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.  

Suburban grass fire

On Friday afternoon I made a quick stop for bread on my way home. As I came out the supermarket I saw the fire department's grass fire truck go by and noticed smoke just up the road. I rushed over and found a grass fire next to the suburb of Overbaakens. The fire truck pulled in just after me (yes, I took a shortcut) and the team got their kit out very quickly and got working on the fire. I was actually very impressed with the speed they got working on stopping the fire from getting to the houses. There are more picture on The Firefly Photo Files.

Standing in line for tax

Yesterday (Friday, 20 November) was the deadline for submissions of personal tax forms. As per any deadline there were lots of people who hadn't done it timely either manually or via e-filing. I drove past the SARS (South African Revenue Service) office in town at about 1pm and this was the line standing outside the door in the early summer heat.

The second photo is just to show how the line continued past the Phoenix Hotel next door.

Post no 499... big changes coming!

Apple Express Trains being refurbished at the diesel depot in Humewood, reflecting in the engineers pit.

OK, we have a sort of "good news ,bad news" scenario for you. The bad news is that after almost 500 posts on this blog, we are ready to take a break. We have made some wonderful friends around the world, and it has been fun. We will miss you, and I know many of you enjoy your visits to see what is going on in PE.

So that is where the good news comes in... we don't want to abandon you guys who love checking up on the old home town from time to time. And we are leaving you in some extremely capable hands... Firefly is an ex tour guide and works in the tourism industry. He is passionate about PE, and very well informed too, as well as a great photographer. He has agreed to adopt our baby and keep it going.

So tommorrow we will go out with a bang, and our 500th post will be some of our all time favourite photos... and then on Sunday, please welcome Firefly into the driving seat, we are sure you will enjoy the ride!

Save the planet.....Recycle

It is utterly crazy that in a city the size of Port Elizabeth, no municipal structures exist for the recycling of waste. Luckily, for those of us who care more about the planet than our town fathers (and mothers!) do, these enterprising ladies have set up a company called Greencycle, to help with recycling in PE. For a nominal monthly fee, they will collect your plastic, metal, glass and paper waste, and make sure it is distributed to the correct recycling plants. Well done ladies! If you want to know more, or sign up, you can e mail them at laurajhenderson@hotmail.com

Mastertons.... Full Steam Ahead

Hi, just to set the record straight, please entirely ignore the previous post (except for the photo, of course!) I got a call this morning from James Masterton, who was understandably unhappy to read about the closing of his business, since it is NOT TRUE! Not only is he extremely busy, but his son is working there too and they have even bought another property in Central, and have plans for expansion, as they are battling to cope with demand. I am really sorry to have posted misinformation, I just wish I could remember where I read it. Unfortunately I have diligently put all my used papers into the recycling, so can't go through them to find it, and the websites of the knock and drops don't have proper search facilities. However, as you can see from the smoke pouring out of the chimneys in this photo, taken this morning, the roasting is in full swing, and you can still get your favourite coffee from Mastertons!

Farewell brave lady....

Yesterday flags in South Africa flew at half mast in honour of Helen Suzman, who for many years was the lone opposition voice in Parliament, speaking out against Apartheid. She died last week at age 91, and leaves behind a proud legacy.







Helen Suzman has always been a hero in our eyes, the way she bravely stood her ground when all those Nat chauvinists were giving her a hard time, yet never lost her dignity or humanity or integrity was so inspiring! It is very seldom that we will feel much sadness in the passing of a politician. We generally view them as a self serving bunch at best, but there are some glowing exceptions, people who have used their power to really make the world a better place. Helen stood shoulder to shoulder with Nelson Mandela as one of those. (Metaphorically at least, in reality he is tall and she was tiny!) I hate to think where this country would be now without their influence and contribution.

Community get together...

Richmond Hill and Central have earned themselves reputations as the crime hotspots of Port Elizabeth. To a degree there may have been some justification for this, but that is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. The activities of the Richmond Hill Sector Crime Forum have made the area an uncomfortable place to commit crimes in, and there has been a marked drop in crime stats recently. This is because the community, instead of isolating themselves behind bars, have joined forces to act against crime, and the positive spinoff of this has been a great increase in neighbourliness and community spirit.

This was particularly evident today, at the final meeting of the year, which was held at Richmond Park in the form of a community picnic. The kids had a ball, and a certain dude in a red suit also showed up and gave them tractor rides around the park.

An invitation......

...something a bit different today....


instead of an actual photo of PE, here is a photo of a painting of PE!

Looking down Parliament Street towards the bay. Oil on canvas, 750x950mm.

I have been invited to exhibit in an exhibition in a private home, along with a group of artists whose work I have great admiration for, so if any of you are going to be in PE this weekend and are into art, here is an invitation for you:

Art Exhibition

5-6 December 2008 09h00-17h00

15 Providence Place, Old Seaview Road

Enquiries: Hannalize 0823736510

Tea Garden

SUE HOPPE Ÿ DUNCAN STEWART Ÿ DAVID MOSS Ÿ BEV BRETTENNY
YVETTE MEY Ÿ KAREN MARAIS Ÿ ELSABE RETIEF Ÿ ALIDA STEWART
TESS LOVEMORE ŸHANNALIZE SCHULTZ Ÿ SONIA STRUMPFER

If you are not going to be here, but would like to see more, I have posted some of the new paintings on my art blog.

Fire in Albany Road

Albany road seems to be an interesting road, recently we featured floods there, from a burst pipe...

Yesterday, as I often do when I am wandering around the house, I looked up to check the view through the front window, and there wasn't one! I checked the side window to see if a mist was coming in but it was bright and clear... so I realised I was looking at a fire in the valley.


Luckily the fire department were already there....

And the smoke was soon joined by clouds of steam as they hosed down the surrounding vegetation.

Ooooops

A water pipe burst in Albany Road (one of our main arterial routes leading to the sea) last week. Apparently it created a stir in the early morning traffic. By the time I got there an hour later, the Municipal workers were hard at work trying to sort it out. It seems to have undermined the subsurface under the tar, and later in the day a truck sank into the hole and ended up with its tail in the air (a bit of a bummer for the driver, hehe). The bright white patch you see in the background is the sea, the sun was still low and glancing off the water in a dazzling glow.