The fantastically crazy German, Frau Hagen, was in town and we were going to have have some fun, that was for sure. But, what to do, so much going on in London… until I saw some toffs all dressed up in Waterloo station – facepalm moment, June… Trooping of the Colour… and off we went…
In this post: Cape Town marathon, Onse Huisie & Table Mountain So fresh and relaxed after 42.2 km? The Cape Town marathon Wednesday: Further travel was via Aurora and Veldrif in the forlorn hope of seeing more spring flowers, but to no avail. However, we did see some blue cranes, with the female not too…
Spring “vygies”, Namaqualand Coastal Reserve, South Africa Sunday: We left our riverbed campsite (see previous post: http://wp.me/p38QtC-48) to continue south towards the Namibia/South Africa border via a quick refuel and re-stock in the zinc-mining town of Rosh Pina. The Orange river is the border at this point and we crossed over at Sendlingsdrif on a…
Die pad ist lang (the road is long, “Namibian” German) Wednesday: Tonight I have been watching the sun set behind the hill, hoping that some kudu might provide a nice silhouette, but no luck today. On the animal front, earlier I had spotted some new birds and again heard the fish eagle, but did not see…
This trip to Namibia and South Africa started from London Heathrow Terminal 5 to Windhoek (WDH), Namibia, via Johannesburg (JHB). It’s a 10½ flight to JHB, overnight, thus not too unpleasant, then 2 hrs. to WDH. Windhoek International airport is always an “experience” and not the most welcoming entry into a country. This was reflected…
So, one of my PhD students implied that the last post was a little straight-laced, thus I have recruited some contributors: some of the BSc(Hons) Biochemistry and Biomedical Science students who graduated from the University of Surrey last week. The Graduation is held in the Guildford Cathedral and it was a tad hot. Anyway, it was the…
Last week had some pleasant highlights as we had a Teaching & Learning away day and I travelled to Pontypridd in Wales for a PhD viva. It was a long trip from Guildford to Pontypridd by train (3-4 hours), but the last part of the journey was through the Welsh valleys. Incredibly luscious and green,…
We have all been there, that one method you’re trying to perfect so you can do some amazing work for your thesis, and it just won’t work. For me it’s been the labyrinth-like world of cloning. The very word now sends shivers down my spine and I don’t think it’s a task I will ever…
In 2012 we took the plunge, so to speak, in visiting Botswana. We are very fortunate in that my sister lives near Windhoek, Namibia, and we are allowed to “borrow” a car every time we visit. This proved to be “godsend” for our Botswana trip as we got a Range Rover, diesel, high suspension and…
A few years ago the penny dropped, albeit very, very slowly. Over the years my teaching had seemingly improved, as indicated by student feedback, but the assessment grades had not. Too many students were not comfortable with the concept of critical thinking, which reflected itself in the final outcomes of graded assessments. It was time…
The photograph was taken in the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape Town. It was September, the beginning of Spring, and the weather was amazing. I believe it is a southern double-collared sunbird, sitting on a pincushion, a flower at the “top end” of the Fynbos plant family, if I remember my level 1 biology correctly (…
