Seeing that two of my "blog friends" have posted spider pics over the last day or so, I decided to do the same. I went digging for some spider pics and found two I took a little while ago. This one I caught kind off unexpectantly. I was trying to get some nice pics of the water drops on the web when the little guy made his appearence. Good ol' Daddy Longlegs sitting in a corner that we have neglected…
Thanks to Gaston from France, who used to live in PE in the 1950s and early 60s, and who very kindly sent us some of his photos from that era, we will be doing a few Then and Now comparisons in the near future. We start with the Campanile, which we did a whole series on recently.Here it is around 50 years ago..... And as it looked yesterday......As you can see, the pretty old building on the right was demolished…
Grahamstown is situated about 130km east of Port Elizabeth. It is the biggest town in frontier country and the place where most settlers moved to once they were allowed to leave their farms. It started out as a garrison town named after Col John Graham. It was they sight of the Battle of Grahamstown in 1819. 5000 Xhosa warriors under the command of Makana gathered on the hill overlooking the valley in which the settlement were. The fort was manned…
OK, so Blogger is behaving again, and Wordpress is a pain to set up, so here we are, back at our old spot. So sorry to jerk you around like this, but as long as blogger plays the game, it is a way better host for us.
Another photo sent to us by Louise Eksteen, showing what a brilliant day it was in the bay yesterday. I love the warm fuzzy feeling generated by the snuggling couple, contrasted with the ominous broken step, sort of a gentle reminder that all is seldom 100% well in paradise!
In the early days, many of the historic cottages were constructed of timber clad with corrogated iron. Considering our harsh coastal conditions, it is amazing that any have survived. So many would have been removed over the years and replaced with more modern and permanent structures. One that has stood the test of time is a little cottage in Cuyler Street, Central, which, for several years, has been home to the Cuyler Street Art Gallery. This is the courtyard, with…
Although not taken recently, I want to show this tree. It is called a Kapok Tree and has a very spikey trunk. It looses it leaves when winter comes and then blooms before getting its leaves back. It has pink flowers and covers the whole tree, so whether you have one or many together, its a wonderful sight.The tree before loosing its leaves The tree in full bloom Seen from a distance
The skyline of PE is very different, now, to the bleak hills rising out of sand dunes which confronted the 1820 settlers. This is the view as you are entering the harbour and approaching the yacht basin. The early forefathers were responsible for many of the striking features which are so familiar on the horizon. The Donkin Lighthouse and Pyramid are real icons of PE, as are the Campanile and many of the old Church steeples. To the Right on…
On our recent visit to Cradock we walked up Oukop, the hill outside the town. From the top there is a lovely view over the town. There is a wide variety of succulents and cactuses that grow in the area and this one I found very interesting.
If you get bored with the miniture trains, you can always go game viewing. These guinea fowl have taken "ownership" of the local neighbourhood and are a delight to watch.