Up the pole

In addition to orienteering, ultra trail running and AR (and related disciplines - mtb, paddle trekking etc), I also do pole dancing. Hahaha - you can stop with the jokes now (I'll do parties if you have enough R200 notes to tuck in my hot pants).

I attended my first class a week after Swazi Xtreme in May 2008. I woke up with stiff shoulders and arms the next morning and decided to sign up. It's a fantastic upper body conditioning workout that made me feel great. I caught on quickly (it helps going into pole fit and strong already) and in January 2009 I started teaching. I teach an advanced pole class on Wednesday evenings.

Split grip invert. Only her
hands are in contact with the pole.

When I say 'pole dancing', people immediately think strippers, bump & grind and sleazy clubs. But, the sport is quite different to this stereotype. There's a big different between gyrating around a pole and the sport of pole dance. Sure, pole dancing can be super sexy, but it is also a gymnastic discipline of strength and grace. And it's a very popular sport - thousands of women attend pole classes in South Africa and dozens of countries around the world.
Most countries have a national pole dance competition and there are also bigger competitions like European Champs and World Pole Dance Competition. And, incase you're wondering, men can also pole dance (there's a mens category at some events) - it's usually a display of strength with tricks like those horizontal flag moves.

Pole dance isn't just about 'ho heels and skimpy outfits. Ja, 'ho heels are popular because of pole's roots; and the skimpy outfits are part and parcel - skin sticks to the pole, fabric doesn't (unless its PVC/latex). Not wearing little shorts for pole dancing is like going to a tennis match without a tennis racquet; and you'll land on your pip too!

Last night we had the Miss Pole Dance Fitness SA competition at the Lyric Theatre at Golf Reef City. The first part of the show was the amateur (less than 6 months of classes) and intermediate entrants. The girls were awesome. We had two from our studio in the intermediate category - one placed second. The professional (many of them pole teachers) and pairs competition started later in the evening. It was an inspiration. We've got some really talented dancers in SA.

Tracey Simmonds, former Miss Pole UK, now living in Pretoria. This move is called 'Jade'.
Her 'attachment' to the pole is waist and inside of thigh and under her arm.

One of the night's highlights was a pole demo by Jenyne Butterfly, the first World Pole Dance winner and multiple Miss Pole Dance US winner. She lives in Las Vegas and is also an aerial silk performer and instructor - now that's something I'd like to try! Jenyne is known for routines that incorporate a lot of strength moves and holds. She makes lifting and moving your own body weight look so easy but it really is not. While I can do a good number of fancy-pants tricks, I have neither her flexibility nor strength so some moves I just cannot get... yet. Her routine last night was... unbelievable, but also motivating to see the technical moves that can be done if you have the strength and flexibility. I've got a lot to work on!

This clip below is from 'Pole Show' in LA. The first part of her dance is very sexy; the second part is more strength moves and proper 'pole dance'.



This video below is also awesome. The dancer is Oona and the competition was 'Battle of the Pole 2010' - she won. All the girls wore the same outfits (black hot pants and crop tops) and no 'ho heels. Most competitions allow any costumes and the girls choose outfits to suit their theme and music - there's usually lots of sparkle and big heels. Oona's routine is excellent and she also does some amazing strength and balance moves.



If you want to check out more pole dance clips on YouTube, just search for Pole Dance and names like Jenyne Butterfly, Felix Cane, Susie Q and Tracey Simmonds.

* Pics from wikipole

Miss Pole Dance SA annual competition

Last night I went to watch the annual Miss Pole Dance SA competition - I think that this is the 5th consecutive year that I've been to watch it.

I've been quite out of the pole scene since I stopped teaching in July last year and took up circus school; but I still love pole and have been waiting for this English course to finish to get back into it. There haven't been circus classes since June/July (I was away anyway) and pole remains close to my heart.

The general standard of performance has improved over the years but there are a number of things that stood out.

• 'Ho heels really have little place in this sport anymore. They look trashy and slutty on stage and I can bet my money that dancers wearing 'ho heels are more interested in how they look and being sexy for the audience rather than their performance. This was pretty evident. Three cheers for those with bare feet on stage - and fortunately there were many. Bare feet are 
• Unless you've got a gymnastic or dance background, your chance of winning any competition (local or international) is slim. It really makes a HUGE difference in how the dancers move, their strength and flexibility. Wow! 
• Every year you see the same moves coming out in the performances from a performance that the competitors have watched online. The common move changes year on year. Today I watched Heidi Coker's winning performance from this year's Pole Art 2013 competition. Her one pole-to-pole transition must have come up four times last night. Heidi beat my favourite-favourite, Oona Kivela at Pole Art. Both videos are so well worth watching for the grace, athleticism and strength. These women make it look easy. It isn't. 
• Last night was big for flexibility moves like 'Allegra Box Splits' and 'Banana Splits'. While I'd love to be able to do these, there are moves - like these - that I think should be scrapped from the performance lists. As with 'ho heels, if pole fitness is every going to be taken seriously then moves that place the audience's attention in one specific place have no place on stage. Fine for playing around in class; not for performance. I know you can do the splits; you don't have to show me over and over and over again. There are plenty of other less 'presenting', similar moves that can be chosen instead.
• I'm still on the fence about the removal of clothing. No, not so that they're n.a.k.e.d. Skin contact is needed for the best grip so there's a reason why performers don't wear loads of clothing... But I'm not so sure about outfits where bits (shirts, skirts, capes - used as props) are taken off and flung across the floor. Again this goes back to pole's 'heritage' and does nothing for the sport. The IPSF states in their competition rules that "Costumes should not be intentionally removed, must fit correctly and not used in an erotic manner". Exactly! [although Evgeny - see below - can take his shirt off ANYTIME! *grin*]

The Pole Fitness Association of SA has an annual competition - must be in around April each year. They're affiliated to the International Pole Sports Federation (IPFS) and they set their competition rules accordingly (yes, there's a World Champs too as well as country champs and various other international competitions). No 'ho heels here.

There were three male entries - and there are other pole guys around. It would be awesome to see more performing.

The highlight of the evening was Evgeny Greshilov. Good golly. I don't know much about him (I've watched a number of his performances online over the last two or three years) but he certainly a classic dance background and watching him there was no doubt in my mind as to why he has won Pole Art (won it this year) and he has been World Pole Dance champ a few times.

Aside from his performance, which was captivating, the only other word I have to describe him is 'charming'. Totally charming. A beautiful performer, his audience interaction is superb - just a smile from the stage was all it took for us to be utterly and completely charmed. He has achieved the balance of displaying grace and effortless movements in his dance performance while still being a guy. I've seen performances online of guys that are just too ballet. Pole is a discipline of strength and for the guys shouldn't be too 'pointed toes' - the performance should remain masculine.

Here's the video of Evgeny's performance last night. I'll pop in the one from Pole Art below it. Enjoy!

Ahh... Evgeny's 2011 World Pole Dance Champs winning performance (video improves once the dance starts)

Up and around the pole

Ooohhh.... I am so super-mega excited. On Sunday afternoon I'm participating in an advanced pole workshop with one of my favourites, Miss Suzie Q. Graceful and strong, she's incredible. Good dance background and she does a lot of aerial stuff like trapezee and those aerial hoops and such. Her doubles partner, Toby J, will also be instructing at the workshop. Yes, guys also do pole. There's even a men's category in the big competitions.

My favourite Suzie Q video, from Miss Pole Dance Australia 2006 isn't on YouTube anymore. There are lots of others but video quality of most is really, really terrible. Her 'Lara Croft' themed dance from Miss Pole Dance Oz 2008 is ok quality - not great.

My favourite-favourite, who I only discovered earlier this year, is a lass Oona Kivela. She has just won the first  Pole Dance World Cup, which was held in Rio (only been doing pole for three years - same as me!). I don't know her background but can bet that it is sure to be ballet and gymnastics. This woman is strong and flexible and agile. Without putting you on a pole you just don't cannot get how hard the stuff that she is doing so fluidly really is. She makes it look easy. It isn't. Sure, I can do some of these moves, but mostly in isolation. Not one after another after another with such speed. And some I can sorta do. I say 'sorta' because I can do them but not half as well as Oona (I can't do the splits). And then others I cannot do at all - not strong enough, not flexible enough... I really like that Oona dances in barefeet and not in ho'heels, which puts this sport in the other commonly associated perspective.

Watch and enjoy the acrobatic, gymnastic and athletic elements of this incredible sport, thanks to Oona.

Oh-oh-goodness... just found this. Yeah, ballet and gymnastics. Really nice little interview with Oona.

I miss aerial and pole

I've been out of both circus/aerial and pole for way, way too long and I really miss it. And that why I'm returning to pole on Monday night. I'm incredibly excited and so looking forward to class.

In May/June last year circus classes stopped when our instructors were tied up with performances locally and abroad. By the time I returned from Argentina classes were permanently halted as they needed to set up at a new venue when the old one was no longer available. This meant months of building and rigging... Classes only started again at the beginning of this year.

But I'd made the decision anyway not to return. I just couldn't face 30-minutes of travel either way and only getting home at 21h30 two nights a week - on top of other commitments. The toll gantries on the highway don't help either.

I was thinking of starting hip-hop classes - trying a different dance discipline. But I so love the gymnastic and acrobatic and strength elements of the aerial disciplines that I've decided to go back to pole. I haven't been teaching for about 18 months (after four-and-a-half years of teaching pole classes one - sometimes two - nights a week) and so I'm glad just to be returning to pole as a student.

I've certainly lost a lot of the strength that I gained from circus school - it's even the 'little' things like hand-strength for gripping. Nonetheless, I look forward to building it back up and I certainly have better neuromuscular pathways and more strength and stability - like core and shoulders - than when I left pole for circus 18-months ago.

Ooohhh-weeeee... so excited! For class and to see my pole friends again.

Aerial circus school - play time

Circus school started in Jo'burg this week! I've been so envious of the Capetonians with Zip-Zap and National Circus and now we've got something here - well, at least for six months. I heard about it on Monday via a friend on Facebook (this platform has its advantages) and I went for my first session last night (last night was the first night).

The focus here is on aerial arts like chinese pole, silks, straps, ropes and trapeze and for now they're working on conditioning exercises to build our strength to be able to execute moves. Goodness gracious! It was hard, hard going. We did three disciplines last night. I found the straps to be quite challenging and although the silks really work your hands, I like them. Chinese pole is quite different to my normal pole but I feel quite at home with it - the pole is familiar.

As I'm not teaching pole at the moment (as of this week) for the first time in three-and-a-half years, I'm focusing on playing. For me. When you teach then you don't get to play much and I've found that over the past 18 months I really haven't progressed much with my pole stuff. My strength is reasonable, my balance is inherently good, flexibility is ok and I'm not scared of heights or of trying new, challenging moves. I manage but I'd like to be better, especially with the aerial/balance/strength moves which I really get a kick out of and for which I have an affinity.

Circus school offers the best of all worlds because I'll get conditioning and strengthening training in various aerial disciplines. So I'll give straight-up pole a break and instead jump into the (circus) ring to play, play, play for the next few months.

As my mom quite rightly put it last night, play time will be good for me because most things I do are work (some have elements of 'fun' but they are work) - where I am responsible for something or an outcome.

I spent only six months in pole classes before I started teaching, which means planning classes, always coming up with new stuff and a weekly responsibility. I've been involved in a  project for the orienteering federation for the past year - I'm writing manuals, organising this and that... AR is often work with writing articles, maintaining the website, organising AR Club evenings and admin... Work, work, work.

I wanna PLAY!

Classes 'n workshops

I've been thinking a lot about active classes. Sure, you can join a gym for about R450/month (note that the gyms don't advertise their rates on their websites - you have to provide your details and they'll call you). You get group classes like aerobics, katabox, yoga, pilates and spinning as well as weights, circuit, treadmill and other cardio machines, shower facilities and maybe a pool too for seven days a week, almost every day of the year (bar xmas day and new year's day) and for a wide hour range. That's pretty good value. So, let's say that I go five times a week, that's R22.50 per visit.

Yoga classes at a yoga studio... well you're looking at cheapest of R32 per session for five times a week at one class per day. But, a studio may only offer two or three of the classes you want each week. And if you choose to only go to these classes two or three times a week, you're paying R60 to R65/class. If the rates were less would we see more than five people in each class? For yoga, because I live a distance from the studio, I just get a 10 class card that lasts two months; I aim to do one self practise each week - doesn't always happen.

Pole dancing... classes are R50/class at two classes a week. R45/class if you're on a six-month contract instead of monthly. I've been teaching for two-and-a-half years now and except for the odd group private class (three or four of us) with a more experienced instructor (ex Miss Pole UK), I haven't been to classes for at least 18 months (as an instructor I don't pay fees at my studio).

Workshops are cool. I haven't been to many, but I'd like too. It's just the cost that really gets me. If I only did one discipline and no events like O events, road races, AR events it may feel different to constantly dishing out money?

Next month there is an advanced pole dance workshop with Suzie Q and Toby J. I've been a big fan of Suzie Q ever since I saw her in the video of her second place tango-themes dance at Miss Pole Australia in 2006 (the original video is no longr on youTube). It's a two-hour workshop with Suzie and Toby for R300.00. I'm really looking forward to learning some neat stuff from them.

Here's a fun video of Suzie Q and Toby J from a pole thing in Dec last year. Camera a bit too close to the stage most of the time; but shows some nice pole doubles stuff.



Then, there's an acroyoga workshop with Olivier David. He's an ashtangi and he does acroyoga stuff. I did two workshops (donation basis) in January and would really like to do more. The one workshop is R300 for two hours. It's on the same afternoon as the pole workshop. There are two other workshops with him at another studio; R450 for two hours. Quite a bit eh?

The one thing I've found is that some workshops have only a handful of people attending. The cost? I'm sure. A workshop with five people lacks the vibe of a workshop with 15 people.

My navigation workshops are R150, including a manual booklet, full-colour printed maps (O, Google Earth image, topographic) and they're fully booked (max. 20 people; I usually limit to 16).

And then I look at the educator training course we held in Polokwane this weekend to teach teachers how to teach orienteering; R200 for the day (09h00 - 16h00) including material (manual, activity material - printing and laminating cost R105) plus tea and light lunch (rolls with fillings). Sure, I'm not looking make a living from teaching nav courses and SAOF isn't looking to make money out of training teachers and SAOF covers costs for having us (instructors) there, but when I look at the amazing value from both of these, with change to spare, then it just makes me feel that these other workshops are a bit pricey for only two hours?

Sharing FEAT (and Urban Circus)

I've kinda had an inkling that word of FEAT is beginning to spread because I recently met a chap and he said, "Ah, you're the one behind FEAT". More than him linking me to FEAT I was charmed that he knew what it was. I didn't have to say, "Well, FEAT is this incredible evening of quick talks by South African adventurers across a range of adventure disciplines..."

And today I had a meeting with a chap who didn't know about FEAT until recently when he met someone in Cape Town who asked him if he knew about FEAT (he didn't then). And then a short period later another person mentioned it and then last week after two encounters where FEAT came up in a day he made contact with me. We've got great synergy for FEAT stuff along the way.

Being in my own bubble, I think about FEAT a lot. Not just in the months before the event but all the time. I've got so many 'plugins' that I want to add - but each in its own good time. So it is nice to hear this kind of feedback from within the industry and to know that people are talking about it.

Tickets opened just over three weeks ago and I think we're just over half of the tickets gone with five weeks to go. And there's one more week left of the early-bird rate (it ends Monday, 27 Aug - from Tues tickets go to R180 although group bookings stay at R150).

I really appreciate people letting their friends know about it and also the sharing that had been happening on Facebook. Thank you.

I looooovvveee Banff Mountain Film Festival and I go every year. A few years ago I hadn't heard yet when it was on and it was starting the next week. I booked my ticket and sent out a note to the AR group and to friends. My one friend replied to say that he'd already booked weeks ago. Ja dude, thanks for telling me. (I've asked for dates and details for this year's Banff - I'll let you know when I know).

And it is a bit like this with FEAT. Too many people say to me after the event, "I wish I'd known about it!". I can only do so much with media. The rest is very much a 'sharing is caring' thing. If you've got a friend who would enjoy FEAT, please tell them about it. Interestingly, the people who FEAT often makes the biggest impression on are the un-sporty partners who come along.

You can right-click and save the above image of the FEAT poster and email it to your friends. Don't wait for them to decide what-what before you book your tickets. You'll all be in the same room. Go ahead with your booking or you'll miss out - and I wouldn't want that.

To share something with you that I enjoy...

I've been going to circus school for a month now. We're mostly doing conditioning work on the various disciplines (chinese pole, trapeze, straps, silks, lyra and rope). After classes during my first two weeks I'd be really stiff the next morning. Now I'm not so stiff after classes but worked over - my body is adapting. Not easy, a good challenge and helluva fun.

Last night I did the craziest thing ever. I stood on a small trampoline with my back to the pole. Then, you look up to see the pole going upwards. Then, you jump and as you grab the pole you 'wedge' it into your shoulder and tuck your legs in (for the pole people, like a shoulder mount). So, your body is kinda horizontal to the ground and you're holding on to the pole and looking upwards. Hard to describe. Anyway, it is helluva scary jumping off that trampoline (we didn't give it a big bounce - that would be way too scary!) and I'm glad that Marco, our instructor, had his hand under my back to guide, reassure and catch me.

Anyway, my teachers and a bunch of other guests are presenting an 'Urban Circus' evening on Fri and Sat the 14 and 15 Sept. I'm going on the Saturday night (15th) to watch. There will be a whole bunch of aerial acts and it should make superb watching. Tickets are only R100 for adults and R80 for U16 (and old folks). It will be a great evening of something different and a wonderful display of strength, balance, agility and flexibility.

I hope to see you there.

The satisfaction of rePhotoSA

I spent a few days away with neither mobile reception, wifi nor internet access. I found the days to slow down considerably. As I'm back into repeat photography mode, I took the time to pull out some repeat photographs that I took in Parys three (what!?!) years ago.

I sat on these repeat photographs for months, waiting for the water level in the Vaal River to really drop. I was 95% certain of the photo location but needed more markers to really confirm and to be able to get my photographer position as close as possible to that of the original. 

We had a really rocky paddling season. It was hot and the river had been running low. And then it went really low. Bad news for paddling. Good news for my repeat photograph.

I went out two or three times, as I recall. It isn't only about the angle and photographer position, but also getting decent light (sun not directly ahead, for example) to capture the features.

I knew that I had the correct location but matching them up would need time that I didn't have. I think I was also hoping to get even better photographs. The water level came up a bit and never dipped as low as this in the next three years (which is a good thing for the river and everyone and everything downstream!).

And so, this past weekend, I pulled out the photographs and had a blast examining them. I found this to be incredibly satisfying. And very rewarding to add them to the repeat photography archives of the Plant Conservation Unit at UCT. They use these photographs to study changes in vegetation patterns over time.

The first is a photo by Pole-Evans, taken in late 1919 from what would have been a relatively new bridge across the Vaal River in Parys. It was built in 1915 and enabled people to more easily cross the river - between the Transvaal and Free State with horses and cars and wagons. Before then, there was a pricey ferry crossing that seems to have been limiting. The river is fairly wide here and very, very rocky - not easy or pleasant to cross even at very low level and certainly dangerous at higher levels.

Back to the bridge... The new bridge, that I stood on, is higher than the original bridge that Pole-Evans stood on. Even though I lay down on the sidewalk of the bridge, I was still higher up than Pole-Evans.

The level of the water in the Vaal River at Parys is regulated by release from the Vaal Barrage (built in 1923), which in turn gets water from the Vaal Dam (built in 1938) further upstream. In Pole-Evans' time (1919), the river flow would have been seasonal and thus much lower than what we experience now with regulated flow. In my five years of living in Parys (until end Oct 2020), the water level at which I took this photo in Jan 2018, was the lowest that I experienced (probably 10 cumec). I'd hoped to get even better repeats with lower water, but this was it during my time there.

The Vaal River has flooded heavily many times in the past 100 years, which would shift and move rocks around and weather them. Despite this, not a lot has changed in the rocks - remarkable. The biggest change is in the vegetation growth.

 
I'm posting here a comparison collage and a version with my markings on it. I've also included some close-ups of the then-and-now rocks

This first is taken looking upstream and to river-right. 

FYI - River-left and river-right are designated according to the water flow direction (downstream). So, if you were paddling downstream, the bank on your left is river-left and on your right is river right. If you paddle upstream, river-right would be on your left-hand-side and river-left would be on your right. The designations of river-left and river-right are fixed regardless of what you do.

Original photo by Pole-Evans, taken in 1919. My photo taken in January 2018.

Looking just at this image above, you may not be convinced immediately. Take a look at this version with same-same rocks circled - and the close-ups.

The second photo was taken from almost the same photographer position, but this time looking upstream towards river-left - where Mimosa is (the Parys parkrun runs through Mimosa along that bank).

Pole-Evans original taken in 1919. My photo taken in January 2018.
Note the low weir, which wasn't there in 1919.

While I can't comment with any authority on the vegetation types, it doesn't take a botanist to observe the dominance of alien Eucalyptus trees along the Vaal River.

I pulled out a third rePhoto that I also snapped in January 2018 from the Venterskroon road. Driving home from Venterskroon - a historic location in the Vredefort Dome about 30 minutes from Parys - I was looking out for this view. I had a gut-feel for the general location. I spotted what I was looking for in my rear-view mirror. I pulled over, snapped the photo and planned to come back to trespass on private land to really nail the photograph. I didn't get around to it. My photo is decent, but it isn't exact. I put it out there for someone to do better. The vegetation in this area has been impacted by at least 170 years of farming activities.

I still have a good four or five rePhotos for Parys where I'm fairly certain of the locations but would need to get out there to nail them. I'm tasking some Parys friends to take a look - especially now in winter when the vegetation thins. 

First, youngest, oldest... records that diminish feats and inspire achievements

An article came out in the Irish Times on Tuesday about an eight-year old girl who is now the youngest person to stand at the North Pole. The headline reads, "Irish girl 'youngest ever' at North Pole".

In short, she flew there in a helicopter with her dad, got out and stood at the pole. No hauling of sleds or even trekking the last degree. The previous record holder was the eight-year old daughter of polar adventurer David Hempleman-Adams, who also flew to the pole (to meet her father).

The sentence in this news report that really got me fired up is the following: "The Donovan family will have to apply to Guinness World Records to have the feat verified."

Feat? You've got to be kidding! It is hardly a feat to fly to the North Pole and stand there for a photograph.

I'm really not into all of these firsts. Even when there have been many people before, it seems that a 'first' needs to be sucked into any adventure. The first person/man/woman (there are 196 countries so that makes for lots of nationality firsts). The first person with (insert illness/disability). The youngest (overall and nationality). The oldest (overall and nationality). The fastest.

And, considering some 'firsts' do they diminish previous achievements or inspire others to attempt them? As in... "Even a 13 year old can climb Mt Everest" or is it, "If a 13-year old can summit Mt Everest, I can too?"

Alternative fix

I've had two niggles for some time; right knee and right shoulder.

The knee... not sure when it started and it isn't an everyday thing and it gives me absolutely no trouble when I run. But sometimes I feel it if I take an odd angle getting out of the car. It's been on my mind for ages that there's something not right and that although it is no trouble now, it could be two or five years.

The shoulder... the only time I have injured my shoulder was two years ago when Karel the Cat died and I dug his grave. It was early morning when I found his body and I was in an absolute state, tears streaming. The ground was hard and somehow I really tweaked my shoulder. When it wasn't resolving I went to a physio who declared no major damage other than really, really tight muscles that she worked out. No problem. And then it came back a few months ago. Not bad and not movement or activity limiting - but something.

Pole is seriously intensive on the shoulders especially with hand springs and the acrobatic balance moves where it's just two hands on the pole and most of my weight on my right hand, arm and shoulder. Other moves - like swings - are all hanging on the shoulder etc. Yoga too, with all the upward dogs, yoga push-ups... all shoulder intensive too.

Actually, pole could also be hammering my right knee. There are a lot of moves where I 'hang' from my knee or use just one foot (right) to pull myself up from an invert...

When I was in Thailand my massage teacher sorted out this one guy's toe. He'd kicked a rock on the beach, had limited movement, lots of swelling and lots of pain and hadn't been able to move it for two weeks. She worked on tendons and ligaments and muscles upstream of the toe to alleviate the pain, loosen it up etc. It worked. I got to thinking about my friends toe. She's been back and forth to physios and specialists who were now talking surgery. She wisely was not keen. I thought of this alternative therapy guy I know messaged her from Thailand. I set them up when I got back. She's been to see him recently and is having more success.

This guy, Vic Boston, I've known for years from running. Met him more than 12 years ago when we went to the same gym. He's quite a Comrades legend and this year will line up for his 36th CONSECUTIVE Comrades Marathon. He checked me out in about 2000 / 2001 when I had a low-grade stress fracture (from shoes that should have been replaced earlier). He's a natural health practitioner, blending kinesiology, acupuncture, other Chinese therapies, massage and a bunch of other stuff. Bottom line is that he's good, he's a runner, he's thorough and he knows his stuff. I've sent people to him over the years; and now it was time for me to go and see him.

Great news is that knee is 100% perfect in terms of joint, bone, ligaments, meniscus etc. What we did find was a lymph build up on the inside top of the knee - really sensitive to massage. Interesting, this is an area of my leg that takes a lot of push-pull pressure from pole, which could account for it. Those pressure points didn't lie and we worked it out. Have't had a twinge since I saw Vic on Tuesday. I'll keep up with massage of the area to stimulate circulation and lymph drainage.

I went back yesterday for the shoulder. Again, no serious problems. It's all muscle related and seems to be scar tissue, which I can only think is from the grave-digging injury. Vic used a burning stick thing to stimulate circulation around the pressure points. This was a funny one because I had to say when it got hot; felt like a laser on a point when it got hot event though the 'stick' is about 15mm wide. On the second round, I couldn't feel it. He also did some frictioning and pressure point work. Should feeling good today. Pole class on Monday will tell.

I'm rarely troubled by niggles and most will go away overnight (maybe I ran wonky or the inner in my shoe was squiff) and others, like these, that haven't. I've had no serious injuries other than the stress fracture and a very bad foot injury (possible fracture in bone on top of foot) in the early 2000s. Otherwise, for the 20-odd years that I've been running, playing and seriously into sports (oh, the hand fracture in underwater hockey in the mid-90s) I've been 99.9% injury and niggle free.

I find it really scary to have something not right. But, the goodness is that there are people out there - like bios, physios and other therapists - to help fix these problems and make us stronger. The big step, especially me where I think I'm in tune with my body and used to sorting out issues on my own with massage, Arnica oil and attention, is to stand up and say, "Hi, I'm Lisa and there's something wrong with my shoulder and knee". The relief that I feel now is fabulous knowing that there's nothing serious and that both complaints are really easy to fix, with Vic's help.

I am stiff

Now three days after Monday night's pole class I can again wave my arms around... (mostly)

Six year ago, when I first started pole class, I remember having such stiff arms and shoulders after that first class that I was hooked. Tuesday morning reminded me of that first post-class stiffness.

It will take me a few weeks to get back into it. My spins are decent and my balance moves and handstands are better than before (from circus school); but my inverts feel a bit messy. They'll need some tidying up as my body-spatial awareness catches up again.

There are hundreds of amazing pole videos on YouTube and I watch them occasionally. My favourites are from the major pole competitions like Pole Art and World Champs and Australian Champs. Oona Kivela remains my favourite artist. She's an ex-gymnast and ballet dancer and it shows in her strength and movements.

Check out these strength drills, performed by Oona. I'd like to say that I can do a few of these with any level of competency... But I don't think I can. Definitely a level of strength and skill and grace to aspire to.

My tall, straight, white friend

I had a great conversation with my tall, straight, white friend's short, teenage, black son over the weekend. We were discussing people who romantically prefer people of the same gender. I've ranted before about this classification of people by their sexual preference and recently about 'firsts' - being the first to do something and how silly the classifications can be.

In reassuring my young friend that if, along the way, he meets a guy who does it for him, then that it is A-ok I also broached how it was not correct to classify people according to sexual preference, even when introducing / speaking about them.

We don't say, "I'm having lunch with my friend tomorrow, the one who likes his wife to spank him" but we do say, "I had dinner last night with my friend, the gay one". What makes this ok?

Just as we say, "I went for a run with my friend this morning" and not "I went for a run with my tall, white friend this morning". A classification is not warranted.

I've just seen a post by First Ascent on Facebook. They're congratulating Sibusiso Vilane on his recent North Pole achievement. This completes his 'Three Poles' conquest (Mt Everest, South Pole and North Pole). The post reads:

Performance tester Sibusiso Vilane arrived at the North Pole Thursday 12 April 2012. This was the final hurdle to becoming the first black person to complete the Three Poles Challenge, having already conquered the South Pole and Mount Everest. It was Sibu’s Goliath Challenge. Well done Lion man...You are making the lizard proud!!!!

Obviously this post got my fingers itching. It's a neat achievement regardless of ethnicity. This is a terrible habit.

Looking at expedition stats on Explorers Web - you do get stats for oldest and youngest and first (overall, men and women) but you don't get listed for being the first Greek woman, Thai man, black, coloured, Asian, South African born or gay.

The achievement is an achievement and that really is enough.

About a guy, his bike and our beautiful country

So there's this guy, Ray Chaplin. And he has a bike (and trailer). Notably, he has been cycling from Cape Town to Pretoria since early May. Today is Day 40 and tomorrow, on Day 41, he'll reach the end of this journey in Pretoria.

We met via email some years ago when he first affirmed his 3 Poles (www.3poles.co.za) dream; to trek unsupported to the North Pole, South Pole and the summit of Mt Everest. He moves to Dubai for work two years ago, enters the Pole-2-Pole expedition (the organisation cancelled the event scheduled for late 2006), returns to Cape Town, initiates a "Make Table Mountain Safe" campaign, runs Two Oceans Half hauling a yellow shack on wheels in support of Habitat for Humanity, spends months training and man-hauling his yellow tyre "Tony" around da mountain and then decides to cycle from Cape Town to Pretoria to promote non-motorised transportion and bicycle touring in South Africa. I'm a fan.

As I type, Ray is on the road from Vanderbijl to Joburg on Day 40 of this "The Life Cycle" project (www.thelifecycle.co.za). He left Cape Town on Friday, 4 May with his yellow mountain bike and trailer, headed for the town of Wellington - his first stop on Route 62. Towards the end of his first week Ray had to ride through the "Big Cold and Rain of 2007". I was actually in Cape Town over this weekend of the 11-12 of May and was gobsmacked by the volume of water descending from the skies over the Western Cape. And that's to say nothing of the cold... and snow.

Ray's route took him along the coast and through to P.E. before heading inland and upwards towards Bloemfontein; and from Bloem to Joburg and Pretoria. I read Ray's daily dispatches in batches every few days and catch him on Skype at night occasionally. What an incredible journey!
By the time he reaches Pretoria tomorrow, Ray will have spent 41-days on the road, with few rest days to break the daily riding. He has been on his ownsome-lonesome, sleeping in guest houses, on the roadside, in gardens, ultra city grass patches, a road construction site office enclosure and in homes, welcomed by friendly strangers.

There's also the food thing; loads and loads of food is needed to keep Ray fueled and despite supplements, protein shakes, oats, a daily loaf of bread, bars of chocolate, salami, chicken, fruit, veg and a host of other edibles, his 6-foot-plus frame has lost kilograms.

I am certainly not brave enough to just take off on my bike riding around the country... alone... it also isn't something I've actually thought about doing. South Africans travel abroad to bike around Spain or southern France but little do we consider our own backyard.

We are certainly in agreement that we live in a beautiful country; mountains, valleys, the plateau, the Karoo, forested and tropical coastal regions - our ecological options are diverse. We - outdoor, active, adventurers - just don't utilise our resources as much as we could. I know that I don't.

Ray's objectives have been to promote non-motorised transport (in partnership with the Bicycling Empowerment Network - www.benbikes.org.za) and local bicycle touring. As for the latter, Ray has opened my eyes to the possibilities of planning a loosely structured cycling (or running?) holiday.

Ray, well done. This journey is an inspirational achievement to be proud of in terms of your promotional and personal objectives.

Note: Ray will be talking about this trip at CapeStorm in Bryanston (Carvenience Centre) on Tuesday, 19 June at 18h30 for 19h00.
"From figuring out what to pack to how to transport it all, route selectionto the all-important diet, crocodile cage diving to surfing with theself-inflating mattress, I'll be sharing my experiences with you... and showing you how to undertake a non-motorised trip across our beautiful country [and of course how not to!]."

Weekend games

This weekend really was a mixed bag. I slept in until about 9am on Saturday morning and, for the first time in weeks I woke up feeling vaguely refreshed.

Taking advantage of the sun, I headed out to my veggie garden to clear the second half of the bed of weeds and old plants and to put in my new seedlings and some plants. Two hours later it was looking amazing. I've put in beetroot and spinach seedlings (and some flowers) and also some heritage beetroot seeds plus some swiss chard seeds. The eggplant plants are doing well and looking far more sturdy than they have been. To complete the session, I put down some mulch from the compost heap.

A bunch of my mom's friends had been asking her about having a Doodle afternoon, where I show them the basics of how to doodle. As you'll recall, I got into doodling late last year and seem to have settled into my own rhythm. So, we set up an afternoon and were thrilled to have a good collection of eager doodlers.

We started off with basic patterns and finished by creating our own bookmark-type things, which I laminated for everyone. We got a really super assortment of doodles. This was a wonderful afternoon of creativity, tea, cake and good company.

Bye-bye Saturday.

Sunday started off with the annual orienteering club relays. This is really the only time that clubs get to compete against each other. We had a women's team and a men's team racing in AR Club colours; we placed 2nd and 3rd respectively in our categories. I ran the first leg and then took some photos of our school team runners as well as any other orienteers passing by.

And then, an extra special treat - tea with my dear friend Pam and Lauren and my sweetness, Stella. She's 8.5 months old now and I last saw her on her 6-month birthday day. She's got more teeth, is crawling like champ and is getting far more interactive. Her development month by month is incredible.

And then I was off for a pole play date. Short story is that I met a lass in a race-entry queue a couple of weeks back. Turned out that she recently did a pole instructor course. She's a personal trainer but very new to pole. She has to do her practical exam soon and needed some help with her routine choreography. It was a really fun session because one of the other very new instructors came long too and so the cobwebs of my pole memory got a clean out as I taught them a bunch of basic moves and variations on moves - things I literally haven't done for years!

That was really fun and I'm not as stiff as I thought I would be today. Tonight I have class, which will certainly work me over.

So, a really nice weekend with a bit of this and a bit of that.

Fiennes validates Scott

A few weeks ago I read my best Antarctic expedition book yet; and I have a fabulous collection of Arctic and Antarctic expedition books.

Ranulph Fiennes has written a gem. "Race to the Pole" details Captain Robert Scott's polar experiences and, of course, his tragic 1911 race to the pole (which was not the Amundsen-Scott 'pole at all costs' race it has been made out to be).

Scott's reputation was trashed by William Huntford in his "Scott and Amundsen" book where he made Scott out to be a moron who didn't know what he was doing (use of horses, the depot saga, the skiing issue) and that his death was due to poor planning.

On the contrary, Scott was thorough in his preparations and planning. His return trip from the pole was doomed by unpredictably disastrous weather conditions that brought extreme cold rarely encountered in the region.

Fiennes has man-hauled across the continent and as such is the only Scott biographer to have been there, done that and got the frostbite. Fiennes understands polar exploration and his insights and experiences blow life into this century-old story of bravery and adventure.

This book is well-written, fluent and gripping, as we'd expect from Fiennes. If you have an interest in the Antarctic and polar expeditions, this book is an essential read.

Aerial silks

I've been keen to give aerial silks a try for some time. Last weekend at the pole jam the one girl I know said she was putting silks and lira (the hanging hoola hoop thing) into her studio this week and we set up a play date for yesterday afternoon.

What fun we had! My other pole friend came through - she's been teaching silks for a few months.

Well, it is hard work! In some ways it is harder on your hands. A pole is solid and you can grab it tight. Fabric you've really got to squeeze tight to pull yourself up. And, like pole, it is one of those things where you have to learn to balance on the fabric, learn how far you can or can't learn back and many, many techniques for wrapping the fabric to achieve moves.

I learned how to climb and to do a single foot lock and a lean back thing. I also learned to twist myself up from sitting on the silks (tied in a knot - like a swing) and then Michelle got me to do a death-defying forward tumble. Crazy stuff!

I'm looking forward to more ;)

Mike Horn: my dream date

It's no secret that I'm Mike Horn's biggest fan; his adventures are huge and challenging and he is an exceptional navigator. I'm busy reading his new book "Conquering the Impossible: My 12,000-Mile Journey Around the Arctic Circle" (available online from http://www.loot.co.za/). It's about Mike's ARKTOS expedition (2002-2004), which I fervently followed through his regular email updates.

Although the writing style of the book takes a bit to get used to (not as flowing and fluid as Ranulph Fiennes), Mike's tale is captivating. This is a must-read collectable.

Following from ARKTOS, which he completed in October 2004, Mike has done two other expeditions.

In January 2006 (Arctic winter) he set out with legendary Arctic explorer Borge Ousland to reach the North Pole during the Arctic winter; a time when the sun is nowhere to be seen for months. It took them 2-months (60-days) and logged the pair as the first men ever to arrive at the Pole unaided and in the Arctic winter.

In October 2007 Mike Horn and 3 climbers (Jean Troillet, Olivier Roduit and Fred Roux) set off on a "4 Men, 4 Summits" expedition where they planned to ascend 4 x 8'000-er Himalayan mountains* without supplementary oxygen.


* Gasherbrum II (8068m), Gasherbrum I (8035m), Broad Peak (8048m) and K2 (8611m)

They spent two months in Pakistan and summitted both Gasherbrum peaks but were turned back from completing the expedition by heavy snow, high winds and the approach of winter.

Mike's next adventure starts this year: the circumnavigation of the World. The expedition is titled "Mike Horn's Global Expedition" or "Pangea" (on another part of his website).

This will be done without any motor-powered transport, over the North Pole and South Pole, crossing the seven continents, passing numerous islands and sailing across several oceans.
The expedition will be divided into seven stages. Each stage will represent one of the seven continents (Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Australasia, Asia and Antarctica). Transport/disciplines include sailing, walking, canoeing, kayaking, kite surfing, walking under water, skiing and any animal locomotion i.e. horses, camels etc. where available and necessary. The expedition is tied into global environmental awareness elements.

Mike's website is http://www.mikehorn.com/. The site is currently quite scrappy but is seems to be scheduled for revamp to support coverage of his new expedition. You can sign up on the site for Mike's newsletter.

Dream Date
If Vin Diesel isn't available to read me a story, I'd bag a date with Mike Horn to hear his stories of the Arctic winter, the open Alaskan expanse and what it is like to walk on water (the Arctic ocean). I'd definitely ask him to teach me how to build an igloo. In return I'd love to take him on an AR; and I'd even relenquish my hold on the maps 'cos this guy has travelled in the Polar night (twice) and he didn't get lost...

Play (and move) like a child

At the moment I am so super in love with circus school. Over the past two weeks I've noticed a major improvement, especially when I do moves now that I haven't done/tried in months. On Friday, from hanging (no pushing off the ground), I lifted my toes level with my eyes - straight legs. Twice. I haven't been able to do this without assistance. It's things like this that are SUCH a rush. It's like nailing a PB in running.

I've always been drawn to watching acrobatic acts and gymnastics (my favourite Olympic discipline to watch on telly) but I had never gotten into this stuff until I started pole dancing almost 4.5 years ago. It is so much about gymnastic and acrobatic movements and these are the ones that I do really well, especially the balances.

I've always thought that the way a body should be able to move is like that of a dancer or acrobat. Sure, it takes tons of training and conditioning to be able to put your foot around your neck but there's also a 'non-professional' level of movement that should be attainable. If you can't bend forward to trim your own toenails... that's a problem.

For four months I've been going to 'circus classes' (aerial) and the difference in my strength is absolutely astounding! But most of all I just absolutely love playing there. I also really enjoy the activities where we stand on each other and 'toss' each other. Last week we did a bit more 'tumbling' type of activities. I think of these as more 'clown' movements. I did a really neat handstand, rolling out of it, and also a dive roll. With the latter you run at a mat, jump with both feet - diving for the mat - and then roll (somersault-like). It is just the most amazing feeling to be able to do these things.

Last week there was a new girl and we were doing back arches. She commented, "I haven't done this since school!". There are so many movements that all of us haven't done since school. On the playgrounds we would always be doing hand-stands-up, skipping rope games, head stands, leap frog games... our flexibility and agility at primary school was all-round fabulous.

And then somewhere in high school we stop playing - this kind of play. And from there it's just a downward slide. For me, pole, circus and acroyoga are totally about playing and training my body to do movements that it could do... 30 years ago! I'm very fortunate that over the years my general activities have maintained fairly good flexibility, strength and fitness but I'm always improving.

On Saturday I finally made it to my friend Michelle's 'Flight Club' (page on FB). I've known Michelle for years through mountain biking and common friends (climbing people) and also from pole dance - she is also an instructor. Over the past year she has gotten very much into aerial silks and lyra (metal hoop) and she has set up a regular, social aerial sessions. I did an outdoor session with her shortly after I started circus. This weekend I felt the marked improvement in being able to hold myself up for longer and movements that would have been difficult months ago are very much doable now. These aerial games all look so easy and graceful and elegant; they're mostly not easy!

Here are some pics that Michelle took on Sat. This was my second time doing 'fancy' moves on lyra and most of these were for the first time (like half moon, pike, mermaid, stag).

Lyra: Back arch from top bar

Lyra: balance move

Lyra: forward arch

Lyra: This is called half moon and is my favourite move of the moment. It's like you're suspended from the moon. Very cool.

Lyra: This is a blurry picture of half moon but you get the idea - better angle to show the move. This is what I mean about being 'suspended' from the 'moon'.

Lyra: Mermaid

Lyra: Pike from the top bar. My pikes are getting really good 'cos we drill them a lot at circus classes.

Lyra: This one is called 'stag'

Lyra: (Wo)man in the moon

Silks: Butterfly. I haven't done many fancy moves with silks; at circus class we focus on conditioning with a lot of climbing and grabbing exercises. Michelle talked me through this one and a couple of other really neat moves.

This is a video that was made during class a few weeks ago. It's to promote the fun and games we get up to with aerial disciplines. I'm not very visible in the video but you can see me climbing the silks at about 1:35 and then the back of me during a partner stretch at around 1:53. I'm on the right-hand side (middle level) of the people pyramid.
 

Can you touch your toes?

At our orienteering school camp earlier this year I was absolutely shocked to see how many of these young teenagers were unable to touch their toes with legs straight. It's a fundamental!

There's good reason that flexibility is so often in the same sentence as fitness, strength and muscle endurance.

Flexibility has been front of mind for me for many years - from discovering flexibility limitations. First from early dabbling in yoga, then from pole fitness, then from more focused yoga (and pole) and now from circus school.

I never really got the strength-flexibility connection; it recently has started to click into place.

I'm fortunate in that I've generally always been reasonably flexible. Part natural - perhaps - and part because I've always incorporated stretching elements here and there - but never with much focus or attention.

I can touch my toes (the ground actually with a flat hand) and sitting on the ground with legs extended I can pretty much get my stomach on my thighs (thank you circus school). Even so, I can't do the splits (in any direction) and I'm not very good at sitting with legs in a v and striving to get my belly on the ground. Not the worst but really not good.

For me flexibility has always been about range of motion. More flexible = greater range of motion.

On Monday night at circus school we did a warm-up and then some conditioning drills. Leg lifts are a HUGE part of aerial performances, regardless of this discipline: silks, pole, aerial hoop, trapeze, rope... you name it. At some stage you'll be hanging above the ground by your hands and you've got to lift your legs above your head. C.O.R.E. strength. Big one. When I started at circus school in July last year I couldn't lift my legs much past half-way (90 degrees). I've progressively improved - as have my classmates. I thought I was pretty strong before. Not half!

So, Monday night our trainer takes us through a bunch of core drills with plank variations and other nasty-but-nice stuff. Then, we go to the pull up bars and he demands six leg lifts - all the way up. And you know what? We got it! Almost all of us completed the six reps with a great deal of proficiency. We haven't done this for a while so it was quite a kick. Just watching my classmates' successes was as good as experiencing my own. Watching them, I got a feel for that whole flexibility-strength connection.

For me, both elements have improved over the months. Because my touch-my-toes flexibility (pike) has improved, my leg lifts have improved. My strength has improved because I'm able to lift my legs over a greater range of motion. And, I've got this greater range of motion with straight legs - so I'm lifting a longer lever (harder) and it looks way better than bent knees. Ping-pong! The connection!

While flexibility can be measured (and improved) in every joint, I find that the good 'ol bend over and touch your toes is probably the most beneficial one to work on and a good measure of whether you're missing the party or not. Aside from being linked to the ability to cut your own toenails with ease, it's also beneficial for your running (stretch those hammies!) - and everything else too.

Cruising the web tonight I spotted an interesting paper linking hamstring flexibility and overuse injuries (running). Two groups of runners were used in the study: one group of runners who had sustained at least one overuse running injury and one group of runners who had been injury free throughout their running careers. There were no significant differences between the groups in average running pace, weekly distance run nor any of the other training variables analysed.

The sit and reach test, in which the IF [injury free] group performed better than the I [injured] group, was the only anthropometric variable that differed significantly between the groups. This result appears to support the speculation of several authors who have suggested that a lack of flexibility could lead to overuse injuries in runners. Lack of flexibility may increase the stiffness of a muscle, possibly placing more stress on the adjacent joints. Poor flexibility could also be indicative of a muscular imbalance, which would facilitate the earlier onset of fatigue, thereby leading to improper mechanics during the latter stages of a run.

Interestingly, there is no experimental evidence to demonstrate that stretching before or after running reduces the risk of overuse injuries. Similar results were found in the present study, with no differences reported in stretching habits between groups. 

These results suggest that maintaining flexibility of the hamstrings may be important in preventing overuse running injuries, while the use of stretching as a means of warm up or cool down is not effective in reducing overuse injury risk.

Yes, hammies are the big problem. Tight hammies mean that you'll never get those hands under your toes, much less to your toes. Hamstring flexibility can improve with time and attention. It really does.

After working out, give some thought to your hammies. There are a dozen (and more) hamstring stretches that can be done (like here and here). Sitting standing, legs together, legs apart. It all helps. You'll need to put in a bit more than a quick five-second fold over if you want to see improvements. Aim for >10-second hold with a few repeats and every time you breathe out, sink deeper into the stretch. Don't overdo it though - easy does it.

How about we make May 'Touch your Toes Month' with the aim to improve from wherever you are now?

Nice hamstring stretch video from Runner's World.



[The other big toe-touching barrier is a large belly; if your stomach prevents you from touching your toes, then you're missing the plot (unless you're pregnant). Self-inflicted disability, folks].

Repeat photography quest

A few years ago I discovered 'repeat photography' after being tagged by a friend on Facebook on a historical photo taken in the Parys area.

rePhotoSA was established by the Plant Conservation Unit at the University of Cape Town. They have  been scanning old photographs for two decaudes to have them saved in digital form. They have assigned images to geographic areas (where they have information on the general area where the photo was taken) and they ask 'citizen scientists' to attempt to re-photograph the exact scene. This gives them study material of the changes in vegetation to an area over time. 

On their Facebook page description they write:

"This project encourages you as the public or 'citizen scientist' to contribute to an understanding of how South Africa's environment has been changing and is continuing to change. This is done by comparing two photographs of the same view, taken at different times, and then recording the major changes that have taken place between the photos. This approach is called 'repeat photography'."

As rePhotoSA combines being outdoors, a bit of investigative sleuthing, good observation skills and some map work, it is like this was created just for me.

I can't believe that I haven't written about this on this blog before. I've just done a search for rePhoto and found nothing - WTF was I thinking? 

In the recent fires at UCT, the Plant Conservation Unit offices were destroyed and this is where their historical photographic collections were housed.

While they have most of the historical and repeated images in digital form, they were still busy digitising the few remaining large collections, where were destroyed and are now lost forever.

Since I've been in George, I had not looked on the rePhoto website to see what they had for this area. There are not many, but there are a few. I recognised two locations immediately. I have taken the photographs but the light really is not great and may have to wait for summer when the sun to more to the south. Of course, I'm striving for excellence.

There is a third photo that I am fairly certain of the exact location - I just need to go get it. The fourth, I'm confident of the general area and direction. I'd need to head there to look around (about 30 minutes from home).

As I travelled to Swellendam on Monday evening, I checked to see what was available along my route. I found three worthy photos. The one I have a 100% fix on but as it was off my route, I'll save it for another journey when I have more time. 

The second photo was assigned to an general area and shortly before dark, I saw it. It is visible in the George to Cape Town direction - if you're looking for it. On my return route, I snapped a photo from the side of the road but this will be one where I'll need to get further in on dirt farm roads to really nail the image.

Top photo taken by Acocks in 1968. My photo snapped from the side of the highway on 4 May 2021. Photographer position is probably on a higher hill, closer to the mountains and more to the left of where I am standing.

The third one was in Mossel Bay and just looking at it I had a fair idea of the general area and so I made for the location on my trip home. I was limited by driving a small truck with trailer so my manoeuvrability driving on small roads in an unfamiliar area, while looking at mountains, was limited. 

Nonetheless, I found a parking area and snapped a pre-rePhoto. My photographer position is close but a bit off. From the road I identified two other possible places nearby from where I should be able to get a more exact repeat. Parking and walking will give me better access.

Top photo by Pole-Evans in 1915. Bottom one by me on 4 May 2021. Mine is close but not exact. 

I have a connection to this Mossel Bay photo because it was taken by Pole-Evans in 1915. The repeat photographs that I duplicated in Parys were taken by Pole-Evans in 1919. Fascinating guy. I remember reading up about him a few years ago.

You can see my repeats for Parys on this page of the RePhotoSA website. Looking at these, I have another two pre-rePhotos saved on my computer. They were not 100% exact and so I didn't upload. For another two, I'm fairly certain of the general photographer position. I think I need to task my friends Graeme and Karen with getting these this winter (images show more of the terrain when the trees have no leaves).

Achieving a rePhoto is highly rewarding and I look forward to contributing more to this project.