Comet chasing

As soon as I heard about the coming of Comet McNaught, plans had to be made to get out and see it. These tended to revolve around a number of people, in Land Rovers, with gas braais and beer making it to the top of the Magaliesberg at Breedt's Nek. Unfortunately, the weather didn't play along for the first week, with thunderstorms getting in the way for the first week.

On the evening of the 22nd of January, I was in Polokwane for work reasons, with a clear sky and much less stray city light or pollution than we have down in Gauteng. Then in all ended up being in the right place at the right time, with the right weather and the right lens. As the evening grew darker, the comet started to come into view.

Until just after 8 PM, when the sky had darkened almost completely and the comet was visible in all its glory.

27 December 2006 - Hogsback

IMGP2009, originally uploaded by henkcoetzee.

Sometimes things all get together. The night before there had been a lot of rain in Hogsback. Some combination of weather, rain, water, mist and probably fairies got the spiders out spinning in earnest that morning.

Nature fenced in

This idea came to me early last year, on a trip over Naudesnek in the Eastern Cape. Right at the top of the highest public road in South Africa, I came across these flowers surrounded by barbed wire. It got me thinking about how much of South Africa is now fenced in and inaccessible, but how beauty can sometimes fights its way through.


In Hogsback during December, I ran into a few more fences, with nature fighting back. I'm not sure if this theme will carry on in my pictures or not, but I'll explore it for a while still.