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Goodbye Beezus… my happy little Wolf… (2011-2020)
Beezus died in my arms early on May 7, 2020, his 9th birthday. He had led the most extraordinary life and has been described as “legendary” and with every superlative one can think of, but Enid Vickers of Corporate Image coined it in her February 2020 email to me: “Beezus is officially the cutest little […] Read more
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When conventional medicine and vets fail us
One Saturday morning about three months ago, Beezus was diagnosed with heart failure and acute congestion of the lungs as a result. I had taken him in for a precautionary checkup because of a a very slight dry cough that occurred once a day at the most. I was shocked! The local Stanford vet —… Read more
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Martin Hatchuel — SA tourism’s muse has gone silent
Martin Hatchuel has been known by thousands of subscribers to his email newsletter, This Tourism Week. Its publication was sometimes erratic, but has now ceased completely. Martin often used This Tourism Week to stir controversy wherever he thought he saw injustice or just plain stupidity. And he didn’t pull his punches. But in real life, he… Read more
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Stanford Revisited
There’s an apocryphal story about a neighbour who wasn’t too happy with his new German neighbours on the Wortelgat Road outside Stanford. But the German neighbours invited him nonetheless when they opened their new restaurant… and he accepted. During the long lunch at Springfontein Eats, he had a phone call from his daughter, concerned about… Read more
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Fancy a gypsey caravan?
There are always unusual things coming out of Stanford. Like the gygpsey caravans Howard Dunbar builds. He’s built about 16 caravans over the past four years, mainly in two sizes — 5.4 metres and 3.6 metres. A fully kitted caravan — with complete solar power system, pumps, fridge, fitted kitchen and bathroom — costs between… Read more
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The social hub of Stanford
Stanford Hills Estate has become the de facto community hub of Stanford. It’s child-friendly… and has one of the best kids’ playgrounds anywhere. It’s also pet-friendly and dog walkers from the village take to its hills every day. If you don’t have a dog to walk, one or both of Peter & Jami Kastner’s Ridgebacks… Read more
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Southernmost Tip of Africa iconic site
In 2002, the then municipal manager of Cape Agulhas municipality, Keith Jordaan, asked me for ideas to improve the area for tourism. I gave him three ideas: Create a world class, iconic site at Cape Agulhas to celebrate it as the southernmost tip of the African continent and where two oceans meet. Napier was a… Read more
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Hermanus’ best-kept secret
VOLMOED is a beautiful self-catering accommodation country retreat set in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus. Tucked away in it’s own little valley within the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley lies a peaceful place called Volmoed. As the Onrust River makes it’s way from the heights of Babylon’s Toring through De Bos Dam it tumbles down into this little… Read more
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General Dealer Museum at the Stanford Hotel
“It was originally a general dealer, then a men’s bar, a wine bar, a place to buy picnics, a function space — but it never quite worked. Then it occurred to me that Stanford didn’t have a museum — so I turned it back into a general dealer — as a museum.” A compulsive collector… Read more
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One Wilderness you won’t want to be delivered from
With a network of lakes, rivers and dramatic hills set between the Indian Ocean and the Outeniqua Mountains, Wilderness is a unique destination. Often overlooked in favour of the nearby and much larger George and Knysna/Plettenberg Bay on either side, it is a destination in its own right. So don’t just drive through… stop and… Read more
Forest.
Even a child knows how valuable the forest is. The fresh, breathtaking smell of trees. Echoing birds flying above that dense magnitude. A stable climate, a sustainable diverse life and a source of culture. Yet, forests and other ecosystems hang in the balance, threatened to become croplands, pasture, and plantations.