Roddy's thoughts and pictures at the close of the day
Kate and I arrived into a cold, grey and wintry Uddevalla on Thursday. On Friday it snowed most of the day but it was mixed with rain so by Saturday morning there was no snow left. We did manage to get out for a walk, though, along our local river. It is appropriately named Bäveån... Continue Reading →
We made a return trip to the Karoo last week. It was dramatic. As we drove in on the Nieu Bethesda road the whole sky was dark and the weather very unsettled but as we crested the rise at the end of Rubidge Kloof the Kompassberg appeared, rising some 1200 metres above the plains. That... Continue Reading →
We were back at Ganora Farm last week updating our research in the Karoo and came across this strange creature. We had taken a short walk above the cottages to get some cellphone signal and stretch our legs after a morning of desk top work and came across a pair of oddly matched eyes peering... Continue Reading →
Last week I was fortunate to be out working with students in the mountains of the Eastern Cape. With misty dawns and late afternoon summer storms wrapping around you there was plenty of incentive to be out taking photos as the light was superb. I hope these landscapes transmit what it feels like to be... Continue Reading →
It is three months since Natalie and I returned from the MyCOE/SERVIR programme in Nairobi. Since then Natalie has started the new academic year - her Honours year - and I have started six months sabbatical leave. But we have been busy with the research programme: acquiring and analysing Landsat, SPOT and Ikonos data for... Continue Reading →
Team building with this year's Honours Class involved a happy weekend up in the mountains at Fort Fordyce. It is a great place to climb and one of the highlights of our stay must have been the night abseil at the Forgotten Dream Sector. The climbers guide says 'this really is climbing in a jungle... Continue Reading →
I mentioned in my last post that I often use the digital filter function on my Pentax to take what are essentially black and white photographs but leaving highlights of red. When we got back from our walk around Mountain Drive today I thought I would try something a little more complex and take black... Continue Reading →
Last week we spent four days in the Karoo. As usual we were based at Ganora Farm, which is near Nieu-Bethesda, doing some mapping work and interviewing farmers who kindly gave us their rainfall records. At this time of year the light can be spectacular, especially in the early evenings when there are summer storms... Continue Reading →
Most trips to Helen's house at Hogsback include a drive along to the the radio mast at the end of Plaatjieskraal for a walk, a sunset drink and a long look at the spectacular view. When Andy was here last month we spent a night out at Helen's inspecting the progress on her house. We... Continue Reading →
Once upon a time there were two teddy bears much loved by two brothers called Andy and Roddy. After they had grown up and left home the two brothers didn't remember their bears. But when mother Joan died the bears were found again: they had been kept as precious treasures in her special cupboard. Roddy... Continue Reading →
Sun Downer Blogs 