Friday, March 27, 2009

Some photos, oh and some more photos

Remember - to switch your lights off on the 28th March at 20h30 for an hour!!!



I had all good intentions of rushing home and doing a blog post. Only after a week away and nine hours on the road because of road works, I instead came back to various piles of pooh. And since I didn’t want to do a blog post which was full of whinging, I thought I’d just lay off posting completely.

In a nutshell, the holiday was lovely – see pictures below, and the pooh involves:
  • painters who didn’t return to finish a job which they had botched in several places and despite multiple assurances they would return to fix things. We now have to find someone else to do so which will mean shelling out more money;
  • debt collecting attorneys who are sending me threatening letters for monies owing on an account which I don’t even have. This has meant spending half a day in the store where I supposedly hold the account filling in dispute forms and getting legal advice - and it's still not over;
  • and then there was the whole Dalai Lama thing which I’m sure you all know about by now – when, scoring a stunning own goal, the South African government, under pressure from the Chinese, refused the Dalai Lama a visa to the country in order to attend a peace conference hosted by, amongst others, Nobel Laureates Desmond Tutu and former presidents FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela. But that’s a topic for another blog post. By which stage it will be old news.

So, back to being on holiday – which now seems an awfully long time ago... I think I’ll just let the pictures do the talking for themselves! And erm, there may be a lot of photos for the next while. It seems, armed with a digital camera I will take a gazillion shots in order to get “the one perfect shot” and I have an eye that sees “shots” everywhere!


So, there were beachscapes at Noetzie...

Sunsets at Plettenberg Bay...

There were tides of oyster catchers running on the beach...

There were country roads that disappeared into deep valleys...

There miles and miles of vistas of the Outeniqua Mountains...

There were piles of driftwood, some with small birds paying a visit...

There were oceanscapes in moody weather...

There were days spent lounging on the edge of the sea, right down there...

There were walks on beaches...

Crashing waves...

There were toadstools and funghi in the forests...

There was lunch amidst the vines at the Bramon Wine Estate...

And of course there were oysters in Knysna at the Knysna Oyster Company...

And then, oh well, there was just a lot more of this...

I know, I know, it's a tough life, but like I keep saying, someone's got to do it. And I promise, I did think of you on many occasions, and I toasted to your good health far too many times! So you see, you did get to go with me - in spirit...


POSTSCRIPT:
For more pics go here or click on the Flickr link in the side bar - and prowl through the first five pages - I did say I was snap-happy, didn't I...?!

32 comments:

Cinnamon said...

Wonderful, wonderful- South Africa is a beautiful place, no doubt.

Glad you had a such a great time :)

JaneyV said...

Despite the disgraceful lack of turquoise seas, it's so beautiful I could weep (good weeping not the sobby stuff). I particularly liked the sunset in Plettenburg Bay.
I am also a big fan of visiting vinyards. For some reason I find them incredibly relaxing!

Good to have you back Vanilla!

Lola said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Gorgeous post, the photos have me wanting more, so publish away. More more more!
I'm glad you had a great time, sorry to hear about the pooh management, though.

South Africa is the most beautiful land in the world, and I can never get enough of hearing about it or seeing its breathtaking images. The "waves crashing" photo wind my trophy.

JennyWoolf said...

As usual, your pics are wonderful!

Tessa said...

Breath totally taken away. Beautiful photos, beautifully captured.

I'm zooming off to Flicker right this minute.

R.L. Bourges said...

oh boy. Some of your photos literally gave me the shivers, they are so beautiful. Will definitely come back for the flickr version and a close look at the links.

Re the Dalai Lama business: at the médiathèque yesterday, I ran across a book titled: Laughin' just to keep from cryin' - Blacks in White America. Same nonsense everywhere, n'est-ce pas?

Thanks for the beauty, vanilla, and good luck with the poopy stuff.

Rob Inukshuk said...

Stunning pics, but then, with such wonderful subjects to capture, how could you not. I'm glad you had such a wonderful time and wish you strength to deal with the stuff!

Absolute Vanilla (and Atyllah) said...

It is, Cinnamon, very beautiful - it's just a shame about so much else though.

Ah now, Janey, if you're a fan of vineyards you should pop over and visit me - I have three about a minute's drive away!

So glad you enjoyed the pics, Lola, I've stuck the rest up on my flickr page so do go and take a look there :-)

Thanks, Jenny!

Hope you enjoyed the Flickr journey, Tessa - feeling a bit homesick by now? :-)

So glad you liked the pics, Renee!
Re the Dalai Lama thing - yep, it's the same old thing everywhere - as I said on your blog. So sad.

Thanks, Rob - hope I didn't make you homesick :-)

Ropi said...

Hi
Yes, I deleted it due to some reasons.

Pat Posner said...

Looks like you had a great time.
Fantastic photos!
My favourite is: oceanscapes in moody weather.

Lori ann said...

Oh Nicky, these are fabulous, you lucky ducks. Thanks for taking me in spirit! I am following Tessa over to flickr, more, I want more! Fantastic.
xoxoxolori

Fire Byrd said...

What absolutely stunning photos, and I bet the reality is even better..... me envious, nah she lied!
Welcome back though hope you managed to get some writing done in amonst all this snapping!
xx

Violet said...

Thank you for taking us in spirit!
Which is good as you seem to have lost any real people on your journey ;)

Lovely, lovely photos.
Off to Flikr for more.

laughingwolf said...

welcome back, av... looks like fab places you visited :)

Lane said...

Wow, wow and wow.

And did I say wow?:-)

Wanderlust Scarlett said...

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

Do I even need to go on my vacation now? I've just had a splendid one with you...

How incredibly lovely. As always, your photos take me beyond even my imagination. I love the way you see the world.

Scarlett & Viaggiatore

Baino said...

Ahh so so beautiful. I love your driftwood. Now I want lunch by the sea and oysters and it's only breakfast time!

Gail said...

In spirit??!!! I want to go there now! Great, wonderful, beautiful, peaceful photos.

Aerin said...

Hey lady - someone else had posted landscape-y seascape-y pictures this week, and I have to tell you...yours are impeccable. They're so so so well done. You are a great shot. (And no, strangely enough, that's not a pick-up line.)

Absolute Vanilla (and Atyllah) said...

Aw, sorry to hear that, Ropi, hope you'll be back again in English! (My Hungarian's not so good. Actually, my Hungarian is non existent!) :-)

Thanks, Pat, glad you liked the pics!

So glad you liked them, Lori!

Glad you liked them, FireByrd, and no, aside from a few restaurant reviews, no writing at all was done! Now to struggle to get back into it...

Ah, there are some people shots, Violet, they're just on Facebook! ;-)

It's an incredibly beautiful part of the world, Laughing Wolf - mountains, sea, beaches, forests...sigh... :-)

Um, yes, I think you might have said wow, Lane :-)

Thanks, Scarlett, what a lovely thing to say!
xxx

I know the feeling, Baino, I was like that when we left last Saturday - wanted oysters at 9am!

So glad you enjoyed them, Gail!

Are you sure about it not being a pick up line? Really? ;-)
And thanks so much for the compliment, that's very sweet of you. I look at so many excellent photos I often think mine are rubbish - hard to see it objectively in perspective, I guess.

Absolute Vanilla (and Atyllah) said...

Whoops, that last one was for Aerin!

lettuce said...

stunning pictures vanilla. I like the oyster catchers

Rambler said...

liked "sunset at Plettenberg Bay..." a lot

steph said...

Welcome back! AV

You sure have what it takes to spot a 'shot'. My hubby is also a talented photographer and I'm very well-used to killing time while he disappears over a hill/sand dune in search of the 'perfect' shot! Please tell D that he has my sympathy ;-)

I bet little Bo was pleased to see you back!

Ropi said...

Well, to be honest I disagree with this movement. And I came back to the "Empire of Bloggers".

lakeviewer said...

Lovely. Thank you for giving us a great front seat view of South Africa.

Minx said...

Vanilli, it looks so gorgeous. Just booked a holiday in Greece - maybe I should change!

Crystal Jigsaw said...

Wow, your holiday pics are stunning. That beach is simply beautiful - for a beach!!

I thought about you the other day. I bumped into a friend who has some guinea fowl and asked me if I want a few. I had to decline but thought about you instantly!!

CJ xx

Absolute Vanilla (and Atyllah) said...

Thanks, Lettuce, the oyster catchers are quite comical!

Thanks, Rambler!

It helps, Steph, that D is also into photography - though not as manic about it as I am - he focuses on the technical aspects, while I just shoot away! ;-)

So you're back, Ropi? Well, that's great! :-)

It's my pleasure, Lakeviewer!

Yes, I definitely think you should change, Minx - come here and let me show you around!
Good to see you back in the blogosphere!

We're blessed with stunnging beaches in SA, CJ!
LOL re the guinea fowl - just please don't send any more my way! :-)

Vesper said...

Perfect shots, Vanilla! And, yes, I'm sure you thought of us... at least when you took the pictures... :-)

Saaleha said...

the pics are wonderful. bring back memories, they do. Hope you can hang onto the relaxed state of mind in spite of all the crap

Mellifluous Dark said...

Good heavens, Vanilla, those photos are stunning! Glad you had a lovely time.