Ek is ‘n groot aanhanger van Apple se goed. In Engeland het ek ‘n Nano gekoop en dit was fantasties - ek gebruik hom nou nog; by die werk gebruik ons iTunes as ons musiekspeler en ek het onlangs oorgeskakel na Safari as my amptelike browser. Apple se ontwerp is net eenvoudig die beste , selfs beter as Microsoft (wat ook uitstekend is).

So ek is baie opgewonde oor die nuus dat Apple saam met Vodafone die iPhone in Suid-Afrika gaan versprei. Ek is juis besig om te kyk na ‘n nuwe selfoon. My Samsung D500 is ‘n lekker klein foontjie maar hy is al oud en sy Internet funksionaliteit is beperk. Uit die aard gaan ek nou maar wag om my selfoon te vervang tot die iPhone uit is.

Kyk ook na Apple se iPhone site.

Wat ook nice is is hierdie Golf Scorecard programmetjie. Ek sal dit beslis kan gebruik.

Last week Lené and I had our first decent holiday in 18 months. We took a four-day trip to Knysna. We asked Lené’s parents to look after Elke and predictably they were more than happy to oblige.

We stayed at the 4-star Knysna Quays hotel. I would say the Hotel is OK. The ground staff were friendly, but the receptionist wasn’t. I don’t know if it was because we spoke Afrikaans or because we’re South-African (maybe they’re more used to foreign tourists). The rooms are nice, but other 4-star hotels I stayed in had much bigger rooms. The best thing about the hotel was its proximity to the Knysna Waterfront. It really is a 2-minute walk.

Places we visited were:

The famous Knysna Heads. It is really beautiful area, but I find it depressing that the whole Eastern side is so built up. There are these ugly jutting mansions all over the stunning rocks. I wouldn’t want to live there and I probably won’t go there again. I think this demonstrates pretty well where we are going wrong with residential developments.

Leisure Island. A very pleasant place. Large properties with really classy houses and big lawns. Also very close to the water. And a nice art gallery as well.

Knysna Waterfront. Nice vibe, but surprisingly quiet. The eateries were good. The shopping was very touristy. Not the way I like to shop. I don’t think the area works as well out of season as anticipated. In season I’m sure it goes nuts.

Knysna Town Centre & Information Office. Very impressive. The centre feels alive even in the middle of week. There is much to do and to see. The shopping is excellent and the well-looked after displays make you feel as if people care about the environment. The Knysna tourism office is the benchmark. The location is excellent and the office itself has strong branding and a good layout. It works! People meander in and out as if its another shop. It makes me green with envy.

Thesen Island. I wouldn’t live here in a million years! Not a blade of grass to be seen and no swimming access to the water (even if you did want to swim in the dirty water). The flats are one on top of the other with no character. The mind boggles as to why someone would want to live there. The only good thing is the shopping and the eating. They have some impressive but expensive shops. The restaurants are the same. We ate at the famous Ile de Pain (means Bread Island). Food was awesome, but outrageously expensive.

Knysna Meuseum. Not that much to see, but still worth a visit. It used to be the old gaol and they have restored one of the cells. This and the plan of the original goal gives you a real sense of what it used to be like. There is also some interesting stuff about Knysna, George Rex & The Thesens. The old photographs are also worth a look.

Belvidere. Beautiful place next to the lagoon on the Western side. Not much to do, but I expect that is what the locals want. There are some stunning houses on huge properties.

Lake Brenton. A very nice campsite on the shores of the Knysna Lagoon. We might visit this again with the kids and family in future.

Brenton-on-Sea. Reminds me of Cape St. Francis, one of my favourite places. Also the signage is Afrikaans; which warms my heart right up. Only negative is how far away from the beach you are. Because of this Cape St. Francis still wins hands down.

Sedgefield & Lake Pleasant. A nice place with a fantastic beach. Quiet when we were there. The Lake Pleasant Bistro was recommended to us by a friend. It turned out to be a winner. The food was outstanding; the staff was friendly and the view was unbeatable. I can definitely recommend it.

George Pro Shop. A strange place for a holiday I know! But I needed some gear and well… we were in the vicinity. The staff were great - much better than Port Elizabeth’s Pro Shop - and they allowed me to test out some equipment on their driving range before I bought. I ended up buying a whole lot.

Millwood. I did the Outeniqua Hiking Trail 15 years ago so I was really keen to see if it was still the same. To me the Knysna Bush, as written about by Dalene Mathee, is one of the most beautiful parts of the world so I love it here. Millwood now has a charming coffee shop combined with a museum that is definitely worth a visit.

All in all it was a very rewarding trip. I will visit the area again, but next time I’ll give Thesen Island and the Waterfront a skip. The one disappointment was that the Knysna Choo-Choo (a scenic train troute) was out of action. Hopefully next time that will work again.

Gisteraand het ‘n weird en lang droom gehad. Hy’t so gegaan:

1ste scene: Daar is ‘n klomp mense wat saam in ‘n kamer slaap. Ek, ‘n dokter en ‘n swart man lê op een bed. Niks gebeur nie, maar die volgende oggend toe ek wakker word word daar op my skouer geopereer deur die dokter.

Volgende scene: Dieslefde groep mense loop rond in Riversbend se lang gras op soek na iets. Skielik bars Sven (my swaer) uit en sê “Weet julle wat? Ek het gisteraand 3-uur wakker geword en dit was baie interresant om te sien wie pomp en wie nie.”. Almal bars uit van die lag. Toe sê ek “Sven, you have just spoken the unspeakable.”. Toe lag almal nou eers.

Volgende scene: Selfde groep mense eet by ‘n restaurant in Grahamstad. Daar kom ‘n ouer ordentlike vrou in en gryp ‘n bottel tamatie sous. Sy maak asof sy opgooi en gooi die tamatie sous uit op ‘n tafel. Toe sit sy by die tafel en eet saam met die mense, wat toe haar vriende is. Maar niemand lag nie; dis doodernstig. Toe kom die vrou na ons tafel. Sy maak reg om dieselfde ding te doen. Ek gryp haar aan haar hare en pen haar vas. Die eienaar neem haar weg. Toe ons loop sien ek die vrou het my aan my vinger gebyt. Ek gaan soek die dokter.

Volgende scene: Nadat ek by die dokter was soek ek my groep, maar nou skielik is ons Londen in Shaftesbury Ave (daar waar Tiger Tiger is). My groep maats is nêrens te sien nie. Ek loop verby iemand wat Cockney praat, maar ek weet sy is Afrikaans. Ek vra haar toe of sy my vriende gesien het. Sy sê toe - sonder dat ek enige name noem - dat sy Mike Tours se groepie gesien het en hulle was oppad Piccadilly Circus toe.

Volgende (ergste) scene: Ek lê op ‘n bed op grasperk op ‘n hoëerige gebou. Skielik sien ek ‘n moerse kern-missiel verby ons vlieg. Ek weet dis ‘n kern-missiel want ek sien baie duidelik sy plofkop. Ek sien hoe hy ontplof net bo ‘n gebou aan die ander kant van die stad en ek sien Die Sampioen. Ek voel hierdie oorweldigende gevoel van magteloogsheid - dis so erg dit druk my plat. Ek weet dis verby. Ek weet dit help nie eers om te probeer ontsnap nie. Ek maak my oë toe en dink aan die mense wat ek ken en wag vir die inevitable.

Volgende scene: Ek vlieg, maar al wat ek sien is 1000e van daai 2^de Wêreldoorlog bommers. Toe is dit weer 1000e vegvliegtuie. Toe net een groot gewapende helikopter in die verte. Die helikopter kom al hoe nader, maar hy word niks groter nie. Op die ou end is die vreesjaande helikopter ‘n speelding. Ek pluk die helikopter uit die lig uit. Toe pyl ek af - teen ‘n helse spoed - op ‘n groot vuilerige geel muur. Met die trefslag word ek wakker.

Weird hê! Toe ek wakker word was ek papnat gesweet. Maar ek moet sê ek was ongelooflik bly om wakker te wees!! Nou wens ek ek kon weet wat dit alles kan beteken.

On Sunday morning we took the kids to the PE Oceanarium. The kids loved it. I can recommend it if you have kids, but otherwise its a bit thin. I don’t know who runs it, but one definitely gets an “African feeling”; to the place. It just isn’t as tidy and well maintained as it can be.

The show is pretty much the same as it has been for years and even decades (I remember going there as a kid). And then there is the “Animals in a zoo” issue that also dampens the experience.

Here, word for word, is the column that got respected journalist David Bullard sacked. It is available at its original location at The Sunday Times, but since he has already been sacked I’m not sure how long this column will still be available online.

I think Bullard just got fed up with the “blame the white man” line that every black politician now uses whenever they have messed up. Love it or hate it, you have to agree that Bullard makes some interesting points. What I love is that Bullard had the kahunas to say it. He also has a stab at China (along the same line as an earlier post of mine).

Uncolonised Africa wouldn’t know what it was missing

Imagine for a moment what life would be like in South Africa if the evil white man hadn’t come to disturb the rustic idyll of the early black settlers.

Ignored by the Portuguese and Dutch, except as a convenient resting point en route to India. Shunned by the British, who had decided that their empire was already large enough and didn’t need to include bits of Africa.

The vast mineral wealth lying undisturbed below the Highveld soil as simple tribesmen graze their cattle blissfully unaware that beneath them lies one of the richest gold seams in the world. But what would they want with gold?

There are no roads because no roads are needed because there are no cars. It’s 2008 and no one has taken the slightest interest in South Africa, apart from a handful of botanists and zoologists who reckon that the country’s flora and fauna rank as one of the largest unspoilt areas in a polluted world.

Continue reading this post…

Yesterday was the last day of the 2008 Bathurst Show. This year the show was a 100 years old.

We took Elke (1½) and we met my father and my brother-in-law and his son, Gustav (2½), and his parents. The kids loved it! They “drove” some impressive equipment and checked the engines and kicked a tyre or two as well. They also enjoyed a tractor race featuring some real antique tractors (see photo above). There was a bull that got loose and started charging people (and us) but luckily the kids were totally unaware of this. There were lots of stalls so I was pleasantly surprised when Lené only bought 1 thing.

Elke really enjoyed it. You can always judge how much fun she has had by how long it takes her to fall asleep. This time she was fast asleep by the time we left the car park!!

See my Bathurst Show photos.

On Friday I took Elke to our new house to take photos. I got out of the car and walked around to her side. As I was about to open the door I heard a “slithering” movement. In that instant - before I could even turn around to look - I knew from the sound that it was a big snake.

When I turned around I saw it - big and fat; a Cape Cobra that was at least 1.5m long.

For those that don’t know, the Cape Cobra is a deadly snake with 60% fatality rate (if anti-venom is not administered or administered late). It is also known to, other than most other snakes, actually move closer to you when feeling threatened and will attack.

Needless to say I nearly crapped myself! I followed the snake to its hiding place under some kerbing. Later I phoned Fanie Fouche, a local Nature Conservation official. He and a colleague came out and caught the snake. They released it about 15km away.

This time of the year there are many snakes in our area.

Yesterday I had my best 9 holes in more than 10 years. I scored a ringless round of 51 at the Alexandria Golf Club. This was also my 4th game in 10 years so I am very pleased. I hit 3 great approach shots. The best was an 8-iron out of the rough that landed about a foot from the hole. My putting was also good. Now I just have to get my driving and my long irons sorted out. And I need to replace the Pitching Wedge that I broke - in anger - two weeks ago

Before I left SA for the UK in 2000 I played about once a week for years. There where periods were I consistently scored in the low nineties; my best score was an 88. But since I have started playing again I haven’t come close to breaking 100.

Yesterday’s round sure has motivated me but, as is standard with golf, my next round will most probably be a shocker again.

Two days ago Barack Obama gave this speech that made the world take note. It was a brave, brilliant & honest speech. Some pundits are calling it the best speech since Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream…” speech.

I am a fan of Obama. I think he is the best candidate to bring that old cliche “change”. I have never thought of Obama as a Black candidate in the same way that I never thought of Al Gore or George Bush as a white candidate; they were purely the most or least suitable for the job. Obama’s speech changed all that. The speech blew me away. Its message and its delivery was just amazing and historic. BUT… After the speech I found myself thinking, for the first time, of Obama as a Black candidate.

Ironically, in South-Africa we’re used to Black Presidents so this aspect is less important. However I’m not convinced the US is “ready” for a Black President. I hope I am wrong.

Matt Frei from the BBC raises the same question here.

Charl Langeveldt is another victim of South Africa’s disastrous sports Transformation policy. Strangely though, Charl Langeveldt is a player “of colour” and as such supposed to benefit from “Transformation”.

As readers may know André Nel was very publicly dropped from South Africa’s cricket tour to India in favour of Charl Langeveldt. The reason for Nel’s axing was purely political: Nel is white. South Africa’s politicians and their nepotistic mates, the sports administrators, are determined to enforce racial quotas in South African sports and they insist on sending a set number of non-white players regardless of merit. Obviously at the expense of white players. This obviously flies in the face of the spirit of Sport and it clearly reminds one of something that occurred in South-Africa until 1994, namely Apartheid.

Rightly there was outrage in South-Africa with everybody taking Nel’s side. I also take Nel’s side, but I really sympathise with Charl Langeveldt. He has been put in a terrible situation by Cricket SA. To his extraordinary credit he has come out very strongly against what has happened. Like he says; he is not a bad player at all - in fact he is very good at ODIs, but he is not as good as Nel. And he doesn’t want to be included in a side because of his colour.

I honestly salute you, Charl Langeveldt. Principled people like you (and Breyten Paulse - who did the same some years ago) aren’t found under every tree. Borrowed from an Afrikaans saying.

UPDATE: Now Monde Zondeki has been selected to replace André Nel/Charl Langeveldt. Lets hope he is as principled as Charl Langeveldt. Any betts?