Cape Town In Summer

This beautiful scenary comes from my archive of old vintage prints and photographs that I have been collecting since years. The Mother-City with the famous table cloth on Table Mountain and a fair maiden admiring the view.  This print is available in bigger sizes as well. To check it out click here.

Street Wise

Each and every one of the many posts that I have written on this blog has been inspired by the streets of South Africa. I love the streets and the people that make them alive. That is why I am a street photographer with my heart and my soul. For the pictures I take on the streets, I do not look for technical perfection in a photo but for the perfect moment.

When you look at my pictures and read my posts you understand with ease why the people of this great country are called the Rainbow Nation.

It is amazing and fascinating how many different individuals, with different core values, life situations, beliefs, skin colors, religions, social background and outlook on life live in South Africa. Some have only faith in themselves and some belief in god or another person they love and look up to. 

South Africa as the motherland has not reached the "greener pastures for all " of which so many have been dreaming, but the Rainbow Nation has come a long way since Nelson Mandela became president and the leader of a nation some 16 years ago.

The world wide economic recession has made poor people poorer and made the ones who had some loose some. But there is a common spirit - that it's worth to fight, work and get involved for a better, richer and more powerful South Africa that will in return become the provider for all. 

And people of all races and colors and educational background have become street wise, simply because they had to.

My friend and guest blogger Siyanda Nkonyeni (Siyanda's Dream) has written a wonderful article concerning the topic of self-help in South Africa for my other blog " The Mdantsane Way" which is a blog about the second biggest township in South Africa. Vukuzenzele means "help yourself "  or " just do it for yourself ". If you are interested just click on the link.

The old questions that lingers around is: Are men better cooks than women ? Who cares?

And who wants still KFC if you can have a spicy steak or sausage on a crispy roll with mustard  sauce or home made Chilli Chutney ? 

An Empty Plate Is Never Fun

A while ago I wrote about a cat who lives in an Antiques Shop in Quigney. The shop consists of three old colonial houses and for the cat it must be truly paradise. There should be a lot of mice and rats under the old wooden floors. But obvoiusly even in paradise one can get lazy.

And an empty bowl is never funny !

A man who works in the shop said to me : He makes people come closer and stroke him. But when you touch him, he bites you. A true Quigney cat ! "

Abseiling

Look Here Old Things Come And Spent A Moment

The Antiques Shop in Bedford-Please feel free to make an offer if you see something you like

Look here, Old Things, Come and Spent a Moment.!!!!

This is something that you simply should not say to me. Not in such a brutally open and merciless way. There is no rehab for this costly addiction. I can say this with certainty because I have been fighting it for many ways. 

We did spend a moment and looked thoroughly and it should cost us a little time and a little more petrol later on. Me and my brother got lost in Bedford !

A "calm" street in Bedford

Well, Bedford looks like this - on a busy day.

The circle in Bedford

Bedford is a town (I'd say village) in the centre of the Eastern province of South Africa. It was established in the mid-19th century when Sir Andries Stockenstroom sold portions of land from his farm Maastroom to raise funds for the restoration of his library, which had been burnt by British soldiers mistrustful of his attempts to broker peace in one of the Cape Frontier Wars

It is located on the southern edge of the Winterberg mountain range, in the smaldeel (a narrow strip of grass land running laterally from Fort Beaufort to Somerset East, renowned for its sweet grass). 

The town suffered a major decline in fortunes in the latter half of the 20th century before reviving itself around the turn of the millennium. It is regarded today as an artist's haven and retirement village.

( When I start sounding very formal you must know by now that the Wikipedia is involved again ) 

Beautiful old porch of a colonial house in Bedford

The thing about the artists haven was a bit hard to believe (forgive me Bedford artists). The "retirement village" I could imagine quite well.

There is not really something that would keep me there today if I had not any emotional or psychological ties or fallen in love out of some strange reason with a man in Bedford. 

Love can make you do strange things some times. But this was not the case this time. 

Except there was this little Antiques shop at the side of the main road. That was indeed a reason to stay there for a while.

Seduction at the side of  Bedford's road

with it's infatuating dirty nasty little sign board !

Antiques and Collectables aligned under the old corrugated iron roof of the old Antiques shop in Bedford

Two hours later with an enormous thirst, a couple of boxes of old grammophone records, German Majolica bowls, some rotten and badly mounted trophy horns and things I don't want to mention, not to compromise myself entirely, we left the hunting ground. The excitement was enormous, more for me than for my brother.

And then the unthinkable happened and became thinkable !

The public library in the Karoo Town of Bedford

On our way out we saw what must have been Sir Andries Stockenstroom's library. Fascinated we came to a circle with a monument and we circled around for a while, still looking at some gorgeous old palm trees and a very idyllic corner of which I had to take a picture. Unfortunately we circled out of Bedford in the wrong way.

After approximately 170 km we did not arrive at our destination in Graaff  Reinet from where we wanted to drive to Nieu Bethesda where a friend of ours was waiting with a delicious roasted chicken. But instead we entered Grahamstown again but this time from behind (only symbolically speaking), where we had been four hours ago.

To our defense we have to say that there was not one single signboard on the road for 170 km. If you think, that you have to say now, that this is not a reason, please keep it to yourself. The lunch became a very late dinner.

The Gate Of Mercy

The Gate of Mercy looks at you and your pitiful devaluating facial expression while you pass by and it says with confidence:

" I have a right to exist, so just walk on "

It has seen others like you before.

Quigney

Buona Sera Signorina

Buona Sera Signorina,

Buona Sera,

Where are you going signorina ?

Not knowing ?

where you going signorina ?

Well, then good night and buona sera pretty signorina

The Swallow And The Cat

A STORY OF TOO MUCH OF A DESIRED THING

The birds that live in the bush around my house have made my home their home. There are thousands of them and listening to them during day time feels like being in paradise.

Since a couple of months these two are keeping me company sitting on the open window frame of my office window while I work. Singing songs to me.

Flying in and out of the house and through the rooms seems a welcome distraction for them. The only problem at the moment are the windows whose transparency is mistaken for the African sky frequently. Transparency and hard matter is something that is not known in the swallow world.

If trapped what follows is great distress. And Fear. And submission. And there is another danger. IT SEEMS. But appearances can cheat. AND OFTEN DO.

Sometimes this can lead to a state of shock.

You do know her by now. Lucinda Engele - the perfect Sphinx like creature.
In the beginning her eyes used to turn black with desire and excitement when she saw a bird sitting outside on a branch. She revealed he cat nature and stalked for hours  as often as she could between long sleeping periods. 

But even her she became obedient to the great RULE OF LIFE : that indeed there can be too much of something in life. And if there is too much of something, even if it is a good and fine thing - that something stays not desirable. 

The wild birds had the impudence to not respect Sphinx territory and invaded her space. And this had to be punished in a definite ginger-cat manner.  

The least one can say is that she got bored... may be even made friends with them and recognized them as "our birds". Fact is she does not bother at all..

And eventually turns her back in a display of utmost ignorance to the feathered fellow in distress.

For me it was a chance to capture the perfectionism and beauty of a feathered dress in all detail.

Before experiencing the delight of having a wild swallow fly of my hand into liberty again.

And of course back to usual business.