16th October 2007
Day fourteen - Plettenberg Bay,
16th October 2007
A late start this morning as a midday book signing at Reddits was the only event before the three hour trip to Plettenberg Bay.
Image right: Tour guide Moses showing how the Camera Obscura works.
I spent the morning at the Observatory Museum where Dr William Atherstone's artifacts and inventions were on display. The highlight of this extraordinary museum is the Camera Obscura which was established by Henry Carter Galpin in 1882. The mirror sits above the tall building in a special rotting housing. Chords in room below allow you to rotate the mirror 360 degrees with the image of the mirror being relayed to a round concave sheet of metal placed in the centre of a darkened room. The metal plate is covered in a thin layer of plaster of paris giving it a white finish - ideal for capturing the image which travels from the mirror through a small round hole above the plate.
The image is quite extraordinary in its clarity and I was able to catch several of the images on film.
The rest of the three story museum was also interesting and well worth the ZAR8 entry fee.
Image right: Plettenberg Bay from the great Ocean
Watch Guest House
I then went to Ann Balchin's Fables Bookshop where I picked up 100 books for the Plettenberg leg of the trip. (Ann is one of several kind people around S Africa who are holding stock for me - she is holding 300 copies of "Children of the Mist").
At midday I went to Reddit's and signed books for people who wanted "Children of the Mist" before setting off for Plettenburg Bay. I arrived at Plett just before 6pm and spoke to Cecil le Fleur about the preparations for the 7pm launch at Kranshoek tomorrow. Everything is going extremely well and I was delighted to hear that both the Griqua Singers and Dancers will perform at the Spier launch in Cape Town. SA Television's 50/50 program will be covering the launch.
Dinner at a local restaurant before an early night to bed - tomorrow's going to be a big day.
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St George's Cathedral |
in Grahamstown |
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Penny Farthing in the |
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Observatory |
Museum |
Camera Obscura image |
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Camera |
Obscura |
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From the roof of the |
Observatory Museum |
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Moses - the guide |
Old buildings in |
Grahamstown |
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Observatory Museum |
The Reddits |
book signing |
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With Dawn and Susan |
With Ann Balchin of |
On the road to |
Port Elizabeth |
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Grahamstown |
Grahamstown |
On the road to |
Port Elizabeth |
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Sandhills at Colchester |
Coming into PE |
Dollose and |
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Alongside the N2 to |
Cape Town |
On the road to |
Plettenberg Bay |
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On the road to |
Plettenberg Bay |
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Ocean Watch view |
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A studuy of my beautiful partner |
with the bouganvilleae - taken at | Ocean Watch | |
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Two perfect studies - the sunset |
