Desert Love

Those of you who have followed my blog for some time; may have become conscious to the fact that I have a passion for the Desert. I love the ‘uncomfortable’ and I love the harshness. She tickles me on a primevil level.

To be fair to what mother nature has to offer, there are more uncomfortable places on Earth I’m sure. The Desert is however, the motherfucker of all that can go wrong within oneself. Don’t expect velvet covered rose petals and green pastures, only bare stone, thorns and heat. She offers nothing.. makes no promises, just presents herself in the most godly of fashions.. simplicity.

I may have been blessed by the utmost belief in simplicity.

This week Saturday I leave again to meet with her. I don’t expect her to make any promises, give me no relief from scorching Sun. I will however expect her to be curtious upon my arrival, and awe me with the finality of a blood-red sunset. I will even edge her patience towards a star-blessed evening, and rise me with a beautiful shadow-filled yellow sunrise.

It's a 1900+km round trip on a scrambler motorcycle, via the rail line to De Aar, Putsonderwater and back via Taung home.

I'm looking forward to the trip, and hope to share my adventures with you on my return in the new year.

A day at the Zoo

This Photomanipulation took me all of last weekend. The idea is that one day this will be the only way we can watch animals in the wild. Like watching 'Live' television. This is the English Country scene of the Fox and the Hound.

(Click on Photo to enlarge)

..the season to be jolly..

..trala la la la..

Last Sunday, B celebrated her birthday with live music and close friends at our local jaunt. At one time during the day I sat by the pool just listening to the music, when I saw a little baby girl wandering around the pool without a parent in sight. I'm not good at baby ages, but I guessed her to be about 3years old, and she was still wearing nappies. I warned those around the pool to watch out for her and carried on chilling.

Not long after that I heard this scream behind me. The baby had fallen in the pool and was going down fast. I jumped closer and managed to grab her by the ankle and drag her up and out of the water. I held her by her waist facing down and she brought up a lot of water. About 30seconds later her dad finally made it over and took her away. I guess I should have been thankful when he offered to buy me a beer later.

This Sunday while I was out walking the dogs on the farm, I saw a cow in the distance lying down watching us. The minders must have forgotten about her last night and she stayed in the veldt overnight. I took the dogs back first(they get a bit excited around farm animals, and think they have to hunt them all down), and then returned to fetch her. As I neared i saw that she had a calf on the other side of the fence to hers. It must have been newborn, because it was very unsteady on it's legs.

I'm not sure how they got seperated, but I decided to go around and fetch him for mommy. I managed to catch him quite easily, but to carry him all the way around was a mission of note. The bugger must have weighed50 or so kg's already! With the two reunited I sat for a while enjoying the moment before returning home.

Mother and baby back in the kraal.

Two good deeds in one week!


Hope father Christmas is taking notes.

Enchanted Forest

Breath of Air

This manipulation took me all of last week, and then the weekend to sort out the Gremlins.

There are six different photos of which I include the links to the originals.

Pillar by ELENADUDINA[link]
Model by Fotovizions[link]
Blue Green Planet by Goblin Stock[link]
Background sky by Superior Stock[link]
Steps by Cinnamoncandy[link]
Hyena by Pieter Hugo Photography[link]

Half.. waiting to heal..

Cover of the 'Half' calendar series.

The idea for the calendar started as a Photoshop experiment in Photo-manipulation. With every attempt their is a visible improvement, and I hope that once I master all the techniques necessary for the look I'm aiming for, I can put together a 'half' decent calendar.

Off-road 101

Since buying my scrambler in May I've travelled quite some distances in an around my area. I maintain a slow and reasonable speed, because I try and stay alert for photo opportunities. It is also difficult to scout for interesting places and concentrate on rocks, holes and branches at the same time while riding. So eventually I found a happy medium between speed and alertness.

However, I was soon to learn an all together new interpretation of speed.
This weekend while I was enjoying a beer at our annual beer fest, I was approached by some guys who wanted me to join them on a ride on Sunday. I know three of the seven are very experienced riders from whom I could learn a lot, so I eagerly agreed to meet them early the next morning.

I have never in my life had such an experience. The guys ride as if the Devil himself is chasing them, and I had some difficulty keeping up at first. But, once my brain registered, and my eyes became accustomed to the speed, my depth perception soon improved and I was able to keep up with them quite easily.

We did some technically difficult grades, which ranged from hill climbing to forest riding and crossing rivers and ravines. All the time I was learning new techniques and the guys were never short on advise which could help me improve. At the end of the day, we had completed just over 80km's; all on dirt. It felt like 200km's!

This was going to be of immense value to me when I leave for my trip to De Aar in December.

Here we are at the top of a hill which was once("believe it or a not) a ski-slope. Yes, someone actually thought it would be a good idea to chisel a flat piece of ground out of the rock-face, smooth it over with some carpet and teach people to ski.

The slope is about 120meters long and you have to open up the taps and maintain a steady speed to reach the top. Of course the only way out of there is back down again. Pretty hairy, but very satisfying when you manage to reach level earth again. From this camera view you are looking down the slope.

The next ride is in two weeks time, and I'm looking forward to see where we'll be going this time.

Signal from Neptune

Second of the 'Half' calendar series.

Bush Camp

B has left a big hole in my weekend activities after she flew to New Zealand last Monday. After sulking for at least ten minutes on Saturday, I decided on a whim to go camping in the mountains behind our town.

I grabbed a few things and left home at about 3 in the afternoon. After finding a nice spot on the leeward side of Perdeberg(Horse Montain). I made camp and started gathering wood and stones I'd need for the night.

I spent most of the night staring at the stars counting satelites and enjoying the night sounds. It was very relaxing. That was until the early morning hours when the wind shifted and cold weather moved in from the east. I froze my butt off, but it was still worth every minute!

I only took my tents top cover, covered the bike and made my bed underneath the motor.

Scouting for the Desert trip

I took a trip down to Koppies in the Free-State to scout out the railway line in preparation for my trip to De Aar in November/December. The idea is to follow the line by bike from Sasolburg via Bloem and Kimberley down to De Aar without using the tar roads, where possible.

From what I saw on Google Earth it's not only possible but could be a very interesting trip, as there are some excellent sites not visible from the main roads. I've already discovered a concentration camp north of Koppies and an old abandoned Escom factory.

This pic was taken as I crossed the Vaal and entered the Free State.

Power Station South of Sasolburg

Abandonded Escom Factory, Kragbron

Vredefort Concentration Camp

Blockhouse ruin, Koppies.

I'm looking forward to the trip, and I know it's going to be harsh, but why else would one do it?

Bagus sleeping

Bagus has no been through three spells of Biliary and finally the illness has left him alone, long enough to actually grow.

He is a handsome boy with wonderful character, and judging from the size of his paws he's going to be a big boy.

Here he is sleeping in his basket meant for when he was a puppy, yet he still forces himself onto it eventhough it's become a bit small now.

The Suck generation

This morning I get a telephone call in the traffic, and as any good up-standing S.A. citizen does; I answered.

It was the young girl that works in my department. “Where are you” , she asked. “Just past town, near the office”, I replied. “But didn’t you get my sms?”, she asks again. “Was that from you?” I asked innocently.

The thing is this: I employed C to work in my department as a junior designer, come appy. I give her a lift to work everyday, because she lives in my area.

This morning I get a garbled message on my phone, which I cannot decipher, nor do I know who it’s from. It looked something like this: H lke gng 2b lte by 5 or 10 dis mng. Cn u wgt 4m?

WTF? I’m a proud member of the 80’s generation, I’ve kept up with technology without missing a beat. I have the latest laptop and scan G3 and ‘Stuff’ regularly for new goodies. The latest upgrade in cellphone technology is a month away, and my camera was swopped to digital the moment it became an event.

I know the tools, I don't understand the generation. Bunch of lazy arse I tell you. Just yesterday the other young ‘person’ in my office has a baby tantrum because I’m discussing his work with an Afrikaans colleague, well.. in Afrikaans. Why on earth would I speak to a fellow Afrikaner in any other language? That would be as stupid as our factory workers speaking English to each other, both being Zulu, for God sakes!

I repeated everything I said in English back to him, just to stop his huffy and get him to work. Wanker..
Same guy who gave up working just yesterday morning, because his work keeps getting stuck in the imagesetter when more than one page at a time is processed. I continued doing my work by printing one page at a time. He finally got the message and finished whatever he was doing two hours later than he could have.

It’s a generation that wants things to happen in a instant, but they are unwilling or able to deal with it when it doesn’t. Bch of fk’n lsrs!

They suck, and we’re in deep shit when their kids pop out and join the human race in ten or twenty.

I get another sms as I arrive in my office: "I sent you a sms this morning to say that I will be late by 5 or 10 min, and asked if you could wait for me?"

I phoned her back and apologised for not waiting. I think the crap msgs r a tng o da pst.

B leaves for New Zealand at the end of September and it's pretty sad. During our strenuous 4 year relationship we were often on the verge of killing each other, and other times we were so in love we couldn't leave each other for a moment.

Since our breakup, our friendship has grown to such an extent that I am truly heartbroken that she is leaving.. for good maybe.I wish her all the best and thank her for being my model over the last few weeks.

She has agreed to do a few more shoots before her departure, for which I am grateful, since I am really not that good with people, and finding another person for my photos will be an impossibility.

On the other hand I am also excited that B is finally making room for herself in the world and putting her dreams above all else for a change.

She never questioned where we went on our Photo-ventures, and was alwasy willing to get up at whatever time it took.

Thanks Fairy-girl, I wish you well.

Sacrifice

For the good of the many.

Model from blacksockstock - http://blacksockstock.deviantart.com/art/stock-1030-93037606

Attack.. Kill.. Maim!

Bagus ready to pounce on some unsuspecting insect.

Two steps forward..

..and three steps back.

What is a man to do? This morning at about 05am, while I was in the shower, some bright(or is that dark?) sparks stole my little car.

And only Monday I employed a lady here in my department, on the understanding that I could get her to work and home every day. Now, I have to rely on her family to get me to work. How fucked up is that, I ask you?

Everytime I think I'm just getting ahead, someone comes along and fucks up everything.

Fuck everything.

Bagus

At first I thought 'Dude' because he was so cool when I got him, but Bagus sounds more powerful. As is the nature of Boerboels they can be both powerful and good dogs, hence the Balinese word meaning 'good'.

Ba - gutteral G - and Us

The Blue Waterbottle

Found this old waterbottle while rummaging through the rubble at an old Tannery in the mountains. The date on the base is 1953.

The Old Stone Tannery

Azure

A week past a crisp new sheet I lay
and with it a new breath I breathe
my lungs expand my nostrils flare
an unfamiliar feeling rises from within

I stare into your beautiful eyes
an intoxicating bleau celeste
and I run my fingers through your hair
mesmerised by your laughter

open and fresh.. a picture of innocence,
and a touch of naughty, as your mouth
turns to a smile

Tranquility Way

Fuck.. fuck.. fuck!

Yesterday when I got home I prepaired some food for the two puppies, and went down the garden to the den where they sleep.They were nowhere to be seen, and I thought they had been stolen.

Upon further enquiry I was told that our maid had taken them for two kids in the neighbourhood. I was very pissed off as the one puppy was mine, and I had told her not to take him. I phoned her, but she assured me she had just taken the one puppy and left the male behind.

Then this morning my friend phones and tells me they had found the puppy, but that he was dead. Apparently he had gotten out of the den and fell in the pool. They found him this morning while cleaning the garden.

I am feeling rather sick in my stomach at the moment. He really was such a beautiful little thing.

Fuck!

Black

I’m lying on a bed of broken glass
Memories of our life spread all around me
But as I try to recall, they all turn to black

My life an empty canvas, ready to transform
and as I reach for the colours from our past
these too fade to black

I know I gave it everything, as you gave me
the clothes from your back, and still I see you
there in the shadows, just out of reach

The once beautiful, turning to marble and steel

As the colours fade between you and I,
and the world turns back to black

I clear the bed of old, and lay a crisp white sheet

Haystack 2 - Needle 0

A few years ago while on one of my hikes in the hills near where I live, I snapped a photo of this old bottle. It became one of the photos in the pub of our local Restaurant.

On Friday I was asked by the owner if it would be possible to have the bottle to display together with the photo. Needless to say I can't remember whether or not I actually collected the bottle at the time, and If maybe I left it at B's house when I left. So instead I decided to head out on Saturday morning and go look for it.

First I went through my photo archives to find the photo of the bottle. Once I found it I then looked at the sequence in which the photos were taken, to get an idea of an approximate area where the bottle could be. There was a photo of a fallen tree, an old ruin with tiled floors, the photo of the bottle, and a few of the area after that. I new where it was and it left me with an area of about fifty square meters to search in.

G asked if she could accompany me to help out, and since four eyes would be better than two I happily agreed.

We agreed to meet at the spot at 7am on Saturday and parted ways. Early Saturday I headed over to the hills and met with G. The place was completely grown over and nowhere near as open as it was the first time I was there. The chances were slim, but we started searching anyway.

I had made copies of the photo sequences before I left home, so armed with these we started searching in the general area. G decided she would start from the outside perimeter and search inwards while I would search outwards. I can tell you with confidence that it was hell. The entire area was overgrown with Blacjacks, and pretty soon we looked like we were camouflaged for the war zone.

After an hour of searching we both agreed that it was fruitless. Although we had found every item and place preceeding and following the bottle on the photos, the bottle was nowhere to be found.

G had brought a flask of coffee and some biscuits, so we sat on a rock and contemplated the chances of success in finding the bottle. Unless we could find a way to rid the place of all the undergrowth, we both agreed the chances would be pretty slim. So we parted again, but both willing to give it another try the Sunday morning. Of course our attempts at finding the bottle did not improve the following day either.

Our only chance of finding the bottle would come if the winter fires burnt away the growth, or as G jokingly added; that we hire two weedeaters and rip the place apart. As tempting as that was, we decided to check in now and again as we pass the area, to see when it had burnt down.

With the shanty town a kilometer or two down the road, our wait might not be that long after all.

Horny Gods

Zephyrus, or just Zephyr, in the original Greek Zéphyros (Ζέφυρος), in Latin Favonius, is the Greek god of the west wind. The gentlest of the winds, Zephyrus is known as the fructifying wind, the messenger of spring. It was thought that Zephyrus lived in a cave in Thrace.

Zephyrus was reported as having several wives in different stories. He was said to be the husband of his sister Iris, the goddess of the rainbow. He abducted another of his sisters, the goddess Chloris, and gave her the domain of flowers. With Chloris, he fathered Carpus ("fruit"). He is said to have vied for Chloris's love with his brother Boreas, eventually winning her devotion. Additionally, with yet another sister and lover, the harpy Podarge (also known as Celaeno), Zephyrus was said to be the father of Balius and Xanthus, Achilles' horses.

One of the surviving myths in which Zephyrus features most prominently is that of Hyacinth. Hyacinth was a very handsome and athletic Spartan prince. Zephyrus fell in love with him and courted him (see also: Mythology of same-sex love), and so did Apollo. The two competed for the boy's love, but he chose Apollo, driving Zephyrus mad with jealousy. Later, catching Apollo and Hyacinth throwing a discus, Zephyrus blew a gust of wind at them, striking the boy in the head with the falling discus. When Hyacinth died, Apollo created the hyacinth flower from his blood.[2]

In the story of Cupid and Psyche, Zephyrus served Cupid by transporting Psyche to his cave.

With the Compliments of the ever reliable Wikipedia.

Surprise Attack

A Retro touch to this Buick Skylark muscle car

She shall return no more..

It has been a long time coming, but the sadness is slowly enveloping me

Creaping into every core of my being. First the longing then the tears

Oh what have I become.. It cannot be this way..

I thought I could love, and live apart..

Once is sweet return, twice is love that’s meant to be..
But thrice I fear, is lover gone..

Luna's Litter II

Well, if anyone of you looked closer you might have realised that there are in fact NINE puppies. I only found out yesterday when I started feeding them solids. Wonder if that is a record of some sort?



Well, my work for the restaurant is complete and I have lots of free time on my hands.

I don't know if I mentioned it before, but I didn't charge the Restaurant for the use of my photos. Instead I asked that my details be reflected on each one, so that I could benefit from the exposure. The only thing I'm unhappy about now, is the fact that the framer did a shoddy job and the inner border is in the process of warping. The owner assured me this will be rectified this week.



Also they have again asked me to contribute another 30photos for the restrooms and the older section which they are repainting. I've already given them a quote and will see what happens from there.

Here are two shots I took for the Father's Day theme. The classic Motor car club had a show at the restaurant on Sunday.

Luna's Litter

Here they are! Luna has succesfully given birth to eight beautiful little puppies. Okay, okay it was a while ago, but I was very busy with the restaurant and didn't get to it till now. Anyway, this photo was taken on Sunday as they enjoyed the little bit of warmth the winter's day afforded.

On the day they were born I found two of the puppies away from the den and almost dying. I managed to get their body temperatures up and returned them to Luna where she welcomed them and has managed to raise all of them without loss.

I was surprised how well she coped since this is her first litter, but she has lost a lot of weight and I hope she will be back to her bounceful self soon enough.

The runt named 'Tiger' is the one I'm choosing to keep. The rest already have homes ready for them once they are big enough.

Window View

Old Military Base - Boksburg

Down here..

Well, Saturday evening went down very well. And the response was overwhelming to say the least.

I did have a bit of a surprise when I finally saw the framed photos though. I thought they would be bigger. I was under the impression the photos were going to be A3 size and the frames then larger. Instead the frame was A3, with the photos a lot smaller.

I took a few snaps when I arrived and you'll see that they should have been a lot bigger. Anyhow, everone loved them so I should be grateful I guess. You decide.

Higher

This weekend will be the make or break for me, as far as my photographic aspirations are concerned.The framed photos will arrive at the restaurant today while I am at work, and be up on the walls by the time I get home this afternoon.

I've already had offers from 2 people to do themed photos for their homes. On top of that, the marketing guy has forwarded some of my best work to his previous employer; one of the biggest publishers in the country: Struik. I'm dumbfounded at how things have unfolded over the last couple of weeks. Maybe my dreams of becoming a proffesional photographer like my dad is no longer out of my reach.

Don't worry I'll keep my day-job for now.

The builders were franticly busy last night adding the finishing touches to the Tudor style restaurant.

The opening night is on Saturday with over 200 people attending. I am going to be nervous as hell.

Soulfood

For my friend Belinda

High & Mighty

Abandoned Dairy - Walkerville