JSK Diary

Geocaching can be hard work!

2011-09-19T12:55:00.002+02:00

Geocache CACHE ME IF YOU CAN reads "...no driving, parking or walking directions..." - that's an invitation to be adventurous! I was invited by Andrew who is my son and the strongest member of the jakl+hide team to do this cache. Me being the old and weaker member of team simplr. (The other members of our teams were all out-of-town, so it was just the two of us.) While Andrew runs full marathons before breakfast, I prefer to stay in bed till lunchtime. Anyway, I thought I was good for a few hours of hiking.

We set out by car, looking for a road that would get us to within 500m of the cache (satellite images showed a road) but were met by a locked gate 2.5km from the cache. We then drove to Van Stadens River mouth, Paid the R30.00 each as day visitors and decided to do the nearby Pinky cache before this one. But after walking for well over a km and seeing that this cache was 7km away, we agreed that it will be much better to find a shorter route.

I suggested that we try approaching it from the West, so we drove to Gamtoos River Mouth only to find that that was ever further away than Van Stadens. So thus the plan was now obvious - park by the locked gate and walk the 2.5km. We got started, climbing through the fence at just after 1pm. After walking about 1.5km we came to a fork. We chose what looked like an easier route to the beach - even though less direct. After some hills and another km we reached the sand dunes. So far so good, but we were still more than a km away from the cache.

The sea was far away and so we decided to head straight for the cache across the dunes. This was our second mistake. There was no walking - it was climbing up while being pushed down by avalanches (I don't even remember going down the other sides), over and over until I was totally exhausted. While Andrew seemed to be enjoying the stroll, I was literally crawling up the dunes and had to stop to rest a few times before reaching the cache. The last, and maybe biggest dune, rewarded me with my first encounter with "singing sand" - a low-pitched hum when creating an avalanche with my hand. The last stretch to ground zero was flat but rocky and my legs were so weak that I only just made it. Fortunately the cache was quickly found and in perfect condition - wrapped in the ragged cloth. We both signed the log and I added a ribboned bead.

I would have loved to have walked the 7km along the beach to Van Stadens at this point, but our car was parked elsewhere, so, after resting for 15 minutes while Andrew went scouting for a suitable route, and looking at our options on the satellite images, we decided to make our way through a shorter route that crossed a couple more dunes and 150m of thick bush. But I was starting to get cramps in both legs and had to go slowly and rest often. All the while I was thinking about the sun that was sinking towards the horizon and wondering what it would be like to spend the night on the dunes. Cell-phone reception was patchy but we could get signal on the higher areas - so calling for a helicopter crossed my mind as well. Andrew was very patient with me but told me afterwards that he had also though about calling for a rescue. Getting up the last dune was the worst. I was pulling myself up by grabbing tufts of plants that I could find. At the top of the last dune it looked downhill all the way except for a stretch of thick bush. And after so much sand the bush looked inviting. And is was not too bad. But there was another sandy slope ahead. I crawled up that one in constant pain, but desperate to avoid an embarrassing and costly rescue, and also hoping the the batteries in my headlight would last if I needed to use it.

Finally, at the top of that last hill there was just a 100m of thorny bush to get through before reaching the farm tracks. I hardly felt the thorns that were scratching me - it was down hill and easy. It did not take long and we were walking on good pathway with less than 2km to go. That's when we approached a small herd of cattle. The biggest bull looked straight at us and started walking towards us - I said "don't make eye contact" and we carried on walking. (It was a choice of that or chasing after it brandishing our hiking sticks.) The bull lost interest in us and the rest of the walk was uneventful. The sun had set by the time we got to the car and we breathed a sigh of relief to see that it had not been stolen.

Any regrets? None at all. Would I do it again? Never! I believe that if we had taken the shorter route at the fork we would have done it in a shorter time - albeit with more scratches.

The Fle-a-later

2010-11-26T23:01:00.001+02:00

The fle-a-later © consists of an incandescent bulb (sorry, the newer CF or LED lamps won't work) in a table lamp laid on its side, over a bowl of soapy water. An old SCS light dimmer is used to dim the lamp so that it has just enough energy to keep the water warm. Place the table lamp's shade over the bulb (metal lamp holder to glass - you don't want to start a fire) to improve the appearance. Fleas are attracted to the heat and jump into the water. The soap breaks the surface tension and the fleas sink.

Flea lovers can leave out the soap so that all the little fleas can enjoy the spa in safety.

Port Elizabeth main library.

2010-09-28T16:02:00.001+02:00

This beautiful old building is very well preserved. The architecture is amazing, as is the large range of books. Admission is free.

Tsitsikamma forest walk

2010-08-23T00:58:00.000+02:00

Walking trails starting at the Tsitsikamma Lodge can take you to the Kruis River. Clean water - good to drink they say. Beautiful and tranquil. All you hear are the birds and the little water falls. Several pools along the way are safe to swim in - if you mind the rocks!
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Puzzle Park

2010-08-23T00:43:00.000+02:00

Near Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route in South Africa you will find Puzzle Park. This is a 'must' for anyone up for a mental challenge. You can start with the 3D maze. It looks small from far but it takes about half an hour to find all 5 check points in the correct sequence. And at each check point you need to solve a riddle. For the little ones there is a special children's maze.

Three of us started the maze together but we finished at very different times because we chose different routes. Lots of good exercise and fun.

After the maze do the walk. It is punctuated every 50 metres or so with 9 electronically timed puzzles. If you can solve each in less than 5 minutes you get a token. Seven tokens wins you a prize. Amazingly clever puzzle machines that look like they are just made of wood but must contain a bunch of electronics to show a count-down timer, detect the correct answers and operate a couple of doors.

To keep the fun happening there are many smaller riddles and puzzles as well.
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Canopy Tours

2010-08-23T00:13:00.000+02:00

Loads of fun for the adventurous nature lover. Slide from treetop to treetop with complete safety even though 30 metres above the ground. And do buy the freshly videoed DVD after the tour - it is very well made and will show you a new viewpoint on the adventure with many more still images to remember and show friends. We there are a few locations for Canopy Tours in South Africa, we went to the one in the Tsitsikamma forest on the Garden Route.
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Log cabins

2010-08-21T07:42:00.000+02:00

Stayed in one of these in the Tsitsikamma Lodge on the Garden Route in South Africa. Lots to see and do at very reasonable prices.
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Face lift

2010-07-29T22:55:00.000+02:00

The Port Elizabeth City Hall is being given some maintenance work. Click on picture to see original size image.
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Huge flag

2010-07-29T12:01:00.002+02:00

Port Elizabeth has the biggest flag in Africa! The flag itself measures 12 metres by 8 metres.
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Indoor RC Flying

2010-07-26T20:09:00.002+02:00

At the NMMU sports centre in Port Elizabeth.

Video captured on my BlackBerry, cropped with Pitivi on Ubuntu Lucid Lynx and then uploaded to Blogger from blogger.com. (Not as easy as with my old Sony Ericsson K850i or Satio.)

Slow but sure

2010-07-23T15:51:00.001+02:00

Abegail's RDP house now has a foundation. See May 2 2010 posting for more pictures.
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Three more days

2010-07-22T14:48:00.000+02:00

Shelly got a cut on her paw that needed stitches. It has been a week and she has pulled the bandage off twice already and pulled out stitches. Just 3 more days Shelly.
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Sunbathe

2010-07-20T13:11:00.000+02:00

Mmmm warm
via BB

Relaxed

2010-07-09T14:12:00.001+02:00

My BlackBerry does not have a xenon flash like the Satio, but unlike the Satio it does have the option to force the flash when there is a lot of background light. Gizmo is nearly 5 months old now. He is getting big.
via BB

Celebrating independence?

2010-07-05T20:18:00.001+02:00

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Diner eatiquette

2010-07-05T19:42:00.001+02:00

1950's themed American style diner. Good food too.
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First Storm posting

2010-07-04T20:06:00.002+02:00

Testing my ability to send a Blogger posting directly from my new BlackBerry Storm2.

Upgrade

2010-06-30T15:11:00.001+02:00

I was not happy with my new Satio. So have now bought the latest touch screen Blackberry. The Storm2 9520.

Big screen

2010-06-26T18:04:00.001+02:00

Claimed to be the biggest screen in South Africa, we watched soccer at the Fan Park in Port Elizabeth, just a few km from the Nelson Mandela Bay stadium where Uruguay beat Republic of Korea.

Half time

2010-06-21T21:45:00.001+02:00

Chile beat Switzerland 1-0.

Satisfying paranoia

2010-06-21T21:41:00.001+02:00

I would have felt complerely safe without any of the many security precautions at the FIFA event. South Africa has more than its share of good and friendly citizens.

Spot the ball

2010-06-21T21:22:00.003+02:00

The Chile team warming up.

Makarapa made easy

2010-06-21T21:22:00.001+02:00

This soccer fan's hat is made from a mining helmet with cutout shapes bent out and painted.

World Cup live

2010-06-21T15:06:00.001+02:00

Going to watch Switzerland vs Chile at the Nelson Mandela stadium in Port Elizabeth.

Sharing is caring

2010-06-08T17:56:00.001+02:00

Everyone should buy their pets a really soft blanket.

Kitten in a soft blanket

2010-06-08T16:00:00.001+02:00

This new super-soft blanket that Odessa bought is so nice. I could sleep here all day.

Cozy

2010-05-25T21:05:00.001+02:00

This time Gizmo is at the bottom of the pile.

Kitten pillow

2010-05-24T21:11:00.001+02:00

Three seated

2010-05-24T21:06:00.002+02:00

Shelly, and Emerald sleep while Gizmo keeps watch.

Cool cat

2010-05-18T15:14:00.001+02:00

Missionary kittens

2010-05-15T19:56:00.001+02:00

New arrival

2010-05-12T15:57:00.001+02:00

Found a new tortoise in my garden and photographed it with my new Sony Ericsson Satio.

New camera

2010-05-11T12:03:00.002+02:00

Upgrading my trusty Sony Ericsson K850i to the Satio smartphone with 12 megapixel camera.

Emerald ornament

2010-05-08T14:56:00.001+02:00

Today the kittens had fun pulling a pot plant down from a high ledge. Here is Emerald posing with the plant after the cleanup.

Religiously sound

2010-05-06T19:08:00.001+02:00

To some Hi-fi fanatics, the use of hot cathode vacuum tubes in the pre-amplifier enhances fidelity. It certainly impresses the judges, but is the perception of sound improvement not just a placebo effect?

Good mix

2010-05-03T16:17:00.001+02:00

Electronic goodies are like sweets.

Temporary move

2010-05-02T17:31:00.001+02:00

To make way for the new house. The family has to move to a smaller shack. We helped move furniture to storage.

Shack sunset

2010-05-02T17:25:00.001+02:00

Informal shacks are being demolished and will soon be replaced with much better RDP brick houses.

Snuggle

2010-04-27T17:58:00.001+02:00

Emerald and Gizmo

Kitty spoons

2010-04-25T13:32:00.000+02:00

Too big for a bottle?

2010-04-21T15:00:00.000+02:00

Odessa bottle feeding Gizmo. Cute overdose.

Bodies on top of each other

2010-04-18T15:14:00.002+02:00

Pile-up

Head-on

2010-04-18T14:46:00.000+02:00

Traffic jam

2010-04-18T13:35:00.000+02:00

Well, not really. Butt it is bumper-to-bumper.

Supper time

2010-04-17T17:10:00.002+02:00

Magenta (the dog), Sly, Mince and Blacky.

Ever notice how dogs eat standing and cats eat sitting?

Claws retracted

2010-04-17T12:23:00.002+02:00

Norman's granddaughters came to visit. That was so much fun. Now I am tired.

Two cute kittens

2010-04-16T18:33:00.001+02:00

We adopted a brother and sister, about 9 weeks old from Cat Care. The tabby boy's name is Gizmo - he is always on top and on the go - while the dark tortoiseshell girl I named Emerald because she is a gentle loving gem with deep green eyes.

Perfect salad

2010-04-11T19:24:00.005+02:00

Ingredients:
3 leaves Crisp lettuce
1 Avocado
1 Banana
1/4 can canned peas
3 Spring Onions
1 Tender pre-cooked beetroot
Very light sprinkle of salt
Pepper to taste
Method:
Cut all ingredients to small pieces with a sharp knife. Stir lightly.
Serves:
1 meal or a few side servings.

Shelly secured

2010-04-08T20:26:00.002+02:00

First night at her new home. I adopted her from the local animal shelter. She was so active exploring her new home that I was unable to photograph her without a blurred image until she went to sleep.

I named her Shelly after SSH, the encrypted connection technology that I use all the time for JSK. The fact that she is 'painted' like a sea shell is pure coincidence.

R.I.P. Holly

2010-04-06T18:47:00.000+02:00

Sadly the prognosis after being shot in the spinal chord with an air rifle was a life that was impossible to bear. Holly was attacked by stray tom cats and was a patient at the vets several times in the past. But the inhumanity of man was much worse.

Lovely evening

2010-03-21T00:54:00.001+02:00

Chilling after a braai and poker dice party.

Cape Town

2010-03-02T20:13:00.001+02:00

This is the view just after sunset from the Protea Hotel in Tyger Valley.

Hiking

2010-02-15T19:45:00.001+02:00

At the start of the hike we enjoyed the beauty of the sites around us. The path was still easy.

Walking on the edge

2010-02-15T19:38:00.001+02:00

Strange tree

2010-02-15T19:36:00.001+02:00

Picnic spot

2010-02-15T19:35:00.001+02:00

Stepping stones

2010-02-15T19:24:00.002+02:00

Went hiking 14km in the Baviaans nature reserve near Port Elizabeth. I would have found the going easier if I were a mountain goat although my hiking stick helped. The white footprints marked somebody's idea of a path. Great adventure, better than sky diving or bungee jumping, and cheaper too.

Camping

2010-01-30T15:41:00.001+02:00

Family having fun cooling off at the Sundays River Valley.

Seedling incubation

2010-01-28T22:37:00.001+02:00

Cat magic

2010-01-28T21:41:00.001+02:00

My cat somehow rotated my screen 90 degrees. How did she do that?

Fireman Tom

2010-01-28T20:12:00.001+02:00

Another bush fire in the valley next to my house. This time Tom took control of the hose. The NMBMM fire department arrived shortly afterwards to finish the job - using my water. The photo shows Tom directing the water with professional assistance.

Time keeper

2010-01-24T18:26:00.001+02:00

Hiking is fun

2010-01-24T11:44:00.003+02:00

Sign of life

2010-01-24T11:44:00.001+02:00

No, we didn't get lost.

Nature hike

2010-01-24T09:30:00.002+02:00

A group of us went on a 9km hike at Maitland nature reserve.

Waiting tables

2010-01-20T18:41:00.001+02:00

Had an hour to spare before boarding a plane. The Spur caters for my needs. But do bring a plug adaptor.

Midnight snack with style

2010-01-17T00:55:00.001+02:00

Saturday night at midnight on the MSC Sinfonia we were treated to ice sculptures and food art, as well a large selection of other snacks, expertly prepared.

Mind the crabs

2010-01-16T11:12:00.002+02:00

Wading in to Inhaca Island. The shuttle boats need a minimum of about 600mm water, so visitors have to wade about 100m over a sea bed scattered with star fish and crabs hidden under a cloud of sea weed.

Exploring

2010-01-16T09:42:00.002+02:00

Getting the feel of being stranded on an island. Here Odessa finds a huge cotton-wool type spider(?) web. We couldn't find anything edible - apart from some flowers and nut-like seeds that may, or may not, have been poisonous. Bear Grills we are not.

On board

2010-01-15T14:59:00.002+02:00

Our cabin has a large port hole. Boarded just in time to leave Durban harbour.

Waiting to board

2010-01-15T13:17:00.001+02:00

Our flight from P.E. To Durban was cancelled. Instead we got a flight to Johannesburg and another from there to Durban. Yet we were in time to have a relaxing wait before embarking on the MSC Sinfonia for a 3-day cruise.

Tick larva

2010-01-14T12:08:00.001+02:00

Measuring just 0.9mm in length it looks like a miniature tick but it only has six legs.

NMBMM to the rescue

2010-01-13T07:49:00.001+02:00

Yet another bush fire in our valley. People are so careless to start fires. (NMBMM: Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality)

Rag Dog

2010-01-09T19:14:00.001+02:00

This 10 week old miniature schnauzer is going to be living at my house. Her name is Zaza. Here she is sleeping after enjoying an brand new day.

Holly hurt again

2010-01-06T15:01:00.001+02:00

No visible injuries this time. And he walks all right. But he won't let us touch his back. Here he is with his kitten-hood playmate.

Fighting fire

2010-01-05T16:12:00.002+02:00

Water restrictions did not stop me from using the hose to put out a bush fire that started in the valley next to my house.

Gecko watch

2010-01-03T01:33:00.001+02:00

Have I mentioned that geckos catch moths on my bathroom window. Gives our cats much interest.

Full grown

2009-12-31T18:14:00.001+02:00

Now that Holly is a year old he feels a bit sad because his favourite toy is much smaller than it used to be.

Gone fishing

2009-12-29T11:49:00.001+02:00

Stupid dog! Now she needs a bath - again. And the little pond was looking so natural.

Micro monster

2009-12-27T23:27:00.002+02:00

This is the underside of a medium-sized tick photographed through a 50x hand-held microscope. Notice the barbed proboscis.

Microscopic

2009-12-26T22:30:00.001+02:00

This is the head of a small tick photographed with my trusty Sony Ericsson K850i through a 50x hand-held microscope.

Foiled robbery

2009-12-18T11:36:00.005+02:00

Cash-in-transit robbers failed. Police were tipped off and waiting. Shots fired. Five arrested. One shot in leg (see him in road just above tape). Near my home. Well done police and community informer.

Lap dog

2009-12-16T20:56:00.001+02:00

Magenta is almost too big to be a lap dog. Lucky for her she is fully grown now. She will only sit on Thomas's lap. Lucky me!

Spider gecko

2009-11-14T00:20:00.001+02:00

This cute gecko on my bathroom window has eight legs.

Birthday girl

2009-11-13T13:06:00.001+02:00

Sinesipho turns two.

Best lemon

2009-10-16T01:03:00.003+02:00

For some reason a lemon picked off a tree in your garden tastes better than one that is bought.

Abnormal load

2009-10-16T01:03:00.001+02:00

Got slowed down by a dead cow on my way home. We don't see cows that often so it was a very odd sighting indeed.

Beautiful rose

2009-10-13T14:53:00.001+02:00

And it smells nice too. It amazes me how nature wins against attacks from pests and bad weather.

Going home

2009-07-28T13:48:00.001+02:00

I'm driving, listening to podcasts, taking photos, writing and uploading this blog while my passenger works.

Unstuck

2009-07-27T16:55:00.001+02:00

Untied

2009-07-27T16:34:00.001+02:00

Just visiting

2009-07-26T17:00:00.001+02:00

Dorothy working hard at explaining the benefits of The Jewellery Shopkeeper to prospective clients.

Out of sight ...

2009-07-26T16:50:00.002+02:00

Under our computer table is a tidy tangle. Lucky the visitors don't mind. The plastic table holds three computers - a desktop (actually a slim 'below desktop') and two laptops. Each computer has Internet access via a shared HSDPA modem. The multitude of power plugs, adaptors and network cables are tied up to the underside of the table.

Ready to show

2009-07-24T18:24:00.001+02:00

Odessa did all the work decorating our stand. I feel so mean. Good job!

Arrived to show

2009-07-24T13:27:00.002+02:00

Trailer with display materials gets conveniently close to the destination.

I need a bigger cat

2009-07-20T16:36:00.001+02:00

I tried to protect the palm tree but the porcupine must think it is just a nice food bowl.

Tony turns 60

2009-07-11T18:05:00.001+02:00

Dorothy's husband, Tony, celebrates his 60th with family.

Rodney's frustration

2009-06-26T14:56:00.001+02:00

The concrete blocks prevent the porcupine from eating the roots so now he just bites off the leaves.

Palm fortress

2009-06-24T15:19:00.002+02:00

Sorry Rodney but this one's not yours. (The leaves are bending to a gale-force wind - these palms are really strong.)

Rodney Rodent strikes again

2009-06-23T13:41:00.001+02:00

Speechless!