Switzerland 26th 2010 - Boxing day

Snow, chalets, castles and a special friend what more do you need!

https://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/SwitzerlandDay4?authkey=Gv1sRgCLym1-ag14bxfA#

Switzerland - 25th December 2010 - Christmas day

A true white christmas, wonderful with roast duck included!!

https://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/SwitzerlandDay3#

Switzerland - 24th December 2010 - Christmas eve

Started raining this morning and by 10am it was snowing quite hard. Today we went off to a nearby town called Vevey which is home to Nestle and Charlie Chaplan amongst over things. A gorgeous period town situated on the lake with lovely narrow streets where all the shops are beautifully decorated and lite. We stopped off for lunch at an Indian restaurant (not very swiss i know) but in this weather an indian curry went down a treat! By this time it had been snowing for quite some time so by the time we returned home the snow was thick on the ground and a snowball fight was the order of the day between myself, Tanya and Keira - its amazing how compact a snowball is! I have experienced snow before but never like this! By about 4.30pm is starting to get dark and so we are snuggled up in our Chalet in Switzerland, it really does feel like Christmas!

At about 9pm we decided to go for a walk round the neighbourhood in the snow, really magical with all the lights, so quiet here. On our return Charle grabbed a Toboggan and before i new it i was told to jump on the back and hold on which i duley did and it was great fun. So we spent the next while on the 3 Toboggan's going down the slope in the front of the house and then walking up again, a new experience for me and i loved. it!

SEE PICS HERE!!

Switzerland - 23rd December 2010

Yep i am on the road again, so exciting! Only 10 days this time, but a nice break in the snow in Montreux, Switzerland with my friend Tanya and her family!

Had an excellent flight from Cape Town to Frankfurt with a connecting flight to Geneva. It was abit sad to see all the people stuck in Frankfurt waiting for flights and some had been there for 3 days! Tanya collected me from Geneva airport and about an hour and 20 mins later we were in Montreux. Its totally gorgeous and thats under cloud so i cant wait for it to lift. The snow has cleared for now but i believe there is more coming. The Chalet is part way up the mountain in a village called Brent about 5-10 mins from Montreux which is at the foot of the mountain. The Chalet is in true swiss style and has 3 floors totally gorgeous!

We spent the afternoon wandering round the Montreux Christmas market which had wonderful fare on offer, extremely tempting i can feel the calories coming just by looking! We indulged in a couple of glasses of Gluhwine which i totally love as well as roasted chestnuts and Keira managed to down two pancakes - of course this all comes at a price, its not cheap - but totally worth it!

It gets dark quite early froun 4.30pm and light only at 8.30am so it feels abit weird but i am adjusting fast!

See more pics here!

Conservation project Malgas - the end!

We woke this morning to rain and a wonderful gift on the door step a curious Penguin was having a gander through the front door. They really are gorgeous and very sweet!

Sadly today we are leaving the island. The boat arrived to collect us at 7am along with the replacement crew for Malgas and Jutten island. A quick flit across the bay to Jutten island to drop off the new recruits and collect the old and its back to Mykonos. What a way to start the day, in the afternoon i was back at work, all seems so surreal really!! Wonderful memories.

CLICK HERE to see more pics!

Conservation project Malgas Island, Saldanha - Day 5 (Final day)

And just for a change a few more pictures of birds! I cannot believe that 5 days have just flown by, pardon the pun! No Pelicans to report - which is great news.

Actually caught a Kelp gull with an egg in its mouth awhile back, but really there is nothing one can do, frustrating! Oh and i obviosusly got too near a nest as this time the gull actually banged me on the head, i nearly jumped out of my skin, they really are quite aggressive. I think between Heidi and myself we have taken enough pictures to last us a lifetime but you just cant help yourself, these Gannets are magnificent creatures. When you are sitting in the middle of the colony surrounded, you just cant help but click away.

Oh i forgot the main event of the day, i emptied the toilet, that was interesting - i will save the detail. We went for our last patrol this evening with an absolutely magnficant sunset - we are so lucky to be here. Really sad to leave its been a truly wonderful experience.

CLICK HERE to view more pics!

Tomorrow morning we get collected at 7am and its back to the mainland and reality, but i will definately be back. I will never forget this truly magical place.

Conservation project Malgas Island, Saldanha - Day 4

We woke up this morning  to the demise of a poor starling killed and eaten by two Kelp gulls, i know these birds as scavengers, i havnt experienced them actually attacking other birds, quite strange.  Finished our first patrol for the morning no Pelicans sighted. There are loads of lovely fluffy babies and as always the colony is a hive of activity.

Yesterday we came across a juvenille Cape Comorant who appeared to have fallen from his nest, he could fly but was very shaky - the poor thing spent the night trying to get back to his parents and this evening Heidi found him dead on the rocks, so sad and there is nothing you can do, nature has to take its course.

Been quite misty here today but not cold, in fact it gives Malgas a different look and feel, really pretty.

Last patrol of the day and we are lucky enough to be able to go right into the middle of the colony. There is a sort of path which the Gannets seem to use as a runway, they are very cumbersome taking off and landing, often just literally splat!

CLICK HERE to view more images

Conservation project Malgas Island, Saldanha - Day 3

Time just flies when you are having fun no doubt about it. Today i did a patrol on my own as Heidi volunteered to empty the toilet,  something which i definately wasn't going to argue over. The toilet bucket gets attached to a rope and flushed out into the sea, feel abit sorry for the fish in the area!

No Pelican sightings today which is a relief, in fact no fatalities at all thus far. We had a passing visit from the navy doing a patrol and then a visit from law enforcement to bring us a gas bottle - its been a busy day. In addition we drew some water from the tanks to replenish what we had used, this is rain water used for washing and such things.

The Gannets are fascinationg to watch and i never tire of this. The mornings are quieter but by early evening the Gannets almost swarm over the colony looking for their mates. We saw a terrible fight today between two Gannets obviously over a nesting area, and one poor Gannet went away with a bloody forehead. Generally they appear quite placade and are not bothered by us at all, the Kelp gulls on the other hand as mentioned previously can be quite nasty!

I have managed to stick to Paleo 100% despite Heidi eating yummy rusks and rye bread, i have resisted so far!

CLICK HERE to view more images

Conservation project Malgas Island, Saldanha - Day 2

After an excellent nights sleep, how wonderful to wake up to the sound of birds and not the sound of traffic! Still no sign of Pelicans which is a good thing, but the Kelp gulls and Sacred Ibis remain a nuisance. Sadly this afternoon i saw a Kelp gull steal a tiny baby Gannet for its supper, so sad but it's nature i guess.

Our days are wonderful, basically we watch birds all day long! Heidi does a really early morning recky to check that no Peli's have arrived, breakfast and then  we are out on our patrol round the island, well except we cant at this stage get right round as there are too many birds in the way and we dont want to disturb them. I spend quite alot of time on the roof as you have an excellent view point from there over the entire island. In the evening we do our rounds again this time counting all eggs that have been predated by Kelp gulls so far it really hasnt been too bad considering the amount of birds on the island.

Our main focus remains to keep the Pelicans away from the Gannets as best we can as they swallow the Gannet babies whole if they get a chance. To the best of my knowledge this only happens here in South Africa and the reason is due to Pelicans feeding on farmers offal and not fishing like they should, this has apparently now stopped.

Have a look at some of the days sightings here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/MalgasDay2#

Conservation project Malgas Island, Saldanha - Day 1

I think i have died and gone to heaven! We arrived on Malgas island this morning round 7.30ish and there are birds everywhere! There are about 80000 Gannets http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Gannet as well as Cormorant's, Common Terns, Penguins, Kelp gulls even Pigeons. There are no other people except myself and Heidi on the island and all these wonderful birds, heaven, i think i mentioned that already!

The island is really quite small you can get round it in about 40 minutes and you can see over most of it from the roof of the outside toilet! Ah yes the facilities are pretty basic, outside loo which has to be emptied once a day and no running water but hey who needs luxury when you are a survivor!!

No Pelicans spotted today but the Kelp gulls are a real problem as well. We saw them kill what we thought was a baby cormorant but could have been a baby pigeon it was horrible. They dive bomb us when you get to close to them and one even dropped a nice present on me, grrrrr, in addition they steal the Gannets eggs and obviously eat them we counted at least 4 today. These Kelp gulls are really quite aggressive, they try and scare the birds off the nest so they can steal their eggs or small babies! I tell you its wild out here but i am loving it!

Have a look at our life on the island here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/2010103002#

Back in the game!

Joining http://www.capecrossfit.com/  earlier in the year to achieve my fitness goals has been a lot harder than i anticipated. Initially the dread of getting up in the winter months and struggling so hard to do the workouts i often wondered if it was all worth it, but it has really paid off! Warning - this gym is not for sissies! After 6 months of perseverance i am definitely reaping the benefits, I even  managed to enter and finish a 5km fun run totally unbelievable for me!!

With Jobst my trainer finishing the race!

The current challenge at the gym besides exercise is an eating plan one which i am whole heartily taking part of - its called the Paleo Diet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet and is actually really nice once you get the hang of it!  Basically no carbs, no diary just natural protein, fruit and veg, yum! I have to say even in week 3 i miss sugar big time but i substitute with lots of fruit which helps! I will post my achievements after the 8 week period and then you can watch me grow fat as i re indulge in my great weakness, cheesecake!

Back to reality

Well after a year of travel and constant change, i have returned to what is normal for most and possibly mundane for me! However it appears mundane is not to be, even though work plays a part.  On the left is a picture taken from my new apartment - not too shabby i can tell you!

See travels here!
http://suebramhall.blogspot.com/

April is a wonderful time in Cape Town, the days are getting shorter but the weather is fantastic, comfortably warm so you can still don your summer gear, but require a jumper later in the evening!

Waterfront, nooks and crannies!

I think most of us associate the Waterfront with shopping but there is so much more!!!!

Taking a camera and putting on our tourist hats we ventured out from Quay 4 heading along to the Clock Tower by way of the swing Bridge. This area has gorgeous architecture and  an abundance of history. We stumbled upon an African curio shop which had the most unusual and beautiful carvings of which i haven't seen since i was in Alaska. Crossing over the swing bridge to the Clock Tower you are presented with the most stupendous views of both the Victoria and Alfred basin as well as Table Mountain, you cant help but realise that this is definitely a little piece of heaven!

With this on my doorstep, i may just be able to live with the mundane for now!

Click below to see some great pics!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/Waterfront?authkey=Gv1sRgCKH-7dm8jNOYNw#slideshow/5464822719719488594

Africa 2010 - after a spectacular 2009

Its amazing how time flies when you're having fun - I cannot believe that i have been home for 7 weeks already! As mentioned previously the weather is gorgeous and there is always loads to do.

Hiking and walking - just across the road from Mom and Dad's house is a lovely mountain range which offers unlimited hikes and walks and so this happens on a regular basis, the scenery from up there really is stupendous!

Crayfishing - this happens every couple of days but is very weather dependant. Great fun, and its interesting to see what gets pulled up in the net from sea snakes to sharks, crabs and of course crayfish. Everything gets put back in the sea except the right sized crayfish! Our last outing I got a lesson in driving the boat, after I had driven over and lost one net and one glove, I was surprised that I didn't get tossed overboard! see pics http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/Dec09Kleinmond#

Stoney point - this is a Penguin colony down the road from Kleinmond which used to be an old whaling station ('orrible) but is now a lovely spot with a wooden walkway and great penguin viewing! see pics http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/Dec09Stoney
PointBettysBay#

A couple of trips to Cape Town always makes a nice change of scene, seeing friends, going to movies and dinners, very nice. We ventured out to Franschoek with Ants family for a picnic which was really nice, although i had a terrible cold at the time!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/Dec09PicnicAtRiversideFranschoek#


Ant and i ventured out for a day in Greyton which is a lovely little village about an hours drive from Kleinmond, really pretty and then another day a picnic out near Franschoek again more fantastic scenery!

Moving onto Christmas day, what a brilliant day, the only down side being that my brother wasn't with us but we managed to wire him up via Skype to participate and watch the present opening after Church which was really special, boy do we miss him! Christmas is always great with the kids and there is a constant state of euphoria through out the day. Since my nephews have been here i have even taken to playing cricket, the mind boggles, even my mother has been playing, actually great fun, check out the pics!!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/Dec09Christmas#

Post Boxing day - the resident Kleinmonders came round for sunset drinks and snacks which turned out to be a bit of a blast - good fun!
http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/Dec09DayAfterBoxingDay#

And so another year ends, although this year was very special to me, as surreal as it seems I have moved around the world met so many special and interesting people and it will take a lot to beat that, so lets see what 2010 delivers! Something very special that it will deliver is my little brother moving to Cape Town from Bahrain, cant wait - we are all very busy trying to sort his house out before he arrives tomorrow - 8th Jan 09!!!!

Wishing you all a fulfilling 2010, whatever you do, just do it!!

Back in South Africa!

Well after much deliberation i have decided at least for the interim to return to Cape town, i was feeling extremely unsettled in England and i think just missing my family. After being away for almost a year i felt like i wanted to relax in a home environment and reflect on the year gone by and decide on my next adventure, although i fear it maybe a job!

Definitely no reflecting in week one, as i got dragged to Moms various outings, the main one was the Red Hat Christmas lunch. Well i had to dress up, and when i asked Dad what he thought, he said you look like a right prat! Well that's how i felt, however it turned out to be quite good fun and luckily not too much public exposure! I now know that i am definitely not the dressing up type!!!!

The weather in Cape Town is lovely and warm and has been up to 32 degrees this week. Flowers are blooming, lots of lovely birds around, guinea fowl in the garden and even a little buck living in the bush across the road so its all happening here in Kleinmond!

After a great week in the mother city meeting up with the special people in my life its back to Kleinies!

See more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/WhatsHappeningInCapeTown#

Click here to see that i have truly been accepted in Canada! http://www.asportingphenomenon.com/index.php?rfname=Sue&rlname=Bramhall+&remail=antoine.fortuin@gmail.com&sfname=Kym&slname=Illman&semail=thenewsteam@messagesonhold.com.au&suburb=Vancouver

Southampton and Windsor, UK

Southampton

This was something i always wanted to do and just never got there, walking on the Southampton walls. There is a lot of history as Pam and I discovered this day. We started with viewing some of the more special older buildings and then walked on the walls to the Bargate which is situated in the main shopping hub. We stopped off for a coffee in a lovely old pub and then we hit the shops!

See more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/
WalkingTheSouthamptonWalls#

Windsor
One of my favorite English towns, Windsor. Caught the train here from Southampton and one of my oldest and dearest friends collected me at the station. It was a rainy grey day, so we spent alot of time catching up, it was so great to see Corinna, its like we have never been apart! We did a quick round the town and outskirts of the castle, the queen still lives here on and off, and its in great condition! After Windsor we returned to Maidenhead where Coz lives and had a lovely evening chatting and reminiscing!!! The next morning David, Corinna's husband very kindly dropped me at the station and i was back on my way to Southampton.

See more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com
/sbramhall/Windsor#

Today i am meeting more of my cousins for lunch, i haven't seen them for about 17 years! Sandra and Cheryl took me for lunch in Southampton and it was so great to see them - so great to catch up.

I am so lucky to have such great family and friends even though i don't see them very often, they are all very special to me!!!!

My last night in the UK, we went for a lovely dinner in Bishops Waltham, called Bank - most enjoyable.

And so back to good old SA!!

Dorchester, Dorset, UK

Dorchester is a pretty town about 2 hours drive south east of Southampton, went through Weymouth to get there. This weekend i visited my Auntie Celia and Uncles Les and my cousins came down from Bristol! I arrived on the Saturday afternoon and we had a look round Moreton which is the little village where my family lives outside Dorchester. Gorgeous old cottages and the lovely church where my cousin got married where all a stones through away from my aunts house. It was wonderful to catch up on family history and on the Sunday my cousins arrived with their respective partners for the day, wonderful!

On the Monday we went to Cerne Abbas a lovely little village down the road and then i was back on the bus to Fareham, an all to quick visit but great!

See more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/
sbramhall/Dorchester#

Hampshire & Wiltshire, UK

Wow another county! Our first main stop is a lovely village called Romsey i have been here before many years ago and have fond memories, they didn't disappoint! A lovely English feel with a market in the town square and a gorgeous Abbey which we went round, AND they even named a lane after my grandfather, see the pics.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/Romsey#

Moving on from Romsey we are heading North East to Salisbury. Before getting into Salisbury which is a cathedral town in county Wiltshire, we stopped off at the Pepper box, which is on a hill from where you can see Salisbury.
The tower was built so that people on neighbouring land could be watched!

Arriving in Salisbury town, we parked but then discovered between the three of us, we didn't have enough coins for the machine, so Pam and I proceeded to do some begging which worked out very well, and before long we were set. Walking along the river we came upon a feeding frenzy of swans, ducks and various other water fowl - quite incredible to watch. We had a look at the cathedral which has the highest spire in England and again i had visited previously with my Grandparents some years ago - there is actually a plaque in the cathedral to South African war hero's lost in the war.

The rain was bucketing down, so we did a quick circuit round the town and then into a pub for Steak and Kidney pud and chips, yum!!!!

See more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/Salisbury#

more Hampshire, UK

Portchester Castle is a medieval castle and former Roman fort at Portchester to the east of Fareham, county Hampshire. It is located at a commanding position at the head of Portsmouth Harbour.

The original roman buildings date back to the 3rd century AD, incredible and some of those walls still exist. We had a wonderful time going round here and went right up on the roof top of the Keep where the views were spectacular.

Another great day out in the English countryside! This castle is only about 20 mins drive from where we live!

See more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/PorchesterCastle#

Shopping in Portsmouth and a great Indian dinner :
see pics here : http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/
ShoppingInPortsmouthAndIndianDinner#

On this day i went to Eastleigh which is close to where my grandparents lived and had many memories for me, walked round the market and then on to see my Aunty Sue and David, had a fantastic afternoon catching up.... Aunty Sue is great!

See more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/Eastleigh#

Hampshire, England

Southampton being the central hub for transport is where you need to go to get to most places. Below is the Bargate some of whats left of the city walls and fort. I havn't spent time here yet this time round as i have been going to other places, see below.

Winchester

Archaically known as Winton, Winchester is a historic cathedral city and the ancient capital of Wessex and the Kingdom of England. Winchester's major landmark is Winchester Cathedral, one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the distinction of having the longest nave and overall length of all gothic cathedrals in Europe. I love Winchester because of its village feel and brilliant period architecture, and i would say if i live in England this would one of the places on the top of my list. As it was raining my pics don't do Winchester justice and it was pouring when i was at the cathedral.

See more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/
sbramhall/Winchester#

Another gem in Hampshire is the New Forest

The New Forest is an area which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire. The name also refers to the New Forest National Park which has similar boundaries.

We had a lovely lunch at the Trusty Servant pub and then off to look at the ponies and deer which are quite abundant and the ponies roam free, stunning! We then went on to the Minstead church yard where Rodney has some relatives buried! I tell you we are spread all over Hampshire.
See more pics here : http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/NewForest#

Down at Lee-on-Solent having ice creams......

And finally Halloween, not celebrated by me i might add.