Ready for take-off

I was at the beachfront the other day keeping an eye on this kelp gull.  He was watching something in the water next to the wall and every time the wave hit the wall he flapped away like he didn't want to get wet.

Sunset from the sky

Flying home from Johannesburg a couple of weeks ago the sun set about 10 minutes before we landed as we were approaching Port Elizabeth over the Addo area.  This pic was taken on the same flight I took the pics of Coega Harbour and PE Harbour from.

Settlers Park flowers

Last Friday I posted a pic of a field of lilies taken at Settlers Park.  Next to the lilies were some yellow flowers and today's post shows them up close.

Summer is knocking

Spring may still be wet behind the ears, but the days are getting longer and warmer and summer is a knocking on the door.  This was very clear on Sunday when the temperature sored and the beachfront was packed.  People seemed to have dusted off their bathing suites already and, even though the water was still a bit on the chilly side, headed to the beach.  

Penguin Plod at Cape Recife

There were so much on in Port Elizabeth this past weekend that it would have been humanly impossible for one person to go to everything.  On Saturday there were three fun runs, the official opening of Route 67 (I will still go and photograph all of it to post on here), the re-opening of the restored Pearson Conservatory in St George's Park (will pop by there with the camera soon as well), the city's first Gay Pride Parade (oh how I wish I had time to go and take photos there), the New Brighton Wine Festival and the Northern Arts Festival, while on Sunday it was the first Nelson Mandela Bay Urban Run (an urban obstacle coarse over 12km which I want to do myself next year).  Anyway, my event of choice was the third annual Penguin Plod at Cape Recife.  It was a 5 km fun walk, half of which was on the beach, hosted by SAMREC and done in aid of the fantastic work they do in the rescue and rehabilitation of the African Penguins in and around Algoa Bay.

Flat sea

I was watching a couple of surfers at Denville's surf spot next to Kings Beach the other day.  The sea was flat, and I mean pancake flat, with only the odd little wave coming through and the guys were doing a lot more waiting then actual surfing.

Eastern Cape Motors

William Moffet Express Way between Walmer and Newton Park are one of the main arterial roads of the city and is fast becoming it's automobile retail hub.  Williams Hunt (General Motors) and Maritime Motors (Mercedes) have had their show rooms here for a while now and both Eastern Cape Motors (Ford and Mazda) as well as Honda had opened their show rooms along the road in the last year.  Tavcor (Volkswagen) has just started construction on their new show room that will mean that most of the major car dealerships in the city would be represented on this stretch of road.  Looking at the Eastern Cape Motors dealership on my way home from a function the other night I thought two things. 1: It stands out very nicely, and 2: I don't want to know what their electricity bill is every month.

Field of lilies

The arum lilies are in full bloom, doesn't matter if you go to Schoenmakerskop, the Baakens Valley or Settlers Park.  I found these lilies just next to Settlers Park's How Avenue parking area.

Wooden walk

A couple of us from work were planning to do the lower Guinea Fowl Trail yesterday to gather information on it for our records.  We decided to invite the public along and to also make it a weekly event exploring all the trails around Port Elizabeth which will also mean that I will have lots of photos on these to share with you in future.  Unfortunately we rained out although we did head to the meeting place at the Settlers Park parking area off How Avenue in case somebody pitched up.  I decided to stretch my legs a bit and took a walk around the parking area, discovering this old wooden walkway close by. 

Township cooking

Driving through Port Elizabeth's townships you find a number of places where meat are cooked and sold to the people right on the side of the road.  These spots often become places around which the locals socialise come lunch time.  The spot in the photo is situated next to the township butcher I posted yesterday.  One of the pots had chicken pieces being fried in oil while the other one had meat in it.  The guy was busy preparing liver while the lady was cutting fat off a cow hide.  Looking back I probably should have stuck around longer and asked them questions about what they were doing, cooking and how they sell it.  Next time, I promise.