I went out last Sunday to spend a glorious autumn day out of town at  Nirox where nature,  fresh air, good friends, and happy times met.   Located in the Cradle on the Kromdraai Rd between the Rhino and Lion Park and Sterkfontein, the Foundation was established by the art philanthropist Benji Liebmann and is used [...]

 
 
Because of Johannesburg’s extraordinary number of trees it has developed its own micro-climate and this, together with the number of green lungs in the form of golf courses and parks, as well as the abundance of food and nesting opportunities in the leafy suburbs, has attracted an increasingly varied bird life to the city and [...]

If one of your goals in 2013 is to take more time off and get fit while also getting into nature, then we have lots right on our doorstep in Joburg.   I was sent the Friends of Kloofendal newsletter and was amazed by the range of activities and events on offer.
Run by Joburg City [...]

It’s really sad that there are so few events and no guided tours at Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens, or if there are, they aren’t advertised.   Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town has a very active programme of guided walks but there aren’t any at Walter Sisulu.  Also the two upcoming concerts at Walter Sisulu indicate that [...]

 
The stars, planets and the night skies have fascinated  and inspired the South African artist Marcus Neustetter over the past few years.   He has collaborated with Bronwen Findlay on an arts initiative which explores the relationship between the local community who live in Sutherland in the Northern Cape and the community associated with the world-famous [...]

For the next two weeks Mercury can be easily seen in our skies. Very early this evening, there’ll be a line up in the west of the 3 bright stars: Canopus (on the left), Sirius and Procyon; then the new crescent moon and to the right of that Mercury – very easy to see!  Over [...]

Had a wonderful dinner with friends last night outside on their terrace overloooking Saxonwold and Killarney with Rosebank on the opposite hill top where all the cranes attest to the major building activity around the new Standard Bank satellite campus. Was one of those glorious balmy Highveld summer nights under a cloudless clear starry night sky.  So what’s happening [...]

Delta Park, 104 hectares of open park land, is just 5 blocks from Liz at Lancaster. The area now known as Delta Park was part of the  farm Klipfontein in the 19th Century. In 1902 it became a grazing area for cows as part of William Rattray’s estate.   Delta Park as we now know it, [...]

The Parktown Westcliff Heritage Trust runs tours to interesting places which are very varied on their offerings.  Many of these tours provide access to places that one cannot always get to independently.  Sadly however,  the guiding  style and information provided can be a little superficial and descriptive, with in-depth information often tantalizingly lacking. But enjoy the outings.  [...]

In the new year I am going to ensure that I make a visit to the Brenthurst Gardens.  Guests staying here at Liz at Lancaster joined a tour and were completely enthralled.  Brenthurst, built in 1906 and the home of the Oppenheimer family since 1922,  is the only one the Randlords mansions on the Parktown Ridge that has survived [...]