Dawn and sunset must be the two most enchanting times to be in the bushveld. The magical colours combined with a sense of expectation, a primeval spirit redolent of eons in the past subsumes one within the tranquillity of the age-old bush. The menacing unmistakeable roar of a far-off lion, the deadly grunt of a hippopotamus or the trumpeting of an elephant in the foreground all form part of the bush life.
Namibia is a cruel, wild and unforgiving place. Most of the landmass comprises inhospitable desert and semi-desert. Despite this it is home to a full complement of wild animals. The most remarkable are the desert elephants. It even has the desert hyena which is forced to scavenge along the barren coast line. For such a huge country, it only comprises a population of 2 million people. Yet despite these scenes of desolation, its vistas are stunning.
Cape Town must easily rank as the most stunning city in South Africa. Some Vaalies condescencingly claim that if there was no mountain, Cape Town would be a fraction of itself. There is truth in this assertion but Cape Town is so much more that one mountain. Its historical heritage, its colourful people, especially the Cape Coloureds with their own enchanting vernacular add a surreal mix to the equation.
The hinterland also bears a mention. With its numerous wine farms first introduced to South Africa with the arrival of the French Hugenots in the 1700s, add another flavour to the various strains that is the Cape.
Unlike most countries South Africa has an array of climates such as the mediterreanean of the Western Cape, the subtropical of KwaZulu Natal, the deserts of the Kalahari and the bushveld of Limpopo. Each produces its own nique scenic wonders.
For me Port Elizabeth represents my roots, physically and emotionally. It was only the lack of work opportunities after I had completed my Articles of Clerkship, that I was forced to relocate to Joburg in 1980. Emotionally it is more that the place where I grew up, went to school and university. My roots go much deeper than that. One of the first citizens of Port Elizabeth was my great great great grandfather. With his house at Number 7 Castle Hill being a National Monument, I can truly feel a part of Port Elizabeth's illustrious history.
Main picture: The central suburb of Port Elizabeth.
Have you ever wondered why my blogs have an overabundance of images in them? Even if I cannot find appropriate images on Google for an arcane subject such as euthanasia, I will instead embed images of winter scenes to evocate the response that I am endeavouring to achieve. According to the Pew Research Centre, the emotion and attention engendered by an image will result in an Internet User being 7.4 times more likely to click on the content.
Evocative images can more succinctly represent the essence of a story than a thousand worlds.
Autumn is the time when summer packs away its spritely greenery and instead dresses up in its autumn colours before it finally adopts its drab winter's hues. During the transition, the fashion stakes predominate with the reddish tones and tints with not even a tincture of green protruding.
The vibrancy of summer evanesces into a more sedate insouciant mellow undertone with indolent trysts amongst cavorting leaves slothfully cartwheeling across the ground.
Such are the emotions that autumn evokes in me.
Stunning photographs from around the world. Pictures of sailfish attacking a shoal of sardines to the pinnacle of Sgurr Dearg on Scotland's Isle of Skye, this gallery has them all. The picture of a Hindu festival was mainly included because I am enraptured by the stunning sublime colours produced by the commingled light and smoke.
Main picture: The Palouse region of Washington State, an agricultural zone that produces mainly wheat and legumes.