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Chimney

I'm sure you all know the saying "standing out like a sore finger".  One of Despatch's main landmarks literally and figuratively embodies that saying.  The Despatch Brickworks Chimney was built in 1882 as part of the area's flourishing brick making industry.  In the last 1800's a railway siding was built forking off the main railway line between Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage.  This siding was used to dispatch bricks from the brickworks to Port Elizabeth where most of the buildings of…

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11/11/2010
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Karoo roads

Driving through the Karoo should be an adventure, not a rush.  It has so many interesting nooks and crannies to explore, but to get there one has to travel many interesting roads and paths. Travelling is as much about the journey as it is about the destination. Travelling through the Karoo one firstly encounters tar roads. On these we depart the big towns and cities, but from them, somewhere along the way, you have to turn off onto ... ... a dirt road.  It…

15 Comments
11/11/2010
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Old Power Station

The old Swartkops Power Station makes for a very unusual landmark where it stands next to the Swartkops River.  The power station came into operation in 1954 and was used by the Port Elizabeth Municipality to generate power until 1996 when ESKOM (South Africa's power utility) offered them electricity at a rate that couldn't be matched by themselves.  Today the power station with its six 76 meter high chimneys stand empty and nobody really knows what the plans are with…

7 Comments
10/11/2010
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The Pink Church

What would be one of the most unusual sights you can imagine finding in a little plattelandse (rural) town in the Karoo?  Well, I bet you didn't just think a pink church, but after saying it it would probably be on your list.  Driving into the Karoo town of Hofmeyr, one immediately sees the bell tower and clock towering out above the surrounding town and its difficult not changing direction to check it out.The Hofmeyr Dutch Reformed Church was built in…

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10/11/2010
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Centrestage

Over the weekend we went to see the very talented and awesome Centrestage band doing their Afrikaans show called "Rock Befonk".  The Centrestage entertainment company has been in existence for 14 years doing mostly rock related shows, but this was the first time they tried their hand at an Afrikaans production.  And I have to say: "It was good".  Here the show's female lead, Elsabe Rademeyer and Centrestage musical director, Wayne Kallis are doing Liani Mey and Jay (from Eden)'s "Toe stop my hart".

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09/11/2010
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Karoobos and Hofmeyr Museum

On the corner that the main road makes through the little town of Hofmeyr stands a big green "lady" that beckons you to a building that serves a welcoming ginger beer and koeksister to travellers through the Karoo.  Karoobos is what we would call in Afrikaans a real "plattelandse padstal" (country road stall).  They don't just serve the most delicious meals but also sell jams, homemade products and antiques.In the back of the building visitors would find the Hofmeyr Museum.  The…

7 Comments
09/11/2010
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Wholesome Market

On the first Saturday of every month the Wholesome Market takes place at Holmeleigh Farm out on Kragga Kamma Road.  The market started out with a bang towards the latter part of last year and seem to have now settled down into its own rhythm.  Not as big as it was in the beginning, the market still has a very nice blend of hand made items and food products catering for both young and old.  There is also activities for…

5 Comments
08/11/2010
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Hofmeyr

A side view of the Hofmeyr Post OfficeHofmeyr is a typical little Karoo town.  Imposing old Dutch Reformed Church keeping an eye over mostly dusty streets and a proud but struggling farming community.  Situated roughly halfway between Cradock and Steynsburg, the town with its less than 2000 people lies at an altitude of 1252 meters and in the heart of a once flourishing sheep farming district.  The town was founded in 1873 and, initially named Maraisburg, renamed Hofmeyr in 1911.  It was named in…

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08/11/2010
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Protea bug

When I was doing a bit of research for the post on Pin Cushion Proteas, I found the following information: "Proteas aren't self-pollinating and depend on the small scarab beetles and the birds for pollination."  Now I don't think this little dude sitting on the King Protea is a scarab beetle, but if he does the job who am I to question what he's doing there.

4 Comments
07/11/2010
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Bonsai Show

If you know the hilarious yet irritating Annoying Orange on YouTube then you may know that he refers to his friend Little Apple as Midget Apple.  Well, if that is the case then I visited a very interesting exhibit of midget trees on Saturday.  The Eastern Province Bonsai Society hosted their annual Bonsai Show in the Walmer Town Hall here in Port Elizabeth this weekend.  I find bonsai trees very interesting and for years now I've had all the good…

11 Comments
07/11/2010