31 October 2010

Port Elizabeth Airshow 2010

The weather for yesterday's airshow was cool and overcast and because of the glare from the clouds it was not ideal an ideal day for photography. But that did not stop me. For today I will focus on my two favourites.

Mustang Sally a world War II veteran Mustang P51 (N72FT) was one of the stars of the show.


The Mustang has classic lines and still a good performer.


Bad Attitude, a Hawker Sea Fury FB11 (NX42SF).


The Hawker Sea Fury was built for service on aircraft carriers. Her wings fold up and the tail has a 45 degree slope at the base for the hook that arrests the plane when it lands

28 October 2010

The flamingo quest

The salt pans on the old Uitenhage road are usually teaming with flamingos and every time I drive past them I vow to stop and take a few pictures. Yesterday afternoon I took the opportunity and turned off the main road, but as I climbed out the car those nearest the road took off.


As with all my other attempts to photograph flamingos over the past few years, I was only able to snap a few fuzzy pictures of them in the distance.




 When they spread their wings there is quite a bright display of colour.


I knew their necks were long, but when extended they enter another realm.


These are the greater flamingos and if you want more information on them pop into the Wikipedia  site.

I am definitely going to have to make time to get some quality shots one day. Shy birds in the distance, camera shake and howling winds do not make a good combination, so next time I will use a tripod.

25 October 2010

Shark Rock Pier

Shark Rock Pier always makes an interesting subject, because of its many moods. My photos are usually taken from the top, but this is a belly view of the pier on a calm day.

24 October 2010

After the rain

We are in the midst of one of the worst droughts in the Eastern Cape for a very long time, so the rain that has fallen for the past two days has been most welcome. I only hope that some of it has fallen in the catchment area and started to fill up our depleted dams.

The garden was looking very clean and fresh afterwards and I did not have the desire to stomp on the snails.


Potato creeper still glistening with rain drops


The bees took the opportunity to visit the lavender


And let's not forget the Forget-me-nots


Our one and only surviving rose bush.

21 October 2010

Skywatch Friday - Looking out over the Bay

Another beautiful morning at the Port Elizabeth beachfront.


Visit Skywatch for many more pictures from around the world.

16 October 2010

Flowers of the Eastern Cape #21 - More Pelargoniums

I think that these are pelargoniums, but have not been able to identify which one. These were growing alongside the road at Addo.

14 October 2010

Skywatch Friday - Diamonds in the sky

Sometimes if you look carefully you will find a diamond in the sky..............


.........and if you are really lucky you will be able to hold one for a while.


Pop over to Skywatch to see many great pictures from around the world

11 October 2010

A rose by any other name

Not one of my usual wild flowers of the Eastern Cape, but a rose photographed at the Addo Rose and Garden Festival this weekend

10 October 2010

Life with Suzie - Shifting a gear

One thing about my Suzie that is very endearing is her sunny disposition and her ability to see the best in everything. She is fun to be with and is always positive............well almost always positive, in most circumstances.

I have recently been noticing though that there are some circumstances that are like the proverbial red rag to a bull. Don't mess with her when she is behind the wheel of her car.


We pulled in at a service station to fill up on a road trip recently and had to queue up for petrol. While she was waiting in the car with Jason and the two grandsons, Karen and I popped into the shop to buy some munchies - and so missed the fun.

When it was her turn to fill up, someone despite being waved off by the petrol attendant, jumped the queue and pulled in before her. If there is one thing that Suzie hates it is injustice. In this case it was the arrogance of driver and I quote, "What makes him think he had the right to push in like that, when everyone else has been waiting their turn."

Shortly afterwards she was directed to another pump and while the car was being filled, she went over to the offender and  told him he was, "an arrogant old man". Well the last word was not exactly "man". Even loosely interpreted. That is because it started with an "A" and ended with an "E". Though he tried to justify his action, he was never going to win that argument and was left thoroughly chastised.

By the time Karen and I got back to the car Jason had returned to to a normal sitting position, after cringing down with embarassment.

I thought it was very funny and that it was an isolated incident. So I am wrong sometimes.

On the way to the Addo Rose and Garden Show today, traffic ground to a halt at Motherwell as a large contingent of cars, in a funeral procession, had to wait to turn right into the cemetary in the face of the oncoming traffic. Undeterred by this, several minibus taxis passed on the shoulder on our left, only to cut  back into the traffic at the front of the queue.

Then some fellow in a white Izusu bakkie (van, ute) decided to emulate the example of the taxi drivers. His first problem was that the  road shoulder narrowed at this point, as it was obstructed by a telephone pole. His second problem was that he tried to cut in front of Suzie, in a very narrow gap. Much to his surprise he was blasted by the rather shrill horn of the Daihatsu Materia, which caused him to slam on his brakes. At this point the traffic stopped again and Suzie leaned across me and gave him the finger.

He wound down his window and what he said was completely lost, because we pulled off as the traffic started to move. Again,  "What makes him think he had the right to push in like that." It was a statement rather than a question.

The fellow then cut in front of the car behind us, but kept a rather large following distance behind us and eventually also turned in at the Addo Rose Show, where his car merged with the many white bakkies in the car park and disappeared.

Suzie does not stay angry for long, it is a quick flash and then it is over.  By now she had forgotten the incident and we enjoyed our visit to the show and had a fun day.

Just in case you get the impression that Suzie is some sort of psycho when she gets behind the wheel, she is not. These were two very, very isolated incidents, which I found amusing. This was probably due to the fact that when we were much younger she would insist on driving in town, when the roads were busy, because I was so impossible and impatient when driving in traffic in those days.

07 October 2010

Skywatch Friday - The sky's the limit

The 30 October has been officially set aside for the Port Elizabeth Air Show. These shots were taken at the 2008 show.

Pitts Specials of the Wesbank team doing a loop,


Augusta helicopters of the South African Airforce giving a demonstration.


Drop in at the Skywatch site for more pictures from around the world.

06 October 2010

The little house in the Karoo

I enjoy photographing derelict old houses and imagning who the occupants were and what stories the house could tell.

03 October 2010

Mime artist supremo

You have to keep a wary eye on this fellow.........................


..................otherwise he suddenly changes his pose and this can be quite scary.

02 October 2010

Flowers of the Eastern Cape #20 - Pelargoniums

My field guide to fynbos identifies 26 different varieties of pelargoniums, but I cannot identify the this one with any degree of certainty, because some of the photos are not too clear. It could also be that it is a variety that is not identified in my book. So pelargonium will have to do.


These were photographed at the foot of the Grootwinterhoek Mountaintains