Tuesday 10 October 2017

An Unintentional Hibernation

After giving up the train at the end on May and commuting by car, I never realised what an impact it would have on my daily Instagram fix and photography. Make no mistake, I am enjoying the novelty of the car, but missing my train pictures horribly. So much so, that I didn't post anything for about six weeks!

I was forced out of this strange 'hibernation' when it was my turn to moderate on a shared IG account called It's My Week, hosted by a wonderful group of ladies from all over the world. This weeks theme is #myweekofmystery hosted by Carmen in Florida. I did #myweekoffloral at the end of July, which was fun.

Here are literally the only photos I took in July.



I have a few blog post ideas flying around in my head and will be posting them soon. Street photography, a birthday, macro photography, a museum opening and a Matric dance. LOTS to blog about!







Friday 2 June 2017

It's a wrap May

May has come to end and with it, an end to The Everyday Commute. (Hopefully temporary) It was becoming so difficult to take my daily photos as taking a train has become so very dangerous, not to mention all the delays. It's been taking up to 4 hours to get into and out of Cape Town, so I made a sensible decision to commute by car for the rest of the year. Travelling by car is going to be expensive, but really, what price do you put on your life. It was becoming a case of "when I get mugged" as opposed to "if I get mugged". Sad but true. I'm going to miss all the people and faces that became part of my everyday commute.

I'm going to carry on with this blog, as I hope to one day be back on the train, but in a much safer and efficient environment. Metro rail has a long way to go in ensuring people's safety and being efficient.

Here are my May photos. I'm going to miss this soooo much.

9 May 2017 - Kalk Bay Station

17 May 2017 - Kenilworth Station

25 May 2017 - Plumstead Station

26 May 2017 - Cape Town Station

29 May 2017 - Rosebank Station

31 May 2017 - Heathfield Station


Wednesday 3 May 2017

It's a wrap April

Wow, how did that happen, April lasted about 2 minutes!

It's been a busy month with LOTS of public holidays, LOTS of work and not much time or opportunities for commuter photos. The trains have been too full to get many good photos and the crime on the trains still has me a bit nervous to even take the phone out. I wrote before about staying safe here, so I wont go on about it again. So these below are the only photos I have for April.


Tristan went river rafting in Namibia on the Orange River with his class and they had an absolute blast! Long bus rides, border crossings, bush toilets, no showers, sleeping outside on the river banks, memories to last a lifetime.

 
Orange River Trip 2017


Tuesday 4 April 2017

It's a wrap March

I can't believe March has come to an end already (and this post is a bit late).

The last two weeks have gone by in a whizz and I haven't had any time to post anything here. Tristan turned 18 on the 18th and had a party at home with a few friends. It was really chilled and I think they all enjoyed themselves. We had a family celebration too, on the Saturday. I find it so hard to believe my small child is now so grown up! Also, how cute was my kid when he was small!
We did a bit of birthday shopping on my day off (It was also a school holiday). New earphones, clothes, shoes and a few other goodies. Bit of a spoil for both of us.



Tristan - 5 years old

On Tuesday I flew up to Jhb for some training. It was the first time in more than 30 years that I have been in Jhb. (sad, I know) Jhb is quite green compared to our drought situation here in Cape Town, but I missed the sea and our beautiful mountains. Had a bit of a tour around our Rosebank offices and was very impressed. Loads of interesting artwork on display.

 
It was also my week to host over on @its_my_week on IG and I decided to do #myweekofwallart (inspired by all the art I saw in Jhb) We each take turns hosting a week at a time and have to come up with interesting themes. I enjoyed the wall art so much.


It was my sister Kerry's birthday too this month and she celebrated it with breakfast with friends at Bluewater Café, which is literally on my doorstep. It is super kid friendly and there is also a petting zoo with loads of cute animals.

The train situation is still a big problem with all the delays and general safety issues. Been quite nervous to even take my phone out anymore. Not cool at all!

Here are a few photos from the last two weeks.

15 March 2017 - Salt River Station 
16 March 2017 - Lakeside Station 
24 March 2017 - Heathfield Station 
29 March 2017 - Kalk Bay Station 
30 March 2017 -  Observatory Station
31 March 2017 - Muizenberg Station



Thursday 16 March 2017

Be Safe

Safety, or lack thereof, on the trains and stations is a huge issue for us here in Cape Town.
Some lines are just a bit more dangerous than others, but the southern line is probably considered the safest one. Yesterday we witnessed yet another cell phone being snatched out of a window as the train was leaving a station. And there is absolutely nothing you can do....! I've seen this happen a few times and it's quite disturbing.

The worst is when you can spot the criminals (they are often in pairs) ahead of time and just watch until they either snatch a phone, bag or piece of jewellery from some unsuspecting person. Last year some people were robbed at gunpoint on the next carriage and the criminals just jumped off at the next station and ran away. It was scary as hell and the little security that was available at that station were completely unable to catch them.
The next few weeks of commuting were quite stressful and eventually everyone was a bit more relaxed. Although, you can never let your guard down. Carriages are often so full of people that phones and wallets are easily stolen out of bags when you are pushed up against each other.

I'm feeling quite vulnerable these days and it makes commuting very stressful.

13 March 2017 - Claremont Station

Tuesday 14 March 2017

Tuesday's Tales

So, I don't actually have a Tuesday tale, only a few recent photos to share. The trains were even more delayed than ever this morning, so I gave up and got a lift into Cape Town. About to leave the office now and hope to get home at a reasonable time.....

8 March 2017 - Cape Town Station
9 March 2017 - Retreat Station
10 March 2017 - Observatory Station



Monday 6 March 2017

Is it Friday yet?

Damn, it's only Monday....
The weekend has come and gone in a flash. It was filled with shopping trips, scooter repairs, a birthday celebration, a girls only get together and quite a bit of Netflix in between. Started watching The Santa Clarita Diet, seriously weird Zombie meets suburban housewife type story. Let's see if they make a second season.

Here are some of my latest commuters doing what they do best.

6 March 2017 - Salt River Station
3 March 2017 - False Bay Station
2 March 2017 - Cape Town Station

Wednesday 1 March 2017

It's a wrap February

February, you were full of strangers, some strange, some not so strange. Let's see what March has in store for us. I suppose it's goodbye summer too..... I don't mind Autumn at all, but I have a problem with winter. It's dark and miserable and I have a hard time getting any decent train photos.


Moody Monday

Is this a moody Monday or what?? Or maybe that's just his super cool look? Anyway, I'm not a big fan of Monday's either. (so much so that I'm only posting about this on a Wednesday...)

27 February 2017 - False Bay Station

And here is my Tuesday lady. She doesn't look too impressed with the newspaper she's reading... (probably reading about the recent income tax hike) Also, the train had come to a complete standstill between stations (not cool)

28 February 2017 - Diep River Station

Friday 24 February 2017

Looking for the Weekend

Its been a loooong week and I'm really looking forward to the weekend. I've actually been looking for it all week.....
Last weekend was super busy and I'm hoping to relax (me time) a bit more this time around. I see a pool day in my immediate future.....
The trains have been a complete pain in the ass for a while and we know that it's not going to get better anytime soon. Long train rides on super hot days have been very tiring, to say the least. Thank goodness for Netflix and Showmax downloads!

I've been watching Grey's Anatomy for the last three months and I'm finally all caught up with the rest of the world (sort of). I'm just a few episodes behind. I've now moved on to Shameless (British version), which is proving to be difficult to watch in public at times.... (Awkward side glances from fellow commuters). That family is really something else! Game of Thrones was another one that was sooo difficult to watch on the train. (Waiting patiently for the new season to start...)

What are you watching? And what are you up to this weekend?

These people below look like they need a bit of Friday fun. Maybe they're also looking for the weekend?

20 February 2017 - Retreat Station
23 February 2017 - Cape Town Station
24 February 2017 - Fish Hoek Station