Cape Town – Page 20 – Notes from the Cape

Published April 12, 2012

Horsing around

A friend of mine is looking after a few horses on one of the farms in Noordhoek, and I popped over to get a few shots. While I am not really a horse person, they are beautiful animals, and make for some great shooting. And there is something nostalgic about being around horses. Here is a small example, the rest of the shoot is here.

They are all ex racehorses, and despite their frisky reputation, they were very friendly, and relaxed (probably as a result of the laid-back Noordhoek lifestyle), but they were very happy for me to wonder around them.

This horse should be renamed “Mr Sneezy”, he stuck his nose right into my camera lens, and he left it rather smeared and wet afterwards, not something that I usually have to deal with. I love the bent ear :-)

This is the only shot I managed to get of the horses trotting, they we just so chilled, being far too lazy to use any energy.

Just a big boy looking out and seeing what I was up to (and probably hoping for a carrot or two). If I was a cowboy, this would be my horse.

By the way, there are many farms in Noordhoek that offer out-rides on the beach, just Google “noordhoek horse riding” and you will see tons of stables offing riding to the public.

Cape Town

cape town horses noordhoek

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Published April 10, 2012

Chillin’ out

We seem to have so many yummy chilli’s for sale at the moment. From fiery hot Habenero’s, to the unpredictable jalapeno’s, to these mysterious long and yellow chillies. I have often seen long red and green chilli’s, but these yellow folk are new to me.

When I started enjoying hot food in the 80’s, I struggled to get any chilli’s, and now there is so much choice available. It is simply amazing. You seldom find a meal in my house that doesn’t include fresh or dried chilli’s, and (just in case) there is always plenty of chilli sauce on the table!

The best part is that while I eat hot chilli, my wife eats chilli much hotter that I do, so I never have to worry about making it too hot for her. The round and yellow chillies above are Habanero chillies, which are about as hot as you can commercially buy. Just about right for Lois.

Cape Town

cape town chillis food and drink hot

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Published March 26, 2012

An unexpected visitor.

I would like you to meet Blue, the Pitbull puppy. Rather unexpectedly, he moved in for a couple of days over the weekend. It all started when I went for a run on Thursday evening, and this lovely little puppy (he is 9 months old) starting following me. And then when he almost got hit by a car I was involved. So I took him home, and he became instant friends with Emily the Golden Retriever. They promptly proceeded to spend the entire evening running up and down the passage, exhausting each other.

I have always heard horror stories about how violent and dangerous Pitbulls are, but this little boy has turned around any misconception that I ever had. He was the most wonderful, friendly and gentle dog I have ever met (of course with the exception of my own dogs), and I really was a little sad when his owners contacted me and he was reunited.

So Blue if you are reading this, come on over anytime, we would love to see you visit again.

Cape Town

buildings cape town dogs

Manor House

Living in the Cape, you are surrounded by beautiful old Cape Dutch houses. This is the main residence at Buitenverwachting in Constantia. Imaging waking up every morning to that wonderful view of the Constantia vineyards?

Of course while you are there, visit the tasting room, and stock up on their wonderful wines. Or stay for a picnic or a meal in their excellent restaurant.

If you are lucky you might even be able to visit the cellar and see the wines quietly maturing in the barrels.

Cape Town

buildings cape cape town houses wine

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Published March 20, 2012

In the cellar

In the distant past, I was very lucky to make wine at Buitenverwachting wine farm in Constantia, so it was great to be back in the cellar at the weekend (even if just for a few minutes to collect some stuff ). While I was there I grabbed this photo of these barrels in the maturation cellar. Each barrel contains 225l wine. At a rough estimate, this room contains about 200 barrels, which is 45,000l wine.

That should be enough to keep anybody quiet for a few days.Buitenverwachting , which means “Beyond Expectation”, makes some of the top wines in South Africa. Get a bottle of the Christine if you can find one, truly amazing.

Cape Town

black and white cape town food and drink wine

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Published March 16, 2012

The Pumphouse

I had a meeting in the Gardens yesterday, and on the way back I noticed this strange old building (it probably contains water pumps or something) sticking out into a water reservoir. I love the way it was built to be functional, but to still look pretty. Also can you see the two rows of birds sitting on the railing?

I have been in this suburb about a million times, and it is amazing how you can live in the same place for so long, and think you know an area so well, and yet you still stumble on things that you have no idea existed in the first place. A very unexpected find.

Cape Town

black and white buildings cape town dam pumphouse reservoir water

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Published March 14, 2012

A day at the races

An early group

Be careful what you wish for, because you might get it. On Sunday I wished for a wind-free day, and that is exactly what I got. However I didn’t wish for the temperature to go over 40 deg C, but it did!

By now you probably know that I cycled in the Pick n Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour on Sunday. This was my 6th tour, and I clearly have an ability to pick interesting weather. Oh, how I would love to have a race in cool and wind-free weather. But not this year! Just to give you an example of some of the recent tours that I have completed:

2012: temperature peaked at 42 deg C
2010: howling wind (but not as bad as 2009)
2009: howling wind (over 120km/h – higher that what I experienced in hurricane Irene in USA 2011)
2006: rained (and crashed but still finished)

Maybe, just maybe next year will be great weather.

Relaxing before the start

While I didn’t take any pictures on the road, here are a couple (mostly) from the start line, and all on my phone (no my SLR does not go on the race with me). I hope this gives you a small taste of the feeling of being part of the 31324 cyclists that finished. There are so many people that while the first cyclists leave at 6:15am, the last leave after 10:30am which is after the first cyclists have already finished!

My group starting to assemble at the start line

The race leaves in groups of about 500, spread out every few minutes. My group left at 9:16am, and it was already sweltering. I drank over 9l water on the route, which is about what I usually drink in an entire week.

At the start line, about 5 minutes before my group started on the 110km route

The end, now I can relax for the next year, or at least until the 2 Oceans half marathon next month.

Cape Town Travel

argus argus cycle tour cape town cycle tour sport street wind

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Published March 8, 2012

The cycle tour is just three days away

On Sunday, I will be cycling in my 5th Pick n Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour, or just the Argus as everybody knows it as. The tour, which is 109 km long, winds itself around Cape Town. Approximately 38000 people will be riding in the race, which to my knowledge is the longest timed cycle event in the world, and probably the only cycling event to span two oceans.

It is an amazing event to be part of, the roads are closed, thousands of people arrive to support us on, and you get to cycle on the most beautiful scenery in the world. These are a few pictures taken over the past few years, some while watching, and some while participating in the event itself. I hope it gives you a feel for the event.

Start line

Main Road (before permanent road-works caused the Boyes Drive detour)

My Friend Zilani, the hand cyclist

A large bunch coming past

The Bar One Girls cheer you on and hand out free chocolates

One of the many refueling stops

There are many physios on duty to help the tired legs

A few extra hills here, thanks to the previously mentioned road works.

If you are in Cape Town, I hope you will either be on a bike, or supporting us as we come past. Good luck to all the cyclists, ride safe and I will see you on the road on Sunday.

Cape Town News

argus argus cycle tour bikes cape town cycling sport

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Published March 6, 2012

The bridge across forever

On of my favourite books is “The Bridge Across Forever” by Richard Bach, and this bridge just reminded me of the book. I took it this morning on my phone, while waiting for a business breakfast a the Crystal Towers Hotel in Century City, Cape Town. The footbridge, which connects the hotel to the main shopping centre, is very beautiful and elegant, curving gracefully as it arches across the canal.

It was such a wonderful day to spend a few minutes in the sun.

Cape Town

bridges buildings canal cape town water

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Published February 27, 2012

On time

To my utter surprise, the re-tarring of Main Road is complete, and on time as well! Considering that the section between Muizenberg and Kalk Bay is about 2 years behind schedule, I never thought that they would manage to complete the section in Lakeside in the promised two weeks, but somehow they did. Well done to the contractors.

For my last post, I posted the other end of this strange-looking machine, well here is (I think) the front, or possibly the back. It is a little difficult to tell. But what seems to happen is that it drives over the tar and rips it up, and then convey’s it along the conveyor belt at the back to drop into a nearby truck.

It’s a little scary seeing these guys in action, and to think about a machine that is powerful enough to just rip apart a road like a piece of jelly, but that is basically what this guy does. A great deal of respect please.

Cape Town HDR

cape town machine road transport truck

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