2010 Soccer/Football World Cup - Official Sites.

More images and sites to visit, to get you in the mood. The image above, A true Springbok rugby fan, is by renowned photographer Warrenski @ FLickr, cited at South African Tours and Travel site. What has this got to do with soccer football  you may ask. Spare a thought for our rugby team. Yesterday the springboks beat the French at Newlands - a trully great performance (stunning game). Bravo to our bokke.

The image above is by Warrenski. more images of his work on Flickr above.


Stunning images of the Cape Town stadium were taken by Deon Maritz and is available @ Flickr for your convenience. His photographs are spectacular (master craftsperson) if you like this kind of approach. His landscape images are also a treat. Well worth the view. Other photographers with incredible images of the stadium is Warrenski (see image above), also available at Flickr.  What follows are the official soccer football world cup sites that provide reviews of the games, images and up-to-date comments for soccer football enthusiasts, including valuable information for international travelers.  

• 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP, South Africa. Official site with fanfest venues etc.
• WORLD CUP 2010, ESPN Soccernet. Fabulous site, great layout and all the info.
• Cape Town - 2010 FIFA world Cup Host City. Stunning site, Visually spectacular.
• A World Class African Host City. My city's offcial site.
• www.SA-Venues.com. 10 Venues and all the stadiums. maps etc. 
• SouthAfrica.info Gateway to the Nation
• The WORLD Game, every game live on SBS. Australian perspective.

Images above are of three of the stadiums, as cited on the South Africa Expo Site, promoting the World Cup at the China International World Expo recently. 

Soccer/ Football World Cup Fever.

The Vuvuzela, the deafening sound has been heard for the past few months and is most certainly one of the unique cultural products of the African experience. We have had church bells calling us to worship and the Islamic call to prayers . Now we have the vuvuzela calling us to play - good luck to the refs and the coaches on the pitch. 

The opening concert was amazing - the feeling absolutely great. I love watching sport, especially soccer, the Barclays Premier League in England and of course the UEFA Champions League. Hence the post entry today. Enclosed are a few images, the best I could find on the internet - that symbolizes the creative  energy involved in making this a memorable event. For an incredible African experience of the beautiful game, visit the blog Entry of Tina Van der Walt of the Amen Project (follow the Link) - alternatively follow the link via my blog list.

My two favourite players are Cesc Fabregas (on the right), he plays for Spain and Arsenal, and then there is Messi (Barcelona and Argentina). The player without the shirt is of course the highest paid soccer football player in the world Christiano Ronaldo (Portugal and Real Madrid star). It is going to be just incredible.

Summer recess; memorable time spent at ceramist Hylton Nel

Plate Hylton Nel, 31 October 2002, Collection Eugene Hon.

We all need a welcome break. For South Africans it is our summer recess, the end of the finanical year, the intake for new recruits as academics, a time to see your family and to celebrate the festive season - all a bit too much. There is never enough time to spend valuable time with the family and to rest and rejuvenate for the New Year. I spent some valuable time with Hylton Nel, the most accomplished South African Ceramist. He lives in Calitzdorp on the "wesoewer" of the Nel River. Above and below are some of his unique plates for which he has become world renowned. He was my external examiner for my Masters Degree at UCT. His agent is Michael Stevenson based in Cape Town. Some sites to visit and read more about him and his work is Artthrop and David Krut Publishing (only book available on Hylton Nel, Author: Michael Stevenson, English, Monograph, Soft cover, 127 Pages, 28x28cm, ISBN 0 620 31546 6, Price: (ZA) R 295.00. A catalogue of his 2001 Retrospective is available at Clarkes Book shop; see details below.

A variety of plates by ceramist Helton Nel. Images taken from the Catalogue (Copy available at Clarkes Bookshop Cape Town), his retrospective exhibition held at King George Gallery Port Elizabeth in 2001. Compiled by Melanie Hillebrand.

House Nel, on the 'wesoewer' of the Nel River in Calitzdorp, on Route 62 to Cape Town.

Front stoep of House Nel.

View from the Stoep of his studio (on the left) and the Nel river.

View of the Mountain. Taken from the stoep.

Drawing studio in House Nel.

A close-up of one of the more special flowers in the garden.

Indian Miniature Detail.

I just love Indian miniatures, maybe it is because of my passion for drawing. What follows are a few select images, taken out of Hylton Nel's Collection of fine art books. I love visiting him, he always shares his knowledge and is quick to refer one to an article, image and/or story in a book depending on the course of the discussion. His extensive library, provides updated knowledge about a variety of subjects, inspirational material for a ceramist living in a remote part of the country. He has gained extensive knowledge of Chinese Ceramics, having taught the History of Ceramics at the Port Elizabeth Technikon for many years. Due to his knowledge and passion for Chinese Art, he has a discerning eye, which comes in very handy when frequenting local second-hand and antique shops. He therefore has a fine collection of ceramics, jade and furniture.

Another Indian Miniature, an inspirational image.

Indian Miniature, one of many images, taken from one of Hylton Nel's extensive collection of books. The shape and styling of the lips is of particular interest to me and could be an inspiration for a work in the future.

A fine lunch at Rosendal, country retreat of Daniel Van Der Merwe, pit stop on the way back from Cape Town. I always take the scenic routes to stimulate the mind and to avoid traffic fines.

Landscape at Rosendal. Eastern Freestate, South Africa.

The image was taken during a sunset walk after the late lunch photographed above.

@ it with a shuttlecock

Spectacular Mountain views @ Kogmanskloof, Montagu South Africa.
I represented our province at the SA Masters Badminton Championships, held at Robertson in the Robertson Valley on route 60 - two hours from Cape Town. Playing badminton (one of my many hobbies), with a church affiliation such as Anglican, a fine artist with a degree from UCT, whilst living in the town of Parow (located in the Western Cape South Africa); especially during the Afrikaans dominated apartheid era, you were considered a faggot. This was compounded by the fact that I went to an Afrikaans school - kids were forced to play rugby and pursue a career anything else but art. Now I am a ceramist, still playing Badminton and free to express myself - how fortunate we are as a nation (it could have been so different). This should be seen in the context (in solidarity) of the violent breakup of the gay-pride rally held in Russia yesterday. By the way, I was voted Mr Masters (Bum Awards).


















Gap through the mountain.


















View of Kogmanskloof .
Site seeing on the final day of the tournament - a drive to Montagu (30 km from Robertson), located on the famous route 62. The image above is the breathtaking view from the fort situated above the road - driving through Kogmanskloof.














Hannepoot Huisies @ Wederom - Robertson Valley.
Our accommodation was the perfectly maintained and located Hannepoot Huisies (houses) on the farm Wederom, 5.6 km outside Robertson, a town on route 60 towards Worcester - one and a half hours from Cape Town; one of many famous South African wine routes. A group of Italian prisoners of war lived and worked on the farm between 1942-1946. Amongst them were Giovanni Salvadori, who recorded their experiences in recently restored murals. The farm produced a wine in his honour and to promote and salute their legacy. For more details contact Philip and Almien du Toit (082 335 0219) or visit the website www.wederom.co.za