Great news: the uMthwakazi Band will be playing at Monkey Valley Resort in Noordhoek, South Africa, on 29th January 2012 as of 2 pm! Besides this date being my birthday, it seems that I will be going for a heavy camera session with this dynamic group of musicians playing a contemporary and yet traditional mix of Xhosa indigenous music, classical and modern with an amazingly versatile young vocalist who handles variations between Jazz, Opera and traditionally African with ease and in a very personal style.
To give you a simple impression, here’s a video from YouTube, just click on the picture or on the embedded video below:
uMthwakazi Band at Monkey Valley Resort
Monkey Valley Resort has a history of musicians and bands playing at special occasions and especially on Sunday afternoons. Many guests will be pleased to see an African band like uMthwakazi complementing the beauty of the “Out of Africa” setting this unique Nature Resort just 30 kms out of Cape Town has to offer.
About Mthwakazi
Here’s a little bit of background about Mthwakazi:
uMthwakazi grew up singing in choirs. Afr winning Opera competitions, she worked in the theatre from the age of 13 years and later studied Xhosa Bow Music at the University of FortHare.
Ultimately, in 2009, she toured with Isango-Portobello, the Oliveir Award-winning South African Opera Company from Cape Town, to London, Paris and Holland with such productions as “The Mysteries” by Eric Abraham and “The Magic Flute” by W.A. Mozart, both directed by Mark Dornford-May.
On her return she persued her own solo music career where she staged with such icons as Madosini, Thandiswa Mazwai, Jonas Gwangwa, Sibongile Khumalo, Tina Schouw and Neo Muyanga.
She featured as a guest musician in a recently released album and appeared in a DVD performance by Simphiwe Dana.
uMthwakazi is currently recording her debut music record in Muizenberg to be released early this year, 2012.
We are very much looking forward to see this great talent LIVE at Monkey Valley Resort on 29th January 2012 – YEBO GOGO!
Monkey Valley resort will be rocking! Make sure you BOOK HERE.
Great news: the uMthwakazi Band will be playing at Monkey Valley Resort in Noordhoek, South Africa, on 29th January 2012 as of 2 pm! Besides this date being my birthday, it seems that I will be going for a heavy camera session with this dynamic group of musicians playing a contemporary and yet traditional mix of Xhosa indigenous music, classical and modern with an amazingly versatile young vocalist who handles variations between Jazz, Opera and traditionally African with ease and in a very personal style.
To give you a simple impression, here’s a video from YouTube, just click on the embedded video below.
uMthwakazi Band at Monkey Valley Resort
Monkey Valley Resort has a history of musicians and bands playing at special occasions and especially on Sunday afternoons. Many guests will be pleased to see an African band like uMthwakazi complementing the beauty of the “Out of Africa” setting this unique Nature Resort just 30 kms out of Cape Town has to offer.
About Mthwakazi
Here’s a little bit of background about Mthwakazi:
uMthwakazi grew up singing in choirs. Afr winning Opera competitions, she worked in the theatre from the age of 13 years and later studied Xhosa Bow Music at the University of FortHare.
Ultimately, in 2009, she toured with Isango-Portobello, the Oliveir Award-winning South African Opera Company from Cape Town, to London, Paris and Holland with such productions as “The Mysteries” by Eric Abraham and “The Magic Flute” by W.A. Mozart, both directed by Mark Dornford-May.
On her return she persued her own solo music career where she staged with such icons as Madosini, Thandiswa Mazwai, Jonas Gwangwa, Sibongile Khumalo, Tina Schouw and Neo Muyanga.
She featured as a guest musician in a recently released album and appeared in a DVD performance by Simphiwe Dana.
uMthwakazi is currently recording her debut music record in Muizenberg to be released early this year, 2012.
We are very much looking forward to see this great talent LIVE at Monkey Valley Resort on 29th January 2012 – YEBO GOGO!
Monkey Valley resort will be rocking! Make sure you BOOK HERE.
As every year around this time, we had some lovely rains for Nature to breath and rejoice – followed by beautiful sunshine and an almost tropical heat inviting everybody to relax on the beach!
Many friends have arrived from overseas to spend a Happy Christmas 2011 on the sunny side of the globe, i.e. in South Africa.
Happy Christmas 2011
It’s not easy to write “Happy Christmas 2011″ when being aware of so much desaster in the world right now. I am thinking especially of our friends in Mindanao – but not only there…
In those situations it takes strength and courage to believe in ourselves as part of the universal “All that Is” – and with it in the promise the light at the end of the tunnel brings. As long as you keep seeing it! The people in the Philippines are strong in their belief and it’s part of their beauty… but they as many others need our loving thoughts and, where possible, our care and attention. This is what the real Christmas Message is all about… like a candle touching and setting alight the next candle…
I will take this picture into the night – magandang gabi.
Nothing is stopping South Africans to enjoy themselves – not even over 35 degrees Celsius! Here’s a brief impression of today’s Sunday Lunch at Monkey Valley Resort: a little boy has scribbled his music wishlist in form of notes in his book and invites Signature bandleader Roy to get some steam up!
Sunday Lunch at Monkey Valley
Eat, drink, chat and have spontaneous fun – that’s what a Sunday Lunch at Monkey Valley is all about… Here’s a quick video clip I captured – all totally unexpected… and pure joie de vivre!
Thorfynn’s Restaurant was filled and had its friendly staff running their heels off to serve everybody – a hot and smashing day!
Monkey Valley Christmas Fair 2011
Don’t miss the Christmas Fair… CLICK HERE to get all the information at the brand-new Monkey Valley Resort Website – it’s all there!
Believe it or not, this morning I was visited by a Cape Cobra in my Studio! I was working on my computer when I heard a strange noise. I knew I was alone, so what could that be? It sort of sounded like a tortoise… but in my studio? Hmmm… I didn’t see anything and turned back to the screen, when – from the corner of my eye – I saw a large snake moving towards my feet… as it’s summer I was wearing simple sandals. I still am now at almost midnight.
I pulled my feet back – and this brisk movement made her turn extremely fast and then I heard it again, that strange noise…. and there she was, curling up in a wastepaper box where I had just dumped the packaging of my new headset.
She was looking straight at me… as you see on the not too optimal photos… but given the fact that these snakes are extremely fast when they strike or spit and their venom is fatal if not treated in time – I was on the guard and perhaps a bit shaking LOL. There was hardly any distance between us – so I had to respect her space. There was definitely some kind of communication going on between us, however, I prefered her in the garden… thinking also of my cat.
I put on rubber boots to protect at least my lower end, took a broom and gently enticed her to get out of my space and back into the garden. She was not aggressive at all… but determined to stay… and instead of moving out of the door, she passed it and disappeared rapidly under a coach…
From here a whole odyssey started to get her out… especially as she was very difficult to spot and when approached with a stick she would attack it and hit it hard blowing her typical head into shape – and come closer! So the solution was to enclose her with all sort of pieces of wood, boards, even matresses piled vertically – as they climb very easily – brief: to leave only one way of escape: the door to the garden.
But she wouldn’t go! Meanwhile she had disappeared through the finest of space into a a large cupboard with many partitions and many, many places to hide!!! Duhhh! She was winning all the way – getting her shade and a cool spot out of the heat plus a friendly service as I put a big bowl of water on the floor – sort of a drink on her way out.
Cape Cobra in my Studio
The Cape Cobra liked my Studio and was determined to stay!
I had to think fast – and most vulnerable in these cases are kids and pets. So I caught my cat and put him into another room – boy, he was not happy!
I spoke to some friends and got all sorts of advice and warnings. Cape Cobras are amongst the most dangerous snakes in Africa. Their venom is fatal if not treated in time. I know, I grew up with snakes in Namibia – happy black mamba and horn viber country. Getting a snake catcher means the snake would very probably be put into the “Snake Park” – what a sad fate. In the worst case scenario, the hospital would be 15 minutes away and I would have 1 hour max… just in case; that one hour would be no fun though… And then they want the snake to be brought along for exact identification – one’s gotta have humour here:)
Well, I always respected the snakes in my garden – their space. I just wanted her out of my Studio! No need for that kind of venom cocktail! The news about “my cobra” made the round…. which has its good side too in a country haunted by criminality: noone visits a place with snakes, not even from far LOL!
And then it’s mating season… these snakes look for a partner everywhere, even on my foot … and the idea of possibly having two of them in my studio didn’t appeal to me too much either… and it still doesn’t to be honest as I never found number two!
Well, I had to get into action and, as you see on the video snippets, she had really found the coolest place and while I had seen her in a split second in one place and had to quickly close off before she’d shoot out… a second later she was simply gone. And who would think this large creature could curl up into something that small… and this under an innocent cushion?
Well… with some determined action on my side she started moving in the right direction – but despite everything perfectly sealed off… she managed to dive underneath a heavy mattress and almost got out … but finally she left my place and shot under some dark green deck chair covers that I had thrown out, one after the other, checking all the items that were “without snake”! You see how she sticks her head out, looking straight at me. Quietly, almost cold… and not even the split tongue…
And again, a very fast and totally unexpected reaction: instead of moving into the garden – green, lush and shady – she shot into the opposite direction where we have a building site… hot and rough for slick snake bellies! But incredible how she snakes and sometimes almost flies along… an amazing creature. Here at least I got some impressive shots… yes, she seemed so small from the top … but look at her now!
And then she simply disappeared into nothingness.
Where the heck had she gone???
It took some time to find her having slipped into a cavity in the lower wall of the house. It seems she needs to stay close… well, just not inside my studio please!
Too strange the mongoose didn’t get this one… as he comes for visits too – which is not liked by my cat … and that means war!
Here you go: today’s adventure: a Cape Cobra in my Studio!
I am glad to hear the peaceful hooting of the owls – midnight passed… time for some rest!
I love Black & White Portrait Photography and especially this photo I captured of Donovan Copley at the Book Launch of “Brave Green Kids” at the “Crowned Eagle” of Monkey Valley Resort, Noordhoek, South Africa. Click on it to see a larger version.
Donovan Copley Photo
Here’s another Photo of Donovan Copley and Leon Visser in black & white at the same occasion. I published the colour picture shortly after the book launch to let some time pass and see this in a different light… and shadow.
Singer-songwriter, guitarrist and multi-instrumentalist Donovan Copley leads HOT WATER, a young and energetic South African band with a distinctive African sound – check it out and attend one of their concerts! Being there and experiencing the Energy makes all the difference!
Happy Thanksgiving to all our American friends from “Free Fun Cards Online”!
Happy Thanksgiving
This year’s ‘Happy Thanksgiving Greeting’ features a turkey photo I shot a year ago in “World of Birds” – which is just around the corner from where I live, namely in Hout Bay near Cape Town, South Africa.
I believe in giving thanks each and every day with joy and gratitude – and I (mostly) do so! It’s that exact feeling that makes me go into each day with an open heart, never mind what’s waiting.
Wishing everybody in the US to enjoy this special day with family and friends!
The new Monkey Valley Resort website development nears its completion!
Monkey Valley Resort Website
The integration of the Booking System at Monkey Valley Resort seems to be more complex than expected; accordingly, I still wait for the integration link to finish off the website and take off the front slider that points out that this is a website built on a WP based Semiomantics XO – the best script out there when it comes to visibility on Google!
Obviously, it’s then a matter of doing regular editing and publishing of good original content to keep the positions in the keyword areas targeted; however, from the results seen so far – be it for the Best Cape Town Conferencing Venue, the Best Cape Town Weddings, Thorfynn’s Restaurant Christmas Lunch or the New Year’s Eve Spectacular or Monkey Valley Resort – well, as the results clearly have shown, the initial investment in the right website has paid off manyfold! And this before its completion!
Semiomantics Website or Google Ads
Either you ensure your presence on Google top rankings by regular, daily Google ads – which is quite costly given the fact that you can’t go far even with $50 a day given the constantly rising cost – that’s dependancy short-term and long-term – or you invest once in the right Script and capture top entries on Google Top 10 on your desired keywords.
Monkey Valley Resort has made a smart choice with their new Semiomantics Website… it has paid off right from the start… and noone stops anyone from adding Google Ads… but now it’s a choice depending on one’s budget, it’s no longer a must. Be on the smart side of Internet Marketing; invest in an attractive and search engine efficient Semiomantics Website!
And here’s my last touch: the Apple Touch Icon for Monkey Valley Resort – in synch with the branded monkey on a golden triangle. This is the big version to let you see some of the details…
Apple Touch Icon for Monkey Valley
The sizes we will need once we are ready to use the Apple Touch Icon for Monkey Valley Resort will be 116 px and 57 px versions – as per the two pictures you see below. Obviously, I have them without the typical “Apple shadow” and that’s what we would load later… but here we get a good idea of how it would display.
What counts is that even at that small size, 57 x 57 px, it’s recognizeable. I know it works as I have designed the favicon (that’s 16 x 16 px…) and even at that minute dimension one can recognize it in the browser bar.
Icon Design
So here we have perfect synergy: you will see this exact sculpture in bronze when arriving at Monkey Valley Resort in Noordhoek, South Africa… nestled on the slopes of a steep and triangular Chapman’s Peak rising high above it… in the real world so to speak – you can’t miss it!
For me as an artist and web designer it was just obvious and logic to create an online version based on these immediate impressions. It was quite an evolution… as Logo and Icon Design always are! In the end, simplicity wins!
