Roddy's thoughts and pictures at the close of the day
When we were in Iceland in 2013 we couldn't find any mention of the cargo vessel Sonja Maersk running aground in Reykjavik Bay. I had a picture of it which my father had taken but there was no indication on the harbour display. You can see the pictures in Alfred Fox, Iceland 1940-42, first connections. It's a... Continue Reading →
We have our largest ever number of postgraduates in the Geography Department this year - 42 at latest count - and last Monday I welcomed them with a brief resume about the traditions of the Department. The photo above shows four Geographers that personify the four traditions. They are celebrating Prof. Vernon Forbes’ honorary D.Litt at the 1989... Continue Reading →
Grahamstown's well-known as 'the city of Saints'. It's a bit of a cliche and so are many of the photos of our city. Picture postcard shots of the imposing cathedral and Victorian shop facades in Church Square spring to mind. I thought I'd try and get something a little different that gave a bit more... Continue Reading →
We're just starting work as one of two teams in the Water Research Commission's Green Village Project. Ours is a team from the Geography Department's staff and students led by Kate Rowntree collaborating with colleagues from the University of Fort Hare's Agriculture Faculty. There will be approximately twelve of us working with rural communities to try and... Continue Reading →
They gave me a great big glass award at the end of last year for internationalisation. I won't bore you with what internationalisation is: you can read about it in the University website. The award is quite something to behold though - an engraved glass world atop a glass column - and before it gets... Continue Reading →
It's been a bit of a journey this past few weeks but today I've seen the end result and it's a great feeling. You get a full preview of Symmetry in Nature in blurb's online bookstore where you can purchase a hard copy or pdf version. The pdf file is for download and it's... Continue Reading →
It's a couple of months since I posted about the book project. There's been plenty to work on: finding the right online publisher, deciding on the layout, selecting and reworking images, tracking down picture details, drawing the maps and then composing the book. Here is a preview of the covers: you are looking at the... Continue Reading →
The past eight months of Kate’s cancer treatment have seen our lives turned upside-down. Seemingly by chance I started a photo project - Symmetry - and it’s proved to be a therapeutic space where I can turn away from day-to-day concerns and focus my creativity on beauty and harmony. As I have been working I’ve... Continue Reading →
Last week we spent a productive few days doing survey work in and around the Wilgerbos River on Ganora Farm. Kate's Masters student, Natalie, and postdoctoral researcher, Simon, were busy with channel surveys, flow measurements and laying sediment trips. I helped Kate with her erosion study on the badlands. Some of these pictures have already... Continue Reading →
It's been a while since I have had the time and space for posting anything here. We're just back from Ganora Farm in the Karoo: it was Kate's first field trip since her colon cancer operation and chemotherapy started six months ago. Everyone who visits the Karoo has a wind pump picture but I thought... Continue Reading →
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