Kudu...Did do!

Unexpected Visitor - Spotted Skaapsteker

2008-10-19T17:02:00.008+02:00

One of the "features" (aka: unwanted / unexpected things) of living on the mountain is the wild life you find regularly in your garden - which happens to includes snakes.

Found this little one on my stairs this morning. It was very quick, seemed very aggressive, although being this small, you'd have to be feisty, I guess.

I snapped a couple of pics (besides this one, I mostly only got 1/2 of him because he slithered away so quickly).

I used this on to try and find it on Google.

I was surprised to find that there aren't (m)any good snake identifying websites for South Africa.

You snake lovers out there really should get a better catalogue together. Or advertise them better. It took me ages to find any useful information. (There is plenty on cobras and puff adders, but not so much on the many other types we come across in the mountains)

Anyway, I think I managed to track this one down. Seems to be called a Psammophylaz rhombetus or (in English / Afrikaans) Spotted Skaapsteker. They are cute, small (grow to 60 cm in the Western Cape) and not dangerous at all... Shew!

I found some info on an eco travel website and a picture on africapic website and the Claphotos website . Hopefully I have id'd it correctly - anyone who knows better, please let me know!

2 FRIENDS - 2 HEMISPHERES - 52 WEEKS

2008-10-16T09:49:00.002+02:00

Every once in a while I come across a website or blog that I really like. I guess like most people, I enjoy looking at original works of art made by people who care about what they are putting up, rather than the sites full of flickering spam advertising and all that nonsense.

In particular I enjoy looking at photographs; to me, they portray different points of view, through different eyes. You will notice how differently people view the world when you look through their lens.

I am currently following a blog entitled Otherside of the World, where 2 photographers post (almost) corresponding images from opposite ends of the earth. This is a perfect example of how differently we interpret the world...

Updated regularly and full of beautiful photographs, I highly recommend you have a look at their website

Their most recent post (fairytale mushroom and other fun guys) is a great example!

It's Blog Action Day, TODAY: 15 October

2008-10-15T13:41:00.012+02:00

Blog Action Day is Today: 15th of October and they asking everyone with a blog to discuss poverty. Their hope is to raise awareness through conversation on the topic. Perhaps talking can lead to ideas and perhaps some ideas will lead to action and that action is what we need.

I can't really say much about poverty without sounding facetious as I have never experienced it, first hand. I am one of the fortunate ones who were not born into it. I know that most of my country faces the pains of poverty daily and while I can't do a lot, I am obligated to do something.

Talking about it is easy. Asking people to contribute to the conversation is another thing. It seems to illicit some strange uneasiness. They seem to shy away from the physical action of THINKING about OTHERS. Now try getting them to DO something!

Whether you're too shy or just haven't given it another thought, here are some easy (you don't have to get off your arse) way's of contributing. I have already blogged about Google's Project 10 to the 100th If you have an idea (any idea) to help dispel poverty, then please submit it before the 20th of October!

I have found another online project, this time by Trip Advisor.

On the 12th of November they will be donating $1-million to 5 chosen causes. The money will be divided up amongst the causes according to how many votes they receive.

All of them very worthy causes and all you need to do to vote is click a button!

On today's topic of poverty, there is more than 1 cause you could click for. Vote Here

As if you need a little incentive; your vote also gets you a free Green Travel Guide - Vote to find out more! (Image borrowed from Trip Advisor)

If you are one of the more motivated people in our population and you feel that you have skills, but don't know how you could possibly apply them assist your poverty stricken, fellow South Africans why not have a look at the Greater Good SA website for lots of ideas and notices of what you can do or give (or both!).

Greater Good SA organised 'Do it Day' in September, which was a stunning success! See my posts in September for more info on what we got up to.

Helen Zille named World's Best Mayor for 2008

2008-10-14T08:59:00.006+02:00

Back in June I received an email which told me about an online vote for the Best Mayor on the Planet. I was pleased to see that our very own Cape Town mayor, Helen Zille, had made it as a finalist: in the top 50 out of 820 mayors around the world.

I went onto the World Mayor website and saw that out of those 50, there were only 3 from Africa and of those three, 2 were from South Africa!

• Omar El Bahraoui, Rabat, Morocco

• Helen Zille, Cape Town, South Africa

• Amos Masondo, Johannesburg, South Africa

Helen Zille, who also heads up the Democratic Alliance (our country's opposition party) received votes and support from all around the world. One of my favourite quotes; as it sums up her efforts in an eloquent nutshell is:

"Helen Zille runs probably the most sensitive and challenging Unicity in the world, yet has done so in a friendly, professional, compassionate manner, using her outstanding leadership and inter-personal skills to hold together a fragile political coalition and deliver on the promises to ALL the people of Cape."

The final selection was not based on votes alone. This is to avoid bias against countries with a smaller online community. Voters were encouraged to give reasons for their votes and those supporting messages (just like the quote above) together with the number of votes were added together and resulted in the unanimous decision from the judges. The new Mayor of the Year for 2008 is Helen Ziller. As a Captonian, that makes me very proud and very inspired!

Congratulations on a job well done!

For a list of all the runner's up, you can follow this link

And this just goes to show that your vote really does make the difference!! Saffers; don't forget to register to vote on 8/9 November 2008 for our South Africa General Elections in 2009. See the IEC website for details: http://www.elections.org.za/

Summer in Cape Town

2008-10-12T19:53:00.000+02:00

Finally, the rain is less frequent, the sun is warmer and we can start enjoying summer.

We kicked it off in style with sun downers on Llandudno Beach. A couple ice cold beers, some good friends and awesome setting.

Soaking up the warm afternoon sun, checking out the surfers - yep... this is what we've been waiting for!

Already planned for the next couple of weekends (after a short trip back to mud-island!) is sandboarding in Hout Bay - which I've never attempted... but really, how hard can it be??

After that we've got camping and river-rafting on the Breede River just outside of Cape Town. Lots of activities lined up to keep us out of trouble and enjoying the outdoors. The great thing about all these mini adventures, of course, is that we get to meet new people - the like-minded kind, which is always a bonus.

Roll on summer (in earnest!) and hey, if the wind blows, we'll either head off to Tokai Forest for some mountain biking or bring out the kites!!

And if you think this is a little OTT on the whole outdoor adventure thing, don't forget that we are actually in training for Kili... so it's all necessary hard work; really...

I'm going to be on my lonesome from next week for a whole 2 weeks - which is to say, this bLog going to be updated a little more frequently than it has been. Expect some more photos and random jibber jabber.

Project 10 to the 100th

2008-10-01T12:33:00.007+02:00

As part of their 10 year anniversary, G oo gle is committing

$10 million towards: Project 10 ¹⁰⁰

If you have an idea that can change the world, save an environment or simply make a person's life a little easier or a lot better then you should submit it at "Project 10 to the 100th".

G oo gle is asking anyone and everyone who has ideas to submit them by 20 October 2008 at:

http://www.project10tothe100.com/submit_your_idea.html

Categories for your ideas should fall into any one (or more) of the following:

Community: How can they help connect people, build communities and protect unique cultures?
Opportunity: How can they help people better provide for themselves and their families?
Energy: How can they help move the world toward safe, clean, inexpensive energy?
Environment: How can they help promote a cleaner and more sustainable global ecosystem?
Health: How can they help individuals lead longer, healthier lives?
Education: How can they help more people get more access to better education?
Shelter: How can they help ensure that everyone has a safe place to live?
Everything else: Sometimes the best ideas don't fit into any category at all.

They have set out a few guidelines to consider:

Reach: How many people would this idea affect?
Depth: How deeply are people impacted? How urgent is the need?
Attainability: Can this idea be implemented within a year or two?
Efficiency: How simple and cost-effective is your idea?
Longevity: How long will the idea's impact last?

We send our submission and we vote for our favourite ideas. From the top 20 ideas voted by us, an advisory board will select up to 5 final ideas.

Voting for the best idea begins on 27 January 2009. You can set a reminder to vote by following this link.

This is another great opportunity for people and companies alike to make a difference. In South Africa there are so many ideas we could come up with to help our people. Let's get our thinking caps on and get submitting! G oo gle's slogan for this project is:

May Those Who Help The Most Win

You can check out their details at: www.project10tothe100.com

SA's new Cabinet

2008-09-25T15:15:00.001+02:00

What more can I say except; here's the head of the new, new South Africa:

New President Kgalema Motlanthe

SA's new Cabinet

1. The Deputy President

Ms B Mbete

2. The Minister of Foreign Affairs

Dr NC Dlamini-Zuma

3. The Minister of Defence

Mr C Nqakula

4. The Minister of Finance

Mr TA Manuel

5. The Minister of Provincial and Local Government

Mr S Shiceka

6. The Minister of Transport

Mr JT Radebe

7. The Minister of Social Development

Dr ZST Skweyiya

8. The Minister of Public Enterprises

Mrs BS Mabandla

9. The Minister of Communications

Dr IF Matsepe-Casaburri

10. The Minister of Public Service and Administration

Mr R Baloyi

11. The Minister of Labour

Mr MMS Mdladlana

12. The Minister of Public Works

Mr GQM Doidge

13. The Minister of Intelligence

Mr S Cwele

14. The Minister of Health

Ms B Hogan

15. The Minister in The Presidency

Dr ME Tshabalala-Msimang

16. The Minister of Correctional Services

Dr BMN Balfour

17. The Minister of Housing

Dr LN Sisulu

18. The Minister of Safety and Security

Mr EN Mthethwa

19. The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mr ME Surty

20. The Minister of Education

Mrs GNM Pandor

21. The Minister of Arts and Culture

Dr ZP Jordan

22. The Minister of Sport and Recreation

Rev MA Stofile

23. The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism

Mr MCJ van Schalkwyk

24. The Minister of Trade and Industry

Mr MB Mpahlwa

25. The Minister of Science and Technology

Mr MA Mangena

26. The Minister of Mineral and Energy

Ms BP Sonjica

27. The Minister of Home Affairs

Ms NN Mapisa-Nqakula

28. The Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry

Ms LB Hendricks

29. The Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs

Ms LM Xingwana

Einsey Weinsy Spider and all that rain...

2008-09-23T11:51:00.008+02:00

While the rest of the country is loving the sunshine and warm weather Spring has brought them; Cape Town is still under water. How much rain is still going to fall out of the sky?? With beautiful, lush green plants and trees right outside my office window and with non-stop pouring rain, I feel like I have relocated to the jungle. Except there aren't any jungle monkeys. Some squirrels... but no monkeys.

Apparently Table Mountain managed some snow on Friday too, although there are enough forums arguing the point and not nearly enough photos to convince everyone... Either way... where is Spring and (more importantly!) where is Summer?

Not only am I bored and wanting to go play outside, but the other thing all this rain has brought in, is spiders. Horrible, too-many legged spiders! My colleague has been bitten on her leg and had ended up with Cellulitus. Yuck! The problem is, she doesn't know where (at home or in the office) she's been bitten. So it's very possible that we have a rogue (and very poisonous, according to her doctor) spider dining on our legs as we sit here staring at the damn rain.

I've decided a Spring clean (excuse the crappy pun) is in order. Bugs, you have until this afternoon to move back out to the rain forest you came from, otherwise you can face the fumigator!!

Man... I can feel the little buggers all over... blagh!

We Did It!

2008-09-19T20:58:00.005+02:00

When I came back to CT, I told a lot of my friends that one of the things I most looked forward to, was the fact that in SA we really can make a difference. It isn't difficult to do, you don't need a special permit or special training. You can volunteer to do just about anything.

On Friday 19 September, we painted a boy's

home in Khayelitsha; The Bridge at Elukhuselweni Children’s Home.

Elukhuselweni means 'Place of Safety'.

The home hasn't been left to ruin, by any means, but put on a coat of paint and the place is transformed. There are currently 46 boys who live there, aged between 7 - 18 years. I'd refer to them as street children, which (I didn't know) is a name they despise. Most of the boys do have families, but for reasons such as poverty or addiction in the families, they are unable to go home.

At Elukhuselweni they learn to take responsibility for their own lives. They have to let go of the seemingly easier life on the street. The boys get pocket money amounting to between R6 and R11 (depending on their ages) per week. This is a far cry from what they can make on the streets begging or dealing drugs. They go to school, all over Cape Town and come home every night to a cooked meal, a bed and carers who act as parents and treat the boys as children.

The ability for someone like me to go into their home for a single day; paint the kitchen a nice new yellow, while listening to the boys running and playing and singing in the halls is what I meant when I said in SA we really can make a big difference so easily.

And we don't have to wait for the one day a year dedicated to it. There are tonnes of ways to help, whatever your location, skills or means. For more information, see the Greater Good SA website: http://www.myggsa.co.za/

Do It Day!

2008-09-18T12:28:00.000+02:00

Tomorrow, all around South Africa, hundreds of willing and able bodied people are giving up their time and skills for Do It Day.

Organised by Greater Good SA whose details can be found at: http://www.myggsa.co.za/

A few of us have signed up to paint a Elukhuselweni Children’s Home home in Khayelitsha:

http://www.myggsa.co.za/connect/doitday/146/

Beneficiaries

The 65 boys who have left the streets but cannot go home due to the situation, or for whom we cannot find any relatives. The Child Care Workers who look after the boys for very low pay.

Impact

For most of these boys, being in the Children’s Home is the first time in their lives that they can feel safe, secure and valued. Bright and clean surroundings contribute to the children’s self-esteem and pride in their Home. Clean painted walls make a huge difference to the atmosphere. By improving the physical environment, we lift the spirits of all the staff and children.

I'll let you know how it went...!

Oh for the Love of Peanut Butter!

2008-09-16T11:43:00.000+02:00

Peanut Butter, as anyone who knows me, is my all time favourite – Peanut butter toast would without a doubt be on my ‘final meal’ menu. I can eat peanut-butter-toast every single day for breakfast or lunch or supper quite happily!

I came across an article on the Food24.com website about random combinations of food that people eat. The dominating ingredient quite surprisinghly was peanut butter. I only say surprisingly as I don’t know anyone else who shares my love for peanut butter toast!

Reading through the article, I just cannot believe the things people to do peanut butter, and so I wanted to share some of the strangers one here:

eat with the flies

My "eat with the flies" snacks - warm Vienna's with a slit filled with peanut butter (my children are addicted - they think its normal food). – Mic

Peanut Butter and Tomato
One of my all time favourite Sarmie is: Thick Peanut Butter (smooth), thick sliced tomato, and a heavy dusting of Aromat to the point where the whole sarmie is yellow. I drool just thinking about it. - Gary Sardinha

Don't knock it...

Till you've tried it, but I LOVE peanut butter and fish paste - together - on hot buttered toast!! There is just something about the savory taste of peanut butter and fish paste. Friends of mine love peanut butter and tomato slices. Tried it and didn't care for it. - Sam G

SNACK ATTACK

Marie Biscuits with peanut "smooth"butter; Condensed milk on bread (yummy) - Farieda Classen

Nothing better

Peanut Butter and fried onions - its the best! – Mia

the best

peanut butter and banana on toast – Renier

cheesy peanut butter

A slice of thick cheddar cheese, peanut butter and marmite. What a lovely sticky combo!!! But beware it does get sticky and you will need something warm to wash it down with. – Tammy

Bovril & Peanut Butter on Toast Yum!!

There is nothing better than Bovril on warm toast with loads of real butter and peanut butter on top of that. To make this tasty treat even more delicious, dip into a cup of coffee and eat it like that! YUM! I cant wait to get home from the office because I know what I am gonna have ;) - Mike Eloff

Nutty Chick

I love to eat crunchy Black Cat peanut butter on toast with fried chicken and Nando's extra hot Peri sauce......yummy – Cupcake Good for comfort whole wheat bread, peanut butter(nutty) mix with honey, topped with cheddar cheese and ripe banana...... I always warm my cake in the miky for a few secs before eating it, it tastes fresher cos the cream and icing melts into it yummy!! – Mandy

Bovril & mayonnaise

Try either a Bovril & mayonnaise or a peanut butter & mayonnaise sandwich. – Ken

Images are courtesy of Greenhairmermaid & Raph's Healthy Snack

Smiles for Mondays

2008-09-15T12:38:00.006+02:00

Some people say that they are not 'cat people'. I don't really know what that means (because cats are people too!)

But whether you love 'em or hate 'em, the Internet is FULL of them and I've just come across this YouTube video, which has had me giggling...

Ninja Cat Comes Closer Without Moving

Whales, whales, whales!!

2008-09-13T19:13:00.009+02:00

On Saturday the weather was perfect! Clear African skies, 28 degrees, not a breath of wind and the ocean was glass-like. Across the bay, you can still make out snow capped mountains, a distant reminder that winter was only yesterday.

In order to make the most of the day, we decided to hire a canoe and launch from our favourite beach and just see how far we could make it.

Well literally within minutes of paddling away from the beach, we came within 10, maby 20 metres of a Southern Right whale just cruising by. The water was calm, there was no noise except for the very occasional exhalation and water spray coming from this amazing mammal. I cannot think of any words that could adequately describe that experience. We got as close as we dared, always trying not to forget just how much of the whale is completely hidden from view.

We quietly paddled away from Glencairn to Simon's Town and along the way, we passed a second whale. Again, all you could make out was the small area around its blowhole and with the rest of the whale completely submerged, just centimetres below the surface.

We got to Simon's Town harbour and after stopping in for some lunch (slap chips) we got back in the water and paddled back.

This was where we saw (fortunately from a distance) the whale breaching! Not, just once or twice - but 4 times! Launching itself out of the water and splashing down with amazing force! And then launching again and splashing! Of course being in a canoe, my camera was tucked away safely in the dry bag, so reactions were a bit slow and all I managed to capture was this last image, below.

Which is a little more exciting than my last attempt! (And if you look it up on Google Images, you'll see some better examples of what we actually saw)

You won't be able to grasp the awesomeness (is that a word??) of this experience, from my photos or my words - but if nothing else, I do recommend you find a way to experience this yourself!

Large Hadron Collider, Black Holes and what the hell am I doing at work??

2008-09-10T09:39:00.006+02:00

The Large Hadron Collider supposedly did its thang this morning. And the good news is we’re all still here… just as I was hoping we’d be. Having said that – it dawned on me just a few minutes before the smashing took place that I was at work… Sado. I mean really. On the off chance that we might actually have blown up the world, why did I dutifully come to work? I mean I don’t hate my job (or love it) but seriously – what was I thinking?

Clearly I wasn’t not too worried about the random smashing of atoms. Although in defiance of science (or whatever it is they are doing!) a few of us here smashed some atoms today as well: Stomp - stomp - stomp! (So there!)

In all seriousness (and also so that when everyone else talks about it I can add in some useful(less) tit-bits of information) I have tried reading the Wikipedia page on the collider; but I have to be honest: I only got as far as blah blah ZZZzzzzzz ZZZZzzzzz… where? what? now?

Which is to say that I got sucked into some weird black hole for a moment. Scary stuff - I don’t recommend it. Oh, and be careful with what you do with your atoms – you just never know what’s likely to happen!

The catwalk really needs some attention

2008-09-08T11:01:00.017+02:00

I was walking along the cat walk on Saturday, watching the whales playing in the bay (I am so very spoilt, I know!) I had to manoeuvre myself around the 'walkway closed' sign to actually get onto the catwalk. It did amuse me that there were so many people on there, walking over the broken slabs of concrete, taking a leisurely (if somewhat dodgy) walk.

The battering the coast has taken over the last few weeks in winter has certainly taken its toll on our beloved catwalk. Seems not to have put anyone off though - which is great.

And of course the fact that we can all just enjoy what is ours and decide for ourselves whether we want to risk the dangers of broken concrete is the exact opposite of what would happen in the nanny state I have just spent my last 4 years in. Which, I have to say is a really refreshing feeling!

When you're so used to being told what to do, where to do it and how to do it, it's kinda cool being back where you are actually allowed to think for yourself and make your own mistakes. And no one else is to blame for your stupidity, but you.

What a glorious, beautiful place to live!

Crimson Views

2008-09-05T15:00:00.005+02:00

What better way is there to celebrate the beginning of Spring, the emerging of hibernators, the end of a dark and dreary grey of winter, other than by packing a few things and heading out somewhere beautiful with a bunch of good friends. We found this amazing spot in Hermanus to stay – packed our bags for a 4-day weekend! We relaxed, we braai'ed, we drank, we laughed... Now that’s what I’m talking about!! The place we went to is called Crimson Views and from my photo you can totally see why!!

Our timing was perfect! There were 120 whales visiting Hermanus the weekend we were there. 120! I mean I’ve lived around the coast for many years and while I always love to stop and watch the southern right whales playing in the waves whenever they visit the Southern African coast, I suppose I kind of get used to them being there. But 120! That has to be the most I have heard of visiting Hermanus in one go.

This picture wasn't taken in Hermanus. It's taken off Glencairn (Cape Town). But look how close to shore these enormous whales come in. Ok, so as you can see, my photography skills (especially when it comes to mammals under the water!) are not great, but I’ll keep working on it.

Sooner or later, I am bound to get that great shot – hopefully a whale breaching. Now I’ve seen that before and that is truly astounding. You really get a sense of their size when they launch out of the water like that. Well I guess there are plenty more trips to the beach for me in the hopes of finding that good shot.

Bacardi at Skabenga’s Pub

2008-09-04T11:30:00.020+02:00

The sun has come out, the storms have passed and all is calm once more. And that can only mean one thing: It’s time to get down to the pub! And no one does it better than Capetonians. Slip off to Noordhoek after work, run up through The Red Herring and find a spot on the deck at Skabenga’s. The sun is setting, it’s happy hour, the place is buzzing and you waiter brings you an ice cold beer and the best pizza to be found on the Peninsula. It doesn’t take more than a couple of nanoseconds from the time to food arrives to the time Bacardi arrives.

Sweet little (big!) cat that he is… So much love and so much affection and so much of his face in our leftovers!

HAHAHA, Until that is, he dicovered the Tobasco Sauce!

Greenhairmermaid in Bo-Kaap

2008-09-02T20:24:00.013+02:00

The winner of the S cott Kelby Photowalk competition in Cap e Town is my very good friend and the extremely talented Greenhairmermaid. That one and some more amazing work can be found on Flick r.

Also from Greenhairmermaid and definitely one of my favourites is this one of Swinx

It's probably my favourite because I happen to know that as soft and cute as that photo makes her look... she's very sharp underneath all that ginger!

Thanks for the awesome images, chick!

How much incentive do you really need??

2008-08-30T18:36:00.010+02:00

I've been back from the UK for a few months now. It's good to be home (sweet home!). I have, however, slipped into permanent holiday mode which means too much eating and drinking and not nearly enough exercise.

A friend once told me that I am so lazy, that I'd rather run up a flight of stairs than walk, simply to not be walking up them anymore. Weird kind of logic, but true.

I've needed to get into an exercise regime, a pattern, something to get fit again. But I just couldn't find the right incentive. Until, that is, my brother started started talking about a big adventure. Climbing Kilimanjaro. In 5 months time.

WOW - how's that for an incentive to get fit? So, of course, I've set the wheels in motion, picked a date, talked some others into joining me, paid my deposit... all I need to do now is get fit!

I've signed up at the local gym (step 1) my mind is prepared for the adventure (step 2) I even have a holiday in Zanzibar tacked onto the end of all that work (as additional incentive, don't you know!) (step 3)

Exercise to follow.... tomorrow; I promise!

As long as I am learning....

2008-08-29T21:38:00.000+02:00

I've always said that everyone who is alive on earth is here to learn. So as long as you are still around, you've got something more to discover. Once you know it all - well then it's tickets for you.

The mere fact that we're still alive tells me that we're just not done learning yet... And so on my mission of discovery, I'll share my insights with you and maby I'll learn something from you, too.

One thing is for certain though - not everyone tries to learn. Not everyone is so keen on discovery. Some people, it seems, just don't care to learn anything new. Survival of the fittest?? Huh? Well there are too many people on this planet anyway!

As for cats?? Well they ruled the earth once - mine rules my home now... I guess the old phrase of 'treat 'em mean; keep 'em keen' still applies. Yes, Gizzy, I'll be right there...