While you read why not listen to my album ‘Electro Baroque‘ (all tracks are also available on iTunes using the link here)? Classical music using modern instruments:

or if you prefer to listen to my electro/techno album ‘Studio Valiumm‘ here are the videos (also on iTunes using the link here):

More info about my music is at the dedicated website www.TRANSFORMATES.com

This week I am going to restrict myself to only showing you pictures taken from my balcony (with a few pictures of a my neighbours’ properties to show you what is available nearby). One of the reasons I come here is to be able to focus on writing without too many distractions (you can visit one of my latest creations at www.transformates.com). In fact I do not even allow myself to have a car here, which can be a challenge because Llandudno and Sunset Rocks do not have any shops or restaurants. I will explain how I solved that problem in a later blog article.

Without a car I am forced to walk to my two local beaches which ensures I get some exercise (if you are interested in seeing what these beaches look like please visit my previous articles on Llandudno and Sandy Bay Beaches – they are both about 15-20 minutes walk from the apartment).

Let me explain how Sunset Rocks got its name. Actually the pictures above and below do not need much further explanation….

Although this location was named after its sunsets I find that the setting of the moon is also magical, especially when we have a full moon like the one below. All of these photographs are taken from my balcony which is convenient because in order to catch the moon setting I often need to jump out of bed in the middle of the night (don’t worry you wont find my night attire featured in any of these photographs!).

Just taking a picture of the moon on its own can be a bit boring so in the picture below I managed to capture my next door neighbour’s house (many thanks to ‘Villa Lara’) which adds a little human interest to the scene.

Moving away from the night let us now take a look at the views from my voluntary balcony imprisonment during the day time. The first picture captures the view to the left of the balcony featuring the Karbonkelberg Mountain and Sandy Bay beach with its surrounding rocks and other interesting distractions (don’t worry no mid-day telescopic lens photos of Cape Town’s famous nudist beach will be featured in this highly ‘respectable’ website – unless by accident!).

The photograph below presents a panoramic view of the ocean as seen looking directly out from the balcony. As with all my pictures this has been taken in high-definition. If you want to see more detail on any photographs just click with your cursor over the picture and you will see a high-definition version. Then use the backward arrow on your browser to get back to this page.

To the right of my balcony I get quite a different view. Here you can see the back-side of the 12 Apostles mountain range. The shot below was taken as the sun was setting which creates some stunning red colours.

As the sun sets on one side we often get the moon rising from the other direction. The photograph below captured the moon just as it rose over the 12 Apostles Mountain (again from the balcony).

In my earlier article about Llandudno I mentioned that in this ‘village’ we have some of the most expensive real estate in cape town – US $2-3m would get you a fairly average place. The next 4 pictures are of some of my other neighbours to share with you a selection of the homes that are available around Sunset Rocks.

Coming back to my more modest roof top apartment with its very discreet balcony I noticed in the last few days that my New Zealand Christmas Tree has acquired its first flower. This is where I hang my Christmas Lights – more on that in a later article.

Although I live a somewhat reclusive existence I am never short of visits from beautiful birds. Here are a couple of pretty singers that popped over to entertain RISKKO and myself on the balcony.

…..and occasionally we get a really sophisticated bird calling in like the one below…

As the sun sets our pretty visitors have to return to their homes…..

Since the theme of this week’s article is ‘Sunset Rocks’ let me leave you with some more photographs of impressive sunsets and moonsets that I have recently witnessed. If you have any comments or questions please do not hesitate to use the comments box at the bottom of the article.

Time now for a sundowner!

Chris Duggleby.

If you found this review interesting you may also find some of my other recent articles worth checking out. To view these simply click over the titles below:

6th April 2014: Product Quality Risk: Shoes Sold On-line By Zalando Recalled Due To Chromium 6 Contamination – Known Allergen And Carcinogen 

22nd March 2014: Helping the Blind ‘Hear’ Shapes and Pictures – Image Recognition Area of Brain Stimulated by ‘Soundscapes’ in Congenitally Blind – Despite Never Having Seen Before!

18th March 2014: Germany and Finland Joint Investigation: New Case of Sexual Cannibalism Including Self-mutilation (Castration) During Intercourse.

24th February 2014: NAZI Research into the use of Mosquitoes as Biological Weapons to Infect Allied Troops with Malaria.

9th March 2013: Insects getting hooked on psychoactive drugs – How plants take advantage of bees by giving them a caffeine buzz.

30th December 2012: German Medical Scandal: Experiments carried out on communist patients for capitalist pharmaceutical companies.

29th December 2012: Spreading diarrhea and vomit through the washing machine – The Norovirus propagator in our kitchen. 

1st September 2012: Multiple antibiotic resistance transferred between harmless soil bacteria and the killer pathogens found in hospitals.

25th August 2012: Bubble Tea – German scientists claim to have found traces of carcinogenic chemicals.

18th August 2012: Polar Bear dies of Encephalitis after catching Herpes from a Zebra in Wuppertal Zoo near Düsseldorf.

11th August 2012: Do you have killer rats/mice in your cellar? Over 2000 people attacked in Germany so far this year (Hantavirus Infections at record levels).

14th July 2012: Jews and Muslims Unite Against German Court Ruling that religious Circumcision is a ‘Bodily Injury’ (“The Worst Attack on Jewish Life in Germany Since the Holocaust”).

23rd June 2012: “Doctors are legally allowed to accept gifts from Pharmaceutical Companies” – In Germany.

If you find these articles interesting why not visit the contents list of my Alpine Press page and take a look at some of the other reviews, just click on the link here. Alternatively why not get free updates of new articles by subscribing to my RSS feed using this link. This will send the latest updates direct to your browser and you can read them at your leisure by looking under the ‘feeds’ section of your browser favourites.

Those readers who regularly visit this blog will be aware that the next generation of Dugglebys (namely my son in Bavaria) has already been sold on the advantages of quadbikes due to their versatility and fuel efficiency. He finds the quadbike is a very practical way of getting around rock festivals where the terrain (and the weather) is not always ‘car friendly’.

So imagine how impressed I was when I discovered that in preparation for the visit of our celebrity hound RISKKO the Hout Bay Police department had sent in reinforcements to ensure that Sandy Bay Beach was cleared of any undesirables (in particular paparazzi with telescopic lenses trying to catch pictures of RISKKO skinny dipping with the birds on the beach).

Sandy Bay is the closest beach to the African hide-away which I use to escape the European winter. It is less than 15 minutes walk from my front door. However because it is part of the Table Mountain National Park it is not very easy to access or patrol using the normal 4 wheel police vehicles. Therefore the local police from the nearest town, Hout Bay, come over on their quadbikes and do the job in style, with the minimum impact on the environment. This allows them to also patrol the pathways leading from Hout Bay to the beach.

Despite its remote (and therefore wonderful) location Sandy Bay also receives careful attention from the authorities in other respects. I was particularly impressed to see the amount of attention given to educating sun worshippers about the harmful effects of over exposure to the sun. They actually encourage people to wear extra clothing on the way to and from the beach (to minimise the potential damage by harmful UV radiation).

The photograph below shows the location of Sandy Bay in relation to Sunset Rocks which is where my roof-top retreat is situated. There are two ways to get from Sunset Rocks to Sandy Bay. One follows the official path (and if you visit please note the requirement to be suitably attired – we don’t want to risk any over exposure!).

The second way (and the way RISKKO and I prefer because it take a little longer and provides us with some excellent exercise) involves going (and in some cases climbing) over the rocks. The Photograph below shows these rocks which also provide an alternative bathing location for people who do not necessarily wish to get sand into every crook and crevice.

Often we arrive at the beach very early in the morning when the sand is untouched by other visitors (except for the birds and crabs). Although it is sometimes misty early in the morning the sights are still staggering and the feeling of being at one with nature is unique.

There are actually two main beaches making up the area people refer to as Sandy Bay beach. The one in the picture below is the smaller of the two and has a lot of interesting rock formations and rock pools to explore (more on these adventures in a later blog article).

The next picture shows this smaller beach from the opposite side which gives a better view of the rock pools. Notice there is only one set of human footprints on the beach – mine!

Moving on from the smaller beach (either via a path along the grass to the left or if the tide is out you can walk along the sand and rocks from one beach to the next) the first thing you will notice as you enter the larger beach is the fantastic view of the Karbunkel Mountain (named because it looks from the other, Hout Bay side, like a carbuncle).

If you go to the end of this larger beach and look back (in my case from a vantage point on some of the rocks) you can see the mountain views providing the backdrop to the other side or the beach. These are the little lions head mountain (the pointed one) and the back-end of the 12 Apostles mountain (which were featured in my last blog on Llandudno which can be found here).

Here is another view of the Karbunkel Mountain showing off some of the flora and the fascinating rock formations in the sea.

The photograph below is of the little lions head with an even smaller dogs head in the foreground. There is a bigger Lions Head mountain nearer to the centre of Cape Town which is also pointed. You will be able to see this in the photograph at the end of this blog.

The next three photographs illustrate some of the colourful natural flora that grows naturally in this area. These just happen to be the ones that were in bloom on this African spring day.

If you like wild flowers Cape Town and its natural parks are well worth a visit. In some of my later blogs I will be presenting some of the beautiful flowers I found in other parts of the region.

Finally my ‘exercise’ trip took me along the last part of the official path leading to the car park at Sunset rocks. On the left hand side just before you get to the car parking area there was a beautiful array of orange,yellow and purple flowers which I captured in the following photographs.

Have I managed to wet your appetite for a visit yet? So far I have only been able to present a fraction of the beauty which exists in this region. We have beauty at the micro level with the flowers and small animals and at the macro level with the mountains and sea views (and of course the Whales – more on that later). If you like what you see please visit the site again.

Greetings from Africa,

Chris Duggleby

If you are interested in reading some of my other articles try the following

Torture In The Shower – Face and Body Soap Allergies – Main Suspect: Pears Transparent Soap

Poison in your Washing Machine: Allergic Contact Dermatitis from Laundry Detergents, Softeners, Conditioners and Whiteners

Is Alzheimer’s caused by the Gum Disease Bacterium P. Gingivalis – A Dementia Prevention/Treatment Breakthrough?

Toxic Chemicals in Sex Toys – 18 Vibrators, Cock Rings, Love Balls Tested – Only 3 Get All Clear

My T-shirt Made Me Sick – Textile Allergies – Sinusitis From Your Underwear

After a hectic summer roaming the European Alps the time has arrived to witness the second spring of the year. Pink Lips being a Polar Bear is not too keen on Africa so she volunteered to stay behind and look after our home in the Alps. So RISKKO and I jumped into a plane and aimed south towards the tip of Africa.

However, before departing it was necessary to extricate some batteries from RISKKO’s undercarriage. These normally power my faithful guard dog’s rather loud laugh. This infectious laugh got me into trouble earlier in the year when RISKKO, who was carefully packed in my rucksack, started to laugh as he passed through the X-ray machine in Düsseldorf airport.

There was almost a major security incident due to the laughing sound emanating from the inside of the baggage checking machine. Upon searching my bags a rather serious German security guard enquired as to why a senior oil company executive was travelling around with a laughing dog in his rucksack. He looked very carefully at my visas for Russia, China and Azerbaijan and asked if the dog was one of my professional ‘tools’?

His face became even more stern as I tried to explain that I like taking photographs with the dog and publishing them on the internet. I offered to make him a star by taking a photograph of him inspecting RISKKO with his baton. This did not improve the situation! Fortunately a nice police lady came to our rescue by pointing out that clearly there were no weapons of mass destruction hidden in RISKKOs underpants or shoes because he was not wearing any. He was certainly far too cute to be a spy and she gave him a cuddle. At which point his laughing mechanism went off again. We moved on quickly before they called in psychiatric support.

On the day after our arrival in Cape Town RISKKO and I trekked from our rooftop apartment on Sunset Rocks to the local beach known as Llandudno. We are fortunate enough to have two beaches within walking distance: Llandudno is a 15 minute walk to the North and Sandy Bay, is a 15 minute walk to the South. I will describe our exciting adventures on Sandy Bay in a future article.

Llandudno was named after the traditional sea-side resort in the North of Wales because it has also has similar outcrops of rocks at both ends of the beach.

There are two ways to walk from ‘our’ outcrop of rocks, known as Sunset Rocks, to Llandudno beach. One is over the rather narrow and sometimes challenging cliff side path. This path can be rather difficult but when we do go this way there are some interesting caves on the way. These have openings which allowed me to take some rather unusual pictures of Llandudno beach. The one below shows the outcrop of rocks at the opposite end of the beach.

For hundreds of years the caves around this coast-line were inhabited by natives known as the Khoikhoi. The outcrop of rocks in the photograph above overlooks another smaller bay next to Llandudno beach known as Logies Bay. There is a very large cave on this outcrop where remains of the Khoikhoi inhabitants have been excavated.

An alternative and easier route follows the only road which runs between Sunset Rocks (and the path from Sandy Bay beach) to Llandudno. This is higher up and provides a nice aerial view of the beach and village. This road takes you through LLandudno village all the way to the beach. Actually the word village may give a misleading impression – there is not a single shop or restaurant in Llandudno. This area, including the whole of Sunset Rocks, comprises mainly luxury villas. Some of the most expensive real estate in Cape Town can be found here.

Whenever I take the path down to Llandudno beach I am always stunned by the beautiful purple flowers at the side of the path (see the photograph below).

We are normally among the first people to arrive on the beach (there has to be an upside to getting up at 04:30 a.m.). The beach is very popular during the day time but it is absolutely majestic first thing in the morning as the sun rises over the 12 Apostles Mountain.

Usually the only thing we have for company are some of the local birds looking for morsels which have been washed up by the tide. It is not unusual to catch these birds skinny dipping in the very cold, but refreshing, sea.

OK so we like pretty birds!

If you walk over to the rocks on the north side of the beach (either along the beach when the tide is out or using a road which runs parallel to it) you can get some fantastic views of the Little Lions Head and the Karbonkelberg Mountains.

Occasionally if you are ever the first person on the beach you might also be lucky enough to find some interesting beach sculptures like these. We found these close to the caves above Logies Bay – perhaps they were left by the cave dwellers to remind us that they are still here (in spirit if not in body!).

Here is an early morning picture of the 12 Apostles Range which directly overlooks Llandudno beach.

It is impossible to be in South Africa in spring and not to notice the fantastic flowers. Here are a couple of shots of RISKKO enjoying the flowers. If you like flowers I can promise you some real treats in future articles.

I took the next couple of shots of flowers as we walked back over the mountain road to Sunset Rocks for a well-earned breakfast.

These flowers are just a sampler. There are a lot more which I hope to share with you soon. You can find more photographs in my gallery – the Cape Town pages can be found here. If you would like to learn more about some of the gems from the Cape Town region, especially those which are not necessarily in the brochures, please visit this site again.

Chris Duggleby.

If you are interested in reading my other health focused articles try the following

Torture In The Shower – Face and Body Soap Allergies – Main Suspect: Pears Transparent Soap

Poison in your Washing Machine: Allergic Contact Dermatitis from Laundry Detergents, Softeners, Conditioners and Whiteners

Is Alzheimer’s caused by the Gum Disease Bacterium P. Gingivalis – A Dementia Prevention/Treatment Breakthrough?

Toxic Chemicals in Sex Toys – 18 Vibrators, Cock Rings, Love Balls Tested – Only 3 Get All Clear

My T-shirt Made Me Sick – Textile Allergies – Sinusitis From Your Underwear

Well it had to happen (as indeed it does every year). Snow came to the Alps during the night last weekend. I awoke on Sunday morning to find everywhere covered in about 2 inches of snow. This in itself is not unusual but it has arrived a little early this year. As a result the area has undergone a dramatic change from ‘sunny autumn’ to ‘bleak winter’ over the course of a single week. I took the following photograph on my way to the recycling centre a week before the snow came. Contrast this with the one below it which I took last Sunday (as my photographs are taken in high-resolution just click your mouse with the cursor over the picture to see a more detailed copy).

The snow arrived so early that the fruit was still on the apple trees. Here is another ‘before’ and ‘after’ picture of the local fruit orchard. The first picture was taken a week before the snow arrived (capturing some of the autumn colours). The following two pictures show the same trees one week later.

Just before the snow arrived it was so warm in the sun that Pascal and I were able to sit outside in the garden of our local restaurant for our Sunday lunch. After lunch in order to prepare for my Winter travels there was quite a lot of housework (ironing!) to finish off. However ironing can be quite pleasant when the view is nice and the sun shines – I thought it might be interesting to share the view from my ironing board! (with my little domestic helper also managing to get into the shot!).

One week later the view was somewhat less interesting – I couldn’t even see the Wendelstein mountain last Sunday.

The snow was so early that many people still had flowers in their window boxes. The ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures of the guest house near my apartment show how fortunate we are to be able to enjoy such beautiful flowers right until the end of October.

On my last snow free trip to the recycling centre I was able to capture some photographs of a couple of really beautiful local horses. Take a look for yourself……..

I know some of my international readers particularly like the snow – especially Bob in South Carolina. So here are a few pictures which I hope manage to capture that unique period when we still have the autumn colours but they are blended with a carpet of white snow. This period, when the streams are still flowing, allows me to also show-off some of the mountain streams (or ‘bachs’) which flow through my village of Bad Feilnbach. I am lucky because one of these bachs flows right past my apartment – this is where I keep my pet trout ‘Trevor’ (but that is another story). Enjoy!

I hope you like these pictures of alpine snow scenes. I will be spending quite a bit of time in Africa over the next few months and I do not expect to see much snow there – despite some pretty spectacular mountain scenes.

Wrap up warm!

Chris Duggleby.

If you are interested in reading my other health focused articles try the following

Torture In The Shower – Face and Body Soap Allergies – Main Suspect: Pears Transparent Soap

Poison in your Washing Machine: Allergic Contact Dermatitis from Laundry Detergents, Softeners, Conditioners and Whiteners

Is Alzheimer’s caused by the Gum Disease Bacterium P. Gingivalis – A Dementia Prevention/Treatment Breakthrough?

Toxic Chemicals in Sex Toys – 18 Vibrators, Cock Rings, Love Balls Tested – Only 3 Get All Clear

My T-shirt Made Me Sick – Textile Allergies – Sinusitis From Your Underwear