Capespring on The Singemonkey

October 26, 2024

Sat, 26 Oct 2024 17:03:20 +0000

Boi’s official spring portrait

We did some wild gardening today helping Nicola in her mad dash to empty out her Gran’s house of 30 years before the bulldozers come for it - rescuing a few lucky plants.

September 26, 2024

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 08:44:08 +0000

When we were approaching the end of the Heks River Valley it looked like the Cape Peninsula was being held in perpetual winter by the power of some dark sorcerer - to judge by the vortex of black clouds over the land like a bad 1980s special effect.

November 03, 2022

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 15:13:07 +0000

Our host, Jean, was a character out of a story-book from the 1950s. A Belgian who took to the sea at fourteen to work as a ship’s cook and saw many things - including over-eager young Poles cutting their fingers off and the preparation of seagull in secret to offset a meat shortage. He was a restauranteur for a spell and then a cooking teacher. He just so happened to teach me how to make an easy chicken stock.

October 10, 2022

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 20:53:48 +0000

Leucodendrons, @kanesnaps tells me. A very pretty and delicate protea that looked quite spectacular in spring profusion, painting the entire mountainside yellow.

October 10, 2022

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 20:44:57 +0000

@kanesnaps and I went heroically up the mountain by a new route (for me) and found that rock that looks like a camel from certain angles.

It was lovely up there, where the traffic noise suddenly disappears and you’re in this magic park in the sky filled with the astonishing diversity of plants in the fynbos botanical region.

Kane almost got bitten by a very unfortunate young puff adder that had been run over (almost certainly by accident since it was so well camouflaged on the road - such that Kane nearly didn’t see it too). Luckily some guys working up there arrived in a truck and ended it’s suffering with a sharp spade since it was way too injured to possibly survive.

September 16, 2022

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 08:50:29 +0000

Hail Eos, goddess of dawn (that feeling when you realise you’re the cultist 😂).

I got to see a pair of lovely Boubou shrikes right by the path and said, “Hey Boo.

September 11, 2022

Sun, 11 Sep 2022 11:24:28 +0000

The cultists apparently don’t come out if there’s a danger of rain. Instead of their shouting and wailing there was a choir of frogs. About as loud but less chaotic. I did encounter a pleasant old Zionist on the way down. But since that’s the biggest religious denomination in South Africa - if I recall correctly - he couldn’t be called a cultist.

September 03, 2022

Sat, 03 Sep 2022 09:58:37 +0000

A walk in the clouds. I had a cold for a couple of weeks so this is the first time I’ve been up in a good while. It’s spring in Cape Town and the evidence was everywhere. In the last pic you can see that work on the windmill is progressing nicely. I was pleased to hear the old familiar hollering and moaning of the cultists.

August 27, 2022

Sat, 27 Aug 2022 12:51:01 +0000

I feel like Observatory’s going through a bit of renaissance as covid winds down. @withoutaleaf got ice-cream from @_tapi_tapi - and it’s really good. Lots of African ingredients are used. It seems like not long ago tourists would struggle to find anything African to eat that was accessible to them in Cape Town. But now there’s a lot on offer. Can definitely recommend this place. Great, unique ice-cream and super friendly, informative people working there.

August 23, 2022

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 14:15:36 +0000

Doing some technical reading on the balcony with this chonky chap. It’s the first warm weather in a good long while and he’s here for it. 27 degrees according to the weather app. No doubt there’ll be plenty more cold weather ahead. But this is a nice break.

I’ve had a nasty cold for a week. Did a great show on Friday @noongunbrewery in Muizenberg. Thank goodness we do a lot of instrumentals because I couldn’t croak a note.

October 18, 2021

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 19:28:49 +0000

A day yesterday with long tall Jay. His kids were very kind and let us watch our Velvet Underground documentary as long as we were quiet. After my comical series of mishaps, I finally made it out to Noordhoek only by [smartphone taxi-service] but it was well worth it. The leafy hide of the peninsula is on display out there. And the spring clouds were fierce and judgemental.

October 01, 2021

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 08:56:26 +0000

Pity about the shadows. But a very rare picture of these two eccentric gents in the wild: Gareth and Marcus (with beard!). I’ve quoted Hunter Thompson with regard to Gareth before, but it goes for both of them: “Too strange to live. Too rare to die.

September 30, 2021

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 19:35:25 +0000

Sitting to ensure you don’t have a rare adverse reaction to the COVID vaccination at the Cape Town International Convention Centre - turned into a massive vaccination hall. Sadly, vaccination has slowed down a bit. At its peak this facility does thousands per day with friendly efficiency. It reminded me of a similar massive save by science.

In the early 2000s, working for a tuberculosis organisation, I was fully expecting that great halls like this would be used as mass hospices for people dying from HIV/AIDS. At that point, millions of South Africans were being diagnosed, but there was no treatment available. The first antiretrovirals could only delay the disease - not stop it. But then a triple therapy was developed that thrashed the hell out of the lethal virus. Due to having a conspiracy theorist as president (sound familiar anyone) even that lifesaving treatment was denied to South Africans until 400,000 had died for no reason (at a conservative estimate). But once that maniac was deposed, health minister Aaron Motsoaledi rolled out the largest HIV treatment programme on Earth, saving literally millions and millions of South Africans. Like today, most of the work on developing those antiretrovirals was publicly funded research - paid for by taxpayers.

September 30, 2021

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 19:24:26 +0000

@withoutaleaf queueing for one of her many, many, COVID tests outside a studio in town. I’ve managed to avoid them altogether (by not having any need to interact in person and not having any major symptom scares) while she’s had dozens and dozens from having to work safely on set. There’s very little pandemic on my Instagram in general. I was mostly at home and then tended to point a lens at things that were a break from the pandemic. There’ll be no shortage of documentation of this strange, history-bending time. But it is good to have a few images that show the thing actually happening in your own life even if you don’t interact with it directly - as I’ve been very lucky not to have to do.

August 23, 2021

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 10:29:55 +0000

If this goon is in Langebaan, does that make him the #langebaanlagoon?

August 23, 2021

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 09:11:07 +0000

@goflow42 nearly stepped on this beautiful lady just outside the Geelbek restaurant in West Coast National Park as we were walking towards one of the bird hides. This is only the second time @withoutaleaf and I have seen one of these beautiful cats in the wild - they can be spotted anywhere between here and Iran. Caracals are expert bird-ambushers. They can leap to extraordinary heights to pull down birds trying to escape by flight. This one was only slightly bigger than a house cat, but full grown males are considerably larger.

August 22, 2021

Sun, 22 Aug 2021 18:58:13 +0000

The next morning, as soon as the sun was up, they started on their way, and soon saw a beautiful green glow in the sky just before them.

“That must be the Emerald City,” said Dorothy.

August 18, 2021

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 08:45:47 +0000

Morning Trinket.

Do people only still make black and white photographs to seem cool and sophisticated? The answer’s a little complicated. Knowing why you’d prefer a picture in black and white means you’ve spent a little time thinking about photography - which makes you a more ‘sophisticated’ appreciator of photographs. So then, in a sense, yes. But I can give you that ‘sophistication’ in not many words: Eliminating colour makes you more conscious of form, light and shadow, and detail. So, like any abstraction, it shows you things that that the full set of information may conceal. It helps you see the trees for the wood.

September 22, 2020

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 11:50:51 +0000

@withoutaleaf in her office with her colleagues, Mr. Crumb and Trinket, doing script timings.

September 17, 2020

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 18:45:40 +0000

#balconybirds No.4 The Cape Bulbul. Distinguishable from other Bulbuls (or Greenbuls, I should say. I think they’re all called Greenbulls now) by it’s white eye-ring. These are fun little birds. Busy as heck foraging about in small groups. In fact, about 30 minutes after taking this two sat up on the line and were being incredibly sweet - the one grooming the other’s neck in the golden light. Of course my battery would die then. And of course I’d find the other was uncharged…

September 15, 2020

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 19:16:02 +0000

#balconybirds no.3. The Red-Winged Starling. This is a magic bird. From this angle you can’t see its dashing brick-red flight feathers that give it its name. This is one smart bird. Outside our old house I’d hear them give their special growling alarm call when our cats went out - to warn their foraging spouse and child that they’d spotted a predator. They hang about in these family groups. Males, like this. Females with their grey head. And the youngster who may look just like the parents but just hangs about waiting for handouts. It’s a cliff bird. Like many cliff birds including the European Rock Pigeon that’s ubiquitous worldwide, it’s adapted easily to the edifices of human cities. And being a great deal cleverer than pigeons, they’re not constantly being run over by cars. It’s a big and thoroughly charming starling.

September 15, 2020

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 19:09:29 +0000

#balconybirds No.2 An unloved introduced species, the European Starling. It’s the same one that forms those giant, pulsating flocks of viral video fame in its native Eurasia. Held in contempt though they be for their crime of having their ancestors brought here against their will, like all starlings they’re full of intelligence and virtuosity of voice. And like many starlings, they’re a blaze of iridescence when the sun hits them just so.

September 15, 2020

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 19:02:51 +0000

#balconybirds No.1: A Laughing Dove kook-ka-kooring atop the telephone pole. I got a Nikon lens adapter from #kandfconcept. Took about 8 days to get from Senzhen China, direct from the company, to Cape Town. Shipping was free. And way cheaper than the extortionate local markups. So now to try some #telephotography with the little old Fujifilm XE1. Usina a 300mm f4 Nikkor with a 1.4x converter. And I’m going to try get pics of all the birds that we get to see across from our #balconyofprivilege here in Observatory - be they ever so humble.

September 12, 2020

Sat, 12 Sep 2020 16:45:42 +0000

In an extraordinary move, we went out and hung distantly out with our dear friends @goflow42 and @jason66c in de Waal Park. Apart from the now novel joy of human contact, there were their wonderful kids, J & T, and loads of doggos tearing about having the best time. Spring is here. The epidemic still rages. It’s not over. But it’s nice to take a break.

November 02, 2019

Sat, 02 Nov 2019 10:08:44 +0000

To my astonishment we’ve kept almost all the plants alive that @withoutaleaf’s ma gave us in the years since they moved back to India.

October 25, 2019

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 16:38:28 +0000

A rare moment of sibling harmony from the gremmies.

October 25, 2019

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 16:36:28 +0000

@sophdex knows how to wedding, and doesn’t care if you know it.

October 25, 2019

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 16:32:52 +0000

Spring wedding for @johnthevudio and Aleks.

October 25, 2019

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 16:28:31 +0000

A grand time was had @johnthevudio’s wedding. Bread, and salt, and vodka. The three Polish food groups. And then a damn good knees-up. John knows a lot of photographers, so I limited myself to a bare handful.

October 23, 2019

Wed, 23 Oct 2019 13:53:27 +0000

On the way back from the shop, I stopped to talk to this handsome cat who was watching the world go by.

October 23, 2019

Wed, 23 Oct 2019 13:49:51 +0000

An overcast spring day in Obz. How’s that bougainvillea though?

October 05, 2019

Sat, 05 Oct 2019 16:09:17 +0000

I’m not a big car person. But I do like a twilight Porsche 911.

October 03, 2019

Thu, 03 Oct 2019 12:35:14 +0000

And I shouldn’t keep Crumb from his fans. This is taken during his midday hard-burn sleep. Being this sleepy exhausts him and often requires him to take a post-sleep nap.

October 03, 2019

Thu, 03 Oct 2019 12:32:45 +0000

Trinket is also a big fan of the balcony in spring.

October 03, 2019

Thu, 03 Oct 2019 12:30:42 +0000

Skitten loves its new house. The upstairs carpeting is a neverending joy to it. And the balcony, especially now that it’s spring, is its pure delight.

September 07, 2019

Sat, 07 Sep 2019 18:00:59 +0000

My boi of nearly 30 years. Heart of pure gold. I love him.

September 05, 2019

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 15:49:58 +0000

Short set up time on Saturday for the #deathofpop show at the Mercury finally got me to get all the effects set up in advance so I can just plug a cable into either end without fuss.

September 03, 2019

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 09:31:26 +0000

The blue wobbly bit around the edge of South Africa.

September 03, 2019

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 09:29:04 +0000

The Southern spring is go.

September 03, 2019

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 09:27:15 +0000

Some rocks I fancied.

September 03, 2019

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 09:25:26 +0000

Bun in repose

August 16, 2019

Fri, 16 Aug 2019 10:50:06 +0000

Spring is dropping hints all over the place and these guys are especially enjoying having balcony access.

October 25, 2018

Thu, 25 Oct 2018 12:11:21 +0000

Still too hot. Mr. Crumb’s strategy is to snooze until the heatwave is over.

October 23, 2018

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 14:29:43 +0000

Now to survive the rest of the day. It’s crazy hot in Cape Town - like yesterday. Like these White-Fronted Cormorants, I’ll be spending today trying to keep cool.

October 23, 2018

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 13:31:58 +0000

Not a bad way to spend a Tuesday morning… at the sewerage works with my old man.

October 11, 2018

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 10:42:37 +0000

A Trinket under the table.

September 26, 2018

Wed, 26 Sep 2018 12:14:01 +0000

A California Poppy blooming on an overcast spring day in Oranjezicht. But my heart is heavy because my boy cat Crumb went missing just after his sister came home and hasn’t been back.

September 20, 2018

Thu, 20 Sep 2018 17:41:50 +0000

People always look exhausted on the train at this hour. Looking forward to being home.

September 20, 2018

Thu, 20 Sep 2018 17:37:29 +0000

A quick trip to Kenilworth in rush hour makes the train the quickest way home. The metro system is a hot mess right now but it beats the traffic.

September 16, 2018

Sun, 16 Sep 2018 13:42:53 +0000

Brunch idlis!

September 11, 2018

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 18:40:11 +0000

The Palm Tree Mosque 🕌 🌴 This is a most unusual mosque and I’ve loved it since I was a kid. No minaret but a standout because of its namesake tree and its high contrast colour scheme - they change it from time to time. I have an old pic of it in blue. A real Cape Town icon.