Farm gate close to the city

I can't say enough about how fortunate we are in Port Elizabeth to have fantastic open spaces and rural areas right on our doorstep yet still within the Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan area.  One minute you can be driving through suburbia and the next you are surrounded by small holdings and farms so its nothing strange to find farm gates like this one right outside the city.  This particular one I photographed in Coleen Glen.

The deadline for complaints was yesterday

Its weekend, and a busy one at that.  The Kirkwood Wildsfees is on in the Sundays River Valley and the National Arts Festival has kicked off in Grahamstown so I don't want to hear any complaints.  Like this sign I spotted in the Padlangs Farm Stall outside Patensie says, "The deadline for complaints was yesterday."

Kings Beach Egyptian Goose

Egyptian Geese are generally very territorial so once a pair finds a home they will very much stick around.  This means that young birds have to find their own "unused water holes" which isn't always that freely available.  I know of some that even made a dogless backyard with a swimming pool their home.  It was great to see that a pair of Egyptian Geese quickly made their move in at the lake at the new Kings Beach development.  Always great to see wildlife in urban areas.

 

 

The Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) is a member of the duck, goose, and swan family Anatidae. It is native to Africa south of the Sahara and the Nile Valley.  Egyptian Geese were considered sacred by the ancient Egyptians, and appeared in much of their artwork. They have been raised for food and extensively bred in parts of Africa since they were domesticated by the ancient Egyptians.

Rock pools

Kids love playing in rock pools and Port Elizabeth is fortunate to have many of those.  The coastline from Cape Recife heading west may be called the Wildside because of its rugged coastline and rough seas when the wind blows, but its those same rocks that cause this piece of coast to be rock pool heaven.

Maitland view from Colleen Glen

I ventured into Colleen Glen west of Port Elizabeth the other day in search of a geocache and ended up at the top of a narrow little road with the most beautiful view down towards the sea.  The Maitland sand dune can be seen in the background with farmland and small holdings in between.  Pity it wasn't a bright sunny day.

We all love Addo

Port Elizabeth is usually associated with elephants due to its close proximity to the Addo Elephant National Park.  Most visitors to the city, both local and international, spend at least a day in the park with others staying over at some of the park's variety accommodation options.  Its easy to get to Addo from Port Elizabeth and its possible to sit and watch elephants less than an hour after leaving home or your hotel.  The park can be accessed via the main gate and rest camp on the R335 in the Sundays River Valley or the south gate in Colchester which is only 30 minutes from the city. 

Citrus farms

The Eastern Cape is South Africa’s second-largest producer of citrus fruit.  Oranges make up the vast majority (80%) of citrus products, but the province is also well regarded for its production of ‘easy-peelers’ such as clementine and Satsuma tangerines, as well as navel oranges.  Lemons, grape fruit and naartjies make up the balance of the harvest.  Port Elizabeth has two major citrus producing areas right on our doorstep, the Gamtoos Valley to the west and the Sundays River Valley to the north.

Old McDonald had a farm

Old McDonald had a farm,

E, I, E, I, O

and on his farm he had some cows,

E, I, E, I, O

with a moo, moo here

and a moo, moo there,

here a moo, there a moo

everywhere a moo, moo

 

Have you ever wondered where Old McDonald's farm really is? Well I found it right here in Port Elizabeth on the Old Seaview Road.

Van Stadens Gorge

Travelling along the N2 towards the Garden Route from Port Elizabeth, most people cross over the Van Stadens River Bridge in seconds as they hurry along.  I often wonder how many of those have ever taken the time to take a leisurely drive along the pass on the old road.  At the bottom of the pass one can pull over and enjoy the view, both up towards the bridge as well as down the gorge.  It felt like such a peaceful spot with the river flowing in between the boulders that it felt a pity when we had to leave again.

Another view from the fort

Whenever you see pictures of Fort Frederick its usually of the view towards the harbour, the entrance or the interior of the fort.  I dug up a photograph which I took standing inside the fort while looking towards the Donkin Reserve.  The top of the lighthouse as well as the giant South African is visible.  Part of the Prince Alfred Guard Drill Hall can also be seen just below the lighthouse. 

 

Fort Frederick was built in 1799 by the British to defend Algoa Bay from invasion and became the first permanent structure built by the British in Africa south of the equator.