Remembrance

Like the Americans are football crazy we are rugby crazy.

President Jacob Zuma has declared a Special Provincial Official Funeral for the late former Springbok captain and South African rugby legend, Joost van der Westhuizen, who passed away from motor neuron disease on Monday.

An aeroplane flew over Loftus Versfeld – its smoke forming the No 9 (the official number of a scrumhalf in the team) in the Pretoria sky as one of the city’s greatest sporting heroes was laid to rest.

This was a ‘goodbye’ to a man that is largely considered to be one of the greatest scrumhalves in the history of the game.

Van der Westhuizen died on Monday after a long battle with motor neuron disease, but the atmosphere hovering over Loftus Versfeld on Friday suggested that his legacy will live on. The crowd was mostly dressed in Springbok jerseys and Blue Bull (the provincial team Joost played for) jerseys.

I took all photos from the TV and decided to post those that did not receive media attention as I do feel they also deserve attention especially the police band.

This fellow played the best rendition I have yet heard of The Last Post.

(Foot note. The photos were taken off the TV, the camera was set to manual, shutter speed 1/40, apperture F4 and manual focus)

Enjoy a super day of rest.

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Not needed

After a cold wet week today has turned out like the perfect Spring day, albeit Spring is at least six weeks away. With a glorious 21C (69.8F) outside this apparatus is not required inside.

Now for a life saving Super Rugby match as far as South Africa is concerned when our Lions take on the Highlanders in Johannesburg.  all our other Super Rugby teams crashed out of the tournament.

Playing around

Was just playing around with the camera while watching Ireland playing against Romania. I set the camera on settings I use to use in the days of film photography, took a chance and photographed the TV picture and here the result.

So one need not be at the World Rugby Cup to get some photos.

Have a super day.

Perserverance

I am always on the lookout for something different to photograph.  I came across the subject below and thought here is an easy shot.  Got the frame every time, but darn the crack would not show until eventually I shot from the correct angle.

Cracked window pane.

Had a great camera morning at dog training and will drop some of the pics here in the following days to come.

Enjoy your day, for me, and I guess many other South Africans, it is going to be an afternoon and evening full of rugby.

Attentention to the mundane

It is interesting to note that once one lived in a city or town and that place suddenly features in the news how one’s focus zooms in on that place.  Since yesterday I have been in that particular mode.  Hurricane Sandy and New York have gripped my prime attention.  Having lived and worked in New York for six years I think it is understandable.  Along with New York comes the rest of the East Coast including Washington DC where we often spent a weekend.  Amazing is that some fifty million people are affected by Sandy and that is about the same tally as South Africa’s total population without taking note of the horde of illegal immigrants from elsewhere in Africa that we host.  Looking at that kind of statistics and type of weather we shrink into oblivion.  What I have learnt up to now is that maybe we should change the name “Cape of Storms” to “Cape of Breezes”.

From “attention” to the mundane (keeps perspective in place!).  Saturday instead of sitting alone at home to follow the Curry Cup final being played in Durban I suggested to MBH we go to a sports café to watch the game in a small crowd, order a bottle of wine and after half time choose a light supper.  She was delighted and off we went.

Watching the game

(Sorry Sharks, only Province jerseys on the screen)

There at candy disposing machines I saw this little girls utterly confused as to what she wants or will get, but her dad, a fine Western Province supporter, took care of that and we smiled at her surprise when the machine coughed out the candy ball and it was the colour she wanted.

Then at half time I sneaked out for a few puffs on my pipe and saw this hilarious sign on the door.

Notice cameras or taking of photographs are forbidden.  Good heavens are they unawares of what one can do with a cellular telephone and especially the new modern ones.  Life is amazing.

While keeping an eye and an ear on the doings of hurricane Sandy I wish all a great evening.

PS The San Francisco shake also had me sit up straight early this morning hoping the Fisherman’s Warf where I spent many a good moment during the 1970s was intact.  Fortunately the Frisco shake in the Richter Scale terms was not too bad.

Sharp

The major reason I am vehemently opposed to the uncontrolled use of fire works is pets.  We may enjoy firing crackers and rockets in the garden to celebrate whatever occasion.  But do we give an iota for the pets at home or in the area.  Do we really have an appreciation for the sensitivity of the hearing of our pets, both cats and dogs and especially our dogs –  a sharp hearing that we lack.  I have a good example of a dog’s hearing sensitivity I wish to share, and believe me I am not lying.  The two pics below are cropped enlargements of Monty some 70 metres away from where I sit at the PC and were taken  at 200mm digital telephoto zoom lens which in the old jargon equates to 300mm.  The pics were taken through the space of my open study door leading to the outside and down the motor driveway.

Saw Monty looking with intensity into the street

Fortunately I had my camera setting on three photos per second.  When my camera released its click sound as the shutter opened and closed Monty swung his head towards me – he heard the “soft” sound at that distance! (the camera shutter speed was 1/1000 of a second)

With this post and the festive season on approached I appeal to all who read this post to please think twice as regards fire works and appeal to all to spread the message – consider all pets.

Have a super day and now I am getting ready for that major South African rugby match, the final Curry Cup trophy game to be played between the Western Province (my team) and the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks – you all know where my money bet lies.