Friday, April 30, 2010

Beautiful Kirstenbosch in Cape Town

We visited one of the most famous botanic gardens in Cape Town, Kirstenbosch which is situated on the slopes of Table Mountain. These gardens occupy over 500 hectares of slopes and mountainside.  Kirstenbosch was the world's first national garden devoted to indigenous plants. These gardens are magnificent with cycads and clivias due to the temperate climate and are sheltered from the strong summer winds by the mountains.

Way back in the early 17th century when the first settlers arrived, these lower slopes were cultivated to produce food for Cape Town and the locals. Large areas of land were used for forestation and farming and then along came Cecil Rhodes who bought large areas of land on these western slopes. He wanted to preserve it as a national heritage. This was somewhere around late 19th century. After Rhodes died the land was taken over by the Government and given to the peoples of South Africa.

The name Kirstenbosch appears on maps first drawn up in the 18th century as many Kirstens lived there.

Nowhere on the continent of Africa do you find the Cape Flora--or anywhere else in the world. This is what makes Kirstenbosch so unique in the diversity of plants. I noted on the brochures there are over 9,000 species of Flora and 70 percent are endemic.

About 40 hectares are devoted to "The Garden" which is a sort of organic in shape as it has evolved over time and no "design" was developed as a landscape plan.

Kirstenbosch has a rich diversity of indigenous plants and well worth visiting but only after you have been atop Table Mountain. If you require any information on Proteas, Erica, or Cape Flora, or more about South Africa, the Cape or whatever, please drop me a line here. I'd love to chat about it as it really is a lovely place.

Monday, April 26, 2010

South Africa - A follow up from yesterday's blog; The Magic of Cape Town

If you visit South Africa, Cape Town should be number one on your list. In the surrounding areas you will see the beautiful Cape Dutch architecture which is characterized by shapely gables in brilliant white with thatched roofs and elegant shuttered windows. Cape Town is one of South Africa's most civilized cities which lies against a backdrop of Table Mountain. From the top of the mountain you get a view of the sweeping Table Bay area. At the top you will probably spend more time gazing at the magnificent views. I probably took about 500 shots of CT and you will see some of these below.

The city of CT lies at the northern end of Cape Peninsula which is about a 50 mile range of mountains that drops down to the sea. The lower parts of the city is known as City Bowl. In the heart of the city you can visit the famous Parliament along Government Avenue, a pedestrian mall and many museums. You can't really get lost using Table Mountain as a guide.










The top pic is a view of Cape Town city from the top of Table Mountain. The second pic is where the two oceans meet (Indian Ocean and Atlantic). Way in the distance about 2,000 miles south you might be able to spot Antarctica.

The third pic is a view across the mountain range looking west. The last pic is a climber about to drop down the mountain.

More pics to follow of beautiful Cape Town.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Beautiful South Africa, a Place Kids Would Love

Recently we were on a six week sojourn in South Africa and we can say it was a truly remarkable trip. The primary objective was to visit our three grandchildren who were also on vacation in Waterfall, Hillcrest, a small village about half an hour drive inland from Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal. The village is nestled among the Midland Hills, is very green and enjoys a temperate climate--not like the humidity of Durban.

In this region there are stud farms, dairy farms and chicken farms as the pastures are a lush green and not unlike the hills you find in Ireland. Nearby Hillcrest you'll be enchanted by the Valley of the Thousand Hills and thus named because of the countless steep hills--a place well worth visiting. This is not only home to the Zulus but also many craftsmen and artists who now live there as it is becoming a great tourist attraction.

A few miles rising up inland towards Pietermarizburg, you will discover a delightful place called Botha's Hill and this is where the Zulu's perform their traditional dances. See pictures here of these wonderful dancers we captured.

Zulu Dancers, Natal
Zulu Chief Dancing
Behind these dancers notice the Valley of the Thousand Hills; this is approximately 20 odd miles from Durban. These hills are alive with traditional Zulu homesteads, this area is called Botha's Hill where you get spectacular views of these hills. Nearby are artists studios, craft shops, restaurants, coffee shop, quaint pubs and B&B's. The grandkids love to watch the Zulus dancing.

We then toured on to Northern Kwa-Zulu Natal, to a safari park about three hours drive north of Durban following the coast line to a safari park called Bayete Zulu. This is situated almost on the Swaziland border. It is "small" by the average safari lodge in the area at approximately 22,000 ha. This is what the kids really loved because of the abundance of wild animals. Lots of pictures below of these lovely creatures even though we only saw the big four, the big cats are missing in this specific area.

Rambo at Bayete Zulu Safari
On their way home





















A unique feature of these giants are the tusks, Rambo, this one on the left was very tame and lifted tourists up with his trunk. He did not complain about the overweight tourists.

A ride on the tusk and a dentist






He thinks we're being nosy























Bayete Lodge is privately owned and consider the reserve to the most densely stocked and ecologically balanced in northern Natal. The reserve consists of a varied landscape of mountains, open plains and dense woodlands. The diversity of flora and high carrying capacity make this an animal paradise. We enjoyed at stay here so much we will be back again next year.

Friday, April 23, 2010

KIds Beds of Yesteryear and Today

Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands. Anne Frank.


In those early years of childhood, we were as poor as a church mouse shortly after WW2 and scrounged not only for food but anything that would make our lives more comfortable.  We were a large family of seven, always hungry, nearly always naughty, we used to scream and fight, bicker and yell; it seemed we all belonged in Bedlam.


The winter months as I recall were bitterly cold and the little heating we had came from a kerosene burner and that used to stink the place out. We had no money for coal or coke and the only fuel was wood from the nearby woods, the fire was lit about once a week and twice if we were lucky. A fire meant we could also have a hot bath—what a luxury.


We spent a lot of time wrapped in blankets during mid winter supplied by the government. The beds and mattresses were also army handouts. These were no special save-your-back beds but those made from reinforced steel—or so it seemed. The springs used to stick through in several places and often one of us would wake up in the night and scream as the spring found its way into flesh. Worse, my siblings had to sleep two in a single bed for warmth and any movement would create a loud squeaks and wake us up.


You could never get a good night’s sleep because the comfort level was about zero. I used to think there were bugs harvesting in the mattress as most of us got those tiny red weal marks on our bodies. As kids we were pretty disciplined but not one of us used to like making the beds so a yelling match broke out as to whose turn it was.


Moving on to present time, I see these modern beds for kids, one in particular is called the Trundle. This comes with draws, pull-out tables, small shelves for books, a flat screen TV, a sound system and a host of other goodies that kids love. These beds cost around three grand. I’d even make the bed if I had one of those!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Those Funny Family Gifts

Have you ever laughed at a funny gift from someone in your family? There are really ridiculous gifts available for your wife, husband, kids—especially the kids who are spoilt and have everything!

You have this wonderful husband and he is earning around $380,000 per annum, the house is paid off and the luxury cars are new, paid for in cash. The wife has a Lexus and he has a new Jaguar.

The kids have everything they need from their own iPads, laptops, computer games—and there is even a couple of arcade games for the kids in the room next to the billiard hall. Yep, it's big, and this family have bucks, plenty.

Yes, this family is very happy, they have everything they need. They go on vacation about twice a year mainly to the Caribbean. They love Anguilla as they always have so much fun and there's so much to do as a family.

She has a birthday coming up next week and he considers he should get her something special, something she'll fall in love with. But hey, what? She has everything she needs, diamonds, okay it is not the Dudley Diamond at around 47 carats but they are not el-cheapo either, she has the finest clothes even though he doesn't notice much what she is wearing—so he muses, what on earth can he get her for her 47th birthday coming up all too soon?

She buys all she needs for herself and the four kids, she has her own credit card and money to buy things is never on her mind, and of course she would never consult the price tag of anything, she doesn't need to.

He considers getting her something she'll love to be a great challenge; he consults the kids and asks them “What do you think Mom would love for her birthday next week?” They come up with several ideas so inane like a coffee mug with her name on it, a brooch with her picture inside it, a pair of slippers that look similar to ostrich feet; a T-shirt with “I Love Mom”.

“No kids,” say father, “It has to be something original, not crap!  This world is saturated with coffee mugs and T-shirt and besides, it is not the kind of thing Mom would really appreciate.”

Then Josh, the eldest comes up with his brilliant idea; “What about giving her a ball of nothing?”

“And how do we do that?” the kid's chorus. “Well, we give her an empty box with nothing inside.”

“No,” says father, that would be an insult, it has to be something tangible, something you can touch.” 

“How about a jar of sunshine?” Josh asks, “It's a jar with no switch and there is a light sensor inside making the light come on after dark, I saw it at the store."

“Great idea,” says Pa, “We'll get one tomorrow and all of you can create a few personal birthday cards, she'll love that!”

So what do you give to someone who has everything? Give something that will make them laugh! Go here for a few laughs but there are no special gifts for moms.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Fashionable Denims

We visited family in California recently and were dutifully met by three grandchildren. All of them were wearing fashionable faded jeans with the eldest having shredded knees. It looked to me as if they had been rescued from the rocks along a California beach. I was informed they were the latest in jeans and "You should get a pair Grandpa with your knobbly knees."

My daughter-in-law informed me they cost a few hundred bucks at Kippy's which apparently included the jacket, also denim, frayed cuffs and faded. The sneakers were a bright pink with flashing lights like a neon sign along the soles.

The styles are obviously a throwback from the eighties where faded denims became the rage with bell bottoms and those ugly belts similar to Madonna's.  Would you believe some of those belts were over 3 inches wide and had studs embedded that would make any Harley Davidson rider proud?

The girls love their sneakers but the young boys could not give a hoot, they don't care if they have soda stains, ice cream marks or plain mud. The girls are quite the opposite. They care about the style, the fit, does it go with their "over-washed" faded and torn-fashion gear? You can get girls shoes in any color but men's styles are quite boring, all with similar designs.

As the grand-kids get older their tastes will change rapidly from faded washed-ashore jeans to something more stylish especially in their early teens when their awareness of the opposite sex becomes apparent. I guess it is making a personal statement of yourself and how you think others might think of you?

Even young kids opinions matter very much to themselves, so listen up to them here.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Kids Toys Sixty Years Ago

Kids Toys were unheard of in the 1950's, we had to make our own from any scraps we could find; whether that be cardboard, scrap metal from the dumps, old discarded prams, bricks found in the yard, sandbags from WW2, corrugated sheeting thrown aside by the army (we lived near an army base) or empty shells found on the target range.

These scraps of rubbish came in handy for making almost anything. Kids in the 5 - 10 age bracket are very creative and used this found junk to make some incredible toys.

One of the wonderful toys that came out of this was a trolly, a four-wheeled transporter made from several prams—and seats two kids. There were large wheels on the back to give it a "rakish" look and we thought it would also give us more top speed, which it did. This trolly had an extended piece of wood at the front for the steering mechanism. Brakes? Nah! Who needs brakes when speed is exhilarating?

Our major problem came on going downhill so fast the steering used to lose control and we used to veer left or right because the sterring mechanism was over-sensitive. It took us a few days to figure this out with the use of two small pulleys where the steering rope was threaded through to reduce sensitivity. This worked well and we (the four of us) were very proud. Our ages were 5, 7, 8 and 10. The Trolly Team.

Other creative toys we made were; small "homes" made from curved galvanized sheeting from the army base, the two girls (sisters) were so enthralled they used to play in these minature homes for days—and would stay there playing inside until dusk.

My younger brother Phil made a two-wheeled scooter also from a disused pram, pieces of scap metal with a wooden base which was much wider than today's modern scooters. Scooter designs have not changed much in 50 years  except they now have two-stroke motor power, they are much lighter and perhaps a lot safer. Some may even have a GPS.

Do you remember those special toys you had as a kid and still get a little nostalgic about it? Maybe those toys were also from the 1950's?

Fast forward to today in the year 2010; in about 60 years toys have come a long way with quite ingenious designs and techno advances. These keep kids minds open to new innovations especially the educational toys. Here is a list of kids toys and their description...go check.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Great Activities For Kids

My website presents activities for kids mainly, and their parents. Most pages are entertaining including those that are educational in nature, specific topics on crafts, kids games, kids book and movie reviews, educational projects, basics of art for kids, and interactive pages for kids to contribute their ideas.


One of the most viewed areas are coloring pages, from animals, fairies, Disney characters, well-known cartoons, comic strips, dinosaurs to dogs, from dogs to vampire drawings.


Most of the really fun stuff for kids and parents are listed under "fun stuff" and they include funny babies, funny bloopers, funny cats and their crazy antics, funny facts as well as hilarious jokes.

The next section is on how to draw for kids and beginners...these lessons are the very basics which have to be understood if any ability is to be gained. Kids usually love these because they can master these in a very short time. Some of these lessons are; how to draw dogs, cats, people, cartoons and a favorite—how to draw flowers.

Kids skills is well visited page showing how UK kids handle various sports and how they get really good at it. These videos on Kids Skills are well worth watching.

Then comes the teen stuff on TXT messaging, teen poems, Valentine quotes, love poems, and teen friendship. All fun stuff but nothing on resolving family problems. That will probably come later.

Some interesting keywords have appeared; kids chat and the chat rooms, kids cartoons, kids animation, kids opinions (and moms they DO matter) Kids website reviews, kids humor, and kids recipes.

And finally comes the games page. These are not your usual board games like Scabble and Monopoly—they are sometimes violent and not suitable for kids under 6 or 7. There are thousands of games with humor instead of violence. So look for those.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Text Messaging and Literacy

On Easter Sunday, we were chatting with friends about child education, how the language is rapidly changing amongst kids who spend hours every day, text messaging.

The TXT language is alien, here are some examples; L2G (like to go?) LD (later dude), 14AA41 (one for all, all for one), OMDB (over my dead body). It looks like it might well be OMDB as these messages are from kids who cannot put a sentence together, mainly illiterate tweens and teens.

Illiteracy in the western world is going straight up exponentially; I wonder what it is going to be like in the next decade? ITND (in the next decade).

Text messaging is also known as SMS or Textese, textspeak or chatspeak. I guess there may be hundreds more related to this language. Grammar and punctuation is unheard of in TXT messaging, this does not auger well for kids who will eventually be applying for a job. Kids, it is going to be tough out there if you are illiterate.

Literacy, as defined by the NAAL is "Using printed and written info to function in society; to achieve one's goals and to develop one's knowledge and potential."

There are of course various levels of literacy; proficient, intermediate and basic. In the 2009 stats, 22 percent were below basic—they could not read or write! A chronic situation. Worse, about 60 percent of kids and adults who were illiterate (especially after grade 4) ended up behind bars! Therefore illiteracy and crime are closely related.

As one child in every four grows up not knowing how to read or write, we are going to be in for a tough time. So scrap all the textese, get out the books and start reading and writing—then we can all win.

See this page on teaching kids.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Family Fun and Bonding

If the Doe's are having family fun, it would be a good indication that the entire family is bonding together.

Dad and mom of course love their kids and are in hourly communication with them. If there is a squabble among the siblings, mom or dad intervene to find the basic cause of the upset. As you know, kids do not always share the same viewpoint and why should they? And so disagreements come up regularly.

A great system in the Doe family is to have all the kids together and only permitting one child to speak while the others remain silent. Each child has a turn at speaking their opinion while mom and dad record an outline of the conversation.

Before they start, each is asked to speak honestly and not to blame their siblings or point a finger in any way. Handling it this way gets to the basic upset quickly and who was responsible. "Okay Joe, you started this by not wanting to share your game with Else, right?" Joe knows he will not be punished and mom will validate him for his openness. Mom then asks "Why didn't you want to share, what is your reason?"

Joe replies "I guess I felt a bit selfish which was wrong of me, sis can use this game any time she likes!" Mom says thank you and asks the whole family to thank Joe. Joe beams and know his family is behind him and he has learnt a lesson in sharing things with his family.

Mom then changes the subject and then asks "Okay kids, lets have some fun, what would you all like to do together?"

In a chorus they all yell "Go to the beach!"


For more family bonding go to this kid-friendly site for fun things to do, funny things to watch with light entertainment.