Reminds me of the story . . . .

If you are are standing with one foot in a bucket of ice water and the other foot in a bucket of boiling water, then on average, you are comfortable.

Hi Gerald, my famous illustration when people talk about averages. Statistically speaking it is incorrect to talk about averages without mentioning the variance too.

The other one is the geriatric hunter and the geriatric (deaf) rabbit. First shot misses the rabbit one meter to the left, the hunter compensates and the second shot is one meter to the right. On average, the rabbit is now dead.

Lies, damn lies and averages.

LOL! :D

And now that rabbit is on our lunch menu for tomorrow . . . .
(divide those prices by 8 to get US$ equivalent)

The first signs of Spring are here, and tomorrow promises to be a fine day, 23^oC [73^oF] forecast, so we will take a morning drive to buy some wine in this area and then go on to the lunch.

Watch a couple of whales on the afternoon drive home and then an afternoon nap.

It is a tough life! :(

If your are a bunny hugger: don't read further!

And for those who still cannot afford South Africa's food, I go on regular rabbit (of the domesticated kind) shooting trips. Someone opened up their cage after the children got bored with their pets, now they are creating havoc because they hmmm, well breed like rabbits. One night I shot 23 and still they keep coming. Like an invasion.

Rats with long ears!

Gerald,

I'm glad my wife doesn't read this forum. If she clicked on the link you gave us, she would clean out the savings account so we could go to SA and stay there. That place is gorgeous and the gourmet restaurant prices were super reasonable. I'm really envious. Have a great trip.

Here is ours. I am busy cleaning the leaves out. The cover was damaged with the strong wind that we had last week.Not really for swimming, just a place to sit in with a beer in the right hand.:)

Attachment 5495

Koi pond ?

Nee man PADDA dam....of is dit waar dop en dam vandaan kom:D

Dit is 'n dop dam! Die Parras is nou weer 'n storie op sy eie! I use only green products so that I can't stuff up the taste of the Brandy! Sorry Kobus it does sound just a little bit like certaim areas in Brakpan. :D:D

. . . .I was wondering what you had in your left hand, until

. . . . which answered my question!

I have change my mind. I am not going to explain the differance between 'padda' and 'parra'!

Albei kan brul

:D:D:D stop it NOW !!

Lol:d

Gedra vir julle!!

Right guys, enough of the Afrikaans - our other guests also want to know what's going on here. (It was just some silly local humour that doesn't actually translate to English without looooong boring explanations)

Bell Equipment in its heyday was one of our country's biggest success stories.

We are off to Clanwilliam for an extended weekend away. Bye

Excuse my ignorance and lack of traveling budget, but this seems like another very nice place to see !!!
I’m more & more impress with your country thanks to you & this forum. I must admit it opens my eyes & mind to a VERY wonderful place on earth !
Let’s hope & x-fingers when my MM comes alive ( soon, :o) it will help me ( & me to make it happen) make some extra budget to visit this wonderful place, SA !
Merci and wishing you a nice R&R Gerald ;)

I agree Robert. We've really got the bug to visit SA. I read on the link that they make shoes there so my wife's definitely going to want to visit that town.

Im in...but only if we go during the SA summer. It's really to cold for us Florida folks to go any where below 75F at any time! :)

I think the Canadians would be more comforftable in the late SA winter or perhaps spring. Summer I think would be toooo hot. :)

It snowed up on the mountains the night before we got there - have got some pictures of it. (Pics later). The shoe factory is small and the styles are few, but they make top quality long-life shoes, and they make to fit your feet without charging extra.

Some pictures:

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Clanwilliam Dam
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The waterfall at Nieuwoudtville (where I had to change a flat tyre). The fall is maybe about 100ft
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A colony of Cape Gannets on Bird Island at Lambert's Bay
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Fishing boats converted for sucking up diamonds. The concrete blocks are "dolosse", originating from South Africa and used worldwide.
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A local farmer's meeting - common transport is the pick-up truck, or "bakkie"
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Doring Bay (Thorn Bay)
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One of the world's largest antelope, the "eland", about 1000 lbs and 5ft tall at the shoulder:
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Which non-South African knows the meaning of that discarded road sign?

YEP....I stand, it’s defiantly worth serious considering & effort to make it happen. I’ll save up a take a few to see this beauty....SA.
Many thanks for again sharing those nice trip photos Gerald.
Hope all went well and your pleased with this short R&R birthday trip :D

What is "R&R"?

rest and recuperation

Rest and Relaxation

In Gerald's terms ..Re-Think and Re-Design..:)

I hope that row of bakkies was not parked in front of the local WATERING HOLE :D

I'd say that the discarded road sign was a warning that the good road ends here. Am I close?

John, close enough. It means that a bitumenised hard top meets with dirt or gravel road. (The sign was discarded because they were in the process of surfacing the road)

Hluhluwe
 

I took the wife and her mother out for Sunday lunch at the small town of Hluhluwe, about 30Km north from were I live.
They had to stop at Ilala Weavers!. Luckly I had no cash on me;)
The landscape is a lot different from the Western Cape were Gerald and Alan lives.

Beautiful pics. Thanks.

Were you serious about the boats sucking up diamonds? Great shoes for sale and diamonds lying around in the water...I won't be able to get my wife back on the airplane to come home.

Serious on the diamonds; link

But you need a licence to mine a concession area - it isn't a free-for-all.

I've learned a lot about South African culture on this forum but y'all haven't talked about what kind of music y'all listen to. So I've got two questions. 1. If I hit the scan button on the radio dial in a South African car, what will I hear? 2. Additionally, what type of music do you South African members of this board listen to normally?

Doef-doef!

I understand that some of our radio stations can stream via dsl over the internet....

This is my favorite channel: http://www.kfm.co.za

Some other big stations:
www.radio2000.co.za
www.safm.co.za
www.highveld.co.za
www.5fm.co.za



Here is a big list:

Metro FM

Broadcast in English, Metro FM is the largest national commercial station in South Africa, targeting 25- to 34-year-old black urban adults - who its owner the SABC describes as "trendy, innovative, progressive and aspirational". While the station does have some information and educational aspects, the focus is firmly on contemporary international music - hip-hop, R&B, kwaito and more. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


SAfm

SAfm is the SABC's English public broadcasting service, covering the news and canvassing the opinions of the country. It is almost 71 years-old, the same age of its 'owner'. It was first known as the "A Programme", becoming the English Service when the Afrikaans Service came into being a year later. In 1985 it changed its name again to Radio South Africa and, ten years later, to SAfm. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Radio Sonder Grense

The SABC's national Afrikaans cultural service, Radio Sonder Grense - meaning "radio without borders" - targets the white, coloured and Indian market, offering news, current affairs, sport, lifestyle, education and music - alles in een - sonder grense. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Lotus FM

Lotus FM is a metropolitan, music- and talk-focused Indian lifestyle station, reflecting the music, culture and lifestyle of the progressive South African Indian community. With the pay-off line "Not everything is black and white", the station emphasises both the South African and Indian identity of its listeners. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Jacaranda FM

One of the largest independent commercial stations and also broadcasting in Gauteng, Jacaranda offers a mix of more easy-listening adult contemporary music and news. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


East Coast Radio

East Coast broadcasts a mix of music and news to Durban and throughout KwaZulu-Natal. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Yfm

Home of Kwaito and the "Y Generation", Y is the country's most popular youth station. Yfm has a self-imposed 50% local music quota - more than any other radio station in the country. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


5FM

The SABC's trendy youth-oriented station, 5FM's emphasis is on the latest music, movies and South African youth trends. Broadcasting in English to South Africa's metropolitan areas, its music styles are international, and include a strong component of South African artists of world standard. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


94.7 Highveld Stereo

Popular home of Jeremy Mansfield's Rude Awakening, Highveld Stereo broadcasts a mix of contemporary music throughout Gauteng. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Kaya FM

Kaya FM provides an African-focused adult contemporary and jazz format, with a mix of music and talk. One of the country's newest radio stations, Kaya broadcasts throughout Gauteng. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Good Hope FM

Cape Town's largest radio station, the SABC's Good Hope FM plays contemporary music ranging from R&B, ballads and pop through to hip hop, dance, jazz and old school. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Algoa FM

Algoa FM's music and news is broadcast to the entire Eastern Cape region. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


702 Talk Radio

702 Talk Radio is Johannesburg's number-one current affairs and information station, offering news, sport, business and actuality programming - and lots of phone-in debate. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


567 Cape Talk

567 Medium Wave Cape Talk is Cape Town's first ever talk radio station. Twinned with Johannesburg stalwart 702 Talk Radio, Cape Talk promises to bring you all the news, views, sport, weather, traffic and information you need. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Classic FM

Based on the UK station, Classic FM has been broadcasting classical music throughout Gauteng since September 1997. Through their partnership with Business Day, the station offers in-depth business coverage each week night from 6pm. There are also lifestyle features, news, financial updates, sport, and interviews with local artists and composers. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Kfm

For the "best hits and memories", Kfm broadcasts adult contemporary music in the Western Cape and as far afield as Alexander Bay and the Northern Cape. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


OFM

An adult contemporary station broadcasting in the Free State. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Channel Africa

The international radio service of the SABC offers a multilingual source of information on Africa - with news, music and sports. Broadcasts are in Chinyanja, Silozi, Kiswahili, English, French and Portuguese, with shortwave broadcasts covering south, east, central and west Africa, satellite broadcasts covering the sub-Saharan region - and internet broadcasts covering the entire world. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Radio Pretoria

With the slogan Trots Afrikaans (proudly Afrikaans), Radio Pretoria broadcasts from Tshwane through 14 transmitters in towns in Gauteng, Limpopo, Free State, Mpumalanga, North West and KwaZulu-Natal. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Radio Tuks

Radio Tuks broadcasts from the University of the Pretoria campus, reaching most of the greater Tshwane area. The station targets an Afrikaans-speaking audience. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Campus Radio

The station is owned by the University of Johannesburg and run by students on a voluntary basis. Predominantly English, it includes Afrikaans and several vernacular languages, with new music taking up 60% of airtime, with the rest cutting-edge features.
http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif

Impact Radio

Impact Radio broadcasts from studios in Waterkloof Glen in Tshwane. Programming is Christian, with 20% talk and 80% music. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Radio Islam

Broadcasting from Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, Radio Islam aims to promote the religion of Islam, and to dispel myths about Islam and Muslims in South Africa and around the world. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Radio Kansel / Radio Pulpit

For the past 26 years Radio Pulpit has been broadcasting the gospel in both English and Afrikaans. The station broadcasts from studios in Pretoria on 657 MW, 24 hours per day and on the transmitters of Radio 2000 nationally between 4am and 11am. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


90.6 FM Stereo

The station broadcasts from Vereeniging, targeting an audience aged 20 to 50 with multilingual programming made up of 20% talk and 80% music. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Bush Radio

Bush Radio broadcasts to the Cape Flats, targeting coloured listeners aged 18 to 39, and features music, community issues, news, interviews and drama - such as Can Themba's The Suit. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Fine Music Radio

The station broadcasts from Cape Town, targeting discerning listeners over 35 with a taste for fine art, jazz and classical music. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


MFM 92.6

MFM broadcasts from Stellenbosch University to a largely student audience, and features music and talk. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Radio UCT

UCT Radio broadcasts from the University of Cape Town to students and young professionals, offering the latest music, artists, lifestyles, news, sport and clubbing information. http://www.southafrica.info/pics/redesign/arrow.gif


Bay FM

Bay FM was born out of Radio Uppie at the University of Port Elizabeth. Now independent of the university and run by members of the community, the station's programming reflects its young target market and goes out in a mix of English and Xhosa, with 60% music and 40% talk.

Thanks for the info Gerald. I was able to listen to your favorite station and listened to Highveld radio for a while too. It was cool to sit in my chair and listen to South African radio. Other than DJs with a slightly different accent, the broadcast sounded just like the stations here. Oh yeah, and I got to hear Afrikaans for the first time. It sounds like a cross between German and Dutch which makes sense. Very pleasing to the ear.

I looked at the recent play list for your station and I think you are more hip than me. :D I only recognized about half the group names.

The crazy thing is that none of us locals can listen to our radio stations over the internet - it is too expensive because have a limit to our bandwidth and cannot waste it on audio.

Those lists of stations largely exclude the black african-speaking stations which have the highest amount of listeners. This is a big one: http://www.uwfm.co.za

This is our "national" broadcaster, paid by taxes: http://www.sabc.co.za/portal/site/me...fa121a24daeb9/

This is a local community radio station serving the Helderberg Basin and over the mountain into Grabouw. Radio Helderberg Music type is varied ranging from Afrikaans contemporary to "Boere Musiek" to gospel to old time tunes (Glen Miller, Vera Lynn etc). Tune in on saterdays at 5pm (local time) to hear what Boere musiek sounds like Doug, you might enjoy it.