rhodes Memorial is located was apparently Rhodes's favourite spot for quiet contemplation - hence this pensive pose. The inscription above the statue reads:
TO THE SPIRIT AND LIFE WORK OF CECIL JOHN RHODES WHO LOVED AND SERVED SOUTH AFRICA 1853 - 1902
The inscription below it reads:
THE IMMENSE AND BROODING SPIRIT STILL SHALL QUICKEN AND CONTROL LIVING HE WAS THE LAND AND DEAD HIS SOUL SHALL BE HER SOUL.
Rhodes Memorial was built in 1912, in honour of mining magnate Cecil John Rhodes. An odd thing really - by all accounts, he was a ruthless colonialist, and was rather keen on making the British Empire as large and far-reaching as possible. He left a large area of land on the slopes of Table Mountain to the nation of South Africa, and Rhodes Memorial now stands on a section of that. It's an absolutely beautiful spot to spend an autumnal Sunday afternoon, and we'll show you a little more of it over the next few days.
P.S. Eamon, well done for getting it right, and thanks for stopping by!
P.P.S. Paul took this photo, and I'm in it somewhere. Let's see how good your magnifying glasses are...
Can you guess where we spent the afternoon? I'll give you a couple of clues: 1. It's a popular Cape Town tourist attraction and photo spot 2. It was built in honour of someone 3. The view from the top is spectacular
Three Anchor Bay lies between Green Point and Sea Point, 5 to 10 minutes from the city centre. It's a popular launching spot for sea kayakers; and the Sea Point promenade, which runs along the beachfront, is always full of city-dwellers getting their exercise - either walking, jogging, or rollerblading. That's Lion's Head in the background, behind the apartment blocks; to the left of it is Signal Hill.
Once they have rounded the breakwater, vessels wanting to enter the V&A Waterfront have to call V&A Bridge Control to request the opening of this Swing Bridge. For pedestrians in a hurry it can be a little disheartening to see the bridge being closed just before you reach it - kind of like a bad episode of The Amazing Race... Fortunately we're not often in a hurry when we visit the Waterfront, and besides, watching a ship gracefully entering the harbour quickly alleviates any irritation one may have been feeling over the imposed wait.
With apologies to Vanessa Carlton... it was just an ordinary day today, and this is an ordinary shot, taken in an ordinary suburb. If I'd moved my camera just a little to the left, you'd be looking at the Brackenfell Boulevard offramp, as it leaves the N1 - South Africa's main national road, which goes all the way from Cape Town to Johannesburg. But I thought this tree was much prettier, with its leaves reaching up to the perfect-blue sky to join those little fluffy white clouds.
It was a rather gloomy day today - autumn is here, for sure. This is one of the many entrances to the Canal Walk shopping centre, which is definitely my favourite Cape Town mall. It feels very spacious inside, and features all the big South African chains, as well as quite a few boutique stores. More than that, the mall is set in beautiful surroundings, with the canal giving it a rather special atmosphere.
In the foreground you can see the old wooden bridge (dating from 1901) that used to connect Woodbridge Island to the suburb of Milnerton - in fact it still does, but is no longer in use. You can see the newer bridge and the island itself in the background. The residential section of the island is protected by a security gate, and only residents and their visitors are allowed into this section; other visitors (like us) can eat at one of the three restaurants or access the canoeing club on the island, though. We saw a few people paddle past in kayaks while we walked over the bridge - and it seemed a rather tranquil way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
It's been one of those days today (too many errands this morning, a headache for Paul this afternoon, bad takeaways for dinner this evening, and now a tough cricket game on television...), so I thought this would be a good time to dig out another one of our shots taken at the Green Point flea market last month. I like the zebra stripes and giraffe spots - which design do you like?
I had lunch at the Blowfish Restaurant in Blouberg today, and this is what I saw as I enjoyed my sushi (and the company of some really super people ;-) ). The weather is certainly changing now; whilst the northern hemisphere is seeing the first signs of spring, with blossoming cherry trees and blue skies, we're feeling the stirrings of autumn - there's a chill in the air, and the trees are changing from green to gold. The sea and mountain looked very moody today - I'm not sure that this shot really conveys the atmosphere adequately.
