Truro - Cornwall

Cathedral Lane - just opposite the Cathedral

We've been to Cornwall for a few days and visited Truro and the Truro Cathedral. You can see a few pics of the city and also read part of a news article about David Cameron whose baby was born at Truro a few days ago too. The weather wasn't really great and we didn't spend that much time at Truro, but I would like to go back and visit again in the future. You might want to click on the photos for a larger view.

On Safari!

South Africa is always THE place to be!!

Follow this link here to see a movie....enjoy!

Accident

I'm still sorting some pictures. On these pics you can see some really heavy traffic....I think it was on the Ben Schoeman Highway....at this point, there was an accident and the man on this pic, was really not pleased with everybody, as you can see...people started driving off the highway to pass, it was about 10-ish the morning and you know....still a bit of rush-hour for some...and as this is a very busy highway...people don't have the patience to wait for a traffic inspector to turn up to direct the traffic. Though this man tried to direct the traffic and stopped at some point...looking very frustrated....it's unbelievable what people will do when they are in a rush! We were not really in a rush, but just following the "crowd"...because, if you are in Rome, you do as the Romans do! haha....
.....more traffic.....
....and this was the cause of the problem! A huge truck turned over...
This Lion-statue is at a Restaurant...I think in Krugersdorp....was really a lion I couldn't miss...standing there very proudly...showing off a bit...I think...

Kruger National Park

Click here for more.

More Links here.

....and....here for even more.

The OFFICIAL site of the South African National Parks.

Swadini..more

I think this pic is really great...the thorns....I like the focus here...just what I wanted....
And of course....the leaves and the colours were the focus here...I love Autumn, for all the changes during Autumn...
If any South African can leave me the name of this plant...I would appreciate it...I don't know what it is called, I only know that it got seeds on the end of the branches....they make a lovely scence, though the colour looks a bit dull...
Waterfall sign post alongside the road from Swadini Forever Resort on your way to the Blyde River dam. This waterfall is about 20minutes' walk into the forest...stunning!

And...as you can see...ET! When you arrive at the waterfall, ET meets you there...look at that eye!
I know these pics are not that great...if you are in a hurry, this is what you get! That's the only pic I have with this rock tied-up in the tree...
And this little mini-beast!!! He wouldn't let me photograph him properly, I tried everything to enhance the pic for you to see what I tried to capture...this little naughty spider, was a bit curious and even played dead! on the last pic...he suddenly turned over and aish! he thinks I'm dumb! He must have known that I know he plays dead...silly little creature...but I love them, I can watch them for hours! I wish it was my job to go out in nature to photograph these creatures or just to do research on them....I would love it...

Next pictures to blog...a Tufa waterfall...the third longest in the world, called the Crying Tufa...in the Blyde River Canyon and I've got some very good pictures on it! A tufa waterfall is formed when water running over dolomite rock absorbs calcium. Mosses which grow on the rocks in the stream extract carbon dioxide during photosynthesis which precipitates the calcium from the water to deposit it as layers of tufa on the surface of the waterfall - a process that takes millions of years. The waterfall continue to flow underneath this rock-hard outer shell. There are only a few active tufa waterfalls in the world - one of which is at the Blyderivierspoort Dam.

Here is a fantastic link to keep your mind busy while I'm sorting my pictures...

Here are two links to spider websites, South African spiders and I've sent an email to Norman on the one site to identify the spider on this pic for me!

This one is Science magabout spiders

Bio Museums about spiders with Norman.

Isle of Wight

King Henry's Kitchen...a Restaurant on the Island....He is also the King who beheaded 2 of his 6 wives! Read here... about King Henry. He was King Henry VIII...a vicious king I would say! He was the founder of the Church of England......and he wrote "Green Sleeves"!
In primary schools the children learn this rhyme to remember what happened to his wives..."Divorced, beheaded, died
Divorced, beheaded, survived". In that order, is what happened...!








Please click HERE to read on my Wordpress-blog what I said about this book on this last image, see more beautiful images and also what I said about the historical town. This link will open in a new window.

Blyde River - Swadini

Please click HERE to read on my Wordpress-blog more and to see more beautiful images.


During our holiday in August...in South Africa......we were very lucky to find accommodation at a place next to the Swadini Forever Resort (previously Aventura). I grew up in the Eastern Transvaal....now Mpumalanga...which means..."place of the rising sun" (which is the East...of course)...We drove through Lydenburg, spent time on the farm where I grew up...Krugerspost, between Lydenburg and Pilgrims Rest, the historical town, and then ventured off to the Echo Caves, but first stopped at Ohrigstad to fill-up the car. We first thought to stay at the Echo Caves Motel, but changed our minds and headed for Blyde......thought that we will just pop-in and have a place to stay! But, we....didn't know about the long weekend...Thursday was Women's day...and the Friday was a public holiday...! Anyway.....got at Blyde River Forever Resort..."sorry...we are fully booked!" Oh my....ok, it is 7pm, (not late, hey!) .....there are loads of B&B places which we saw on different roads, very close, so...let's go!

Just as we took a turn-off, stopped to look at an entrance of a B&B...Andre stopped next to us...he was our angel!..."Hello...are you lost?"...he asked very friendly and with him was his partner...."No..., but we're looking for a place to stay", we replied..."Come with us...you can stay in Marius's lodge!"...We didn't wait for a second invitation...tired of being all day on the road basically from Groblersdal...we followed him...for only just about 80 m! What we got, was a fantastic lodge, place for about 10 people to stay...we could pick and choose where to sleep, like Goldilocks!! haha..I tried different beds...playing Goldilocks...! It was fun...2 bathrooms, showers ...huge kitchen...(if you keep coming back to my blog later, you will see all of this)...fantastic...and ...."because you don't have any cleaning services for the weekend, you can pay R30 per person less...," he continued through all the non-stop talking! I wanted to say: "Shut up! you're talking too much," because Andre was talking non-stop about all the places we can visit and the more he talked, the more excited he got!! He also told us about Moholoholo Animal Rehabilitation Centre, but our time was limited and you have to book to go there. Our boat trip was already booked for the same time we could go to Moholoholo, so sadly, we couldn't go there, as we were heading for Pilgrims Rest and Sabie the following day...If my memory hasn't gone lost..."moholoholo" means something like..."falling rock"...(rolling rock...can't remember...)

It was really fantastic...loads to do and see....even a waterfall about 30 min's walk from the road....stunning! .....these pictures here...let me explain...this place is the "other side" (the back) of the famous "Three Rondavels"...or like most people in SA...know.....Bourke's Luck...this is Blyde River-country! The Blyde River is in the Blyde River Canyon, the third largest in the world....and the greenest canyon in the world.....click on the key words at the end of the post..."Blyde River Canyon" or the others...and you will find more on my blog about this Canyon. You can even do a search in the box top corner, left. I also have a link on the site saying..."the greenest..." follow that link to read more...

Ok, the boat...on the photos you can see the dam, or part of it! We went for a trip on the dam...first we thought it's going to be just us! Then more and more people arrived...it was really interesting...a guide gave us lots of interesting information, there is a waterfall, a Tufa, (read on the link more about a Tufa waterfall)....and it is about 43m...the third longest Tufa waterfall in the world...for South Africans knowing about the waterfall at the Strydom Tunnel:....that is also a Tufa!! I didn't know it...never too late to learn something, hey! We spent an hour on the boat for R70 and I really think it was worth going...the guide also took us to the Hippo's! He showed us some crocks....and a bonsai tree on a rock...I've got a picture of it...will post it shortly...You can also see the wall of the dam. The guide also said that he was going to appear on the nature program, 50/50 at one point to tell people about the Tufa waterfall.

Holiday...Pretoria

I'm still busy sorting zillions of pictures, here are a few pictures from Pretoria...I liked this taxi..the yellow was striking and the number plate...just right!

This is where the road from Akasia split, turn off to Gezina and the Market and other routes....when you take this turn off and turn left again, you cross the Apies River, before entering Gezina ....I think from Van Heerden Street...is the one way ...from West to East..."Apies" is the Afrikaans for "ape"....the river is named after the many apes that were found in this area when Pretoria was founded in 1855...this Apies River can be a "mighty" river! With heavy rains, places alongside the river get flooded, but that doesn't happen very frequently though.
This is a very familiar "landmark" ....the cement factory as you leave Pretoria and you travel north to Pretoria North/Akasia....or on the Mabopane highway..traffic on the road can be quite heavy...if you look at the lanes on the right...you can see....rush hour is a nightmare on this road...! We were heading towards the city....and it was after rush hour....
Traffic in Pretoria, paper boy on his way to his post...just sold us a paper!

.Gezina if you turn left...Harties (Hartbeespoort) if you keep going.....more traffic, 10-ish in the morning...
I know this road like the palm of my hand! Travelled this road for a couple of years from school in the afternoon.....Zoo coming up on your left....Langenhoven High school as the sign board indicates...always a speed trap when you go down! I missed them most of the time, but got ONE once....it is a 60km/h zone and I drove 70....think my fine was something like R60! wasn't much anyway....
Now, if you live in Pretoria, you know Boom Street very well!! Buses...zillions of them, because, this is Zoo-area ....and....a main route for the buses to travel to other areas easy accessible for them. There is parking for coaches at the Zoo...and as you can see by looking at the trees: It was Winter!! July/August..."boom" is the Afrikaans word for "tree"....this is also a VERY busy and "dangerous" street...crime! Though the police claimed that crime isn't anymore that high in this area, they (the police) also claimed that they are very visible....because of all the tourists visiting the Zoo...we didn't see them...perhaps they were around....
This is the same road...the one I travelled a couple of years from my school, just a few meters back...all these pictures were taken from inside the car...perhaps yo can see the wipers of the car!.....there wasn't time to stop every now and then to take a shot....so, they are not as good as they should be! I was in a moving car!!...hahaha...
ZOO! entrance....Boom Street...this is really a MUST if you go to Pretoria. I've been to London's Zoo and it's not a patch against Pretoria's...I must truly say, I was a bit disappointed the day when visiting London's Zoo....visit the Pretoria Zoo WEBSITE here.

Great pics!

I'm still sorting my holiday pictures...thousands of them!! So...be patient and don't miss out....and if you haven't noticed...I do like purple...my bike is purple-pinkish...it's on my blog...find it...I do like green too...my eyes are green, I think that's why...hahaha....and sunflower-orange...because that's the colour in sunsets and I'm in love with sunsets...
You will notice that I like to take pictures of mountains, trees, sunsets, and then anything nature-ish. But, I'm still practising with my camera...have it almost a year...the digital one...my Chinon something something is packed away ages ago...and the video-camera is just not what I want..I actually want a better camera as the one I have...so btw...my camera is also somewhere on my blog...blogged it a few days ago, if you're interested...
The first picture here was sent to National Geographic!! Just for fun! I really annoyed these hardworking ants...just to get them out for the picture!! They did come out themselves too, but was a bit shy...the following day the nest was completely done...I really tried to take a close-up to experiment with close-ups...I'm still not good...but.. Click on the pictures to see a larger and better view, especially the ants picture...
Gee, I do like red! Red for clothes...I've got loads of red clothes...too many I think..anyway..I'm really proud of the sunset pics here...thought that was good...if you don't think so...go away! :)) I like the pink-ish colour in it! And...the branches of the tree!! Hey...my pictures are all copy-right...protected!!

Butterflies of South Africaenjoy!

All of these pictures were taken at the "Game Reserve" where we stayed...next door to the Swadini Forever Resort!! It was a fantastic three days!! Too short!

Holiday in South Africa

We were really lucky...we didn't book at all anywhere and came across a very friendly Andre and his partner and they offered us this lodge, in a resort next to the Swadini Forever Resort. It was a fantastic 3 nights we've ever had in SA....
On this picture, you can see Naala, he is a tame Rooibok/Impala. His horns are removed, because he hurt people...he likes women!! You don't have to run for your life....hahaha...but he is very fond of women in particular.

And on the next picture you can see my beloved car!!! It stays with my sister and I do miss my car here in London!
On this last picture you can see how close Naala loves to come and "she" is always around...The lodge on the background is where we stayed....that whole lodge...big enough for about 10 people...sleeping comfortably! There are about 55 others!...and a hippo! plus Zebra, Buffalo and I could hear wild dogs at night...
This structure on the next two pictures.....is in Akasia...north of Pretoria very close where our best friends, Johan/Odelia live. This is a "forum"....so if you have something to say...go there!! haha...

I think this structure is a bit misplaced! It doesn't fit in where it stands....I think there was a bit of money which they didn't know how to spend.....or there wasn't enough money to do it properly! :)

Night on the farm

After a night on the farm........

Hello....anyone for a ride?
Leave me alone and mind your own business!

and.....will I get paid for my picture taken?

hmmm....wonder where are those chicks this morning!