No need to worry about being clamped here!

A clever Capetonian vandal, Upper Church street, close to Rafiki's, Cape Town.

Pony Petting

There is a farm with two really cute Shetland ponies and one slightly skinny black horse. It's right next to the road, and the very first time I traveled that way I developed a ridiculous and incurable fascination. So much so, that one day we gave in to the urge to stop and take a closer look... and, yes, they are even cuter than you can imagine from the confines of a speeding car. The cutest part is that they seem to sense people coming along and start trotting to the fence with their heavy bellies swaying from side to side to greet you! Next time I will take some carrots!

Cocktails

When was the last time you had the pleasure of an evening out underneath the stretching arms of a tree, among fairy lights and ivy, enjoying deliciously long apple-flavoured cocktails in the company of... well, a cock? Now, now! I'm not being crude, just stating the facts, as you can see in the photo above... Oh, not sure what it is? Well, the little blurry orange and red blotch in the middle of the picture, is in fact, The Trumpet Tree's (one of Stellenbosch's finest and most special establishments) resident rooster. He is huge, rather arrogant and walks among the tables sparing no one even as much as a side-ways glance. And once his strutting is done, he unceremoniously shakes his feathers, finds a quiet spot and settles down for the night. A suitably quaint addition to a restaurant/bar as ethereally charming as The Trumpet Tree. Want to check it out for yourself? Make your way down the historically-rich Dorp Street, keep your eyes peeled for a rather unobtrusive entrance with an orange sign overhead reading The Trumpet Tree. It's across the BP garage and right next door to the highly acclaimed Oom Samie se Winkel. Definitely worth the effort if you're looking for something alternative, aesthetically pleasing and 'gesellig' with the added bonus of good food at good prices. Also an excellent choice for a romantic evening with the one you love or the one you'd like to love.

Isochronous - it's a real word, okay?

I don't remember the last time I heard such beautiful music... especially coming from the conventional rock band istruments of four seemingly ordinary young men in t-shirts and jeans! That was my first reaction to and lasting impression of Jo-burg based band, Isochronous when they graced Bohemia (Stellenbosch) with a FREE show last week. Eyes closed, goose bumps shivering up and down my arms and back, senses stripped to the barest bones, I stood there... in awe of the musical doors this band must be opening in South Africa. To my reasonably out of practice, if not untrained, ear they could very well be the bastard son of Muse and Placebo, brought up in an orphanage run by the likes of The Decemberists, The Shins and The Mars Volta. As for the name... It is a real word. You don't believe me, go check it out. http://http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isochronous.

J-Bay

It was the very last weekend of the holiday and the first of the annual J-Bay Billabong Pro... And because some things just have to be done, we decided to go on a camping trip to South Africa's very own surf mecca. As Murphy would have it, the first day or two of our precious weekend was characterised by pleasant weather (good) and a disappointingly flat ocean (bad, very bad), so we spent some time in the Billabong factory shop where I almost fainted from hyperventilation while rummaging through the cheap bikini box... which ended up yielding nothing, but a few bonding moments with random girls going through the same process. My disappointment in the shop was made up for by a treasure of magnificent shells acquired during a looooong walk on the beach later that afternoon and family-bonding time over a braai, some whiskey and red wine later that evening. On our last day we awoke to a chilly ocean wind, gathering clouds... and close to perfect waves. Awesome. We watched as much surfing as we possibly could in the few hours we had left, an absolutely exhilarating experience, as usual! The two lower photos above are typical depictions of J-Bay. The beach-front aloes standing proud and tall with their fiery fingers stretched skywards form part of that special J-bay magic and of course those long and languid tubes round it off perfectly. As for the other two photographs... Imar and Tamara fitted right in, looking like a real sun-kissed surfer pair on the Supertubes boardwalk. And us four young 'uns left mom and dad to hold the campsite fort, as our last night ended in a tentative exploration of J-bay's social scene. We visited a quaint establishment called Wax Cafe, which turned out to be lots of fun. We were even entertained by a random African dope white boy duo (I forget their name) doing some catchy, fun rhymes like: "Animals, animals! We love animals! Trees, trees! We love trees!" and "Naartjie! Naartjie" (I think that was the name of their afro-haired DJ). All in all a grrrrrreat weekend I treasure in my golden box of memories!

More of the Moon

So, the last time I posted something I was in the midst of my monthly full-moon euphoria... but then sadly something went horribly wrong with my camera connection and I couldn't download or post any photos. So to pick up where I left off, here are two more photos from those gorgeous and rare clear winter evenings. Like I mentioned in my last post, I discovered the Night Landscape setting on my camera and it has seriously changed my life!

Good news everybody!

Hello!

Just a little notification... I've decided to keep the blog up and running even though the June holiday is over. So, keep an eye open for some new pics within the next 24 hours or so!

xx

Connection problems

Bad news everybody! I'm having some issues with my camera connection, so there's going to be a bit of a delay on updates. :(

Magnificent miss moon

"...and I was aware that, as always, I was calmed by the moon" - Eva Luna. For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by the moon. Especially the full moon. The tiniest gaps in my blinds often allow the gentle rays to slip through and perform midnightly dances across my eyes, leaving me with an overwhelming sense that everything is okay and will be too. And no, I am NOT some or other cracked New Age hippie! Quite to the contrary I firmly believe that my awesome God often makes use of his most precious nature to speak straight to the very core of my being. Why would he not? And so it happens that my favourite time of the month has rolled round again... and how beautiful the full moon looks in her gown of pale light flowing across the Atlantic surface in a glittering train! What's more... I made the exciting discovery of a 'Night Landscape' setting on my camera and find the results rather magical.

Feline genius

Okay, okay I suppose the cat has become to my blog what Paris Hilton is to the tabloids... a far too regular occurrence. So, how about a little deal? Just still this photo of his very productive afternoon with my mom and dad; and I'll try my best to keep the blog Sandokan free for the rest of the week (unless of course he does something REALLY crazy). Okay? Okay. Besides, this photo absolutely proves the point that my kitty has got to be some sort of feline genius. I mean look at the size of that book and he got that far in just one sitting! A-mazing!

Growing old gracefully

Seeing I actually managed to keep at least one duck in its row and post some fun photos for Friday I'll skip straight ahead to Saturday's quaint object... this stately old lady parked somewhere in the upper reaches of Vredehoek. I think she's just beautiful and obviously her owners do too, as she is practically in mint condition... apart from a bit of clouding over on the windscreen.

I can like to has a laptop

It's very convenient to have a kitten for the purpose of Thursday's CUTE photos, as you may have noticed. He's just so full of crazy antics, it's hard not to include a photo of him in the weekly cycle! For some reason he really LOVES the laptop... I think it might have something to do with the warmth or maybe he's just a really intelligent cat trying to find some creative outlet. Either way, the half-closed laptop became an absolutely irresistible spot to chase his tail (as you see in this photo) and soon after a lovely warm nest (?) to curl up in...

Where is my mind?

Oh, lamentations! I have been absolutely terrible with my camera this past week! I can't actually tell you how many great photo opportunities passed me by since my last post (and even before)... I don't know where my head has been! But a good guess would be wherever my camera has been, as I seem to be forgetting to take it with me all the time! Very very bad for a pseudo photo blogger! Oh well, I guess I'll just blame it on the sunshine, or the moonlight, maybe the good times... or possibly the boogie.
So in an effort to redeem myself I've decided to catch up on the days I missed this week, starting with this nature photo for Wednesday. Unfortunately I haven't taken a great action photo in a while, so I'm just skipping Tuesday, but expect great things this week :)! This photo: a beautiful tree in the fairy landscape of Disa Kloof!

Fun with masks

My mommy and I spent a wonderful fun-filled day in Durbanville and surrounds with the Botha girls (Tannie Tess, Nikola, Tanee and Larel) yesterday coffee shop hopping, talking at the top of our lungs and laughing at the drop of a pin. Our amusement reached a pinnacle when Tannie Tess went to the bathroom at the oh-so-eclectic hot spot Dash, and returned looking like some Oriental apparition from Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away! Nikola and I soon gave into our own fascination with the masks, but Tannie Tess's humorous shoes were hard to fill.

Apologies!

Hello friends, family and followers!

So, the inevitable has happened... My travels to Stellenbosch and Durbanville have left me internetless for a few days and as you may have noticed, I'm about three posts behind! Eeek! I'm going to try fill up all three, but otherwise just post what I have.
Sorry about this...
In some circles there's nothing worse than an inconsistent blogger... oh dear oh dear oh dear!
xoxo

Awaking dreams

I've been dreaming of South America for a long time now and more so recently. I feed these dreams with the scrumptious words of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isabel Allende and Pablo Neruda whenever I can lay my hands on them... and something about this photo just sings into that little corner of longing and desire in my heart. If I had to explain it I suppose I would have to say it has something to do with the decorative curves of the elegant wall pot and the vivid green, red and yellow of the plant, the tap hanging there in mid-air above as if it just all happened by chance... the lazy siesta lighting...

Sunset over Silversands

Okay, so I'm not that good at posting a photo a day per se, but I still try to post one for every day of the week... at least. As you may notice today has two posts and so do a few of the other days. As a rule the first picture of the two always belongs in the previous day's category and the second one to the day of the actual post. In this case: Sunday which equals random, or in other words, any picture worth posting. This is the sunset over Silversands beach. In the background you see a tiny bit of the famous sand dune to the right and to the left some interesting mountain formations that I always think look somewhat like faces...

Lovers walk and sometimes even cycle

Please excuse all the cuteness and talk of love, but some photos just have to be taken... like this one :)! Anyway, I've also been wondering if every town has a Loverswalk? I know there was one in Rondebosch, close to UCT's upper campus and then there's this one. Any others?

Soccer on the move

According to my daily formula Friday's photo is supposed to represent FUN in some form or another. So, I decided to post this one of a few young men playing soccer on the green, green grass of Khayelitsha. What isn't obvious from the photo, but what we as Capetonians know quite well, is that many of these soccer crazy bafanas practice their game of choice right on the very border of the N2 (one of the four big highways that span our beautiful country). In this case the game is taking place a mere stone's throw away from Cape Town International Airport. I thought it quite appropriate in the light of Bafana Bafana's almost-win against Spain last night as well as the ever-growing build-up to 2010. What makes this photo even more fun is the fact that I had to insert a soccer ball of my own (yes, there it is!), as the real one is sadly out of frame (sigh... hopefully my photographic skills improve as I go along) and also that this photo was taken on the move yet again (like last Friday's), only this time out of a moving car.

Sandokan the brave

While turning her beautiful little purple-and-yellow face to the shy winter sun, this deceptively delicate little flower didn't even suspect the danger lurking in the shadows behind...

A waterfall I've known all my life

Disa Kloof waterfall: in its full glory after the rains...

Fighting off cabin fever

Unsurprisingly, our little coastal town's weather has been far from desirable for the past few days. In an effort to fight off the impending cabin fever and release the burgeoning mass of pent-up energy, Morne and I decided to brave the beach for just a few sunset moments... This is him giving it his all.

M hearts N

There's a legendary tree in the Harold Porter Botanical Garden in Betty's Bay that bears the criss-cross pattern of many-a manefestation of love. Its branches have spread across the path providing a cosy seat from which to scribble away. In the spirit of young love we made a contribution of our own...

Happy Father's Day!

In the spirit of celebrating our super dads today I decided to post a picture of my uncle Nico flanked by his three beautiful daughters Nikola (front), Larel (middle) and Tanee (back). We enjoyed a fabulous home-made Father's day lunch with our three guests of honour: Oupa Andre, Pappa (my dad hehe) and Oom Nico.

Global storming

For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with - for want of the correct name let's just call them - snow-globes. On the odd visit to expensive gift-shops as a little girl I would always escape my mother's hawk-like gaze in search of these sparkling little treasures of magic and wonder for the guilty pleasure of caressing the smooth, cool contours if only for a moment. Gazing into the depths of the crystal ball, I would shake ever so slightly and imagine myself to be part of that cosily glittering world. Despite this deep fascination, only twice in my young life did one of these wondrous globes fall into my possession: once with some serious twisting of parental arms for a quaint Christmas scene contained within a plastic dome and the other when my aunt Madi returned from Germany with a beautiful mermaid caught in a Hamburg harbour blizzard. Sadly neither survived the journey to the present moment, but the almost-forgotten flames have been rekindled with my brother, Imar's return from England yesterday. This perfectly spherical, crystal-clear glass globe contains an unmistakable miniature of one of the Stonehenge rock constructions that swirls in snow-flakes and specks of glitter with every shake. And... what is it about snow-globes that draws me in so? The shininess? The smoothness? The quaint and fantastic scenic representations? Perhaps. But more than anything I think it has something to do with an undying hunger for magic and adventure these tiny snowstorms seem to spark with every flick of the wrist.

Don't forget to smile!

Taking a page out of Allison (Zooey Deschanel) from Yes Man's book yet again, I decided to experiment with photography on the move during a sunset cycle with my mom this evening. What these photographs lack in technique, quality and aesthetics (especially when left to the merciless hands of amateurs) is made up for in the large amounts of fun you have desperately trying to stay astride a bicycle mid-aim-and-shoot while enjoying the scenery and salty air.

First impressions

Sandokan, my new kitten, met our family dog, Mulder for the very first time today. Mulder lives at home with my parents and kitsie sorbitskie has been residing in my flat with me for the past two weeks. I came home for the university's mid-year break today and brought my little darling along. Spotting the big dog through the glass door every now and then, Sandokan has been all bravado: huffing puffing and pawing away. Mulder on the other hand hardly spares Sandokan the slightest of glances... he's an old man now and way beyond wasting heart-beats on insignificant strangers a tenth of his size!

A note on Mulder: despite being one of the finest specimens of German Shepherd around, Mulder is particularly camera-shy. Being afraid of lightning, crackers, that lovely pop wine bottles make when you open them and various other loud noises, we have a sneaky suspicion that Mully might be mistaking a camera for a firearm. However, whatever exposure he's had has not been from our side (we're peace-lovers, man!), so we're guessing it might be a nasty experience or two as a free-roaming neighbourhood alpha-male in his younger days or perhaps some unpleasant hunting memory he may harbour from his sojourn in the Natal midlands a few years ago. Either way, the effect has been what you see above, a quick getaway caught in an awkward pose on camera.