Moss and mushroom

Nelson Mandela Square

Nelson Mandela Square is geleë in die hartjie van Sandton, Johannesburg en die fokuspunt van Nelson Mandela Square is 'n ses meter hoë brons standbeeld van die bekende staatsman homself.  Die standbeeld is in 2004 onthul om nie net die tiende verjaardag van Sandton City winkelsentrum te vier nie, maar ook 10 jaar van demokrasie.

Die standbeeld self staan nie net ses meter hoog nie, maar weeg ook 2,5 ton.  Ek wonder of Kobus Hatting en Jacob Maponyane, die kunstenaars verantwoordelik vir die standbeeld, ooit gedink het dat dit seker die mees gefotografeerde standbeeld in Suid-Afrika sou word.

Vergelegen tree

This black and white is of one of the historic Campher Trees at Vergelegen in Somerset West

Sweef teen sonop met 'n Warmlugballon

Ahhhhhh, om rustig te sweef deur die lug terwyl die son opkom in die ooste. Die stilte word net gebreek deur die klank van die vlam wat kort kort meer warm lug in die ballon inblaas. 'n Uitsig soos min met plaaswerkers wat oppad is lande toe doer onder jou and die Hartebeespoortdam wat glinster in die verte.  Daar is bitter min dinge wat naby kom aan 'n warmlugballon vlug saam met die legendariese Bill Harrop homself.

Ek moet eerlik wees en sê dat 'n vlug op 'n warmlugballon nie regting op by bucketlist was nie omdat ek hoogtevrees het, maar toe ek die kans kry om op 'n vlug te gaan het ek nie nee gesê nie.  Die eerste deel van die vlug het ons reedelik laag gevlieg en vir my was dit die lekkerste deel van die vlug.  Diep in my hart het het bebid dat ons nie regtig baie hoër sal gaan nie, maar ek het geweet dat dit uiteindelik sal kom.

En dit het.  Ek kon hoor die ander mense in die mandjie was baie opgewonde toe Bill aankondig dat dit nou tyd is om bietjie hoogte te kry.  Ek was nie heeltemal so seker nie.  Op, op, op het ons gegaan en op 'n stadeem het ons 1000 meter bo die grond gesweef.  My vingers al hoe dieper in die mandjie se rand probeer indruk en my hart het in my keel geklop.  Maar die adrenalien het gepomp and ek het dit darem reggekry om een of twee fotos daar van bo af te neem. 

Vir 'n uur of so het ek gevoel soos 'n arend wat op die lugstrome sweef, maar voor jy dit weet stryk ons neer en pik die ondersteuningsvoertuig ons op op betyds terug te wees vir ontbyt.  Dit was regtig 'n wonderlikke ervaring om te onthou en oor en oor vir mense van te vertel.  Iets wat ek enigetyd weer sal doen.

Vergelegen

The Vergelegen Wine Estate in Somerset West is less than an hour's drive from Cape Town yet back in the 1700's it took three days by ox wagon to get there.  In 1700 Willem Adriaan van der Stel succeeded his father, Simon van der Stel, as governor of the Cape and it didn't take him long to claim himself a modest 30,000 hactre piece of land just like his father had done with Constantia.  The farm was on the slopes of the Hottentots Holland mountains with beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean and was called 'Vergelegen' meaning 'situated far away' due to the distance from Cape Town.  Willem Adriaan planted vines as well as fruit orchards and also started farming with cattle and sheep.  Shortly after he left the Cape the estate was sold and divided into four separate farms namely Vergelegen, Lourensford, Morgenster and Cloetenburg. 

The old Cape Dutch style homestead has been turned into a museum offering visitors a glimpse into a 300 years of Vergelegen's existence showcasing select treasures of early Cape Furniture, objects and textiles.

Directly behind (or in front, depending how you look at it) the house stand five giant Camphor Trees.  These trees are the oldest living, officially documented trees on the sub-continent and was planted by van der Stel somewhere between 1700 and 1706.  The trees are officially protected and were proclaimed National Monuments in 1942.

To the side of the manor house visitors will find the Royal Oak.  The tree was planted in 1928 and according to the first plaque under it was grown from one of the last acorns of King Alfred's Oak at Blenheim Palace in England.  A second plaque states that acorns from this oak was personally collected on 23 April 1947 by His Majesty King George VI for replanting in Windsor Great Park.  Two other plaques commemorate the first visits to Vergelegen by Queen Elizabeth II (21 March 1995) and  Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall (5 November 2011).

Skateboarding down the Donkin

One of the things that the redevelopment of the Donkin Reserve in Port Elizabeth has done was inadvertently create the ideal winding downhill skateboard (long board) coarse.  This has led to the first Donkin Downhill Dash taking place today.  The pathway, starting up at the historic lighthouse and pyramid with its crosses representing democratic votes past and future, makes its way down towards Chapel Street and are long enough for the top skaters to clock times of about 1 minute 22 seconds.

The turnout was quite good with over 50 skateboarders taking part and hundreds of people turning out to watch what is hopefully the first of many such competitions to come.  It was also the ideal opportunity for the photographers of the city to bring out their hardware and shoot the action with me starting to get some lens envy watching some of the guys click away with their big cameras and lenses.

After a couple of warm up runs the first heats took place with everybody getting a run.  It was a timed event which means a race against the clock and not against each other on the coarse.  During the lunch break the guys were doing free runs again before the second heat and it was nice to get a couple of photos with more than one skater in the picture.

This event and the venue has great potential to become very big and we will hopefully see both national and perhaps even international skaters here in future.

Die gezoem van die bye

Daar is 'n gesegde wat sê: "Gaan groot of gaan huis toe".  Miskien het hierdie heuningby dit gedink op haar daaglikse nektar ronte.  Hoekom nou in klein blommetjies gaan rondkrap as daar 'n perfekte goeie Koningsprotea is om in te gaan nektar versamel.