Halfpom

giant lizard....

This morning, I was returning home from a routine shopping expedition to replenish the larder for the week ahead & what should I see but another sand sculpture...this time it is a huge lizard sunning itself on the driveway of nr 27.... 
Even better...I've caught the creator of this marvellous sand art, Reon Zeff, red handed & he has a rapt audience watching his every move...

 
 
 
We had a nice chat while he was putting the finishig touches to the giant lizard which didn't seem to bother him in the slightest....amazing to watch as his hands almost have a life of their own, shaping & sculpting the damp sand....that's all it is...nothing other than water holding this together.

Later this afternoon I pop around again to see the finished product..the new creation is certainly causing a stir & I am amazed there hasn't been an accident yet. Lots of people are slowing down to take pictures. Others park and walk up to make a closer inspection of the latest feature on the block... 
 
And just so you can get some idea of the scale of the sculpture... 
 
Reon mentioned that he was teaching the art of sand sculpture at Elkanah Primary School this coming Friday - he will be creating a sculpture and then helping the children with their own sculptures. He also mentioned how great sand sculpture is as a method of therapy for people who have had strokes etc..

It was lovely to see the enthusiam & wonder on all the faces - child & grown up alike. Enjoy these photo's because on Monday (04 July) the lizard is being recycled to form part of the plaster in nr 27's new bathroom....  

sand sculpture...

This sand sculpture on a driveway in Sunningdale Drive has been causing much comment & admiration in the neighbourhood & for some, broken the monotony of that morning commute....

 
According to local sources this is the work of Reon Zeff, a sand sculptor, who targets Cape Town building sites.....a bit like a guerrilla gardener or a sand Banksy (..sometimes I do make me laugh)....for those of you in the UK.... 

 
Isn't it fun...it has been here for days now and no-one has broken it down....I think Reon has significantly raised the bar for sand castles on the beach this summer....I'm afraid those buckets cut in the shape of a castle are just not acceptable anymore...

 

hugging the heater...

Cape Town has been experiencing some chilly, rainy weather of late so the cat & I are taking it in turns to hug the heater....every now & again, the rain lifts and we are granted a shaft of sunshine & a rainbow....

My nephew (aged 3) has been heard to remark that it is so cold that his nose is shivering...

 
 
 

philadelphia...

 
My latest flower 'must have' is the old fashioned zinnia!! I planted a whole packet of seeds in my garden this spring & the little seedlings did splendidly until the snails discovered them & devoured all but a handful of plants. Mine were the dwarf variety but on an outing to broaden my horizons one weekend in April I came across these gorgeous specimens at De Malle Meul in Philadelphia... 
Philadelphia is a sweet little dorp (tl: village) in the Swartland barely 20 minutes from the bustle that is Cape Town. I had heard of it but never exactly known the reason one would visit as it hasn't been as widely marketed as it's more famous sister in that region, Darling. We decided to park the car under the row of blue gums framing the main square & explore on foot. The first thing that struck me was the silence - not deathly quiet but rather the very welcome absence of traffic noise - all you could hear were the sparrows, the occasional dog barking & children playing in the street....bliss!

De Malle Meul used to be the home of the artist Pieter van der Westhuizen & today houses a galleryof his work as well as being a venue for weddings and hosting shows & events. The beautiful zinnias were in aid of their Afri-Spaans evening the following day and the owner kindly humoured the weird person obsessed with photographing her flower arrangements...Also liked the corrugated iron cladding on some parts of the building too...but thought I'd better make myself scarce...

There are two parts to Philadelphia - the older, more aesthetically pleasing part anchored by the obligatory NG Kerk which initially looks out of all proportion to the tiny town until one remembers that it serves the wider farming community as Philadelphia is surrounded by the wheatfields of the Swartland. As well as the above attractions the town also boasts a variety of small shops & local artists & potters studios, some very picturesque houses & a primary school. 
 
We were quite amused to discover that shoplifting doesn't seem to occur here...one unattended dress shop displayed the notice below (casually placed on a bench in the middle of the shop) & roughly translated as 'Please do try things on - call me at Magic Minerals if you need any help'...fabulous! 
 
 
And some detailing on die Blikhuisie (tl: The Tin House)... 

 
After you've had your fill of wandering around there are lashings of ginger beer to be had at the shop and a decent lunch is served under the pepper trees at the Pepper Tree restaurant. All in all a good day out.... 

 

Au revoir....

Our last day today....same procedure as yesterday...wake up 06h30...last game drive at 07h00...

  

A journey of giraffe - you'll have to take my word for it....there were about 15 of them all in one spot..

 

And just when we thought we weren't going to get fed again.....a stop for brunch in yet another beautiful spot overlooking the reserve...

 

My nephew plays a game called 'if I can't see you, you can't see me' - even if his feet are clearly visible sticking out from beneath the curtains - he is 2 years old.....this is the adult version.....not wanting to leave Tswalu & hoping we will leave them behind....nice try guys!!!

Up, up & away.....there is a saying that once your feet have touched the red sand of the Kalahari you will always return....I definitely hope so....au revoir until next time...

 

Last sundowner...

Horse riding was an optional activity on our second afternoon at Tswalu....in order not to lose face everybody opted in & our group ranged in expertise from 'very proficient' to 'never ridden before in my life'. I am somewhere in the middle to lower section not having ridden in 9 years & slightly nervous. Comanche (the horse allocated to me) was brilliant - he pretended to listen to me & I pretended I knew exactly what I was doing & so we reached the sundowner spot together with neither of us embarrassing the other too much - bless him!! That horse has seriously made me consider taking lessons to learn how to ride properly...how lovely is this little scene.....a bit of a freshen up before tackling those sundowners....Kir Royale this time, if you must know...

In case you are wondering where the previous post's inhabitants were during this little episode, I should mention that the 100 000 hectare reserve is divided into 2 parts - 20 000 hectares is fenced off & dedicated to predators & the other 80 000 hectares is safe for horseriding, walking & ballooning and contains plains game, meerkats, giraffe etc.

Sundowners in hand, we survey the nibbles on offer....thought the porcupine burgers (no, not really) were very sweet..... 

And then (mercifully) into the vehicles for the ride home......

Meerkats & lions.....these are a few of my favourite things...

You are supposed to be humming this to the tune from 'The Sound of Music'....no seriously, I'd be worried if you were! After what seems like 5 minutes asleep, there is a knock at the door & a cheery greeting...how does he manage to sound so awake???

We're off to see the meerkats this morning.....along with elephant family groups, they are one of my favorite animals to watch....and you'd better take a large memory card as these little creatures are very photogenic...they're not particularly partial to early mornings either especially when it's as cold as it was that morning....after a 20 minute drive in an open vehicle we are trying to massage the circulation back into our faces. The vehicle is kitted out with blankets & hot water bottles on chilly mornings but this doesn't help your exposed bits....and we wondered why Marco was bundled up like a Michelin man....clearly done this before... 

On arrival at the site we quietly climb off the vehicle & position ourselves close to the burrow....one by one, they slowly emerge into the early morning sunlight...

They're a bit like their human counterparts - some are morning meerkats & are bright eyed & bushy tailed while others have clearly been burning the midnight oil & just can't wake up...

 
Fortunately this survival thing is a team effort at Meerkat Manor...attention...all eyes left - warning call....

There is a lot of housekeeping to be done before the group sets off for the day - looks like full scale renovations are in order today.....either that or they are planning to emigrate to Australia via the back door...

  

And then there's always the little one who is braver than the rest...

I nearly forgot Gary & Barry.....they watch each others backs...

Reluctantly we drag ourselves away from these endearing little creatures & set off on the prowl for the famous black maned Kalahari lion......they're making it easy for the tracker today....pug marks right in the middle of the road....even a novice like me could spot it...

We follow the road for a short while, turn a corner & there right in front of us lies the whole family......

Relaxing after last nights meal of gemsbok, the remains of which is still lying near the road in case one of them feels like a snack later....just look how full their little bellies are....just about dragging on the ground..

The male was pretty impressive....all the more so when he is jogging along the road towards you!! The lions here are all much larger than anything I have seen in other areas....& I've seen quite a few lions in my time.....

 

 

First sundowner....

After a quick trip to your room to explore & freshen up it is back to the main area for another snack - this time afternoon tea before your game drive...

And then off into the reserve - the scenery is just beautiful at the moment - apparently they have had 3 years of good rains and you can see it in the condition of the veld and the animals are sleek & well fed..

After 2 nights here guests also leave looking a little sleeker......next stop sundowners....oh well, if I must....Gara's first in line for his G&T while Marco & Johannes work hard to keep up with demand....

Sunsets in arid areas are always spectacular - this photo, in particular, reminds me of Damaraland in Namibia....the landscape looks very similar in appearance in the dusk...

  A perfect ending to our first day at Tswalu....

Tswalu....

Last week I was lucky enough to find myself staying at Tswalu for 2 nights, which is situated in the southern Kalahari - if I remember correctly they are approximately 60 kms (or was it 80 kms) from the Botswana border to the north, 200 kms from the Namibian border to the west and 200kms from the Orange River to the south - so a long way from anywhere. It is a magical area that has photographers - amateur & pro alike - reaching for their camera's. The adventure starts at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport at the Anglo American hangar......no scheduled flights for passengers to Tswalu....oh no, it is private all the way - thank you very much!!  

The thing that tickled me the most was that the plane taxi's to the perimeter fence looking out on to the runways.....then someone then presses a switch & then the fence slowly rolls back allowing direct access to the runway....just like your remote controlled gate at home - is that great or what? If you look closely you can just about see my hand luggage (in silver) in the hold - somehow & don't ask me how my hand luggage acquired a name (& a personality) en route to Tswalu so now she shall forever more be known as Betsy...

We stayed at the Motse which was just perfect....here are a few pics of the lodge & the room (although room is not quite the right word to describe the accommodation....below the main area with pool deck..    

 

 
In the background you can see the 'rooms' set at various intervals in the indigenous gardens for guaranteed privacy.

I loved the use of indigenous flora here.....the plants are so beautiful in their own way & most importantly of all, perfectly adapted to the harsh conditions experienced in this part of the world - very hot in summer & bitterly cold in winter.

 

   
 
  

Please excuse the quality of some of these photo's - they were taken at about 6:30 in the morning on the way to coffee & muffins before our early morning game drives so not as vibrant as those taken later in the afternoon...they keep you quite busy here so I wasn't feeling particularly frisky either at that time of the morning....

As mentioned earlier I think 'room' is a gross misnomer for this gorgeous accommodation - why, in the UK you would happily accommodate a family of four or five in this amount of space. In Africa this generous proportion houses one or two people at most.....bliss. For me one of the most luxurious features of the rooms was the fireplace in the bedroom.....the nights can get very chilly in winter in these parts.....what a wonderful treat to come back from dinner & find a fire cheerily burning in the grate with an enormous stack of wood next to it to keep it going all night if you can keep awake. I've added it to the list of things I NEED in my dream home....when I eventually get round to building it......

   
 
Just loved the subtle colours here - echoing the distinctive red Kalahari sand, the dry grasses & the sky outside your window.....which apparently was just what designer Boyd Ferguson intended..

Seriously you could quite easily move in & never leave...

Toilet humour...

Up the West Coast this weekend & came across this signage for ladies & gents facilities which made me smile....not terribly clear, I would say, especially if one is in a bit of a hurry....

Which reminds me of another one I spotted on my travels around Kwazulu Natal a year or two back - if my memory serves me correctly this one is at Rocktail Beach Camp....I'm thinking children would find this one a little difficult....

As you can see I'm easily amused & now that I have a digital camera nothing is too small or too insignificant to be recorded for posterity....I think I may have hit on the theme for my blog!