header hassles - a new look whether we like it or not!

Fireworks in blogland!!!

Wow, I don't know how many of you have also experienced the frustration of dealing with Blogger's latest autocratic manoever to arbitrarily preset the header size, so that carefully and lovingly designed headers all over blogland suddenly became distorted and messed up. A real storm of protest has been unleashed.


I have spent so much time on the help group lately that I haven't had time to actually blog. The snarky attitude of the Blogger Employee who finally graced the group with a post this morning was also less than helpful. So if you are having a problem, let me know, and I can try to basically distil what I have found out from days of trawling threads in the help group, or at least direct you to useful threads. The setup I have now is still not 100% ideal, but it works until Blogger gets its act together!


Anyway, here are a few photos that i have been wanting to share over the last few days, but with all that has been going on, was not able to. Thanks to all for your care and concern, we are coping ok, the funeral is probably on Friday, so I guess till then we just go a day at a time.

Last week, the local Municipal Art Gallery opened a wonderful exhibition. As you might know from past posts, Karen and I are researching the history of Richmond Hill (when our crazy lives permit!!)

Well the Gallery has a wonderful permanent collection, dating right back to originals from the 1830s and up, which give a great idea of how the town developed. Of course K and I were like 2 kids in a candy store!


To give you an example, here is an original watercolour of the first house in Coopers Kloof, a steep valley with a stream running down to the sea. It is now Albany Road, and the building with the domed roof is the old fire station.



I have written quite a bit about South End and the way it was cleared out because of the Group Areas Act in the 60s and 70s.


This wonderful painting shows the way it was when it was still a happy and vibrant community. The Mosque is the only thing in this painting still standing.



Now that Mr Farty is getting back on his feet, we have been trying to make a point of getting out and about a bit to smell the roses, except that for us, roses are not so much of the floral variety. We adore this old area so much, so we have been getting out to photograph old buildings,


look for books at the lovely old Library,


and sit in restaurants enjoying the view of the sea.
Here is Max at Cafe Brazilia, gazing out over the harbour at this ore carrier being loaded.


Which reminds me that I indulged myself in a piece of art this week, if you have never followed the link on my sidebar to Cooper Dragonette, check out his work, he is one of the daily painters who posts a new painting more or less daily, and sells them on e-bay. I just couldn't resist one of his ships.... when you see the views we get around here, you can understand why they resonated with me!



Today we went to Fort Frederick, the oldest building in the City, which was put up in 1799 as a defense of the only safe anchorage on the South Eastern coast during the war against the French, and was garrisoned until 1862.


We also went to Donkin Reserve, where the lighthouse and pyramid that are icons of Port Elizabeth stand on the brow of the hill overlooking the bay.
And looking the other way, the monument is overlooked by the magnificent Edward Hotel.

And coming full circle, I will end with some shots of the fireworks display at the official Opening of the Season ceremony on Sunday night, which you can also see more of on our City Daily Photo blog and also on Max's blog.