Tag Archives: fields

The wheat fields of Meerendal

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The wheat fields of Meerendal
For some reason when I think of the Meerendal Wine Estate I only think of vineyards, delicious glasses of wine, and summer afternoon's at Crown Restaurant. I don't think of large wheat fields. Imagine my surprise when stumbling upon this sight.

If you ever do visit Meerendal for a wine tasting or meal, take a short walk North of the restaurant, behind the farm buildings. The views are exquisite.

Paul Cluver – wide open space

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Paul Cluver - wide open space
Wide open space like this on the Paul Cluver estate in Elgin can feel really creepy. At least in Cape Town we have plenty of mountains to break the horizon - I can't imagine how strange it would feel if there were none; if the fields, like the ocean, tapered off on the horizon.

Barren fields and wild game

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Barren fields
This field lies diagonally opposite the field that I posted in my previous post. Quite a stark contrast, don't you think?

If I recall correctly, I spotted a number of buck (perhaps springbok), as well as two or three ostriches scouring the field for bits and pieces to nibble on. I'm not sure, but I think this field belongs to Clara Anna Fontein, a private game reserve just outside of Durbanville.

I've actually never visited the reserve, but if you're in Cape Town and don't have time to visit our country's larger reserves, then consider doing a game drive at Clara Anna Fontein. I don't believe they have any of the big game, well, unless you consider blue wildebeest big game - but they do have zebra, springbok, ostrich, bontebok, eland and a variety of other wildlife roaming their small part of the Renosterveld.

Farmish houses

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Farmish houses
These buildings are about 200 meters to the left side of the scene I shared in my previous post. I suppose one could call them farm houses, but they seem to me rather to resemble houses where the farm labour force live, rather than where a wealthy farm owner lives (which I suppose make sense, given that the farm owner is a large company).

What power failures?

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What power failures?
I can't recall the last time that we had a power failure. It's either been that long, or perhaps that my memory is failing. About a week back we noticed a brief flicker in the lights, almost like the last time Koeberg's one nuclear reactor shut itself down - but, the power remained, and we were happy.

Calm before the storm? I'm not sure. We had a bitterly cold winter, and we survived, so perhaps our supply of energy is under control.

Surrounded by mountains

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Surrounded by mountains

Most of the Tulbagh area's beauty comes from its terrain. While there's a great deal of wide open space (which is good for clearing one's mind), the area is completely surrounded by mountains - which are in some way very comforting. I, like all Capetonians, get a bit weirded-out if all I'm able to see is barren flatness with no mountains in sight. It's difficult to explain really. :)

Take a few moments to browse this satellite image - you'll see what I mean by surrounded!

A field of pylons

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Electricity pylons
Even though most would complain that the electricity pylons obscure and even ruin the beauty of this field - yet still I find something beautiful about their form. I guess one would call it an industrial beauty.

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?)

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Green power
Our household of four consists of two adults (Kerry-Anne and I) and two children (cats, Elizabeth and William). I think we're pretty conservative in terms of energy consumption and use about 700kWh's of electricity at a cost of about 700 ZAR per month.

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.

Farm houses

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Farm houses
I know that we're not the only country that has such a beautiful countryside - but flip, the Cape can really be pretty and perfectly serene at times.

Please see my apology for the delay in daily photos, and my speedy catch-up posts in my previous post.

A long country road

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A long country road
One of our readers, a Capetonian and ship's Captain stationed in South East Asia mailed me to say how much he enjoys seeing the photos that remind him of home. He also mentioned that he'd have preferred my previous photo without the Mini Cooper spoiling the view.

I'm curious to know which photo you prefer - this one, or my previous one?

Wind, pump, water

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Wind, pump, water
It's weird to think that someone figured out that they could drive a pipe down into the earth and then use the wind-power to extract water. What kind of mind thinks to do this?!

While looking around the Web for information on wind-pumps, I found a photo gallery depicting the restoration of an old wind-pump. If you've ever wondered how they fit together, take a look at Andy's photos.

Incidentally, you'll notice from the gallery that the photos are from an old wind-pump in Riebeek West - which is more or less where this photo was taken.