Writing It Randomly

South African Lighthouse No. 23 The Replacement The Umhlanga* Lighthouse was built in 1954 to replace the 1869 Bluff Lighthouse, which had to be abandoned due to its rapid deterioration. Photo by Dennis Guichard In addition to the standard automated light, rotating to warn off seafarers, it also has a fixed red light to help ships monitor their position - if the light can be seen, it means their anchors probably dragged and that they've come too close to the shore. There has never been a lighthouse keeper here. The Oyster Box Hotel , also the first beach cottage in the area, serves as the official warden. Its staff monitor the lighthouse's controls (in the hotel office) and then send regular status reports to Transnet Port Authority's Lighthouse Service. *Zulu for 'Place of Reeds' As I wrap up this, the last of the South African Lighthouse posts, I'm painfully aware of the fact that I have never been lucky enough to visit one ...

We need to talk about trauma. Kick out all the taboos. Let live, let love, and listen! Warning: If, like me, you dont' speak French, the subtitles may be frustrating, but push on and watch to the end anyway.

Pic Source:  PlanetWare South African Lighthouse No. 22 The Story of a Lighthouse and its Pyramid Well, actually the Pyramid came first. Sir Rufane Donkin had it built as a monument to his wife in August 1820 - Lady Elizabeth, whose name was the obvious inspiration behind that of Port Elizabeth. How romantic, right? The lighthouse was only commissioned later, on 1 June 1861, but the town of Port Elizabeth's lights behind it eventually started to interfere with its visibility from the bay, so they increased its height in 1929. With time the town kept growing into a bigger and bigger city, so the lights just kept multiplying, and in 1973 they realised that the lighthouse was no longer effective. Hill Lighthouse was therefore decommissioned, but you are more than welcome to visit it (go to the Port Elizabeth Tourist Information Office, located inside the adjoining building). Photo Credit: Jonker Fourie

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Regrettably, I have no photo(s) to share of my dish. I actually tried to take a few for you, but I was unable to get the right angle without showing you the dirty spots on my stove top. Eventually, not wanting to keep my guests waiting, or serving cold food, I gave up and we dug in. I do feel, however, that I can confidently vouch for the deliciousness of the Spinach & Hake Bake Recipe  I found on  Pinterest  - even if I can't prove that my final product looked great (everyone thought it looked delicious, but I must say, not EXACTLY like the image to the left). Slight Tweaks I made some slight changes to the recipe as I went along, because I'm the laziest person you'd ever meet. The two small changes I made were: Not preparing the spinach at all. I just took the pre-rinsed leaves from the bag and chucked them in raw at the bottom of my oven-proof dish before arranging the hake fillets on top and pouring the sauce over it. To add crispness to the ...

Did you know that this song actually has little to do with Mondays, and more with school shootings ? Lyrics: Here

South African Lighthouse No. 21 The Milnerton Twin The Milnerton and Hangklip ligthouses were commissioned in the same year (Milnerton in March and Hangklip on 25 November 1960), and the lights installed in these two lighthouse towers are identical. Photo Credit: Steve Hartwig, Outdoor Photo Community The name 'Hangklip' means 'Rocky Overhang', the reason of which becomes quite apparent as soon as you see the multitude of rocks strewn about the coastline in this part of our country. To be honest, I'm surprised that it took them so long to install the lighthouse - apart from icebergs and stormy weather, rocky coastlines must surely be obvious seafaring hazards as well? It just makes sense to have warning lights wherever there are sharp shards sticking out towards the ocean. FOOTNOTE: They say this lighthouse is so remote (not even open to the public) that maintenance staff have, from time to time, been spotting leopard footprints in the area sur...