September Theme Day: Street lights and signs

Theme day is about street lights, and this one caught my eye today. The pole is mounted on the gate post.

The rest of the area has these lights on much higher poles, so can we assume this guy has friends in high places? Or perhaps he was invited to the braai in Cape Town on 08 August?

See who else is participating in September's Theme Day:

Seattle (WA), USA - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Singapore, Singapore - Boston (MA), USA - Mexico (DF), Mexico - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia - Mainz, Germany - Evry, France - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Sequim (WA), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Nottingham, UK - Toulouse, France - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Manila, Philippines - Mumbai, India - Montpellier, France - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Stayton (OR), USA - Moscow, Russia - Paris, France - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Austin (TX), USA - Lyon, France - Stockholm, Sweden - Hyde, UK - Hong Kong, China - Joplin (MO), USA - Seoul, South Korea - Chandler (AZ), USA - St. Louis (MO), USA - Arlington (VA), USA - Anderson (SC), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Villigen, Switzerland - Sydney, Australia - Ampang (Selangor), Malaysia - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - San Diego (CA), USA - Bandung (West Java), Indonesia - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Nelson, New Zealand - Quincy (MA), USA - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Bend (OR), USA - Wellington, New Zealand - New Orleans (LA), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Nashville (TN), USA - Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia - Detroit (MI), USA - Saigon, Vietnam - Selma (AL), USA - Phoenix (AZ), USA - Miami (FL), USA - Arradon, France - Sheki, Azerbaijan - New York City (NY), USA - Inverness (IL), usa - North Bay (ON), Canada - Melbourne, Australia - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Tenerife, Spain - Auckland, New Zealand - Forks (WA), USA - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Chateaubriant, France - Madison (WI), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Orlando (FL), USA - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Ajaccio, France - Baltimore (MD), USA - Crepy-en-Valois, France - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Budapest, Hungary - Lyon, France - Saarbrücken, Germany - Adelaide (SA), Australia - Le Guilvinec, France - River Falls (WI), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Naples (FL), USA - London, UK - La Antigua, Guatemala - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Montréal (QC), Canada - Paris, France - San Diego (CA), USA - Trujillo, Peru - Haninge, Sweden - Prague, Czech Republic - Oslo, Norway - Grenoble, France - Shanghai, China - Toronto (ON), Canada - Durban, South Africa - Zurich, Switzerland - Cape Town, South Africa - Singapore, Singapore - Torino, Italy - Flagstaff (AZ), USA

Lizzie from Zim.

A vendor who was reluctant to be photographed, had an array of colourful lizards and other items for sale on his makeshift pavement store.

He, is one of the more fortunate Zimbabwean's who managed to get his family into South Africa. When use the word fortunate in this instance, I think we need to explain it in the same way as Humpty Dumpty did to Alice - "it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less".

Some of our northern neighbours who come to South Africa find they are only able to do this type of work, and not because they are not capable. Far from it! Many of them are well educated, with a degree plus some relevant work experience. They come here for a better standard of living. What a way to live!!

And they all lived together....

One can't help but notice this house when travelling along Quarry Road.

The homes built and occupied by many of the Indian community are often ornate, and while very pretty, this one is quite plain in comparison.

More names a-changing.

Ok, I confess, I have no idea what is inside this building. I strongly suspect (given the tiny windows down the side, and the fact that it is near a bus-rank, that it is public toilets. It's in a part of town, where I wouldn't venture on foot and alone. As you can see this was taken from the safety of the car. Again, not me driving!

The decoration on the front would be pretty if it weren't for the remnants of paper notices stuck all over it.

Grey St is now Dr Jusaf Dadoo St. This caught me unawares when it was first changed. To give the perspective - about 100m up the road on the left of this building, is the start of the N3. On the right is the robot(traffic lights) at the end of the N3 into town.

The road signs on the end of the N3 are not quite so kind, because they sport the new street names, which I wasn't expecting. One day recently, when coming into town, because I needed to take a slightly unfamiliar route, I needed to check which lane to use. The signs were no help at all - they just left me feeling like an Alzeheimer sufferer!!! Was I even in the right city!! None of the names meant anything to me!

Alien Invaders?

Can anyone guess what type of tree that is? At a time when people have this drive to get rid of alien invaders, we suddenly see these rather strange, very tall trees springing up all over the place!

This picture is taken, travelling east on the N3 into Durban. You can rest easy - I wasn't driving when I took this picture :-). The buildings on the skyline, are in Ridge Road, and all have a magnificent view over the whole of Durban, the harbour, and the Indian Ocean.

This road takes you through Toll Gate and into Durban city center. There is no longer a toll, nor a gate, at Toll Gate. This name was given in the days of ox-wagons and horses, when people had to pay to use this one and only route to the interior. A portion of the fountain at which travellers could water their livestock still remains, although it is now very difficult to access.

The obstacles in the road are part of the widened effort which should be complete by Dec 2007.

Windy, but straight - Winder Street

Lest you think all trade is Durban is informal...... Winder Street is the home of both residents and business.

Continue down this street you will arrive Durban's South Beach - and the Indian Ocean. The buildings furthest from us are on the beachfront.
Go to the right and you'd reach the harbour entrance. Of course you'd need to walk, because this is a one-way road coming towards us.

Unless I concentrate, my mind plays with, and sometimes provides strange explanations for new words. When I first heard the name"Winder Street", the image moved between a very winding road, and winds howling down the road. Well, as you can see the road is dead straight, and although it can be very windy in that area, this is not the reason for the name.

Does anyone know how this street got its name? I have no doubt it has the name of someone significant in our history, and when I find out, I'll let you know.

People at Work - Car-guard

One of the perks of the job - your wife can visit at any time!

This guy very proudly gave his title as "The Prince Alfred Street Car Guard".

A Car Guard is exactly that - usually a self-appointed guard of cars in an open parking area. These opportunities arose because unattended cars were either broken into, or stolen, in public parking areas. Now, each guard will watch a number of cars, and if your car is still there, and undamaged when you return, you give him/her a few coins as payment. While there are no guarantees, this works quite well in most areas.