Vygies in the veld outside Matatiele

Vygies come in all shapes, sizes and colours.  These little ones I found on the mountain above Matatiele on a visit to the Matatiele Mountain Lake.  I have two types of vygies in my garden, both creeper type plants with tin green leaves.  This specific one has ticker and rounder leaves and look a more like a typical succulent.  A little search on the internet gave me the following: 

Stone plants - Aizoaceae or Ficoidaceae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing 135 genera and about 1900 species. They are commonly known as stone plants, carpet weeds or vygies. 

Hogsback Labyrinth flowers

While the KidZ were negotiating the Labyrinth at The Edge in Hogsback in the rain, I was photographing flowers

Forest, ferns, lilies and fog

I don't know why but when I think of Hogsback I either think of streams and waterfalls or forests, ferns, lilies and fog.  I think I nailed the latter in this picture. 

Fields of flowers in the Karoo

 It's dry in the Karoo.  The word Karoo doesn't mean "Place of Thirst" for nothing.  But the smallest amount of rain in the last winter of early spring means that there will be flowers.  And flowers there were when I drove through the Karoo Heartland late in September.  On the road north of Steynsburg I had to double take when I suddenly saw fields of yellow flowers and just could not help but to pull over and take out my camera. 

Yet another example that you don't really have to go to the West Coast to see flowers in spring.

Fields of Coral Aloe

Just as the "normal" Aloes in the Karoo Heartland is done flowering, it's the turn of the Coral Aloes.  A drive through the southern Karoo Heartland (on the N10 just over the Olifantskop Pass from Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape two weeks ago had me stop a couple of times and grabbing for my camera with literally fields of flowering Coral Aloe stretching away from the road.

A carpet of orange

Just more proof that the Eastern Cape doesn't have to stand back one step when it comes to showing off it's beautiful flowers in spring.

The Aloes are in bloom

One of my favorite things about this time of the year (early winter) is the fact that the aloes are in bloom.  A little road trip through the Karoo Heartland had me stop once or twice to snap a few pictures, but mostly I just enjoyed the sight of them next to the road. 

A lot of the flowers are just starting to open up so give it another week or two three and they will be blooming in all their glory.

The little things on the Wild Coast

I'm a big advocate of keeping one's eyes open for the little things as much as the big stuff.  Spending a night at Kob Inn on the Wild Coast I went for an afternoon stroll down to the Qora River and while the coastline and river held my attention, I still spotted this little scene.  The more delicate side of the Wild Coast.

Danger Point not looking too dangerous

The Danger Point and the Danger Point Lighthouse near Gansbaai in the Overberg has a descriptive name very apt to how dangerous the coast here can really be.  It doesn't looks as dangerous though when you photograph it with little pink wildflowers in the foreground.  

A blooming nice display at Van Stadens

 

The West Coast and Namakwaland is famous for their spring flowers while a number of reserves in the southern Cape, one of these being the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area, are UNESCO World Heritage Sites as it is where the Cape Floral Kingdom occurs.  Living in Port Elizabeth it's not always possible to do the trek west to go and view flowers but a few weeks ago I realized that it's not  necessary.

About 40 kilometers west of Port Elizabeth is the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve, a 500 hectare open space next to the Van Stadens River gorge.  The reserve covers the gorge's southern wooded slopes, a large plateau to the east and the northern river banks, each with its own vegetation types.  The reserve is covered in various hiking trails ranging from a short 500 meter trail to longer ones up to 11 kilometers.  Some of the trails are also suitable for mountain bikers while there are also gravel roads accessible to cars in the plateau section.  The flowers, especially the flowering proteas, in the reserve is stunning at the moment.  Enjoy the display. 

More information about the reserve can be found on their listing with Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism or with the Friends of Van Stadens.

A classy day at the Jazzy Boozy Cheezy Affaire

Anybody blindfolded and flown around the country before being dropped off at the Jazzy Boozy Cheezy Affaire would have been excused if they guessed their destination to be somewhere in the Cape Winelands after seeing what was around them.  They would have been very wrong though.  The JBC wasn't taking place in the Cape Wineland.  Far from it.  It took place just outside Addo at Africanos Country Estate in the Sundays River Valley of the Eastern Cape.

The JBC Affaire wasn't just another event with music and stalls.  It was something slightly different and brought to the Sundays River Valley some of the Western Cape's top wine estates, specialty food stalls ranging from cheese and cold meats to olives, oysters, chocolate and biltong as well as a craft brewer and PE coffee roasters Mastertons.  These were all  bound together with live jazz performances on stage and the most amazing food, flower and fragrance pairing demonstration.

The Damselfly and I left the KidZ with friends and headed out into the Addo countryside nice and early on a perfect spring Saturday morning.  The beauty of the valley this time of year is the striking fragrance of citrus blossoms in the air and one just can't help but to pull over and suck in lungs full of it.  We arrived at Africanos just after the doors opened and before the crowds started coming in which gave me a chance to have a look at all the food stalls and take some pics.

The wine section of an event like this is always a huge attraction and the glass we received at the door came in very handy when wanting to taste some of the wines on offer.  Wine estates on offer included Calitzdorp Cellar, Ken Forrester, Simonsig, Beyerskloof, Cape Point Vineyards, La Motte and a couple more so there was something for everybody.

The program on stage started at 10 am with a different band going on every hour.  While we were there there were some excellent performances by Khanyiso, the John Edwards Trio and Cosa Nostra with a few more that we didn't get to see.  I'm not one who can sit and listen to Jazz all the time but the music on stage was the perfect backdrop for enjoying the food and wine on offer.  I even caught myself bobbing along with the beat at one stage.

As I have said already, there was really something for every taste on offer at the JBC.  Claus the Cheeseman from Knysna had a great variety of cheeses, cold meats, salami and artisan breads while those who like their meat dried could pop by Kirkwood's Famous Karoo Butchery's stand.

People went to the Laharna stand to try their olives, chillies, sundried tomatoes and herbs and most enjoyed it so much that they came away with tubs of olives and other goodies.

The Sundays River Valley is famous for elephants and oranges and oysters couldn't be further removed from what the area has to offer, but oysters turned out to be one of the most popular treats at the JBC.  I always thought that the first dude to dare throw a raw oyster down his throat must either have been very hungry, very stupid or very brave.  He must have known something cause as we know oysters are regarded a delicacy by many today.  Some even believe it to be an aphrodisiac.  Whatever you think, the Oyster Bar did a roaring trade of both the traditional raw oysters as well as a yummy deep fried one that I got to try. 

The coffee and chocolate lovers wouldn't have felt left out with what was on offer.  Sjukla's hand-made Belgium chocolates are delectable, especially those with a hint of citrus in them.  Right next to their stand Mastertons' barista was waving his magic coffee wand for those in need of a caffeine fix or some chocolate covered coffee beans.

Not everybody are into wine, but the organisers had thought of that as well.  They also had craft beer on tap brought to the valley by the Dragon Brewing Co as well as craft ciders by Everson's.

The highlight of the JBC, for us anyways, was the Neroli Fragrance Experience which involved food, flower and fragrance pairing during an interactive session in the Africanos hall.  The food bit was done by South African TV and Kokkedoor chef Mynhardt Joubert...  

 ... while the flower arrangements were done by PE based German Master Floral-Designer Fayette Scherwinski who is a floral magician. 

Flowers decorations and topped up glasses were the order of the day

The one hour session, done at 11 am and 2 pm on both days, didn't just involve us sitting and watching a cooking and flower demonstration.  It involved interaction as well where all six senses with us getting to see, touch, taste and smell the food, flowers and perfumes; and of cause listening to the experts.

While the demonstrations were on the ladies were encouraged to try out the DKNY scents on display while one lucky lady from the audience also got to have a makeover.  Wine glasses got topped up and taste buds were tantalised.  Some of the delicacies Mynhardt and his assistant dished up was an instant meringue with citrus rind, a quick sticks cheesecake with lavender flowers in it and various spreads and dips (sorry, but at a loss for a proper description for it) that went with the proper meringues and fresh fruit that also went onto the table.

One of Fayette's table decorations

Once the food and flower demonstration was done the final products were used to set the table in the middle of the hall.  It wasn't just a case of dishing everything up on plates.  It goes straight onto the table. 

Then it was our turn and spoons were dished out - excuse the pun - and we were invited to tuck in straight from the table.  We were encouraged to try different combinations and to even try some of the flower petals with the food.  Truly a very unique experience and very well presented.

All in all the Jazzy Boozy Cheezy Affaire was an absolute breath of fresh air.  There are a lot of artisans and country markets all over the show these days, but there is definitely a market out there for something like this.  Something a little more sophisticated combining good food, wine and music in a controlled environment.  When I first heard about the JBC, I have to admit, I had my doubts.  Those doubts vanished like mist in front of the sun after visiting and seeing what they had to offer and I am sure that next year will be even bigger and better.

Disclosure: We received tickets to visit the Jazzy Boozy Cheezy Affaire from the organisers  and visited on the first day of the event.  Our transport and all other costs were for our own account.  

Langkloof protea

The Langkloof may be a "less desirable" tourism destination than the adjacent Garden Route, but it doesn't mean that its less beautiful.  It may not have the breathtaking coastline or inspiring indigenous forests of the Garden Route, but it doesn't have to stand back one step when it comes to scenic beauty.  Framed by mountains in the north and south, the predominant vegetation is Fynbos, interspersed by farmland and summer fruit orchards.  A little detour on my last trip up the Langkloof to get a photo from a higher vantage point led me to this...

A flowering Kapok Tree, also known as a Silk Floss Tree

Since I started blogging nearly 7 years ago, the post that has received the most attention wasn't some exotic location, epic once in a lifetime animal photo or mind blowing sunset.  It was a post about a flowering Kapok Tree.  Up to now it has received over a whopping 20 000 page views.  I've been wanting to do another post but the problem was that I haven't had another chance of encountering one while it is in flower and having my camera on hand.  A camping weekend at Sitrusoewer outside Kirkwood in the Eastern Cape was my chance.  There were a couple of trees above the campsite and one afternoon I took my camera for a walk and snapped a few pics. 

I had a few people tell me on the other post that the tree in the post isn't a Kapok Tree.  A little bit of research and I came to the conclusion that there are actually five or six different types of tree that is known as the Kapok Tree.  Other than this specific tree (which I will get to just below), a Kapok Tree can also refer to the following:

•  Bombax ceiba, an Asian tree with red flowers,
• Calotropis procera, a shrub with white and purple flowers, native to Asia and North Africa, but a weed in other places,
• Ceiba pentandra, a tree of the tropical Americas with white flowers, cultivated particularly in south-east Asia for its seed fibre,
• Two trees with yellow flowers native to northern Australia and Papua New Guinea, the Cochlospermum gillivraei and the Cochlospermum fraseri.  

 

The tree in this post is a Chorisia speciosa of the family Bombacaceae (bombax or baobab Family).  It's common name is a silk floss tree or kapok tree.  This Kapok tree is native to Argentina and Brazil but is grown in many tropical areas.  It also grows well in parts of southern California and apparently, right here in South Africa.  

The tree (being an deciduous exotic to South Africa) drops its leaves just before they put on their spectacular autumn display of five-petaled flowers. The flowers vary from pale pink to rose, purple or burgundy at the tips and grade into a white or ivory.  The flowers are then followed by pear shaped capsules filled with many seeds embedded in silky white floss.  Hence the silk floss tree name.

 

The tree's trunk is mostly green in colour and is covered with big warty triangular spines.  These spines turn gray as the tree gets older and will put anybody off from trying to climb one without a ladder or proper protection.  Not that you would really want to climb it for any reason.  The tree has a straight trunk with an umbrella canopy.

 

After my research I now also know a lot more about the Kapok / Silk Floss tree.  In closing I just want to say, the tree may not really have any specific use, but it does make for a great conversation piece because of the spiny green trunk and beautiful flowers.  Enough reason to want one in the garden.

African Blogger Awards - Photography runner-up

I am currently exploring the Wild Coast a bit while on my way to #Indaba2015 in Durban and have had very periodic internet access.  On checking Twitter yesterday afternoon I saw a tweet announcing that The Firefly Photo Files has taken the runner-up spot in the Photography category of the African Blogger Awards.  Say what?  It took a double take and a quick check at the other tweets announcing the different winners and runners-up before it dawned on me.  I actually took second place in the African Blogger Awards!  It hit like a ton of bricks. Well, actually like a totally unexpected message on Twitter but you get the idea.  The one thing that struck me though (except for that proverbial ton of bricks) is the fact that the category was my second choice, Photography.  I actually entered the blog in the Travel category and it gave me an option to choose a second category as well.  So there it is.  Always keep your options open because sometimes it pays off to have a little backup in place. 

I don't normally enter blog competitions because often the winners are chosen on popularity by seeing who can get the most votes.  These awards used Webfluential's social media tracking to measure blog traffic as well as social media engagement so I gave it a shot.  Apparently a shot was all I needed. 

The African Blogger Awards aims to acknowledge the top African talent in the world of Bloggers, YouTubers, Facebookers, Tweeters, and Instagrammers. These awards provide an opportunity to the most successful online influencers in Africa to be recognised for their hard work in growing and keeping their communities active and engaged.  Reading this makes me really proud of the achievement and recognition that this blog has received.  Now all I can hope for is similar recognition from my peers and those making use of bloggers  in their campaigns or just to create content.  To my regular followers, thanks you for sticking around and enjoying what I have to share.  I may not be a professional photographer or writer (well, hopefully at some stage in the future I will make some money from doing it) but I do it because I have an absolute passion for travel and really enjoy sharing what I see, discover and experience with you.  This one, is for you.

Kareedouw Church flowers

I love the bright red flowers vs blue sky colour contrasts in this photo I took of the historic Dutch Reformed Church in Kareedouw in the Langkloof.

Fort Peddie flowers

A little while ago I stopped by Fort Peddie on my way from Port Elizabeth to East London and discovered this historic site while hunting for a Geocache.  The thing with most travelers is that they are so focused on the big things that they often miss the little ones.  In this case the big things were the old tower and the cavalry barracks which I both went to have a look at.  The former to find the cache and the latter because I wanted to see it as I was there already.  I noticed these pretty purple flowers growing outside the old stables and the staff working in the office nearby must have had a good laugh at me crawling around trying to get a nice pic without catching my own shadow.

Regyne - the biggest commercial protea farm in the world

The Tsitsikamma is more than just indigenous forests, rugged coastlines and adrenalin filled adventure activities.  I'm going to lie if I say I didn't know it, but its always great to spread the word.  Our Sho't Left in the Tsitsikamma and Eersterivier area included a visit to Regyne, the biggest commercial protea farm in the world.  Tours of the farm is organised by Oudebosch Farm Stall who does a tour and lunch as well as a tour and afternoon tea and cake option for groups. 

Joining us on the tour were fellow travel bloggers Dawn Jorgensen of The Incidental Tourist, Di Brown of The Roaming Giraffe and Linda Markovina of Moving Sushi.  We were met by Hanli Viljoen who took us on a tour of the farm and its facilities.  Regyne's protea fields cover 80 hectares and they produce flowers primarily for the export market.  Proteas are cut, sorted and trucked straight to the airport for export.  Hanli started off by showing us their sorting shed and cold room.  Because it was weekend there were no staff on site, but she explained the process they followed.  Most of the proteas were shipped out the day before but there were still an impressive variety of flowers in the cold room for us to see.  From here we moved onto the protea nursery where Hanli spends most of her day.  It was unbelievable that the proteas are actually grown from seed and how the seedlings are handled before going into a field.  We also visited one of the fields where they grow King Proteas, South Africa's national flower.  Seeing them grow like that makes me want some in my own garden.  I didn't think the KidZ would be very interested in the farm, but they actually paid very close attention and I think enjoyed it and learned as much as we did.

Disclosure: We visited Regyne Protea Farm as guests of Oudebosch Farm Stall.  I received no further remuneration, wasn't asked to write a positive post and keep full editorial control.

Tsitsikamma Lily

My three favorite flowers are aloes, proteas and arum lilies.  All flowers you can see in gardens and parks but at their most beautiful when you see them out in the wild.  Aloe flowering in the Karoo, proteas in the Fynbos on a mountain side and lilies growing wild in the forest.  This lily I found next to the path on the way to Kerneels se Klip in the Tsitsikamma National Park.  I was hoping to find one in the sun but being in a forest means lots of shade.