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| View from the top at the Cable way station. |
Whilst on Holiday in the Western Cape we visited Franschoek, a picturesque town flanked by mountains on three sides. Thereafter we visited the La Motte wine farm. Of course one has to do some wine tasting during your visit. The settings at this farm were idyllic. The wine tasting room with its decor is magnificent. Adjacent to the room is this large wine cellar with an impressive array of casks that are sustained at a specific temperature.
Whilst on vacation in the Southern Cape I took a shot of this interesting tree on the banks of a lagoon. A perfect candidate to convert into a black and white shot. The town of Kleinmond is about 100 kilometers east of Cape Town. Many of these sea side towns have only about a third of their houses that are permanently occupied. The rest are vacation homes and the population swells during the month of December and other peaks seasons during the year. I spite of this the area is quite and affords one the opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Once again the Jakarandas are in full bloom. The city is bathed in purple with flowers. It keeps many street sweepers busy as they fall to the ground. Spring days are hot in Pretoria with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius at midday.
June 28, 2008
August 19, 2009
June 21, 2010
Fountains circle has been revamped in preparation for the soccer world cup with the kick off next friday on the 11 th June. Flags of the countries participating are proudly fluttering in the winter breeze. The Telkom communications tower in the background is sporting a giant football. This shot is not far from Lotus Versfeld where the USA and Algeria will play their pool match.
The flags of all the countries competing in the 2010 soccer world cup are suspended from the roof of the Menlyn shopping center. The tournament will kick off at the African Calabash in Soweto just west of Johannesburg.
These two shots of the same elephant were taken a few seconds apart. It give one an idea of the size of their ears that serve to help keep the animal cool. They gently flap them in a rhythmic manner as the they move along and graze. On this particular day the temperature was about 32 degrees Celsius.
These colourful Ndebele huts are situated inside the Botanical Gardens east of the city center. These traditional huts with thatch roofs are often painted with an attractive array of creative patterns. I always enjoy looking at them when driving through the country side. The inside of the huts are amazingly cool even on a very hot summers day thanks to the thatch roof.
This group of Elephants in the Kruger National park found a water tank and proceeded to drink from it. A large elephant requires 200 liters of water a day and consumes about 250 kilograms of vegetation. That is rather industrious and one observes that constantly grazing.
I was in Durban last week and took a shot of the Moses Mabhida stadium where several soccer world cup matches will be played. It is a magnificent marvel in architecture and construction. I had the opportunity to take the Sky Lift to the top of the arch. It offers a splendid view of Durban.
Meet Zakumi, the official mascot for the Fifa 2010 soccer world cup. The tournament starts in South Africa on the 11 th June. All the stadiums are ready and South Africans are preparing to greet all the visitors to our beautiful country.
During a recent visit to the Kruger National Park I managed to get a shot of this large lion dozing at the side of the road. He wasn't too perturbed by our presence just a few meters away.
These fellows a very curious as to who is this creature with the camera. A group of Ostriches just outside Oudtshoorn in the Southern Cape. This area is famed for farming Ostrich feathers which are exported to many parts of the world.
Today is a public holiday in South Africa. It is called the 'Day of Reconciliation'. Originally known as the 'Day of the Vow' when the previous government was in power. Now it is used to commemorate our emergence from our painful past and celebrate our democracy.
A giant mural of Chief Tshwane, with a soccer ball, adorns the side of a building. This is to promote the FIFA 2010 soccer world cup, that South Africa will be hosting, with kick off in Johannesburg on the 11th June next year.
These statues were created by a Zimbabwean artist showing four girls playing leap frog. It really stirs the memories to ones childhood days of innocence when we had such fun playing children's games.
Built in 1886, Melrose house is now a museum. It became a famous landmark as it was requisitioned by Lord Roberts (a British field marshall) when the British invaded Pretoria in 1900 during the Boer war (1899 to 1902). He then used this house as his headquarters and conducted the strategy of the British forces during the remainder of the Anglo Boer war.
Burgers park not far from the city center. This park provides a pleasant environment with a splendid array of flowers and large lawns to relax during lunch time.
