Roddy's thoughts and pictures at the close of the day
Every few years the Government does its best to wreck the legal and economic life of Makana by proposing to move the High Court to Bhisho. In the mid 1990s I assisted the fight to keep the court here with some maps and population data that showed Makhanda (what was then Grahamstown) to be the... Continue Reading →
Just before lockdown I shared a quiet couple of beers with Harry Owen and we talked about trying something new for the Virtual National Arts Festival. Seeing as we had lots of poetry and imagery between us why not collaborate? Here's a taste of what we have been working on. Aorta - Harry's unpublished poem... Continue Reading →
Towering over our townships, like a wave ready to break, was this huge cumulus cloud. Ominously pink in the late glow after sunset the top of the cloud was rising fast and, blown by the winds, looked like a crest hovering over Grahamstown's townships below. This was taken a couple of nights ago, a week... Continue Reading →
There are 70 Heritage Sites in the central parts of old Grahamstown. Take a look at the map and you will see that the 10 religious ones featured here are mostly found between the Chapel of St Mary and all the Angels (on the Rhodes University campus) eastwards through the CBD and down to Sunnyside... Continue Reading →
There are some King Proteas blossoming on Mountain Drive at the moment. Though they are not as many as last year - when they seemed to go on flowering for a very long time. As Spring gets nearer the days are getting a little longer so there's just a bit more time to photograph them.... Continue Reading →
Two of the pictures I've taken in the past couple of weeks are merged here. It's something that I experiment with every now and then and this time I've got an interesting result. The first picture in the merge is called Across the Valley. It's a shot I’ve wanted for quite a while. Taken looking... Continue Reading →
Yesterday was the bicentenary of the Battle of Grahamstown. I've always intended to visit the site but somehow never managed it. So this afternoon I took a brief gap in the rain to go across the valley to Egazini: the township based heritage site. On the way there you get a good view of the... Continue Reading →
Here's something a little different - three different takes of Grahamstown's iconic Cathedral of St Michael and St George. The first is in the antique sepia style I've been using for the Grahamstown heritage series. The second is the full colour by moonlight shot and the third is a multiple exposure fantasy. They are all... Continue Reading →
The second post of the Grahamstown heritage sites is a street-scene. There's no getting away from the new in this picture because there's a young cyclist front and centre. Behind him Howse Street runs up to the historical core of the city. There's power lines and street lights leading the eye towards the skyline and... Continue Reading →
The first post of a new series - Grahamstown Heritage - features the old and the new. Fort Selwyn lies on Gunfire Hill and it was built for its strategic view over the city below. No great surprise that it's one of Grahamstown 70 heritage sites. These days it has lost its military importance but... Continue Reading →
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