Gautrain One

I thought I better start posting my monthly update photo of the Gautrain Braamfontein Terminus progress. So here is my first Gautrain related photo of 2011. As you can see not much has changed since the 30 November other than the cloud has lifted slightly. The builders holiday plus rainy weather has also slowed the progress down.

Monthly Progress

It was a busy day of knuckling down and doing some work for a change as tomorrow I will be out of the office all day on a shoot. Subject Top Secret only only for those in the know. You know what I mean. And I am in the know because they want photos of the event. I will leave you with my monthly photo of the progress of the Gautrain Braamfontein terminus.

Dark Clouds

Today started like every other without a rain cloud in sight. Matter of fact it was a perfect day to take my usual monthly photo of the Gautrain Terminus building at Braamfontein as you can see. But later in the afternoon dark thunder clouds closed in and Johannesburg had it first real rain of the summer. It even hailed. What a perfect start of summer. You can smell rain soaking into every pore. Welcome summer.

Easy does it

Thank goodness Monday is under the belt, now for the rest of the week. It is downhill from here. The roof of the Gautrain’s Braamfontein Terminus is nearly completed. Things are coming along nicely.

Roof going on

At the Gautrain Braamfontein Terminus, construction workers are starting to put the roof onto the stations entrance. I wonder how soon this station will be added to Foursquare?

Midday Braamfontein

I got a call today from Carol saying that Telkom has been round and our phone is now up and running. I better check tonight if the DSL is also working. Wow over a month without internet. Not good. Today's photo is of the construction work progress of the Gautrain Braamfontein Terminus in the midday sun.

Counting Sleeps

It is just two more sleeps until the launch of operations of Gautrain. The closer we come to the big soccer event the more the general public are getting into the thrill of it. Flags are fluttering everywhere even our ICT office at Metrorail is filled with flags hanging from the ceilings. The soccer teams have started to arrive and the fans from this weekend. We live in interesting times. I normally post a photo of the progress of the Gautrain terminus in Braamfontein at the beginning of the month and I did a lovely early morning photo less than a week ago (Dawn of a New Age) but I thought I better do another day one.

Dawn of a New Age

With just less than two weeks until the Gautrain is officially between Johannesburg International and Sandton, Gautrain releases the cost of the fares to the public. The black tie launch event is around the corner and I’m not going, sniff sniff, not even as a date. Anyway I will leave you this photo I took this morning of the Gautain Terminus in Braamfontein.

Blue Skies

I had started to forget how blue Johannesburg winter skies are with all this rain we been having. It was a good day to take a progress photo of Gautrain's Braamfontein Terminus. The section between the airport and Sandton is opening on the 8 June which is only 34 days away.

Back to Work

The long weekend is over for me while some colleagues have taken these week days off to make a very long break. Well a big thank you to Angie and Gary because now I know that baby white rhino sounds like when they squeal for milk. I will try post other photos of the trip on Facebook. So today I am posting my monthly progress photo of the Gautrain Braamfontein Terminus.

Hey la, hey la, my Sophia’s back

I had to sit down this morning as I tried to take in the cost of Sophia's service. I think that R2500 is a bit steep. I am quite positive that one normal spark plug does not cost R138 and that one litre of SAE 40W engine oil does not cost anywhere near R150. Well fine women tend to cost quite a bit but I might have to reconsider as Sophia dressed all in black is expensive upkeep. Anyway as I rode her back Vespa to Metrorail I had to go through Hillbrow which led to some good photo opportunities. Expensive or not, Sophia was purring.

Gautrain's Braamfontein Update

I am very tired this morning. I am sure why but I did have a reasonable sleep last night. Anyway here is my monthly shot of progress at Gautrain's Braamfontein Terminus. You can see how the next floor has been added to the parking garage.

Building Wrap Off

Change to building site at the Gautrain Terminus is becoming more noticeable. Another floor has been added to the parking arcade. Wolmarans Street is now opened but with Smit Street being diverted into it. And not to be missed, the advertising building wrap is off the Schlesinger building, no doubt a new one is on its way.

A Stable Start

Well I have decided to go with the more stable offer after all my concerns were addressed and put in writing. Now let's get on with 2010 already. In today's photo of the Gautrain Braamfontein Terminus you can see how far the parking building is coming along. Also you can see how far the rehabilitation of Wolmarans Street is. As for 2010 there is now a huge soccer ball on the Hilbrow Tower.

The ground is feeling solid

Today I received news from the agents that officially this is my last month. Later on I received an offer for a 12 month contract. More news about this later on as I have not signed anything but it looks like I might be able to finish my month to month photo essay on the Gautrain Terminus at Braamfontein. As you can see what looks like the new parking garage for the station.

Unite Mzansi Unite

After that Ras whats-his-face butchered our national anthem at Saturday's rugby match between South Africa and France there is not much left to say about South African sport. Not to forget that we have an inter-sexed 800m runner and the national soccer team who play like girls but look like boys. So now the large building wrap that came off the Schlesinger building last week has finally been replaced by an Adidas advert which is calling us to unite behind our soccer team. Maybe Ras Dumisani, who was definitely smoking the weed when he sang the anthem, needs to sing at the 2010 FIFA opening ceremony which might give our soccer team all the spirit they need.

Gukurahundi

This word, Gukurahundi, still haunts the hordes of refugees in downtown Johannesburg as they try to irk a living among people who don't want them. Gukurahundi, the wind that sweeps away the chaff before the rain comes, still reaches with its long fingers down from Zimbabwe to its people huddled each night in the squalor at Johannesburg's Central Methodist Church who dream of going back but can’t until the cause of the Gukuranhudi, Uncle Bob, has conceded. They dream of dignity, the right of law, peace and food. So today as I looked towards the church which houses over 3,000 refugees every night, the rain and hail came squalling in to sweep the streets clean. People hurried to find refuge from the relentless rain. I think of the refugees that live along the river in the affluent northern suburbs and wonder if they would find shelter. I then turn from the present to look to the future, the relentless marching of progress, the Gautrain. In between the waves of rain, workers in orange overalls scurried over the Gautrain Terminus building trying to get much done before the next wave of water arrives. There is such a large gap between the haves and have-nots. Ah my beloved country, the Gukurahundi is still blowing. For more insight to the Central Methodist Church see Sokwanele's post "Address: Stair number four, Fourth Floor, Central Methodist Church, Johannesburg".

Connecting the Dots

Our work load at Metrorail is increasing with numerous managers from both PRASA and Metrorail, trying to look good as the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup preparations become a frantic scramble. Don't get me wrong, we will be ready; it is just too few resources for amount of things that need to be in place. Here is the Gautrain's Braamfontein Terminus which I believe won't be ready when the World Cup kicks off unless someone knows more than I do, and then I stand corrected. I think that all the public transport needs to be connected. Park Station and the Gautrain will be connected but I don't see any BRT stations nearby. Metrobus should even have a major stop close by. This would give travellers who step off the Gautrain at Braamfontein a wide range of transport options to anywhere in Johannesburg. Makes sense to me.

Spring has Sprung

The first day of spring has always been cold in my memory. I remember as a child playing by the stream in Kokstad with my kingdom of tadpoles on the 1 September and snow began to fall. I ran home all excited about the snow. This day has always been cold for me but today was different. As the sun peep over the Johannesburg skyline I knew, no felt the warmth in the air. Spring was here. Here is the Gautrain Terminus at Braamfontein in the early morning light. Happy Spring Day! May it be one that you remember with many blessings.

Work overload

There is so much work to catch up on plus trying to run a household is taking its toll. Here is the Gautrain Terminus construction site at Braamfontein in the morning light.