portelizabethtours
APRIL 2015
RETIREMENT IS NOW OFFICIAL
TWO OCEANS HALF MARATHON
HOCKEY TOURNAMENT IN JOHANNESBURG -- ST MARY'S
COLLECTING OF BLACK BAGS
STUDY OF THE TOUR GUIDING MANUAL.
WEDNESDAY HIKE THE SACRAMENTO TRAIL
LIFESAVING NATIONALS IN DURBAN
WEDNESDDAY HIKE -- SOMETHING GOOD TO THE HARBOUR WALL.
JOSHUA PLAYS RUGBY FOR CLARENDON U11'S
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| JOSHUA PLAYS BOTH INSIDE CENTER AND FULL BACK FOR CLARRIES U11"S |
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| ALLY IS AT LIFESAVING NATIONALS -- REPRESENTING EP AT THE INTERPROVINCIAL COMPETITION. |
April 1st -- My first official day of being retired.
April 2nd -- We drive to Cape Town for the Easter Weekend. Stay with Patrick. Spend plenty of time with family at Nicky's farm near to Paarl; with Cathy and with Patrick.
Saturday 4th -- I have a good Oceans half. This is my 7th run. 2.02 is my fastest Oceans 21k. I ran a 2.09; a 2.11 and a 2.13 (with Nicky in 2014) previously with a 2.44 two years ago after I had been put on medication following a stent operation in 2013. I am very happy with the result as I have been having a lot of pain in both Achilles tendons. Today I ran start to finish with no stops to chat or at water tables. Also had no PE people with me so had nothing better to do than to give it my best shot.
Tuesday April 7th. My phone is giving me a lot of grief. A battery that does not charge the phone and then I buy a new battery which also does not work. The phone is a second hand one from Cathy and does not have a camera.
We have a new internet with Telkom and I finally get it working today. Ally has a Hockey tournament at St Mary's in Johannesburg this week.
Wednesday 8th.
Rob Phillips fetches me at 3am and we drive through to JHB. Keith and Suzanne put us up for the next 4 nights.
Ally is in the Pearson 1st team for hockey and St Marys is organising a tournament between 32 teams. Each game is 25 minutes long and the next game starts as the former game ends. Fast, slick and exciting hockey. Our team plays at Rodean; Kingsmead and St Marys.
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| RODEAN WHERE OUR FIRST FEW MATCHES ARE PLAYED. |
Unusual for us, (Coastal bumpkins) are the thunder storms that interrupt the day.
Our team was placed 10th in 2014. At that time Ally broke her thumb on the first day and hardly was not able to play again.. This year she has a stunning tournament and plays some great hockey; as do the rest of her team. Rob's daughter is Heather and she is goalkeeper and so feels the brunt of the pressure when goals are scored against Pearson.
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| ALLY'S CLOTHING HAD TO BE WASHED AND DRIED EACH DAY TO AVOID THE BIG STINK |
Rob and I take lunch breaks at Keith's house each day and make our selves at home.
On the final day -- Sunday 12th -- the final game of Pearson is against St Anne's and we score the first goal and it appears that we may win the game... St Anne's scores in the final minute and the teams are level 1:1 at full time. This places us at shared 7th position overall.. We are thrilled at the success of the Pearson team.
This afternoon we drive to Rob's friend -- Caroline -- where we spend the night. She makes us a delicious supper of sole and vegetables. And after a good sleep we leave at 3am on Monday morning and with just one stop for petrol we make it to PE in time to collect the girls from the airport at about 1.30 that afternoon.
Tuesday 14th.
I am so happy to be able to run with the group in the morning again. I spend the day doing the Tour Guiding study work. Nicky hears that she is appointed to the company where she has been in discussion for a few weeks and Cathy is told that she is unsuccessful in her application. This is a disappointment but what is meant to be will be..
SACRAMENTO HIKING TRAIL -- SCHOENMAKERS KOP -- PORT ELIZABETH.
Wednesday 15th -- Running in the morning (10k around the park and back on to 1st ave and Linkside) and then Hiking the Sacramento Trail. We start with the short climb and walk in an easterly direction just behind the houses along Rita's Walk. This is a delightful section that has been decorated by the home owners and should be walked at leisure to be able to appreciate the artwork and time spent on making this a special walk.
We then double back and walk along a jeep track towards the Sardinia Bay beach. This walk is known as Valeries Boulevard. Along the way we pass branches of this walk (Mike's Path and Edith's path) We are not certain but it may be that these two connect.
At Edith's path a number of the hikers turn back. We press on until we reach Borrelli's Pass where we turn left towards the ocean. It appears that this route is closed to horseback riding. This path takes the hiker to the top of the dunes that overlook the Sardinia Bay lifeguard clubhouse.
Up to this point we have been walking into a still westerly. We now have an ocean view and the wind is on our backs.
We make a short stop for a drink and snack before continuing our hike. We descend to the memorial of the wreck of the Sacremanto and then back to the parking area at Schoenmakerskop.
The walk, as we hiked, takes around 2 to 2.30 hours.
The Sacramento is a popular 8 km round trip coastal walk through the Schoenmakerskop-Sardinia Bay Nature Reserve and is accessed by traveling along Sardinia Bay Road.
The area offers attractive seascapes, landscapes and, depending on the season, some remarkable displays of dune vegetation and wild flowers. At Schoenmakerskop, a bronze cannon points towards the wreck site of the Portuguese galleon, Sacramento, which foundered on 30 June 1647.
The route continues past the Sacramento monument towards the far end of the sandy bay, aptly named Cannon Bay where the ruins of a mill, which used to crush sea shells.
The way the elegant Portuguese man o’ war called the Sacramento was shipwrecked off the shores near Port Elizabeth, the dramatic 1400km journey of survivors making their way north to a Mozambican port, and the subsequent discovery of the ship’s many cannon make for a stirring South African sea tale.
The Sacramento was the pride of the Portuguese fighting fleet in the 17th Century. She ran aground just off Schoenmakerskop outside Port Elizabeth on 30 June 1647 in foul weather. By the time she hit the rocky coastline, she had a badly damaged rudder and her sails were in tatters.
The legend of the wreck of the Sacramento has many dramatic parts, one of which is the march of the 72 survivors up the coast towards a port in Mozambique, from where they hoped to be transported back to Portugal.
The distance from Algoa Bay (site of the modern-day Port Elizabeth) to the haven in Mozambique was nearly 1400km. The Sacramento survivors stayed on the beach near the wreck site for 11 days before beginning their pathetic trudge up the coast. Along the way their numbers dwindled to 9 souls.
As they walked, they came across two other wreck sites of ill-fated Portuguese vessels: the Nossa Senhora de Belem and the Atalaya. More than four weeks into their trek, they met up with a large contingent of survivors of the wreck of the Atalaya. Eventually, 127 people from the wrecks of the Sacramento and Atalaya made it to Lourenco Marques (now Maputo).
The Sacramento, a highly prized man o’ war with 60 fixed cannon, was heavily loaded with a cargo of brass cannon destined for the Portuguese-held districts of India. In fact, one of the cannon carried an inscription from its maker (famous gunsmith Antonio Backer) bearing the name of Antonio Telesdemenez, the Portuguese governor of India at the time ..
The many cannon of the Sacramento lay undisturbed on the ocean bed for 330 years until most of them were salvaged in 1977. One brass cannon had been totally submerged under the sea sands and was brought up in perfect condition.
One of the original Sacramento guns stands at a special site on Schoenmakerskop, pointing out in the general direction of where the warship met her fate. A plaque briefly tells the story of the wreck of the Sacramento
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| DAVE IS AT THE BACK WHILE ROBIN LEADS THE SACREMENTO COMBO HIKE |
Metalasia muricata commonly known as 'White Bristle Bush' or 'Blombos', is a hardy virgate or twiggy shrub with honey-scented flowers usually 2-4 m tall, woody with a rounded crown, and an important component of the coastal and mountain fynbos regions of Southern Africa. It is encountered in a number of forms in its extended distribution, some of which are tolerant of frost, wind and poor sandy soils.
THE WALK IS EASY WITH GENTLE DUNES AND TOOK US AROUND 2.30 HOURS FOR THE 8KM
IN MEMORY OF PORT ELIZABETHEAN DAVID ALLEN AND DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO PERISHED IN THE PORTUGESE GALLEON, SACRAMENTO, ON 30 JUNE 1647.
THE 72 SURVIVORS (AFTER STAYING ON THE BEACH FOR 11 DAYS) SET OUT TO WALK THE 1300KM TO MOZAMBIQUE.
9 PERSONS SURVIVED TO REACH DELAGOA BAY (LORENCO MARQUES / MAPUTO) BY 5 JANUARY 1648.
THIS CANON, LENGTH 469CM, MASS 2500KG, COVERS THE SITE OF THE WRECK. IT WAS CAST IN BRONZE BY BOCARRO IN THE PORTUGESE TERRITORY OF MACCO, CHINA IN 1640 AND IS ONE OF 40 SALVAGED BY DAVE ALLEN AND GERRY VAN NIEKERK IN 1977.
Weekend of 16th
It has been raining heavily this week. Friday afternoon Ally has hockey vs Redish in the afternoon at Pearson. We stand and they play in the rain. Ally's team wins convincingly.
Ally goes to a couple of parties this evening and finally gives up at 1.30am and I fetch her from Walmer.
PAT; ADRIENE; GERALD AND LINDIE AFTER THE RUN AND BEFORE THE PARKRUN.
Saturday morning -- a stunning beachfront run 10k around the airport with Neil; Andrea; Kelly; Joan; Mike; Adrienne; Suzanne; Lindie; Kathleen.
Svenje has a baby girl.
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THE NEW FORWARDS COACH FOR GREY -- BAREND SOMEONE AND TIM FRASER SITTING --- WE DID NOT HAVE A GOOD GAME AND I AM SURE THESE WERE TWO FRUSTRATED COACHES AS WE COULD JUST NOT FINISH OFF THE ADVANTAGE WE HAD AS WE "CAMPED" IN THE PAUL ROOS HALF FOR MUCH OF THE GAME.
Later Ally has hockey at Alex. Pearson win this game as well.
Then it is Rubgy at Grey vs Paul Roos. Unfortunately Grey does not play well and we lose the game 34;3.
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DANIEL -- USUALLY SWIMS BREATSTROKE IS NOW TRYING WITH FREESTYLE
Sunday morning
Daniel and I take part in the last Biathle training / trials of the season. It is at NMMU. I arrive a bit late and don't have time to warm up. Start feeling terrible but then settle into the run. On the swim I have a head on collision with another swimmer. I think that it was due to the fact that I was not there to hear if we stay in our own lane or we swim in a circle.
I realise that I must do a bit more swim training before the final events of the season.
Daniel is feeling low and does not have his best run nor swim ... he too must do some sprint and some swim training. .
RED FLOWERS WITH A YELLOW AND WHITE INSIDE GLADIOLUS DALENII.... SEE BOTTOM OF THE BLOG FOR MORE DETAILS
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ALLY AND SOME OF THE TEAM GOING TO NATIONALS -- FLAGS TRAINING
After the Biathle I meet Ally on the beach and we do a bit of beach work in preparation for Nationals next weekend.
Later Barbara and I go out to the farm where it is Jazmin's 19th Birthday. Barbara makes a Milk Tart. Delene has a huge menagerie of ducks, chickens, dogs, a pig all being fed at the same time and fighting for the scraps.
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| DANIEL IS AT BIATHLE |
Sunday morning
Daniel and I take part in the last Biathle training / trials of the season. It is at NMMU. I arrive a bit late and don't have time to warm up. Start feeling terrible but then settle into the run. On the swim I have a head on collision with another swimmer. I think that it was due to the fact that I was not there to hear if we stay in our own lane or we swim in a circle.
I realise that I must do a bit more swim training before the final events of the season.
Daniel is feeling low and does not have his best run nor swim ... he too must do some sprint and some swim training. .
RED FLOWERS WITH A YELLOW AND WHITE INSIDE GLADIOLUS DALENII.... SEE BOTTOM OF THE BLOG FOR MORE DETAILS
THE GLADIOLUS DALENII FLOWER IN THE GARDEN AT HEBRON
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ALLY AND SOME OF THE TEAM GOING TO NATIONALS -- FLAGS TRAINING
THE FARMYARD -- DUCKS; HORSES; DOGS; THE PIG AND CHICKENS ALL RUNNING AROUND.
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| JAZMIN'S 19TH BIRTHDAY AT DELENE'S HOUSE |
Later Barbara and I go out to the farm where it is Jazmin's 19th Birthday. Barbara makes a Milk Tart. Delene has a huge menagerie of ducks, chickens, dogs, a pig all being fed at the same time and fighting for the scraps.
Wednesday 22nd.
We drive to Durban for Lifesaving Nationals. We take Craig Dalgliesh with us. Leave at 4.30am and arrive in Durban 12 hours later.
The first day is the Interprovincial. Ally and Craig are in the team and both get 4th and 5th places in both Sprints and Flags.
There are no medals for inter provincials. EP are placed fourth.
The next three days are filled with activity with the clubs arriving and hundreds of competitors on the beach. the competition takes pace next to the Casino at Suncoast Pirates.. It is an excellent venue with the tents on the grassy area.
We stay at the Beach htel at the bottom of West street. The hotel is quite adequate for what we need.
On the first day Aiden Jones gets a medal for Flags. Craig is battling with injury to his hamstrings.
Saturday 25th. I run the local parkrun which starts at the casino and runs along the boardwalk. It is huge and I battle to get though the crowds. I then determine to run as fast as I am able to avoid the queue at the end. But in the process pull a hamstrung and have to limp home.
I am placed 82nd of 1073 runners at 25.21 which is my best time for a parkrun. But this is completely different to the Hobie beach parkrun which includes some beach. This is my 50th parkrun and I am able to complete it with no fuss which suits me.
On Friday Ally was placed 4th in the flags events in U19. There was a bit of a mix up with a Clifton Girl who was in the wrong age group.
Ally and Kayleigh do Board Rescue but Kayleigh arrives late tot he start and gets confused as to the correct can to swim to so they do not complete the event
Friday it is beach sprints and Ally works hard to achieve a Silver Medal following Michaela Smith of KB. Summies only has the Four of us. Ally; Craig; Aiden and Kayleigh v Vuuren in the team. KB are doing well in the in the competition.
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| PICTURE OF THE FAMILY WHEN WE ARE IN CAPE TOWN. CATHY'S HOUSE AND TRAMPOLINE. AARON; JOSHUA; JESSICA; BLAKE; ZARA; MIA; DANIEL AND CHRISTIAN. |
Later this afternoon Ally and Kayleigh take part in the Individual Swim and are placed 14th and 18th. And then they take part in the Board individual where Ally makes the top 8 in her heat and goes on to the Final. The waves are huge and she is knocked off a couple of times and so does not finish. Both girls do well to compete in the event.
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| THE LONG RUN OR BEACH RUN AS IT IS OFFICIALLY KNOWN AS. THE U19 GROUP MUST RUN 1800M ON SAND .. THIS IS A LONG WAY. |
Our small group of 4: Ally; Kayleigh; Craig and Aiden. are placed 14 of 17 teams. On the last day Aiden and Ally run the Long Run of 1800 and 1600M. They are both 11th in their events.
They go to the After Party at Pirates and I collect them at 1am. On Monday morning we leave at 4.30am and arrive home at 4.30pm..... 12 hours of driving including three stops for food and petrol.
Tuesday 28th. Dentist; University of the third age. Colin Urquart talks about shipwrecks of the eastern coast and other bits of Coast line history.
Clarendon Park appointment with Allan Lones and Pixie Anderson. And accept Mia into the school for Gr One.
Wednesday. My Thigh -- Hamstring muscle -- is still hurting and it is a cold windy morning so I miss running again, I do the Wednesday morning hike from Something good to Harbour Wall and back. Just this walk takes us 1.45H and is 8km.
Clarendon Park U11 play Westering. Josh has a couple of good runs with the ball. He battles with tackling and with catching the high ball. Practice will get him there.
Thursday 30th. Back to my morning running. Target Kloof 8k to 12th Ave. Today on the run: Andy; Lisa; Benita; Stuart; Lynn and Johan are in the fast group. Then Stefany; John and I run to 12th Ave. At the back are Adrienne; Chris and Lindie.
After dropping Ally at school I swim a 1000m. Trying to add a bit of speed for the Biathle on Sunday.
Family : Iridaceae (iris family)
Common names : African gladiolus (Eng.); papegaai-gladiolus (Afr.); |
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Distribution and habitatGladiolus dalenii grows in the summer rainfall regions of the Eastern Cape north of East London to southern KwaZulu-Natal, from the coast to as far inland as the Lesotho border. Further north it extends through tropical Africa as far as western Arabia. It is found in open grassland, woodland and scrub and in rocky areas, often among rocks along streams, at altitudes up to 2 500 m.
Conservation statusOver the past two centuries many South African irids have been domesticated and are familiar garden plants, such as gladioli, freesias, crocosmias, ixias and watsonias. Some have been so improved by plant breeders that often it is not easy to associate modern garden hybrids with their humble wild ancestors in the veld. During 1976, 1 100 seeds collected in the wild were deposited at the Wakehurst Place Seed Bank (now the Millennium Seed Bank) in the United Kingdom, to determine whether cold storage of seed as a measure of long-term conservation was possible. This proved successful and tests carried out several years later at the seed bank showed a germination of 99% at 11ºC. Gladiolus dalenii has been successfully cultivated at Kirstenbosch Botanic Garden for many years and is also being grown by several specialist bulb growers in several countries. Ideally its natural habitat should be formally protected, but should this not be possible, ex situ material could possibly be used to re-establish this species elsewhere, in suitable sites.
Derivation of name and historical aspectsThe genus name Gladiolus is derived from the Latin gladiolus, meaning a small sword, and refers to the narrow, sword-shaped leaves produced by many Gladiolus species. Named in 1828 after Cornelius Dalen, Director, Rotterdam Botanic Gardens who introduced the species into gardens in Europe.
EcologyPollinated by sunbirds attracted to the copious nectar. The corms are eaten by bush pigs.
Uses and cultural aspectsUsed in traditional medicine to treat diarrhoea, chest ailments caused by sorcery, sterility in women, as good luck charms and in the horns of inyangas/sangomas. Cultivars developed in Europe in the early 1900s are grown worldwide and have become very successful cut-flowers.The leaves are plaited into ropes.
It is an easy plant to grow, and can be cultivated from corms as well as seeds. It should preferably be planted in light, well-drained, sandy loam soil in full sun. As this is a summer-growing species, plant corms in spring (around September) and give plenty of water all through the growing season. Corms are best planted in open ground, rather than pots, roughly 100 mm deep and 150 mm apart. One should avoid the use of inorganic fertilizers, especially those with high nitrogen content. Rather use compost, and bone meal can also be beneficial. The corms can be left in the soil during the winter dormancy period, or lifted and stored in a cool airy place to prevent decay.
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