Explorecapetown on The Singemonkey

November 10, 2019

Sun, 10 Nov 2019 08:53:46 +0000

Another Sunday morning kibble run for hangry kitties. This time in summer.

August 06, 2019

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 14:28:30 +0000

Haven’t taken a minibus taxi in a couple years. Convenient though when I end up on Main Road. And a lot more comfortable than in the 90s.

August 06, 2019

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 11:43:44 +0000

The shuttered remnants of Gandalf’s - for about 20 years the main place for undergrads and other young people to go and enjoy cheap booze, crowds jacked up on youth hormones, and rock ’n roll music. Ian McKellan was once photographed hanging off the sign while shooting something in the area. I played a couple of good shows there though even when the place first opened I felt like a teacher chaperoning at a high school dance. Rock ’n roll is now on its last legs as a mass youth movement.

August 06, 2019

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 11:36:50 +0000

Off Lower Main Road Obz yesterday. Not much is holding out against gentrification now. The city is content for the few who weren’t already pushed off to distant wastelands by Apartheid to be pushed off to distant wastelands by rising rents and redevelopment. At top right is a mosque that I didn’t know existed. The daily call to prayer is emblematic for me of our diverse city and the history of that diversity in building it. Islam in SA began with Indonesian and Malaysian slaves being sent here by their Dutch colonists. Political prisoners too. The first book ever written in Afrikaans was the Qran, translated by a political prisoner from ‘Dutch Batavia’, Tuan Guru.

August 06, 2019

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 09:40:19 +0000

Cape Town is liquid again. But for how long? The city ignoring clear warnings in 2011, migration of desperate people to the city will only increase with the climate crisis that simultaneously will make the city drier.

August 01, 2019

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 13:31:04 +0000

Great times at the surprise party for my dear old mate @johnthevudio at Punjab restaurant. An eccentric fella with a heart of gold.

July 27, 2019

Sat, 27 Jul 2019 09:53:38 +0000

It’s the end of the line for these magnificent sea bugs.

July 27, 2019

Sat, 27 Jul 2019 09:50:42 +0000

A lobster boat cruises to a halt in Kalk Bay Harbour yesterday.

July 27, 2019

Sat, 27 Jul 2019 09:48:02 +0000

Yesterday was a good winter day to dry off and catch some sun.

July 07, 2019

Sun, 07 Jul 2019 09:23:18 +0000

Japanese lunch at Obi followed by Japanese desert at some other place on Long Street. So great to hang out with @goflow42 and my dear friend Jason and their wonderful kids - even if T was feeling that adult time was getting very old.

June 11, 2019

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 11:51:52 +0000

I don’t know the name of this, but there’s a lot of it around near our new place. Sure looks good against the blue skies first thing in the morning.

June 11, 2019

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 11:49:46 +0000

Lovely light on the way up to coffee in Obz this morning. Winter in Cape Town is not the non-stop downpour many imagine.

June 09, 2019

Sun, 09 Jun 2019 11:45:29 +0000

Quick food run for Mr Crumb who is hangry AF and attacking my feet up and down the stairs. This is #capewinter for you.

June 03, 2019

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 17:52:21 +0000

Observatory. It’s the mixture of Victorian cake-like prettiness with a layer of middle-income country grime.

May 22, 2019

Wed, 22 May 2019 12:42:31 +0000

Devil’s Peak presiding over a beautiful city rife with blood and misery. Frankly the Devil has never been for blood and misery in this world. So it’s more an aspirational symbol for the city than anything else.

May 22, 2019

Wed, 22 May 2019 12:31:48 +0000

Painters in Obz on my lunch acquiring expedition.

May 19, 2019

Sun, 19 May 2019 12:57:55 +0000

Return Of The Fly. We got to warm up a really great crowd @mercurylivect last night for fantastic performances from @coriander_colin and headliners @emergermusic. This was the show to be at this weekend in Cape Town. And I don’t know what they’re putting in the water now but the members of those bands were wonderful, warm people as well as skilled, talented musicians. We’d play with them again any time.

May 08, 2019

Wed, 08 May 2019 17:46:12 +0000

Some great undulating topiary on my way back from voting in the 6th democratic elections in South Africa. Let us hope our path straightens out now.

May 08, 2019

Wed, 08 May 2019 17:34:03 +0000

My neighbours have been doing a top job mosaicing cinder blocks to decorate a little garden along the the fence of the railway line.

May 08, 2019

Wed, 08 May 2019 17:29:52 +0000

A South African delicacy that is refreshingly honest in a world of fake news.

May 03, 2019

Fri, 03 May 2019 14:22:33 +0000

A local monument to the great, cosmic turtle, A’tuin - which slowly paddles through space on its mysterious journey, it’s head full of ineffable thoughts, with the world borne on the shoulders of the four elephants that ride on its back.

May 03, 2019

Fri, 03 May 2019 14:17:30 +0000

School kids walking past parliament and a statue of the first prime minister of The Union Of South Africa. Maybe they’ll get to live in a country that’s not exploited by tyrants or thieves.

May 03, 2019

Fri, 03 May 2019 14:12:24 +0000

“All the world seems in tune on a spring afternoon As we poison the pigeons in the park, And maybe we’ll do in a squirrel or two As we poison the pigeons in the park”

Tom Lehrer

May 01, 2019

Wed, 01 May 2019 20:02:00 +0000

Obz is still Obz on a Wednesday night. Warm lights and lots of merry noise on Station Road on my shop run.

April 28, 2019

Sun, 28 Apr 2019 14:16:51 +0000

The Diaz Tavern is just one of those local places - far from fancy but forever popular. Simple Portuguese and Moçambiquan food (grilled sardines followed by steak ’n chips for me) and a gathering place for CT’s Portuguese community it seems. Substance over style. Parabens.

April 23, 2019

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 11:31:13 +0000

Colours and contrasts in the early morning shop run. The XE1 is small enough to take anywhere with me. That’s a HUGE advantage over modern SLRs.

April 22, 2019

Mon, 22 Apr 2019 09:30:06 +0000

Why do Capetonians think that any ‘fancy’ performance deserves an automatic standing ovation when at popular music shows they’re too cool to even clap? 🤔

We went to Handel’s Messiah last night which is I guess an Easter tradition? Certainly these two atheists spent more of Easter Sunday thinking about the life and death of Christ than most people do. Also I got to dress up for the second time in a weekend. I reckon I was one of 4 audience members in a tie.

December 09, 2018

Sun, 09 Dec 2018 14:21:56 +0000

Here we are again. Linko’s Sichuan 🌶 beef soup. The hottest thing I’ve tasted in Cape Town. And it’s low carb if that’s your deal.

December 06, 2018

Thu, 06 Dec 2018 18:21:27 +0000

We’re eating with a view of Cape Town’s mysterious Theosophical Society headquarters.

November 15, 2018

Thu, 15 Nov 2018 14:37:18 +0000

#tbt It couldn’t have been more obvious that ‘bar mooda’ was a front for organised crime. Expensive décor. No one in it. The police did nothing for reasons that are easy to guess. It took the staff being tied up and the place being firebombed to finally drive this particular blight from Observatory. This was taken on the morning of the firebombing.

October 31, 2018

Wed, 31 Oct 2018 12:43:35 +0000

Early lunch at Hello Sailor. It really looks like summer out there on Obz lwr Main. Listening to a podcast about Qt and the future of being able to package python projects for execution.

October 31, 2018

Wed, 31 Oct 2018 11:09:38 +0000

This Saturday afternoon at SurfaRosa in Cape Town. We commence the summer at a braai session. Our most exciting show of the year. Start the summer right. Braai on the pavement. Craft-beer, cocktails, pizza, and blood-stirring live music inside.

October 26, 2018

Fri, 26 Oct 2018 18:27:08 +0000

Summer in the city.

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 05, 2018

Fri, 05 Oct 2018 11:28:25 +0000

Muizenberg shark spotting station in spring.

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 23, 2018

Sun, 23 Sep 2018 12:56:19 +0000

Another great sounding and playing guitar we played with on our visit to @haywardcustomguitars I believe this one was made by someone at one of Graeme’s workshops where he guides you through making your own guitar from scratch.

September 22, 2018

Sat, 22 Sep 2018 13:19:42 +0000

Exciting developments as usual: the prototype for @haywardcustomguitars first semi-hollow. Traditional moulded top and back. Unique f-hole design. Glued in neck. Faux tortoiseshell binding. There are rumors it might sport 3 p90 pickups.

September 22, 2018

Sat, 22 Sep 2018 13:12:10 +0000

@ezlemoen and I were hanging out at Graeme Hayward’s (@haywardcustomguitars) in Woodstock here in Cape Town today. This pretty p90 baby-blue Beauty was being picked up by its ecstatic new owner who also brought in a 1969 Fender Mustang for restoration.

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 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.

August 21, 2018

Tue, 21 Aug 2018 23:07:03 +0000

Cat food walk no.3 - nautical lightning.

August 21, 2018

Tue, 21 Aug 2018 23:03:55 +0000

Cat food walk no.2 - product placement.

August 21, 2018

Tue, 21 Aug 2018 23:00:35 +0000

Cat food buying walk no.1 - renovations.

July 18, 2018

Wed, 18 Jul 2018 14:28:25 +0000

An observatory sunset heading home from a pint at The Wild Fig on Saturday with @sophdex and @ezlemoen .

July 09, 2018

Mon, 09 Jul 2018 09:45:06 +0000

The drought seems to be over, but we’re still getting our summer in July. It’s come to be a regular thing - the weather turns perfect for a fortnight in the middle of winter every year. Temperatures around 23 degrees (don’t know what that is in barbarian units) and glorious sunshine bathes our little cottage in Observatory.

July 02, 2018

Mon, 02 Jul 2018 16:42:35 +0000

A classic rain-drenched Cape Town winter is cold and inconvenient. But now we can really appreciate it as we read how the dam levels are rising all the time.

June 15, 2018

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 10:25:29 +0000

And now it’s belting again.

June 15, 2018

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 10:17:48 +0000

After four years of drought it takes mere days to get annoyed by the inconvenience of a proper Cape Town winter. But when it does clear enough to walk to the shops it can get really pretty.

May 25, 2018

Fri, 25 May 2018 19:39:17 +0000

#shhArt begins their live recording session here in Retreat Cape Town.

May 25, 2018

Fri, 25 May 2018 19:19:43 +0000

All churches should be turned into beautiful recording studios. Here to watch #shhArt perform and record their radical take on string quartets.

May 22, 2018

Tue, 22 May 2018 14:44:44 +0000

On Station Road a minute ago waiting for my tacos locos. I can recommend. Maybe not actually locos, but plenty tasty.

May 12, 2018

Sat, 12 May 2018 12:08:32 +0000

Banting bakery. Peak whiteness?

May 12, 2018

Sat, 12 May 2018 12:04:24 +0000

They’ve heard of evolution, right?

April 11, 2018

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 15:02:36 +0000

Heading home again. For 23 ronts, it’s a pretty nice ride.

April 11, 2018

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 14:42:21 +0000

Working on the train to Kalk Bay today to meet up with @jason66c. One of the most scenic metro lines in the world.

April 01, 2018

Sun, 01 Apr 2018 12:02:41 +0000

Autumn has snuck up on us in Cape Town.

March 04, 2018

Sun, 04 Mar 2018 14:37:53 +0000

@withoutaleaf with her new peacock hair getting ice cream @lifeunframed. #explorecapetown #capetown #summer #sunday #icecream #peacockhair.

October 14, 2017

Sat, 14 Oct 2017 18:36:23 +0000

So pumped to be playing with The Ratrod Cats at The White Rabbit on Sunday afternoon on the 29th. Surf and rockabilly go together like fire and dynamite.🔥 .

April 15, 2017

Sat, 15 Apr 2017 14:11:01 +0000

@helenahurry, you know this store on #longstreet? #rockabilly #style.

April 15, 2017

Sat, 15 Apr 2017 13:10:42 +0000

This all bodes well.

April 01, 2017

Sat, 01 Apr 2017 15:21:11 +0000

Men on at the at the

March 13, 2017

Mon, 13 Mar 2017 13:15:38 +0000

#lunch @hello_sailor_bistro again. This is a typical #edwardian or #Victorian #southafrican #shop front. At top right you can see the tail of a #dassault #mirage #jet #fighter with the #wasp of #3rd #squadron of the #saaf.

March 09, 2017

Thu, 09 Mar 2017 14:53:09 +0000

#lunch at @hello_sailor_bistro. It’s been years and this place never gets old for me.

March 03, 2017

Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:22:41 +0000

#ancient #Egyptian #cat #necklace.

March 03, 2017

Fri, 03 Mar 2017 14:16:33 +0000

February 10, 2017

Fri, 10 Feb 2017 14:56:24 +0000

#strandstreet #capetown #waiting in the #street. #sweltering #summer day.

February 05, 2017

Sun, 05 Feb 2017 15:31:04 +0000

@rhodentette over provision in

February 04, 2017

Sat, 04 Feb 2017 13:38:15 +0000

#demons and #ghosts in #obs.

February 04, 2017

Sat, 04 Feb 2017 11:04:31 +0000

February 04, 2017

Sat, 04 Feb 2017 10:46:28 +0000

January 27, 2017

Fri, 27 Jan 2017 18:20:16 +0000