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Cape Point Vineyards

Visitors to the Cape would normally associate wine with the Stellenbosch and Franchhoek areas, so big was my surprise to discover the Cape Point Vineyard on the Cape Peninsula just outside Noordhoek.  Although some reports show that vines were planted in the Noordhoek area as early as 1752, the Cape Point Vineyard's first vines were only planted in 1998.  The vineyard is situated on a narrow strip of land between the cold Atlantic and the mountain with the warm summers and cool…

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12/04/2012
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Rev Francis McCleland’s grave

Over the last two years every time I visited the St Mary's Cemetery I've had a look for Rev Francis McCleland's grave without any success.  Grizel Hart, the curator at No.7 Castle Hill, explained to me where to find it and on my last visit - after again walking right past it twice - I found it.  Rev Francis McCleland came to to Algoa Bay in one of the 1820 British Settler parties and became colonial chaplain in Port Elizabeth.  He bought…

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11/04/2012
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Romantic walks at Sardinia Bay

Its been a bit of a cold and wet weekend so I thought I'll try and counter that with a warm beach scene of a couple taking a walk along Sardinia Bay.

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10/04/2012
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Splash Fest beach goers

Not everybody heading down to Hobie Beach during the Splash Festival over Easter weekend are there for the festival itself.  Many also go to enjoy the beach and Friday's hot weather meant that a lot of people headed into the water.  Unfortunately for the organisers it was spring high tide over the weekend and the volleyball courts turned into "tidal pools" as the sea pushed itself over the sand walls created to avoid just that.

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09/04/2012
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Splash Fest crowds

The Splash Festival in Port Elizabeth is the biggest 4 day beach festival in South Africa and draws thousands of people to Hobie Beach over Easter weekend.  The beach sport like Beach Volleyball and Beach Rugby are always popular events but the thing that pulls the most people to the festival is Saturday night fireworks display on Shark Rock Pier with people searching out good viewing spots from early on already.

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08/04/2012
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Splash Festival entertainment

The annual 4 day long Splash Festival started at Hobie Beach yesterday and even though the organisers were only officially appointed about three weeks ago the first day was a huge success.  Thousands of festival goers flocked to Hobie Beach to enjoy the fabulous weather as well as the tons of entertainment on offer.  I did a three hour shift at our church's pancake stall and by 3pm when I went off duty we had sold over 900 pancakes already. …

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07/04/2012
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William Savage stained glass window

One of the stained glass windows in the historic Public Library in the Port Elizabeth city centre shows the picture of Mr WH Savage.  I Googled the name but couldn't find much and then turned to Margaret Harradine's Port Elizabeth, A social chronicle to the end of 1945.  William Savage was born in Kent in 1824 and came to Port Elizabeth in 1849.  He had a business selling stationary and hardware and was a generous benefactor of several good causes both in Port…

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06/04/2012
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Historic Public Library

One of my favorite places as a child was the Public Library in the city centre.  We used to go to work with my mom during school holidays every now and then and would spend just about the whole day in the library.  Its such an amazing place with its rows and tows of books on various levels and magnificent stained glass windows.The history of the library is quite interesting.  A small reading society, known as the Port Elizabeth News Society,…

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05/04/2012