It has been a while since I did a non-wildlife posting, and I thought that I should look at something that did not have hooves and horns or teeth and claws. I was never really a ‘cat person’ but having spent the last 16 years living with them, I have certainly changed my mind about them. I believe that ALL cat owners see a bit of Garfield in their own felines. And thinking about the word ‘owner’, cats have staff, dogs have owners!
This is my Executive Assistant who came into my life just over two years ago after the unfortunate death of my first assistant who succumbed to a stomach ailment that we were not able to diagnose or treat. He was my constant companion for 12 years and when this fellow, who was abandoned by his previous owners, arrived at my local vet, it did not take a lot of convincing to bring him home. He has proved to be a worthy companion and he rules our home in so many ways.
This is why I enjoy travelling in Africa so much. I noticed this young man taking photographs on the shore of Lake Kivu where my wife and I were enjoying a meal of plantain and goat kebabs. He saw my camera on the table and came over to chat. Although his English was not perfect, it was better than my Swahili or Kinyarwanda. Between his English and lots of hand signals on my part, we were able to strike up a conversation and spend time chatting about photography. Aziz and I were last in touch at the beginning of lockdown here in South Africa (April 2020) but prior to that, we had been in contact for about a year after we returned home. Who knows, now that I have written about him, he might well send me a message…The algorithm is never wrong. ( Believe it or not…as I was constructing this posting, Aziz contacted me)
From a gentler time, long ago. How many hotels still use butter dishes like this? This display caught my attention while staying at a guest house on the way to Kruger National Park. No two were quite the same, making this a rather eclectic and somewhat quirky collection.
There is ALWAYS time to stop and smell the flowers. These daisies were growing in amongst a succulent display at my local coffee shop. The metal in the background was a rusted container of some description.
How the other half lives? The atrium of an upmarket hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg. My camera is never far from my hand and in this instance, I was killing time while waiting for a meeting to start.
What people throw away! I am certain that this collector blew this punching bag up so that he would attract attention while walking through our suburb. And he certainly succeeded in that endeavour. I was almost tempted to make him an offer…
“If you ever go across the sea to Ireland,
Then maybe at the closing of your day,
You can sit and watch the moon rise over Claddagh,
And see the sun go down on Galway Bay” (Galway Bay, Arthur Colahan)
The Cliffs of Mohr on a cold and blustery day. But it was stunning to walk along knowing that the water of the Atlantic at the base of the cliffs is the same ocean that flows past Cape Town.
Born to be a monarch…or a biblical character? This barista was extremely talented.
A treasure trove of sweets that I found in a small town, just south of the Vaal River. This is why I love small-town South Africa! The last time I saw many of these was when I was a child back in Port Elizabeth, where I grew up. How many can you recognize? Who remembers the marshmallow fish or the marshmallow mice with the liquorice tails?
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