Thursday 25 December 2014

CHRISTMAS BLOG 2014!

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2014!

Happy Christmas Blogsters! greetings from the Western Cape in ZA, Zuid Afrika, on this christmas day 2014! today i'm in Stanford, a place i had never heard of year ago. home the famous cowboy house with the lap pool that is still on my to-do list. one day...

wow, a year ago i was in Nairobi with no idea i would be here in ZA this christmas. funny how life can take you on twists and turns! and new countries or new continents and new places and new people! 

the kenya experiment was all but over and the next move was yet to unveil itself. aka, i was clueless. but by mid jan of this year the idea of moving to ZA became into focus. and then into being.

feeling so blessed this Christmas for all my new friends here, my amazing places to live, to be a partner in the Bread Shack, and all the new adventures of moving to new land. and the greatest christmas gift of all...my 3 year work visa!

so here is the mini-blog. just some fun pics and a little Christmas update and wishing everyone all over the world a merry christmas and a prosperous and happy new year! and i hope you all feel a sense of hope and of good things to come, as i do! and now for the pics! BTW, i'm moving to the Strand, the beach side of Somerset West and below Cape Town. i had thought of moving into the city centre district but i have community here in this part of the world and the thought of starting all over again not knowing a soul was too daunting. so i'm now a bike ride away from Triggerfish and Bread Shack and can run and walk along the beach. life is good. peace to all! Immanuel! God is with us!

space age condo building 2 doors down from new crib. on the Strand. Atlantica??

my friend is a grip for Black Sails, the Starz pirate tv series. they needed a wind machine. this giant 4 blade
V-8 driven rig should bring the gale force tempest! don't stand behind it! it might pull your shirt off!

real mexican in green point? hmmmm. 

pure Bread Shack artisan bread goodness.

our bread shack rack.

johan holds up the white loaf. brick oven behind him!

sourdough yum.

bio-wheat non-GMO stone ground flour. cooked "on the floor" for a rustic shape and taste.

okay no more bread pics.

my new crib. 15th floor. called Ocean View appropriately.
yes, the Jetsons live here too.

started doing the Parkrun every saturday at 8am. a 5k jaunt thru the vineyards. very cool. and healthy!

some Parkrunners.

start and finish line.

i volunteered to point the finger. "this way".

table shopping for new unfurnished pad

PJ came with the HOG smoker to cook texas style bbq at triggerfish brewery.
load firewood in the box on the right, and the hot smoke cooks the meat to the left.

beef brisket. smoked all day. texas good.

patio furniture? sure looks weatherproof!

lunch at another vineyard near Stellenbosch

christmas pageant at Blaawklippen christmas mart. of course i had some ideas for better blocking but who to tell??

santa's elf and reindeer to help with wrapping! very sweet!

got to use my new HD onboard monitor on a recent shoot with Paper/Jet prods. fun!

wild lines with host Ephraim. 

driving to Stanford. N2. loving open road.

small town church in Stanford.

the Stanford Players Variety Show. a smash hit!

don gelato. yummy.

me and elizabeth. a cherry server.  no, really. 

lunch in Hermanus.

the best placed to eat in Stanford. only open friday night. alex and tabby will serve you slow food goodness.

christmas celebration and carols on the Stanford pitch.

afrikaaner and hollywood actress musetta pops by the lake for some vino.

she's a world class talent. i directed her in Johnny. she's amazing.

Helderberg, my old hood.

okay, one more bread shot. the before shot.

the new crib. a whole new life will begin! again! BTW, the 15th floor 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath condo lease
is less than my living expenses at the Stable in NBO. go figure! 

balcony view of cape point across False Bay. table mountain far right.

looking up the Strand, low tide.

my back view. also nice. miami vice?

And my own pool. vertigo. 

the lake is warm enough to swim now. it's summer here!
michelle kisses the tiki before joining me.

Bread Shack open for business. like us on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bread-Shack/728673873853805

the best bread ever!

our hearth. also doubles as a pizza oven! wood burning goodness!

Birkenstock brewery in Stanford. always a treat!

roast beef for christmas eve dinner at The Chancey's! a feast! i'm so blessed! merry christmas to all! 

Monday 8 December 2014

COTW: SEASON 4 - EPISODE #2 - THE NEW LIFE BEGINS

COTW: SEASON 4 - EPISODE #2 - A NEW LIFE

LEGIT

well, the 3 year Exceptional Skills Permit / work visa has certainly been a game changer. i am now officially a Capetonian, and no longer an illegal alien but now a documented temporary resident . i am legit. whether or not i can crack this market as a director is another story, but it's my dream to do so and i will slowly chip away at it. i have some time now to make some inroads. and it's definitely going to be a "connection" business i have a feeling. but how? i will consider it a major victory when i get my first directing gig. it would be amazing to spend my golden years living and working here in Western Cape, such a stunning place. so holding thumbs i can get a break. probably not likely this year with the holidays coming upon us to get a gig, but i'll put some feelers out and hopefully get some meetings next year.
the giant hurdle was getting the permit, which is proving harder and harder to come by. i just beat the May 1 deadline when they revamped all the Home Affairs laws to make it much harder to get a work permit and be here. i'm still shooting for my residency card but they may be equally tough to come by. industry wise, there is also Crew companies that rep crew people, so that would be also a small coup to get with one of them.

RE-ENTRY
expats may relate, but sometimes returning to a foreign country is tricky. can't explain why, but my re-entry this time after a month in the states was especially hard at first. no momentum, no Plan B if the permit fell through, a bit aimless to say the least. luckily the permit came 2 weeks after my return, but i had some dark days wondering what i was doing here and where i would go next. hard to find the groove i had before i left. things change quickly living abroad and day to day can be quite an emo swing, but i'm back on the horse and having more good days than bad. it's a process, folks, becoming a local. and now that i have papers, i can proceed with Plan A. which was the only plan i really ever had.

TURTLE UPDATE
had some hard news coming back...Electric Sky, my turtle doco global distributor in the UK had gone "into administration" which is Brit for belly up! bankrupt! redundant? anyway, out of biz! so, no more dist deal. back to square one. which is a little tough since all my leads had been exhausted. so now what??? IDK! had a new lead, a gal formerly with MNET who did Acquisitions, who suggested Nat Geo Channel in Joburg should see it, so i Expressed Mailed a package off this morning. also Edwina Thring in Germany is still on the fringe, but crickets from her lately. and so it goes. Turtles are still for sale and i still believe that project fell in my lap for whatever reason for some purpose and it will find a home. hmmm..Al Jezeera??

HOUSING
the other issue hanging over me was housing. i'm due out of Papyrus Lodge Jan 28 and being a gypsy again was overwhelming. not knowing where to live was the killer part. in DTCT? City Centre? Stellenbosch? Somerset West? Strand? Stanford? come back to Papyrus in 6 weeks time???
the thought of starting all over again in CPT not knowing anyone nor the lay of the land was too daunting. i'm just finally gaining community in the SSW area. so after much gnashing of teeth, and no more patience to wait and see what would happen come jan 1, i found something that "leaped" out at me, on Beach Road in the Strand on the 15th floor of a 16 story modern building, Ocean View. 102 sq meters. 2 bedroom 2 en suite bath. and an extra WC in the foyer. dimmer light switches. killer ocean view, nice breeze, and even protected from the maddening South Eastern winds that blow from Gordon's Bay directly behind me. all in all, the kind of place you get to live in once in a lifetime. i negotiated on the price and the owner came down and met me halfway so i'm taking it. see pics below! so relieved to have this settled. living in Papyrus fully furnished for 6 months began to feel like a Hampton Inn. not that homey. the new place is unfurnished and ready for DDM to trick it out. and i have an option to buy if i blow up in CPT somehow in the workplace. who knows?? it's pretty amazing. you can see the whole Cape from my window, from Table Mountain to Cape Point on a clear day. lekker, poa sana, and very cool pad. my new crib! excited!
walks on the beach, bike rides, dinner parties, company welcome, pool, parking, braais, all good! i guess i'm a Strandian now! think early Venice Beach...kinda rough around the edges, but i'm south of the riffraff for the most part. and 170 feet high! not bad Dr. Jones.

PICTURE TIME
so that's it. episode 2 with not much cliff hanging. christmas in stanford, new crib for new years, i did have a commercial audition for Kia, but to no avail. felt good, but you can't book em all! onto the next! and now your favourite part...pics!

merry christmas to all! Emmanuel! 


Flippie busted out this amazing white. a nice surprise. he has a fine collection!


fun at Oktoberfest in November! OOMPAH!


friend Johan with my ex! as if!


often imitated, never duplicated!


terrific oompah house band!


lorella in NBO wears her new kicks from the states! Nike power!


new coffee shop/ new office! helderbrg centre. christmas spirit!


Bread Shack. like us on Facebook...https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bread-Shack/728673873853805


A day at the races...Newlands style


my horse came in second. Placed they say. ticket to win NG!


Winner's Circle


not nearly the same romantic vibe as Nairobi Racecourse. no feel at all.


30 seconds to Mars concert was like a high school pep rally. really Jared? 


camera torches have replaced holding up your lighters .


cafe corner in cape town city centre. just missed a really cool flat there. but new crib wins.


loving the scooter action!


late night Wimpy session after collecting Matt at CPT Int'l in from NBO (Nairobi folks)


love these old scooters. hmmm.


Matt takes Betsy for a spin!


thanksgiving in Stanford with matt & Jennie and a cast of thousands! 


the proverbial feast!


signage


Turkey day menu. printed. scripty font. place cards. yum.


Felicity dressed up for the holiday. such great kids...all 11 of them!


sundowner cape town Waterfront


Besty at cape of good hope on a very rare glassy day.


photo op


george and karen goldey, some new friends from LA on holiday.


Dixie's in Simon's Town looking across False Bay to SSW - Somerset West.


standard fare. more geowalking required! 


Windhoek is a beer and the capital of Namibia.


more Dixie's on a sunday putt putt on Betsy. False Bay behind.


scooter sighting in Stellenbosch.


NBO mate Simon Lee at Long Street Cafe, one of my faves!


more Long Street Cafe


lake at Papyrus. sunset. windy season is here.


Bread Shack is getting fun! we have product!


Fred & Max, sexy eatery in SSW


stone-ground flour, non GMO, unbleached, cooked on the floor of the hearth


said hearth


Johan makes another batch


big batch


for sale at a recent christmas mart


new logo is nice


BMW GS800 Adventurer. hmmmm.


wine country


Sound of Music???


vineyards for miles


early grapes


das boot


wine walking


the hills are alive...


hearth at rest


Ocean View. new crib second floor from the top on right hand tower.


and a pool


trippy looking building. i like.


view to gordon's bay from the street


beer at Ocean Basket right down the street. convenient!


main space, new crib


view from outdoor balcony 


view to the back




ostrich steaks for dinner! so good! and low fat fowl!


the view from papyrus crib. Helderberg mountain. only a few weeks left.


one of the last sundowners on the lake.


oak valley vineyard lunch


Belle shared the day.


perfect salad


perfect brunch.