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Brookes on the Bay development

There are quite a lot of work happening along the Port Elizabeth beachfront.  One of the main projects on the go is the redevelopment of the old Brookes Hill Pavilion into what will be known as Brookes on the Bay.  Brookes Hill Pavilion was geared towards the younger crowd and contained pubs and a night club.  Unfortunately it had a bit of a bad reputation with a couple of incidents that happened there over the years.  The new development will apparently…

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25/10/2010
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Klip-Els Guest Lodge

I recently had the opportunity to stay at Klip-Els Guest Lodge in North Riding area of Johannesburg.  The place was such a surprise to me when I got there.  Although the guest house is in Johannesburg, its situated on a 3 hectares property.  This gives one the feeling like you are somewhere in the bushveld rather than in the city.  Although you can hear some traffic somewhere off in the distance, you wake up to the sound of bird calls rather than city…

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24/10/2010
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Bayworld fasade

The artwork on the outside wall of Bayworld was redone just before the 2010 FIFA World Cup and takes in a nautical theme.  The artwork was sponsored by Coca Cola.  Just for those who doesn't know, Bayworld consists of the Port Elizabeth Museum, Oceanarium and Snake Park.

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24/10/2010
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Grave Search #2

The second grave in my Grave Search series was a request I received not long after the first one.  Indigo asked me if it wasn't possible to track down her great grandmother's grave in the South End Cemetery.  After the first search I knew where to go and find the information and found this one a lot easier than the first.

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23/10/2010
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Coming soon: Summer

Yesterday morning was a stunning morning and I headed down to the beachfront before work for a short walk.  The weather was stunning with no wind and the sun warming up.  Summer is around the corner and one of these days people will be flocking to the beaches. Kings Beach stretches away from McArthur's pool to the harbour in the picture above and is still empty... for now.

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22/10/2010
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Soccer City

As we entered Johannesburg on our recent visit, Chaos Boy asked if we were in Soccer City now.  I was very impressed that he associated Soccer City with Johannesburg.  He was of cause not refering to the city itself, but to the soccer stadium where the final of the recent 2010 FIFA World Cup took place.  We dicided to fit in a quick stop at Soccer City during our stay in Jozi.Even though most people refer to the stadium as…

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22/10/2010
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Upper Baakens Valley

This is a section of the upper Baakens Valley just above the 3rd Avenue dip looking from Newton Park towards the Moffat Retail Park where Pick 'n Pay Hypermarket is located.  This section of the Baakens Valley can be explored by taking the Upper Guinea Fowl Trail between the dip and Sunridge Park.

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21/10/2010
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Clivias

This is the time of year that Clivias are in full flower.  The Clivia (pronounced Clee-via) is a flower that is indigenous to Southern Africa where they grow wild in forested woodland areas.  The Clivia plants are all members of the Amaryllidaceae family.The plant's flowers are carried in clusters on stout stems and range in colour from yellows to rich oranges and shades of deep red.  The leaves are strap shaped, fleshy and even when not in flower the foliage provides excellent dark…

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21/10/2010
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Newton Park fun run

This past weekend we took part in Newton Park Primary School's annual fun run.  A day or so before the event I was asked by one of the organisers if I wouldn't mind taking pictures as their regular photographer wasn't available.  As a parent who doesn't always have the opportunity to be too involved in the school (plus the excuse to take pictures) I jumped at the opportunity.  I had a marvelous time running (well, actually racing on my scooter) up and down the…

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20/10/2010
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Birds at Jozi Zoo

Today I just want to post a couple of big bird photos I took at the Johannesburg Zoo to end of the Jozi Zoo trilogy of posts.The Greater Flamingoes (Phoenicopterus roseus) at Jozi Zoo has their own enclosure.A heron in the Buffalo enclosureOk, not quite a bird, but the angel... ... on top of the war memorial at the Military Museum next to the Johannesburg Zoo.  The memorial is visible from the top section of the zoo.

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20/10/2010