Slangkop Lighthouse at Kommetjie, Western Provence

I recently spent some time in and around Cape Town and on one cloudy afternoon found myself heading south towards the small town of Kommetjie.

Kommetjie (Afrikaans for "small basin"),  lies about halfway down the west coast of the Cape Peninsula at the southern end of the long wide beach that runs northwards towards Chapman's Peak and Noordhoek. The village is situated around a small, natural and rocky inlet that resembles a basin. The area is a popular spot for surfing because of the powerful waves from the Atlantic Ocean that rise up over rocky reefs formed by hard sandstones of the Table Mountain Group. I ventured on to the Southern part of the town and followed the sign boards to the Slangkop Lightouse. The clouds were very heavy and I was imagining the dramatic images that I might be able to capture. I parked and headed over the wooden walkway towards the sea side of the lighthouse and I had timed it perfectly. The tide was out!

Now Slangkop is the tallest cast-iron tower on the South African coast. It was installed on the 4th March 1919 and stands 33 metres high. The tower looks out over the surfers, fisherman and divers and over the years it has served its purpose steering ships around the dangerous rocks and hidden reefs. Slangkop was established as a result of a commission appointed on 29 September 1906 by His Excellency, the Honourable Sir Francis Hely Hutchinson, Governor of the Cape of Good Hope.
The height of the focal plane is 41 metres above sea level and the light has a range of 33 sea miles and has four flashes every 30 seconds. The lighthouse is now fully automatic and receives its electricity supply from Cape Town Municipality and has a standby diesel alternator in event of a break in the mains supply (or Eskom loadshedding)

I navigated down the rockery slope and onto the rock bed (which might I add was exceptionally slippery, leaving me finding myself smack onto my butt a few times). There was a lovely contrast of colours between the colours of the rocks, the green moss like growth and the reflections of patches of blue sky in the water puddles. I set the tripod up and started shooting, often changing positions for different viewpoints and compositions.

The light was constantly changing due to the movement of the clouds and being close to sunset, the colours were changing as well. No two images were going to be the same.

After I had captured enough images I went back up to the wooden walkway and the light had changed quite dramatically again.

In between the lighthouse shooting the sun had set and I had turned and managed an image or two.

I stopped for one last lighthouse image on my way to the car park to round off a very successful afternoon.

Snow on the Stellenbosch Mountains

I had been doing some work in Cape Town and stayed a few extra days to do some landscape and avian photography of the region. It had been bitterly cold (well for me at least) and the wind and rain had at times been unrelenting. Last Sunday morning saw me on my way on the R300 with my destination to be Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens at the foot of Table Mountain. Whilst driving I threw a casual glance to my left and there it was.. snowcaps on the mountains behind Stellenbosch. Now you don't understand, the feathered friends will always be at Kirstenbosch but the snow would not always be on the mountains.. Decision made, destination changed and off I steered on the N2 towards Somerset West. As to the actual mountains my knowledge was rather sparse but hey, if there were roads, I could get some shots. Not the best time of day for the best light but it would have to do.

Now the town Stellenbosch is 53 km east of Cape Town and is in a hilly region of the Cape Winelands. It is sheltered in a valley at an average elevation of 136 m flanked on the west by Parrot Mountain (yes, you read correctly), which is actually a hill. To the south is Stellenbosch Mountain and to the east and southeast are the Jonkershoek, Drakenstein, and Simonsberg mountains. The Twin Peaks have an elevation of 1,494 m and the highest point is Victoria Peak at 1,590 m.

The soils of Stellenbosch range from dark alluvium to clay. This, combined with the well-drained, hilly terrain and Mediterranean climate, prove excellent for viticulture. Summers are dry and warm to hot, with some February and March days rising to over 40 °C. Winters are cool, rainy and sometimes quite windy, with daytime temperatures averaging 16 °C.  

I firstly headed into the upper suburbs of Somerset West which showed this lovely backdrop.

I then headed up on the road from Somerset West through to Stellenbosch and managed this shot over the vineyards. I particularily liked the sky.

From here I drove through the town and headed up on the Pniel road where just a week before I had shot some images of the mountains with clouds hanging over them.

I have made this image available as a wallpaper for your computer. Please click on the correct link for your screens resolution.

1368 x 768
1920 x 1080 

The previous week, same place

 Traveling further down heading towards Franschoek I came across this open field which provided a wonderful foreground to the mountains.

Rhodes Memorial

Rhodes Memorial on Devil's Peak in Cape Town, South Africa, is a memorial to English-born South African politician Cecil John Rhodes (1853–1902).

 

Sir Herbert Baker was the architect of this memorial and he allegedly modelled  it after the Greek temple at Segesta. It consists of a massive staircase with 49 steps (one for each year of Rhodes's life) leading from a semi-circular terrace up to a rectangular U-shaped monument formed of pillars. The memorial is built of Cape granite quarried on Table Mountain.

At the bottom of the steps is a bronze statue of a horseman, Energy by George Frederic Watts. Eight bronze lions by John Macallan Swan flank the steps leading up to the memorial, with a bust of Rhodes (also by JM Swan). The inscription on the monument is "To the spirit and life work of Cecil John Rhodes who loved and served South Africa." Inscribed below the bust of Rhodes are the last four lines of the last stanza from the 1902 poem Burial by Rudyard Kipling in honour of Rhodes:

The immense and brooding spirit still

Shall quicken and control.

Living he was the land, and dead,

His soul shall be her soul!

The monument was completed and dedicated in 1912.

Rhodes Memorial

The magnificent view from the memorial

Cecil John Rhodes

Energy by George Frederic Watts

Bronze lion by John Macallan Swan

Pillars of a Greek temple?

Morning to Philadelphia

As I looked northwards I saw that the clouds from the previous day were just starting to break up. Now up in Gauteng that would mean sunshine but in the Cape this could just signify one of the 4 seasons for the day.

Nonetheless I decided a photographic trip was on the cards and I set my heading through Durbanville towards the little town of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia is a beautiful little historic town nestled off the N7 from Cape Town to Malmesbury about halfway between Melkbosstrand and Malmesbury. It lies at the beginning of what is known as the "Swartland". The town itself has been preserved in its original state with one of the most beautiful church buildings in the west coast area.

My first stop just outside Durbanville was the hilltop restaurant of one of the wine estates. On a clear day beautiful sights of the mountain and Cape surrounds could be seen. Alas, this was not one of those days.

An old canon on the lawns of the restaurant overlooking Durbanville.

A lone tree on the sliding slopes

The ever so beautiful Canola fields coming into bloom.

Clouds getting more ominous all the time.

Like with so many small towns, the first building to catch your sight is the place of worship. This beautiful church at the entrance of Philadelphia.

The town has some really lovely old traditional houses.

Just love the old bath that has been painted green and cut to be used as a sofa.

The well know Pepper Tree establishment

The corner store.

A local worker preparing the home made preserves for sale.

Just loved this garden bed!

Cape Town - Out in the country

I  have been fortunate to spend a bit of time out and around the surrounds of Cape Town. I ideally wanted to photograph the Canola fields in full flower but my visit was a little early. I did manage to photograph a field or two but enjoyed the outdoors and fresh air away from smoggy Johannesburg more than anything else.

Canola was developed through conventional plant breeding from rapeseed, an oilseed plant used in ancient civilization as a fuel. The word "rape" in rapeseed comes from the Latin word rapum meaning turnip. Turnip, rutabaga, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard and many other vegetables are related to the two natural canola varieties commonly grown. Canola oil is then made at a processing facility by slightly heating and then crushing the seed.

Canola field in the distance. The yellow colour quite striking.

A colour mache of the green Canola plant with the yellow flower.

Beautiful skies over the Canola field

The wind farm on the West Coast

Magical sunset skies over the green countryside

The more traditional vineyards of the countryside

 

Day trip

I am currently in Cape Town and it is miserable, wet and cold. Fortunately the weather was a lot better yesterday and I took the opportunity to head north out of Cape Town. I took the older road, driving slowly and stopping when I saw something interesting to photograph. I did manage some nice images of the Canola fields just starting to flower but I will do a separate posting of those.

My first stop was when I encountered a tree lined road with the much hated Bluegum trees..

Lying down on my stomach in the middle of the road I shot this. Fortunately a very quiet road.

I headed down the winding roads and found myself in the quaint little town of Malmesbury. The town is the largest in the Swartland which took its name from the Renosterbos, an indigenous plant that turns black in the warm, dry summers. The area is especially known for its grain and wine cultivation as well as sheep and poultry farming.

Malmesbury was named after Sir Lowry Cole's father-in-law, the Earl of Malmesbury. The first farms were allocated in 1703. 

 

The heart of any small town, the traditional Dutch Reformed church.

 

Traditional Cape Dutch house

 

 

A most unique triangle shaped house

 

Traditional old houses with some brookie lace and the large "stoeps".

 

Moving from Malmesbury the winding road lead me to little town called Darling. Now one of South Africans' icon actors Pieter Dirk Uys has made this little town his home, He is more famously known as the famous "Evita Bezuidenhout", a white Afrikaner socialite and self-proclaimed political activist. Uys has a rather unique  little theatre and museum where I spent quite some time milling around and taking it all in. 

 

On entering the museum the political history is ever so present.

Political dig at the politicians

Dig at Dr Alan Boesak - political church leader

The original Darling railway station name.. with the apartheid signs.

Washing machine from a bygone era - my mother used one of these when I was a youngster!

The original railway station siding has been turned into a restuarant

One of the small theatres at Uys' place.. video of PW Botha, SA Prime Minister giving his rubicon speech.

Kitchen unit from yesteryear with some interesting items as ornaments

and here I am.. in the traditional Evita Bezuidenhout outfit and all!