A planned Creative Hub at Constitution Hill Over the last year I have missed exploring Joburg so was delighted when I got notification of a meeting in mid March about a Creative Hub planned for Constitutional Hill. Mariapoala McGurk, or MP as she is known, is the Public Programmes Coordinator at Constitutional Hill and she certainly […]
A prime birding location I wrote about Zaagkuilsdrift and KgomoKgomo in my last post but only posted one bird photograph! So more on the actual birding here. Just 50km north of Pretoria, this area is one of South Africa’s most prolific birding spots with grassland, woodland and water birds abounding. Illustrious company We knew we […]
Peter and the Wolf at the National Children’s Theatre until 18th April A specially constructed outdoor stage, a superb cast of 4 talented actors, a much loved story told by a narrator and various props; and a wonderful creative retelling of this story: with school holidays coming up Peter and the Wolf at the National […]
Liz at Lancaster is a bird friendly establishment Liz at Lancaster is recognized by BirdLife South Africa as a birding friendly establishment and we have hosted several members of Birdlife SA and arranged tours for international birders. I’m a very amateurish birder, tending to glaze over when it comes to warblers, pippits, larks and cisticolas ((but […]
A perfect safe healthy social event Need to get out into sun and fresh air, connect with like-minded people, explore one of Jozi’s treasures in a safe and secure environment, and be inspired by a social activist’s passion and enthusiasm .. look no further than a weekly Seniors walk in the Wilds on a Tuesday […]
2021 marks 50 years of Liz’s connection to 79 Lancaster Ave. As a young couple we purchased the house in 1971 from the original owner who had built it in 1948. We gradually altered to accommodate a growing family and then, with changed marital circumstances and children growing up, in 1994 Liz opened the Guesthouse […]
Lucille Davie’s Sophiatown tour I wrote briefly in my last blog about the history of SophiaTown, and its destruction in the late 1950s. This wholesale and devastating destruction of buildings left only four standing: Three that escaped were Christ the King Anglican Church, where Archbishop Trevor Huddleston preached, Dr Alfred Bitini Xuma’s house and St […]
Re- presentations of Sophiatown I am ashamed to say that the closest I had come to Sophiatown before February 2020, (more of the tour with Lucille Davie in my next blog) was attending the production of Malcolm Purkey’s play by that name at the Market Theatre in 1986. And of course I also knew Gerard […]
Beat the Lockdown blues by taking in some sun and fresh air and having a change of scenery. Within walking distance of Liz at Lancaster, Vice is the ideal place to “feel the vibe”. This small quirky coffee shop is an off-shoot of adjacent popular neighbourhood restaurant: Cnr Café. Vice specializes in excellent […]
Gerald Garner of Joburg Places I first met Gerald Garner over 8 years ago when I joined him on one of his walking tours of Jozi inner city. Back then I wrote about his informed, fascinating and passionate account of Joburg – from the early mining days, to its Modernist heyday at the height of […]