Port Shepstone Lighthouse

Feb27
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Port Shepstone Lighthouse

Although I lived in Port Shepstone for a long time, I never took much notice of the lighthouse. I rectified this on a recent trip down to the South Coast when we stopped off to take some photographs of this attractive building.

The lighthouse is situated near the mouth of the Umzimkulu River and is about 8 metres high. It is made of cast iron and was shipped from the UK to South Africa in the 1890’s.  On its arrival on South African shores, it was erected at Scottburgh where it was used to indicate part of the reef of the Aliwal Shoal.  It was moved from Scottburgh to Port Shepstone in about 1906 where it has stood for over a century.

The lighthouse is a National Monument and is well maintained. It is painted in black and white checkerboard style which looks beautiful and distinctive. The lighthouse’s revolving electrical light flashes once in every 6 seconds and it has a light range of 26 sea miles.

Apart from it being essential to the safety of seagoing vessels, it is also a perfect landmark which says “Welcome to Port Shepstone”.

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Black and White, checkerboard style

The Last Vote

Feb21

With all the hype around the American elections and Brexit, I’m reminded of a vote which took place in our neighbourhood in the early 1960’s.

My parents used to help out at the polling station which was set up in the Scout Hall in Wychwood, Germiston, together with their friends and neighbours, Arthur and Megan Otty, who, like my parents, were supporters of the United Party.

At this particular local election, it fell to Arthur to fetch voters who did not have their own transport. Arthur drove up and down all day ferrying voters to and from the polling station. By just after 4.30 p.m. he thought he was done for the day when he realised he had forgotten to fetch Mrs Beech. But, as it was less than half an hour before the polls were due to close, he also realised that it was not likely that he would be able to get her there in time to vote. Arthur was tempted not to make the effort but, after a bit of coaxing, he decided that he would give it a try, so off he went.

He did his best and in this case, it was good enough! Arthur arrived back a couple of minutes before the polls closed with Mrs Beech in tow, who was a bit grumpy at having been forgotten. She told anyone who would listen that she had waited the whole day to be fetched. Fortunately, she managed to cast her vote just before cut off time. Arthur took her home again wondering if he should have bothered after getting an earful from her.

Then the counting began.

The two parties were neck and neck and this went on until all the votes were counted. It was cheers all round when the United Party beat the Nationalist Party by just one vote!

From then on, Arthur frequently told the story of how he single-handedly won the local election for the United Party.

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2014 voter’s stamp

Red Desert

Jan30

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We visit the KZN South Coast each year and this year I decided to browse the internet in the hopes of finding something different to do or see.

Well, I got more than I bargained for when I discovered from my research that there is a desert in Port Edward which is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest desert in the world.

it didn’t take much for my husband to agree to visit the desert and so we set off from Margate to Port Edward in search of the Red Desert.

We turned off onto the Old Pont Road at Port Edward and then onto Maurice Road where we arrived at the Red Desert Nature Reserve sign. A short walk through the veld led us to the Red Desert which is only 200 metres wide and about 11 hectares.

The bright red of the desert sand is quite startling against the surrounding lush vegetation.  I have read that the desert’s layout is similar to that of the Arizona Desert, in miniature, of course.

The reasons for the Red Desert’s existence vary from being caused by overgrazing of cattle by the Zulus to being an alien landing site. Apparently archaeological artifacts have also been discovered there.

Finding the Red Desert has reminded me not to take any place for granted –  I lived on the South Coast for many years and had never heard about this little gem.  I’m sure that the people of Port Edward are very proud of their desert which is a National Heritage Site.

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Henry the Crocodile

Jan11

 

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Photo taken in December 2013

Henry lives at Crocworld near Scottburgh on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal and, at the grand old age of 116, is believed to be the oldest Nile crocodile in captivity.

Fun Facts about Henry:

  • He was born around 1900;
  • Henry weighs about 500 kg;
  • He has 6 wives;
  • Henry has fathered about 10 000 children.

Henry is a man-eater. When he was in the wild, a Botswanan tribe asked Sir Henry, an elephant hunter, to kill Henry. But, when Sir Henry captured him, the tribe reduced his death sentence to a lifetime in captivity believing that would be harder on Henry than a quick death. So, as penance for his crimes, Henry has had to endure captivity.

When my granddaughter visited Henry and was told that prior to his capture, he had eaten several children, she said, “Wow, he’s pretty cool – but those poor children!”

Those poor children indeed!!

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Extract from my Anthology

Oct30

When I was at school we kept anthologies in which we wrote and appropriately illustrated the poems we had to learn by heart. As an adult I still keep an anthology but now it contains only poems and quotations which mean something to me. I discovered the words below in the early 1980’s but, unfortunately, do not know the name of the the writer. They are perfect to remember when life gets tough and problems seem insurmountable.

“When you think how you’ve been guided,

and helped upon the way,

How fears that really terrified,

died out and passed away;

How, when you felt all hope had gone,

there came a ray of light –

And through the darkening shadow,

You could find your way alright;

When you recall that all through life,

You have been safely led –

It’s treason and weak cowardice,

to fear what lies ahead.”

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Sunrise : RL Pieterse

The Feast of Corpus Christi, Lisbon 2016

Jul8

We had planned to ride on the Yellow Tram during our visit to Lisbon last month but, when we arrived at the tram stop, we were told that the tram would not be running – it was the Feast of Corpus Christi on that day. I must admit that I knew nothing about the celebration.

As we turned to walk up the hill we saw what seemed to be a parade and we stepped back onto the pavement to watch. My husband took lots of photographs and the disappointment of not riding on the tram faded as we were treated to a colourful and moving display. Loud speakers were installed all along the route and the air was filled with religious music.  First came the horses and their riders, then the clergy, nuns, monks, boy scouts, girl guides, police, traffic officers and so followed by hundreds of people who also formed part of the procession.

When I got back to our hotel, I looked on the Internet for more information and I found that Corpus Christi commemorates the Last Supper and it’s direct translation is Body of Christ. In Portugal the celebration is known as Dia de Corpo de Deus. Corpus Christi is mainly celebrated by Roman Catholics although Anglicans are also know to mark the day.

I found this information on Wikipedia in my search under “Corpus Christi”:

“At the end of Holy Mass, there is often a procession of the Blessed Sacrament, generally displayed in a monstrance.

The procession is followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. A notable Eucharistic procession is that presided over by the Pope each year in Rome, where it begins at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran and makes its way to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where it concludes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.”

The Feast of Corpus Christi is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday – the date of the celebration is different each year as the day depends on the date of Easter Sunday. In 2016, Corpus Christi was celebrated on the  26th May and in 2017, it will be held on the 15th June. It is always held on a Thursday. It is also known as Corpus Domini, which means “Body and Blood of Jesus”.  Although the celebration can differ in various places, it is usual for bread and wine to be consumed. The bread signifies the body of Christ and the wine signifies the blood of Christ.

Christians commemorate the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus by taking communion as Jesus did the when he shared the Last Supper with His Disciples.

1 Corinthians 11:24-25 (New International Version of the Holy Bible)

24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying,

“This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

Not all Christians participate in the Celebration of Corpus Christi, but many Christians take Holy Communion in their Churches throughout the year which fulfils the purpose of Corpus Christi.

In retrospect, I’m delighted that the Yellow Tram wasn’t running on the 26th May 2016 and we were able to watch the celebration of Corpus Christi instead.

“Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come

when we stumble upon one thing

while in pursuit of something else.”

Lawrence Block, American crime writer.

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The horses led the procession.

 

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The Crucifix

 

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Clergy

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Banners

 

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Priests

 

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Celebration of Corpus Christi

 

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26 May 2016

 

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Lisbon

 

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Girl Guides

 

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Procession

 

 

South Africa, dear land…

Apr22

I find it difficult to process what is going on in South Africa. My parents always voted against the Nationalist Party Government. I followed in their footsteps and when the whites had the opportunity to go to the polls to vote for/against the continuation of apartheid, my whole family voted for its abolishment. We delighted in the release of Nelson Mandela and had high hopes of a better future for all.

The lustre has faded and those first heady years after 1994 have disappeared.  My simplistic view was that we would all work hard and pay our taxes uncomplainingly to a democratic government. In turn, the government would improve the lot of previously disadvantaged groups in our county and we would try together to right the wrongs.The focus would be on the black communities and the main areas of improvement would focus on access to proper medical treatment, clean hospitals and clinics, children would be able to go to properly equipped schools and be taught by caring and competent teachers, communities would have clean, running water, functioning electricity and so on. In short basic needs would be given priority.

What a dismal failure that has turned out to be. The hospitals are filthy and the majority of staff uncaring, children are hungry and have to be taught under trees in the heat or cold after walking for miles to school without any shoes. Our politicians are corrupt, stealing out of the mouths of babes, the elderly and infirm. I could go on and on.

Two weeks ago the water meter was stolen from outside our offices. This meant water gushing down the street and no water in the offices. We had the damage repaired privately after the Municipality failed to respond. A Municipal worker jokingly told us that the meter would be replaced in a year or so and we should enjoy the free water in the meanwhile. I didn’t laugh as, from all accounts, he was close to the truth.

A week or so thereafter, the copper from our telephone and internet lines was stolen, so we had to operate via cell phones and mobile data for over a week. The Telkom technicians told us that they are inundated with problems relating to theft.

We sent a parcel to clients in December 2015. It arrived on the 31 March 2016 – three months to get from Pietermaritzburg to Johannesburg via the postal service. We now use private couriers – no wonder the Post Office is bankrupt.

Crime is all an all time high with endless farm attacks and robberies. Our present drought is exacerbated by leaking pipes, ailing infrastructure, inadequate dams. And don’t get me started on Eskom.

We have a deceitful president who flouts our constitution and has a “get out of jail free” card,  permanently affixed to his jacket by a bunch of merry men and women who are no better than he is. To me, all of the above indicates failure. Failure by the government to deal with crime, to look after its citizens and manage state owned enterprises which are drowning in debt and inefficiency.

Something needs to change, something has to give. We cannot allow ourselves to stay on this potholed road to nowhere.

In the words of  Nelson Mandela

“If the ANC does to you what the Apartheid government did to you,

then you must do to the ANC what you did to the Apartheid government.”

I hope and pray that voters in the coming elections heed his advice.

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Sunset in the Cape

Travel Theme : Camaradarie

Nov21

Animals are perfect examples of how

differences can fade

and camaraderie triumph.

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So pleased to meet you.

“Animals are such agreeable friends―

they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.” ― George Eliot

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Sharing dinner

“Animals have come to mean so much in our lives.

We live in a fragmented and disconnected culture.

Politics are ugly, religion is struggling, technology is stressful, and the economy is unfortunate.

What’s one thing that we have in our lives that we can depend on?

A dog or a cat loving us unconditionally, every day, very faithfully.” – Jon Katz

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Grazing together

“Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal.

Difficult standards for people to live up to.” ― Alfred A. Montapert

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Just loving the peaceful life

“We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals…

In a world older and more complete than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear.

They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth.” – Henry Boston

Travel Theme: Frame

Nov4

I enjoyed finding photos for this theme .

Hanging a frame at a party is so much fun – guests have a great photo opportunity as well as a keepsake to remember the evening.

Photo: BWP Pieterse

Photo: BWP Pieterse

At Lake Eland in KwaZulu-Natal, there is a unique Church which is often used for weddings. It is rich with atmosphere and enhanced by a framed cross.

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Church

Sometimes the frame is more important than the content – this building was abandoned many years ago and, as it ages, it provides some interesting photographic opportunities.

An abandoned building

An abandoned building