Author: fitravel

This author has written 4733 articles
Uncategorized

Skywatch: Pearlised clouds

In all my years of watching clouds, this is something I have never seen before. When fetching our kids from the airport recently, we were greeted with shimmering pearlescent clouds as the lowering sun caught them at just the right angle to create irridescent colours across them, and we went home gasping at the sight of emerald green clouds. To see more Skywatch photos, go to the site and follow the links, you'll see wonderful photos and meet a great…

14 Comments
11/12/2008
Uncategorized

Blood Lily

About eight or so months ago my mom sold her house and moved in with my sister and brother-in-law. She gave me some of her potted plants which I put around my house. This plant I stuck next to the front door in the corner and just kept on watering once a week or so. I couldn't even remember what she said it was. This afternoon when I came in my eye caught something in the pot. I just thought…

6 Comments
10/12/2008
Uncategorized

For Brenda….

This is for regular reader and ex-PE girl Brenda, who lived here a while back. We featured a "Then and Now" of her at the house in 1949 (now now, it isn't gentlemanly to do the maths!) recently and she wanted to see how it looks now, so here you are.

7 Comments
10/12/2008
Uncategorized

Porcupine

I'm sure everybody knows what a porcupine quill looks like, but have you ever actually seen the porcupine itself? A while ago I was at Schotia Private Game Reserve and while we were waiting for dinner in their open air boma, in strolled Mr Porcupine himself. It was the first time that I actually got to see one in real life. What a bonus to the evening's proceedings.Porcupines are nocturnal animals that live in burrows. The forage at night, alone…

6 Comments
09/12/2008
Uncategorized

Plough Shells

Karin posted a pic of her son holding one of those snails that live in the tidal zone on Picture this! by Karin yesterday and I went scratching for my Plough Shells pics. A little while ago we went camping at Cape St Francis. While taking a walk on the beach we found literally hundreds of these snails. They live under the sand within the tidal zone. After a wave washes over them they come out of the sand to…

6 Comments
08/12/2008
Uncategorized

The Apple Express

The historic little Apple Express steam train that puffs out of Port Elizabeth most weekends on a day trip to Thornhill has really been struggling for the last couple of years. Not just do the Apple Express Society struggle financially, but their steam engine has been out of commission for about two years now. The have been working on restoring the engine and about three or so weeks ago they took her out on a trial run. I just got…

5 Comments
07/12/2008
Uncategorized

Eccentric plant pot…..

....or, making the best of a bad situation! This tree on a sidewalk in Mackay Street, Richmond Hill that was cut down has regrown, leaving the rather odd stump surrounding the new tree. Someone with a quirky sense of what is stylish decided to "beautify" it!

1 Comment
07/12/2008
Uncategorized

The Donkin Reserve

Just prior to the arrival of the British Settlers in Algoa Bay in 1820, Sir Rufane Donkin took up an acting position in the Cape Colony as Governor. He travelled to Algoa Bay to welcome the Settlers. Sir Rufane lost his wife, Lady Elizabeth Donkin, to the fever in India two years previously and was still mourning her loss when he took up his position at the Cape.When he arrived in Algoa Bay he found a small settlement without a…

3 Comments
06/12/2008