I just got the car back after 3 weeks at the panel beaters and Carol has another accident. Sigh. No double sigh. My work session at the agency was postponed until tomorrow. All I had left to do was go have coffee with an old friend to discuss possible work.
Now if you look deep into Carlie's eyes what do you see? Well other than seeing me, the photographer, you'll see that they have changed colour from blue to brown in less than five months. See this post. Janis, although the colour change you can see Carlie still has big eyes.
This afternoon a small number of Joburg Photowalkers did a Gold Rush Photowalk (1886-1916) for the 12 Decades Art Hotel. We started at Main Street downtown Johannesburg where all the head quarters of the gold mining magnets are and ended up by the mine dumps. Here is Maxine one of the photowalkers trying her hand at being a model.
Craig and I decided to try a new way of playing with light and sound so off we went to Cool Runnings in Fourways to catch 2nd Guess’D and aKing live. It was so difficult to get in focus with the musicians and lighting moving so much but it was fun and deafening. I have posted more images on the FaceBook album for you to see what you've missed. Now I need to stop this ringing in my ears.
A friend, Father Ted once said on his blog, if it is it wrong to ponder the relationship you expected to last forever and somehow endeavour to contemplate it in the greater circle of life and love? I want to believe there is more to this.
I am not feeling too well today so off I went all drugged up to spend the day at the PRO Designs agency. I continued working on the AirQuarius website and of course playing with the models. It was a easy jump from high speed trains to commercial regional jets.
It makes no difference where you stand as long as you stand for something or sit as in this case. Let us gets some debate going, don’t get me wrong I think the Gautrain is a great system, long overdue but is it for a select few? At Marlboro Station there is a clear cut line between the poor neighbouring suburb of Alexander and the station. I wondered as I entered the clean, secure premises of Marlboro Station, how many staying in those match box houses actually use the Gautrain. A few are benefiting job wise but how many risk their lives daily commuting by informal taxis, staring at the golden train. With the new toll gates coming in to play this may change yet again the perception of the train. So where do you stand in regard with the Gautrain? My loaded question I’m asking is this, is the Gautrain a public or a private transport system?
Monday has become recovery day for a busy weekend. I even had time to play with the 50mm F1.4 lens with Patch, my oldest Italian Greyhound.
On Main Street is Jozi’s only art hotel, the 12 Decades. Each of the 12 rooms is designed by a different designer depicting each of the 12 decades of Johannesburg’s existence. The Joburg Photowalkers are going to do a project at the boutique hotel. Later a few of us headed down to the market at Arts on Main just down the road from 12 Decades. To my surprise I found David playing the violin and a girl with a stunning voice signing. I met David at the oDD Café some time ago so to keep with the theme of music...
A busy Saturday and a need to keep to the music theme which I started last night made me choose this photo over many over good ones. It was one taken while waiting for a French speaking Congolese pastor. Half asleep, I crawled out of bed this morning to join 5 other Vespas to ride out to the SA Scooter's Rally being held over the weekend at Hartesbeespoort Dam. It was a good start to the day, on Sophia and in the countryside. I left the rally early because I was the second shooter at a Congolese wedding which supposed to start at 2pm but the pastor only turned up at 3pm. Now I've never heard of a pastor holding up a wedding for over an hour. The bride was waiting in the car downstairs for the pastor to arrive while the groom was with me in the chapel. I think the bride was crying. If I was the best man I would have dropped the big headed pastor and used the one all ready at the venue. Tardiness does not rank very well in my books.
It was late and by the time we needed to do the formal photos, the rain was falling. The formal photos were planned to be held at the Botanical Gardens at Emmarentia but because of the rain this was scrubbed and Craig suggested under the bridge in Newtown with all the graffiti. So there we where in Newtown, it is raining, and we are under a highway bridge with a strong smell of urine taking wedding photos. The bride with her white wedding dress was starkly contrasted against the bright colours of the urban graffiti art. Anyway the wedding photos turned out great.
Tonight Peter played at the opening of Greers in Malanshof. It was great evening with a whole lot of friends listening to a friend sing all the older music from my youth and maybe before.
Dirk asked me sometime ago if we could do a photowalk into an informal settlement. This is not easy nor safe as firstly you have to get permission from the residents. My two friends from the States, Dwight and Shelly do intensive work at Kya Sands Informal Settlement which was one of the epicentres of the xenophobia during the last two years. Since they have been accepted by the community, I asked them if they could take a few of us in for a photowalk. You can see that both Dwight and Shelly are very much liked in the community. For more images check out my FB album.
After a production meeting at PRO Designs we took a drive to the Golden Tiki Tattoo Parlour which is opening up in Linden. No before you ask, I am not getting a tatt but a friend is. Anyway we ended having lunch there and I must say the burgers where great. The day ended at a Creative Conversation discussing the Natural Colour System.
The Orchidaceae family of flowers, I consider is so beautiful that nothing compares in the floral kingdom. I found this lovely pink specimen at Sandy's house but all I had on me was the cellphone camera.
A pair of Hadada Ibis or if you want the scienctic name, the Bostrychia hagedash have been nesting in our garden and today Matthew and I decided to scale the tall tree to document the nest. We counted two hungry chicks in the nest who are constantly been fed by the parents.
Oh my word! After taking a series of photos of my three boys and my baby girl, this photo of Matthew and the three Italian Greyhounds stood out of all the rest. I can't stop staring at Patch's tongue in astonishment. Even Maxy is turning to see what all the fuss is about.
A lovely evening was spent at Lucio's Pizzeria then ended the evening sitting on the sidewalk at the oDD Cafe listening to an according player.
After a long Friday of waiting for client's final artwork and no plans for the evening, Jacqueline or just Jacks to her friends phoned and dragged me to her normal dive, Picolinos on Witkoppen. Moira and Craig joined Jacks (shown above) and I for a wonderful evening.
Went across the border today to the East Rand, while there I popped in to see Sandor and met his son, Sandor Junior. Later on in the evening Craig dragged me to the Outer Limits where I met a great bunch of new people. Thanks Serena for a fun evening of making new friends.
You can't get more beautiful than this. Jade is still a young girl Italian Greyhound and like most greyhounds can't keep still. She is in her first season and it has been hard work keeping the boys away.
Cheer up, the worst is yet to come. This is how I'm feeling today. Sometimes I wonder how little faith I have with all that has happened and still to come. I tend to keep quiet not wanting the world to know, it is a man thing. Anyway after see one potential client and on the way to see another agency, I pop into Vespa Fourways for coffee, just to get my mind right but it didn't work.
Trying to get my Italian Greyhounds to pose for the camera is easy, that was before Jade came along. Every opportunity she had bounce into the photo to well just ruin the shot.
Magda and Martin held a dinner party at their home in Beverley Agricultural Holdings just next to Lonehill. There was the hosts Magda and Martin with a few of their friends Otto, Gareth, Ann, Catalin, X-Tina and not to forget myself having a great evening of merriment.
When your friends around you start getting old, you know that you not far behind them. Here is my good friend Robyn, who pull a ligament while skiing in Europe last season, battling to read the message on her phone. Oy vey I am nearly there.
Uwe Jens and Mai Ling finally got their house sold and today the new owners move in. It has been all cleaning and rushing to get the house ready. I suppose this is one of our last times we will see them as they are just about ready to move back to Germany.
Off Maxy and I went to the Craighall Veterinary Hospital on Sophia this morning to get Maxy the Big Snip. Maxy enjoyed the ride there stealing lots of stares and smiles. Who ever saw a Italian Greyhound on a Vespa in rush hour traffic. R 1,589.30 later and Maxy is home safely sporting stitches enjoying all the attention.
It is a full time job keeping Jade, my youngest and latest Italian Greyhound, apart from Maxy, the naughty Italian Greyhound, although he is still oblivious to what's going on. Here is Jade and Matthew having a break from homework.
