Argus Cycle Tour

The Argus Cycle Tour no longer goes through Kommetjie

The Argus Cycle Race now takes a shortcut through Ocean View.  Kommetjie is closed today, no entry, no exit. The race no longer goes through Kommetjie - the bends are too dangerous, too many accidents.

Spectators cheering the cyclists on at the turnoff to Ocean View.  Helicopters, Ambulances, Traffic cops, and other support people standing by to keep everyone safe and watered. 

Need a massage after the Argus Cycle Race to relieve sore muscles?
- contact me at 021 783 5303 for Kommetjie and surrounding areas.

Sardine run in Kommetjie

Kommetjie sardine run

We had a sardine run the last week in Kommetjie.  I heard the gulls squabbling like mad.  Thought I was teletransported back to Sea Point where the gulls are much more raucus than here...usually.  I went outside to see what was going on and it looked as if all the gulls of the planet were here, taking the sardines that the cormorants had caught, right out of their gullets, real opportunitsts.  I wrote a sms poem about it.

Nov 29, 2011
yesterday kugel gulls flocked
to Kommetjie
in droves
squabbled with locals
over sardines
stealing cormorants' catch
too lazy to dive for their own
opportunists

Today kugulls move upcoast
follow sardine run
only stragglers cause runmpus
peace returns to kom
grim clouds squal in from the south
foreboding foul weather


I went out into the kom. The water was wonderful.  I thought it would be freezing, but it wasn't cold at all.  It was extremely difficult to catch the sardines with my bare hands.  The ones I caught were trapped in the seaweed. Someone said "catch them behind the gills".  This helped as they would slip away before I could put them in the bag.  It was fun.  I fell in the water at one stage because the rocks are incredibly slippery and I wasn't looking where I was going so landed on my... you know what.  Some people were catching with nets and pulling in hundredds of them.  They have the most exquisite colours; gold, teal, metallic silver, all the irridescent green and blue hues you can imagine, with pink, orange, and brown marks too. I was so intent on catching the sardines that I got very few pictures. Wherever you looked the sky was filled with birds. I was hoping we would get a sardine run here so that I could experience it.  There was one in Houtbay the weekend before.

Check out some Sardine Recipes in my recipe blog

My s.h.i.t. life

Last night's sunset in mauves, pinks, purples, magenta, and what not.

This morning I went walking along the Kommetjie promenade to get the blood circulating. We have a catwalk and a boardwalk.  The dogs love both.

The day started out beautifully.  Check out the the clarity of the reflection of the boulder in the water and ong shadow I cast.  It is the shadow of a bench next to me. This was just after 8. 








I went for another stroll at 10 to rest the eyes and stretch the legs. The mist was so heavy I couldn't see more than a few yards ahead of me.

I had to get some chocolate croissants with my coffee in this weather. Hugh says it will go to my 'boude' immediately; good for 'boude bou'.  He is a bum man and likes them substantial, so I suppose he won't mind.

After lunch it started clearing up again and by 6 it was clear.

Whales and Dolphins off Kommetjie

We saw a whole pod of dolphins in a feeding frenzy just off the coast this weekend. At one point three dolphins did somersaults, right out the water, at the same time.  It was spectacular.  They move really fast through the water when they are chasing fish.  Then less than 200 meters to the right of them two whales were bobbing and spouting every now and again.

It was quite strange.  When we started our walk it was so misty we could hardly see the lighthouse, then it cleared and we saw the dolphins.  Every day it is different.  The moods change as you can see on the photos. The mornings and evenings are different and there's always something happening.  If it isn't the dogs getting up to mischief, it is new seasonal flowers, or different birds at different times of the year. We even saw an otter one day.

Dogs playing on Longbeach, Kommetjie, Jan 2011

Fantastic Weather on Longbeach today

The dogs are cavorting and people are having fun on the beach.

The black Great Dane came charging up to Hugh, barking, and then just before it reached him, veered away and went running back to "his" people.
It is wonderful to watch the dogs and how they run around with total joy and abandon. I love it when they've been in the water and you can see a shake coming on. It starts at the tip of the nose, then the ears flap, the rest of the body sort of rotates around itself and then the tail, right to the very tip. There is no consideration for anyone or anything that may be sprayed in the process. If you're within spraying distance, you will get a shower, unless you move out of the way.

The black scotty, I didn't check whether it is a he or a she, had his tongue hanging out. It looked very cute the pink on black and the shadow was also interesting.

The bloodhound, I think it is a bloodhound was running like mad, running rings around the other dogs.

I am not going to comment on the tail picture for fear of compromising someone. Make your own deductions, conclusions or assumptions. The picture says it all, doesn't it?

Isn't it sad they allow the vehicles on the beach?

Longbeach Jan 2011

Click on the image above to go to my web album to see the rest of the photos.

As You Like It; As You Write It

The As You Write It Creative Writing course run by Hugh Hodge and Paul Mason was very stimulating.  Even I, who never thought I would, wrote some passable poetry.  I will only publish some (of mine) if you are interested.  I did publish Emma's poetry that I thought was just amazing.

Hugh also runs poetry gigs in and around the Cape Peninsula, some on a weekly basis, others less often.