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Weekend Sho’t Left in Hankey

I have a very special spot in my heart for the Gamtoos Valley west of Port Elizabeth, having visited there quite often while I was working as a tourist guide.  Since then we try to get out there every now and then for things like the Gamtoos Citrus Festival, Patensie Boere Basaar and the Gamtoos Adventure Drive and then usually stay in the Patensie area.  A little while ago Carol Pearson of The Milkhouse Farmstyle Bar dropped me a line and invited…

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29/05/2014
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Port Elizabeth diver nearly swallowed by whale

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/a-Ph1CWYivg&source=udsBefore the sardines travel up the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal coastline during the annual sardine run they have to gather somewhere in preparation for the migration.  That somewhere is off the coast of Port Elizabeth.  Local marine film maker and dive operator, Rainer Schimpf of Expert Tours is an expert on the sardine run and takes a lot of foreign visitors and film crews out to experience it off the PE coastline.  Rainer has taken some extraordinary footage of the sardine bait…

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29/05/2014
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Which keg is the heaviest?

Bayworld is so full of childhood memories, one of them being the kegs in the shipwreck hall.  Three kegs each 20kg in weight but with the pulleys being the difference.  This means that they feel like they are different weights and the KidZ loved trying them out just like we did when we were kids.

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28/05/2014
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Bayworld cut-out

A week or so ago the Friends of Bayworld hosted a hugely successful Night at the Museum at the Port Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld.  The place was packed to the bleachers and I don't think they ever expected in their wildest dreams that they will have such an overwhelming turnout.  I get to visit Bayworld fairly often for tourism purposes and it was great to take a walk around with the family for a change and share with them all…

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27/05/2014
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Malva Pudding recipe

Over the weekend the Damselfly made malva pudding and I decided to nab her recipe for a post.  Malva pudding is a sweet baked pudding of Cape Dutch origin, usually served hot with custard, cream or ice-cream.  My mom always made a double portion of the sauce and we would then eat it with the sauce poured over (like I did this weekend as you can see in the picture).  It is made with apricot jam and has a spongy caramelized…

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27/05/2014
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Rain Spider nest

Spiders are commonplace in live and everybody have had flatties in their homes that sometimes (not always) get ignored as they are totally harmless.  But every now and then one makes their way into the house you just can't ignore, even if they are relatively harmless.  Who has never found a rain spider in a corner or behind a curtain and not just about freaked.   The Common Rain Spider (Palystes superciliosus) is a species of huntsman spider commonly and widespread found in South Africa. …

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26/05/2014
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The beautiful Donkin Reserve mosiac

It didn't take long for Route 67 to become a true Port Elizabeth icon and being situated on the equally iconic Donkin Reserve has become a must see to tourists visiting the city.  Even though the Voting Line and the Great Flag has become two of the most identifiable art pieces forming part of the route, the one that is photographed just as much is the Piazza Mosaic.  Covering 470 square meters the mosaic celebrates Port Elizabeth and the Eastern…

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26/05/2014
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“Reconsider South Africa” and experience it with all your senses

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/zv1MU_Nh8ck&source=uds"What is beauty? Is it a view that's been waiting for you for centuries? A setting that gives you goosebumps when you see it for the first time? A scene so striking it remains in your memory forever?  Is it a moment that stops you in your tracks and leaves you in awe?  Some people spend their whole lives looking for them.  When you open yourself up to it, suddenly you find yourself in a place where true beauty isn't…

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24/05/2014