Morning chill, afternoon sun

Since some people think that smog-filled sunrises near high-rises are pretty it's only fair to point out that nothing beats the sun rising on a clear morning behind the olive trees.........except for the fact that it's about 5 degrees and the only place I felt like watching this from was inside my office next to the heater. It's been cold enough that even the cars need blankets at night:
OK I know 5 isn't that cold. Even though it dropped to -1 the other morning (and the ground was white with frost so while driving past the cork oaks I lost track of where I was and thought I was passing through snow-covered forests in Germany but then I drove over the hill back into the olive groves and there was no way I could be anywhere but Mediterranean Europe) I know some of you are living in -30 and will tell me I have it good. But as you can see below I've come from sun and beaches and waterfront bars (and girl but thats another topic) so for me it's cold here and I'm over it. Those in Perth who are sick of 40 degree days are welcome to swap.Low tide, the beach at Hermanus. The people are digging for white mussels/clams (conservationists don't stress its licensed/quota-controlled), the collie is just having fun.
Working here can be dangerous. One of the guys here couldn't come to work today because he was cooking a sausage on the grill and some fat squirted in his eye. Don't stress he's fine. But at times like this I wish I still worked for Rio and could do an incident investigation and email it to lots of people. Somebody do a hazard report for me. Please.

Spot the lion

There is a lion somewhere in this photo. If you think you know where place an X and submit your entry to Praca Miguel Bombarda 14. First correct entry wins a prize.....
And why aren't the lions front, centre and posing for the camera? Well the fence in the background divides the game park from the neighbouring farm. The lions prefer to sit and watch the sheep go by rather than wait for tourists.

Iconic

If there is one landmark that defines Cape Town, one image which appears in people's minds when you mention the city it is Table Mountain. Out of the 650 photos I took there I can safely say one third are of the mountain - from morning through to sunset, from the front, back, side and even on top. It is a constant backdrop to everything else you're doing or seeing in CT, and when the light and the weather change it's appearance it seems to reflect the mood of the city below. So if I'm going to show you CT it's best we go round the mountain first.

Devils Peak and the "Table" from Newlands cricket ground

Poking up behind the grape vines at Groot Constantia - for some reason mountains and vineyards combine in almost half my photo's this trip.....

The classic Table Mountain view

This photo is taken by every visitor to CT - the mountain behind the V&A Waterfront where the docks have been redeveloped into a shopping/eating/tourism precinct. Locals will have you believe it's just for tourists but we seemed to end up there meeting people plenty of times! not that I ever complain about drinking by the water ;)

Castle Rock (or Nursery Buttress) taken from Kirstenbosch Gardens

Joerg and I were planning to climb the mountain at some stage but unfortunately the weather and other commitments (including laziness brought on by alcohol and over-eating!) combined to frustrate us. Which route we should take provided dinner-time debate for several of our hosts though for us names like Skeleton Gorge or Nursery Ravine tended to raise some different issues.

Looking across Hout Bay from Chapmans Peak to the "back" of the table.

Another tourist shot - and a cute couply photo in case you're not tired of them - the view from the cable-car station up the cableway to the top.

The green side of the mountain as it's enfulged by cloud - the southern slope with the University of Cape Town and the Rhodes Memorial.

The "tablecloth" creeping over the mountain

The tablecloth is supposed to come in from the sea during the afternoon and cover the mountain but it seemed to like defying the script - present in the morning and then dissipating as if whisked away to get ready for the evening serving or, as on this occasion, covering part of the mountain then stopping. On the day we went up the mountain it did both - we raced to the cableway after lunch when we realised the cloud was gone but when we got to the top the cloud was lurking to the south, threatening to blanket us. However the only thing rolling in was tour busses as we left, racing to herd their charges into the cablecar before the cloud returned.

Sunset over the mountain from the comfort of the stoep

RIP

For every bit of happy news it seems there must also be some sad. No words for a mate departed: even if they reach you you must've had your reasons, theres still the disbelief that someone who enjoyed experiencing as much as he could would stop before he experienced it all, someone who enjoyed meeting people so much would prefer to stay alone. Thoughts are more with those there today, those who remain, searching for clues from a look in a photo, words once spoken or written, wondering why and what now. What now should be to live life the way he did not the way he passed - happy, taking every opportunity, no regrets, letting his memory live in what we do with our lives.

Times like these you wonder whether it's so great being so far away.

Whats going on here?!

Am back from South Africa but there's only going to be one bit of news anyone's interested in: last weekend Bry and I got engaged (and through good planning the moment was recorded for you!). There's a lot of emotion especially now we're apart again but all I'll say here is I'm very happy; I kept getting told in CT that Bry was the nicest person they knew and how lucky I was but no-one needed to tell me that! I'm going to say even less on when/where the wedding will be as we might work on being in the same country before planning that!!! but we will give everyone overseas plenty of warning. And the ring?!

Not bad eh?!