Sunday 13 September 2015

Wildlife in Camps Bay

Since we have come to live in Camps Bay we have always seen a couple of Egyptian geese - which are actually ducks! - wandering around the beach area.  Last year was the first time we saw them with goslings.  And a few days ago on our walk to the beach we encountered this family.  Very alert about being approached, lots of quacking and a quick escape into the water!




Friday 4 September 2015

Haircut for the Palm

One of our most loved assets is the beautiful palm tree in front of Camps Bay Terrace in Victoria Road.  Due to its position it is very difficult to remove old fronds and parasitic plants on its trunk and one needs to find a specialist to do this.  This winter, when we had quite strong storms, lots of debris from this tree fell onto the electric fence, the stairs and even the pavement.  The fronds are large and heavy, and if they would hit a pedestrian it could actually be quite harmful.  So I set out to find the right team, and after two months of searching I finally found it!  To watch them was quite amazing, but they were very organized, security conscious and incredibly skilled.  The only issue was with the pigeons who are always nesting in this tree and who were very upset and noisy during this operation! Now peace has been restored and look at the results!



Before the cut


The counterweight to the "climber"


 Held by the rope clipped onto the harness - walking around the tree



The result