A wave of pink at the Big Walk for Cancer

This morning the annual Algoa FM Big Walk for Cancer took place from the Boardwalk.  We joined over 10 000 other walkers, most of them in pink, in support of those who are busy fighting cancer, those who are cancer survivors and those who have lost the battle to cancer.  Just about everybody there are family or friends of one of the above so it truly is a very special day.  It took us a good 20 plus minutes just to cross the starting line, but once we got going it was a nice enjoyable walk on a warm morning along our very beautiful beachfront.  Just a pity for the fact that a whole lot of balloons got released at the start and those just blew straight out into Algoa Bay in the westerly wind.  So sad that many people are still ignorant about environmental issues like this and the impact these balloons has on the marine environment. 

Surfing at Pipe

I'm not a surfer.  I've never even had the opportunity to try.  I really enjoy body surfing though but perhaps one day I'll try doing it on a board.  It doesn't mean I don't enjoy watching surfers.  Discovered this video of surfing at Pipe by Grant Beck.

First cricket of the season

Drama Princess is sports mad and very competitive.  In the winter she plays netball and tennis and in summer she does athletics and plays cricket... Yes, you read correctly.  My daughter plays cricket.  She is one of three girls in the Newton Park Primary u/11 team and on Tuesday they played their first game of the season against St Dominic Priory.  I love seeing the reaction of the boys in the other teams when our team arrives.  Not one but three girls. Imagine the embarrassment of going out to a girl or having her klap you to the boundary.

Drama Princess finally got to bowl late in the innings and took a wicket with her first ball

Check out the bowling action

No fingers along the seam.  She rather rolls it over the seam and gets some turn.

Keeping the ball out the block hole

Waiting for the next ball

Unfortunately they came up short in the chase.  Can't wait for the next game.

The pier is open

Shark Rock Pier was reopened yesterday after extensive renovations.  I decided to take a quick walk down at lunch time to go and have a look.  The pier looks great after having all the steel and wood fixed up or replaced and it is ready for the many visitors coming to the city this coming season.

Cape Recife beacon

The beacon out at Cape Recife is one of two beacons that was used for shipping purposes before the invention of modern navigation technology.  The second beacon is the one on Marine Drive where Admiralty Road and Marine Drive comes together.  Ships sailing along the coast from the west had to line up the two beacons before they could turn into Algoa Bay.  This ensured that they were well clear of Thunderbolt Reef at the point as well as the reefs inside the bay itself.

Sun worshippers

The residents of the penguin pool at SAMREC having their morning sun worship.  Notice how it's not just penguins residing in the penguin pool. There's also a gannet on the right and a cormorant in the back. 

Cape Recife trail

The Cape Recife Nature Reserve has various trail options through the area with the 9 kilometer Roseate Tern Trail the most prominent.  The trail includes a walk along the coast line and through the vegetated dune field, visiting a bird hide, the Cape Recife Lighthouse and the old Second World War lookout and barracks along the way.  The trail also gives you the opportunity to see a wide variety of fauna and flora as well as to explore the rock pools along the coast.  There are a number of shorter trail options and people are also encouraged to go trail running in the reserve.  Cape Recife truly is an underutilized gem right here in the Friendly City.    

Flat rocks at Flat Rocks

Flat Rocks is the area between Pollok Beach and Cape REcife where the rocks stretch out to see at low tide.  The rocks are very accessible and very popular with fishermen.  The younger crowd in PE wouldn't know that the spot where the Flat Rocks parking area is now (across from the Humewood Golf Course entrance) used to be where the Palm Beach (Flat Rocks) Roadhouse was located.

Why were African Penguins previously called Jackass Penguins?

The African Penguin used to be called the Jackass Penguin.  A strange name for a penguin.  But how did it get that name? It is because the African Penguin's call sounds like a braying donkey.  Right, so now we have established that they sound like a donkey, but why were they called Jackass?  Donkey's are also called Asses (the scientific name is Equus africanus Asinus) while a male donkey is called a Jack.  Hence Jackass.  Check out this video by Hanging Out With Ryan of the penguins braying at SAMREC and tell me that doesn't sound like a donkey.

Cape Recife Lighthouse

I wish I had more time to go and explore Cape Recife Nature Reserve more often with my camera.  It offers so many photo opportunities, one of these being the Cape Recife Lighthouse.  The lighthouse was built in 1851 on the western point of Algoa Bay.  Cape Recife is one of the major turning points on the South African coastline and the lighthouse warns ships of Thunderbolt Reef and other hazards which they have to give a wide berth.  The tower stands 24 metres high and is equipped with a fog signal, radio beacon, a red light (28º) and the main flashing white light (332º) that shines every 30 seconds and is visible up to 29 nautical miles out to sea.

Together for 15 years through thick and thin

The Damselfly and I had our 15th anniversary two weeks ago and as it goes, posted about it on social media.  A few days later I got a call from a reporter at the Herald asking me if they could do an article in the La Femme supplement to include in their regular page celebrating weddings and anniversaries.  She emailed us a few questions and organised for a photographer to meet us for the picture.  The Damselfly mentioned in her answers something about her breast cancer process and a few more questions came her way.  The story fitted in nicely with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month and got published today along with a relevant article and information.  Below as some closeups of the article if you're interested in reading it.  

SAMREC's Must Touch Room

One of the attractions for visitors at SAMREC is the "Must Touch Room".  It allows interaction of the visitors, especially the kids, with different aspects of the marine environment.  There are just too many things to mention here, but visitors can touch shark teeth, a dolphin skull, stuffed marine birds and mammals, play games and learn lots of interesting facts while doing this.  Other than seeing the penguins, this must be the small visitors' favorite part of their visit to SAMREC.

Noordhoek coastal view

A drive through the Cape Recife Nature Reserve brought me to the Patti Beach parking area.  This is the view from the beach along the coastline looking towards Noordhoek. 

Shark watching

I just can't help but laugh every time I watch the penguins at SAMREC and one of them wants to jump off the diving board.  They literally look like they are scanning the water for sharks before they dive in.

Van Stadens pincushions

Pincushion Proteas in full bloom next to a dam in the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve

The Surf ART project

Yesterday I spotted a post on local surf blog Millers Local's Facebook page with the Surf Art video.  Surf Art Animation is a project by PE surfer and artist Luc van der Walt.  True Colours-ART to uplift, developed an art project for little surfers, which was launched about 6 months ago with this animation. They have since worked with 3 groups in Cape Town and J-Bay.  They are now looking for sponsorship and funding so that the project can play out with kids in Durban, and who knows, with the right support it could come to PE as well.  

Something Good Graffiti - the alien head

This piece of graffiti in front of Something Good really caught my attention.  Not because of it's size or the colours or artistic techniques, but rather the subject.  Not quite ET, not quite Gollum. Whoevere and whatever he is, he's clearly fascinated by that fishing hook he's holding.

Something Good Graffiti - Octopus

I had a meeting at Something Good at Pollok Beach the other day and just had to snap a pic of the graffiti on the walls in front of the restaurant.  Graffiti has gone huge in Johannesburg and we have a lot of catching up to do here in PE.  Some people love it while others don't, but love or hate, a piece like this does make you stop and take notice.

Where river and dune meet

The meeting place between the mighty Sundays River and the humongous Colchester sand dunes

Nanaga roosterkoek

Stopping at the Nanaga Farmstall for their delicious pies have become an institution over the years.  Not everybody is always in the mood for a pie though.  No problemo.  They also have mouthwatering roosterkoek.  I like mine with jam and cheese.  How do you like yours?

The Cockscomb on the horizon

Last weekend we took part in the Gamtoos Adventure Drive around the towns of Loerie and Hankey west of Port Elizabeth.  At one of the stops on one of the back roads between the towns I snapped this photo of the Cockscomb Mountains beyond the rolling hills of this part of the valley.  With a little HDR added, how can I not share this picture with you?

Pier framed ship

Regular Port Elizabeth Daily Photo follower Gerhard Burger sent me this picture of a ship framed by Shark Rock Pier last week for that day when I am in need of something to post.  Well, today is that day.  I seriously need to get out there with my camera more.  Strangely enough he took this picture on the same mor ning that we walked our sausages down on the beachfront so we could have been standing there next to each other at some stage.  Thanks for the pic Gerhard..  You're also now becoming a regular contributor.  

Aerial video clips of the Donkin and beachfront

While looking for a clip to post for this week's Video Friday I found this video on YouTube.  It involves aerial footage shot with a drone and a GoPro of the Donkin Reserve and the beachfront area. How I wish I had the money for a drone and GoPro.  Imagine the excellent footage I would be able to shoot on my travels. 

Donkin lights and structures












All along the Mosaic Steps up onto the Donkin Reserve from Chapel Street there is a series of light structures cut out of metal.  Forming part of the public art along Route 67, the project was a collaboration between student and school pupils with 34 of these telling stories of our past, present and future.  I was looking for a way to take a photo of some of the structures without just photographing them with the Donkin as background and decided to use both the Great Flag and the Donkin Lighthouse as background objects.

Ghostly ghost tour in Port Elizabeth

Over the weekend the local Geocaching community went on a Ghost Walk through Central led by Rose Trehaeven.  The walk was organised by fellow cacher Graham Chrich (better known in caching circles as Plainoldgraham) and he kept those of us who couldn't make it updated via our WhatsApp group with pictures to show us what we were missing.  He took this picture in front of the Grey Institute and as soon as he had posted it one of the other guys commented about the figure in the background.  It seems that only those of us not on the tour spotted it as those there didn't see anything out of place.  Can you? Have a closer look.

Mmmm,.. yes ok. Probably nothing... *looks over shoulder*

What do you think?

Fynbos Ramble

The Fynbos Ramble is one of several trails through the Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve.  They're all easy, manageable trails and well worth doing, specially this time of the year with all the proteas in flower. 

Van Stadens Proteas

Pin-Cushion Proteas growing on the slopes of the Van Stadens gorge

King Protea outside PE

Living in Port Elizabeth and wanting to see South Africa's national flower, the King Protea, growing somewhere in the wild? Then head out to Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve.  These beauties are in full bloom and stunning.

Closing the Voting Line chain

Drama Princess closing (or at least trying to) the link between the kids at the end of the Voting Line and the Madiba figure on the Donkin Reserve.  The Voting Line, an art piece by Anthony Harris and Konrad Geel, consist of life-size laser-cut figures simbolising voters as they were seen in the country's first democratic elections in 1994 and forms part of Rouet 67.

Urban Run 2015 highlights

Last weekend the annual Urban Run took place from the Donkin Reserve.  Runners got to tackle a 10 km course through the inner city, Central area, St Georges Park and Baakens Valley with 15 obstacles along the way.  We missed this year's event and if you did as well, join me in enjoying this highlights packages and hopefully I will see you on the course next year.

Shark Rock Pier and city centre

This is a bit of an unusual view of Shark Rock Pier.  I know it's a view a lot of people have seen before, but if you zoom in with the camera over a distance this angle puts Kings Beach and the city centre right behind the pier.