Used all my meagre energy up doing stuff today, so please accept a quota photo of Cape Town harbour on a stormy afternoon as today’s post:
I might well go back and work on this some more (or more accurately, some less). But either way, not today.
UPDATE: Wow. It looks like I did a blindfolded edit on this one. Awful.
I was over on Robben Island last week, on a trip well-documented on this blog. Robben Island doesn’t have many residents: it does vary depending on what’s going on on the island , but probably fewer than 120 on an average day. That doesn’t mean that their voting right should be forgotten though, and indeed, they can vote on the island – which is part of Cape Town’s Ward 54 – at the John Craig Hall (it’s named after one of the harbour engineers).
While we were staying over, some election posters appeared outside. There must have been about 25 of them down the road from the prisons into the village. All for one party. So nice to see a happy face.
(I’ve chosen to leave those unused 9.2inch WW2 shells – now used as road bollards – in shot. Seemed appropriate.)
Otherwise, it seemed like the island had been passed over in terms of the election. Which was quite nice, actually. No-one needs more election news. Ever.
Anyway, with 92% of the votes counted at the time of writing, the DA have held onto the city, with over 60% of the vote:
But look at that: a cursory glance will show you that the EFF recorded the most votes at just 2 (two) voting stations across the entire metropole: at UWC – those pesky young firebrands! – and… wow… John Craig Hall on Robben Island!
With just 31 votes in their favour (vs 19 for the ANC, 5 for the DA, 2 each for the ACDP and the VF+ and a whole 1 for the LAND party) (and none for Patricia de Lol)…
…it might have cost almost a poster per cross in the box, and is totally overwhelmed by the 92% voting for the DA in Camp’s Bay et al. but the result is there for all to see.
Robben Island is red.
From this, we can conclude that advertising clearly does work, and the Ad Wizardry of putting up 25 posters on a chunk of rock 6km from civilisation… was probably (possibly) almost certainly worth the effort.
As mentioned, yesterday’s appointment went well. But it would be remiss of me not to comment on the place where it occurred. It was my first visit to Rondebosch Medical Centre, and while it was a generally positive experience, the actual place was actually rather unsettling.
The ground floor is occupied by a petrol station. Bit weird.
The public parking was on the roof, and was a real adventure to get to. Tight turns and no set plan for any floor of the parking lot kept me guessing and (once) having to reverse and try again. And then, once arriving there, half of the roof was being used as a construction site.
The view was pretty good, though:
The car park set the tone for the building, which was poorly lit, full of narrow corridors and tight corners, and seemingly also all under construction. Like an 80s office block suffering from sick building syndrome that had been hastily and desperately converted for another use.
Like a private hospital.
But just because the building is awful, that’s not to say that the service wasn’t good. It was.
It was just that it was all housed in a really horrible place.
Geoguessr (see 6000 miles… passim) have updated their UI and their overall offering, including new games, new challenges and more points for doing well.
It’s easier to use, more fun to play, and I’ve become readdicted.
This week, I have mostly been trying my hand at maps of Sheffield and Cape Town.
I should have a decent knowledge of them both, but actually I’ve only managed full marks a couple of times and I really need to improve my speed.
Practice, as they say, makes perfect. So I’m back to it right now.
Out of bed (fairly) early, considering the kids are still on school holiday and off to Intaka Island – close, quiet, safe, cheap – for a slow, short, gentle wander. Loads to see and ‘tog, including (but not limited to) bitterns, herons, bishops, kingfishers, weavers, sunbirds, cormorants, ibises, warblers and canaries. And that was just the birds.
Best spots of the day were the Malachite Kingfisher – Alcedo cristata – because it’s cute and colourful:
…and this Purple Heron – Ardea purpurea – killing off the local invasive fish population (a Perca fluviatilis, I think):
This morning’s photos are on Flickr here.
There was an old guy sitting in one of the hides there with a camera setup which was at least 10x the price of mine. When he pressed the shutter, it was like one of those automatic rifles going off.
SO. FAST.
#goals
I’m still learning with this new lens, so mine might not be quite up to the quality (or quantity – damn!) of his, but I quite like them, and you don’t get to see his to compare, and I can certainly see myself popping back out there and spending some quality time stalking more photographic prey as I try to improve.
It’s really not like it was much of a hardship to spend a couple of hours out there this morning.
Bit knackered now, mind.