Beading dead-end

Some days just do not go according to plan! And some designs just do not work out at all!

What you see here is the accumulation of several attempts and at least 2 afternoons worth of work trying to make a beaded strap for a bracelet! But no matter what I try I cant get it right. So rather than pull my hair out I am going to set this aside until inspiration strikes (also I have more interesting projects I want to play around with).

This is what my kitchen looked like on sunday as I got started on my newest design a beaded bag!

Well keep well all

Love Jet

Cape Town Weather

Hi Peeps

Yes I know its been awhile. Moving to a new city and getting settled in is so time consuming! But no matter things have been happening. Cape town is a city of many seasons. During the winter months (like now) cold fronts blow in from the South bring mist, rain and wind.

Mountain in the Mist

Dont believe the hype! This is what Cape Town really looks like

Walking in Newlands Forest gives some respite from the rain

The rain will generally then settle in and continue intermittently for several days. But be assured whenever you are about to go outside, no matter how long its been since the last cloud burst there will be another just then. It proves that somewhere up there is a spiteful little man known as Murphy!

The blowing wind also means that the only advantage an umbrella provides is to make you look like you are trying to audition for the part of Merry Poppins in a local play - cos it sure doesnt keep the rain out. Last week saw a particularly brutal front come through bringing torrential rain, seriously it was coming down like it was being poured out of a bucket - for hours! And the wind was so strong that it could blow the dog's largeish kennel (admittedly its made of plastic, but still) around the garden. I just hope he wasnt in it when it started moving.

These moments are then separated by dry not sunny just dry days.

However spring did decide to show herself over a recent long weekend, coinciding with Women's Day. Giving me some amazing views over Cape Town, the like of which I have not yet seen. So instead of cleaning the house and doing some beading I spend most of the weekend sitting outside in the garden soaking up the sun like a lizzard. Or going for long walks with Hero the pictures below were taken from Newlands forest.

Muizenberg beach with the Swartberg Mountains in the distance, note snow on the peaks

Cape Town southern suburbs, are visible

First time I could actually see False Bay from Newlands!

I am constantly on the lookout for new places to take Hero for walks both to provide him with some variety and to have something to do on the weekend (other than work or beading) that doesn't cost anything and gets me out of the house! On Sunday I chose a spot on the Mountain near Muizenberg (above Lakeside to be specific). I so wish I had taken my camera cos it was a gorgeous walk. What I didn't realise about this walk was that it consisted of a rocky, stepped path going basically straight-up a steep sided mountain. Worse was to come, as I'm panting and staggering up this walk I am passed by an older woman strolling up it casually at double my speed, followed shortly after by 2 gents running up the path. Well I might not be able to keep up with these people on speed, but I wasn't going to do less than them, now we had to get to the top! Hero was ready to turn back but I insisted and we did get to the top, which was lovely but now had to contend with another problem. I had only gone out at about 4.30 thinking we would just do an easy hours walk. So now I had to head back down the mountain on shaking knees, as it was getting dark!
Needless to say we made it down arriving at the bottom just before full dark and my legs still haven't forgiven me but it was well worth it. Next time camera!

Settling in

Hi Peeps

Needless to say I made it to Cape Town, safe and sound. Hero was an absolute angel on the journey down, no getting car sick, no messing in no barking at people in the hotel. So he then blighted his record by pooping on the new carpets right in front of the Landlady within five minutes of our arriving! She was ticked off! Oh well, there is nothing that can make you look as common as dogs and children. The new flat is really nice and big, but kinda lacking in cupboard space, my beads are still occupying the floor, sigh! The place is on the first block from the beach front, so I can hear the sea (depending on the wind direction) from my patio, and Hero and I now go walking there regularly. In fact here are some pictures of our first day out on the beach. The South Easter was pumping and the kite surfers were out in force.

Kite surfers out at Muizenberg

Hero enjoying the wind in his ears

Running away from the surf

I think the only people enjoying the beach that day were the kite surfers!

We are still settling in slowly. Hero cried a lot whenever he was left alone on the first few days. But I got him a new kennel and between the warmer weather and get his getting used to a new schedule he seems to be calming down. I should ask my landlady but Im a bit scared to disturb the water too much, but she hasnt complained. So I will let you know how things are going.
Love Jet

Artwork beading - African style

Hi peeps

Today I said goodbye to my home of the past four years and I am currently homeless until the middle of next week when I drive down to Cape Town. It has taken several days to pack up my modest one bed flat, but I am flattened by how much stuff I have accumulated there. Here is a picture of the packing process and by process I mean chaos!

One afternoon this week I took a pause from packing to go and get some lunch at the local Woolworths. As I was driving up the beaded statues of a local artisan caught my eye.  Now you see these things everywhere in SA and I have I have to admit they have never appealed to me, but these pieces of beaded art were just calling out my name!  This is why you should never go shopping on an empty stomach! Anyway I bought firstly a little rabbit statue.

For me it represents my Masters which I have just finished as rabbits figured highly in the work I was doing. These pictures which I snapped off quickly when I got home dont do it justice. But it was the Kudu artwork that really spoke to me.

Isnt it cool? I had to put it up the moment I got home even though Im actually taking all my pictures down.

In the above picture you also get to see the horrible custard yellow colour of my walls. If I never see a yellow wall again it will be too soon!

I am very impressed with the skill and workmanship of these pieces. And while bright colours are not usually my style I think this will make a great focal piece (once I have somewhere to hang it)! I cant wait to get it to Cape Town even although as the flat is fully furnished all my other pictures are staying. I just want to bring a bit of Jozi flavour to the Cape with me to brighten up those rainy winter days!

I am making the journey next week. I will let you know how it does.

Cheers.

Micro Brewery Tour

Hi Peeps

I have put off posting until I could report success on the home front - that I had found a place to stay in Cape Town - which I finally have. It has taken 3 weeks of hard searching but I have finally managed it! I will be moving to Muizenberg, which those of you familiar with Cape Town will quickly tell me is rather far from UCT, but its near the beach for dog walking purposes. And lets face it if you are going to move to the sea then do it properly! The place is fully furnished which solves a lot of my packing and shipping problems too.

Muizenberg beach
Image source: capetownmagazine.com

It has been a long and difficult week trying to find a new home, as time is running out so I have not been in the most amicable of moods. In fact I have been downright grumpy the last two days! but this morning I finally had the pick up I needed!

At the Palaeontological Society of South Africa (PSSA) conference last September I presented a talk on the origin of and archaeological evidence for beers and wine. This presentation,which won me the "Order of the Boot" Prize was presented in a tongue-in-cheek style. So funny was this talk that Ian McKay the education and outreach head here at the ESI has asked me to present the talk again as part of National Science Week celebrations at the end of July, which will be held at Wits. We have decided to run with this theme and Ian contacted the head of the Wits micro brewery to see if they wanted to get involved. Thus the head brewer Anthony and I will be doing back to back talks on beer and a beer tasting will be run during the week. So first thing this morning saw Anthony giving Ian and I a tour of the wits micro brewery, which was damn cool. As were the discussions about the Science week activities. Anthony is even keen on attempting a 'ancient ale'  himself! So cool things coming up...

See the Wits micro brewery facebook page

I haven't beaded this week, been spending my evenings packing but I can feel the longing to bead stirring in my breast, so I think I will do some this evening.
Keep well, hope you are all having warmer weather than us
Love Jet

Dinosaur hunting

Hi guys

I recently spent the week in the Southern Drakensberg on a field trip. This field trip had two purposes to excavate a new dinosaur fossil while my friend Kelsey and I collected plants for her research. I though I would share a little insight into the science side of my life with my readers.

We were staying near Elliot in beautiful mountainous territory. Its the dry season so the veld was brown but still majestic.

Kelsey and I spent four days driving and walking around the farms collecting plants on which she is going to undertake genetic analyses.

Kelsey collecting plants from a road cutting

Kelsey with some of her plants 

Getting to all her localities involved some rough roads and even climbing to the top of Naude's Neck, the highest pass in South Africa. Kelsey (who is America) kept calling it "Nowdi's" Neck which is now the name I have got stuck in my head!

View from the top of Naude's Neck, the highest pass in South Africa

While we girls were having an adventure in the mountains Jonah and the boys were getting dirty excavating. Below is how the fossil looked like when we got there. On the right of the picture the white dinosaur's femur can be seen.

The site before excavations

Once a fossil site is identified we go in with hammers and chisels and brushes and slowly excavate - we dont want to damage any of the remains below the surface.

Palaeontologists at work

In cases where the rock matrix in which the fossil has been preserved is extremely hard a rock saw is used to help break the mass up. However we try to avoid using this applicance too close to the remains as there is always a danger of cutting through a fossil.

Jonah welding the rock saw, surrounded by a plume of dust - cool picture if I do say so myself!

And below is the site at the end of the excavations. I know it doesnt seem like much progress, but thats palaeontology, slow and steady wins the race. In this case the matrix is very tough. Next time Jonah will take more assistants and heavier equipment and he will get much more out.

After four days of excavating

The local road crew generously donated some of their time and helped by using their 'backhoe' as the americans kept calling it to remove some of the large boulders covering the area over where the front end of the dinosaur is buried, making it safer for us to excavate next time. At the same time they suggested using the machine to pull topsoil and small rocks over the site of protect it.
So our total progress for the excavation was nill! But plans are afoot to return in the spring to finish the job.

All round it was a fun trip, I hope to do many more like it.

Take care of yourselves
Love jet

PS! While I was in the field my supervisor contacted to let me know that my examiners have gotten back to me with their corrections.
The corrections are all minimal, mostly just spelling error and small things like that, which is good. One examiner even recommended a distinction!
I am going down to Cape Town on Friday for a week to try and find somewhere to stay and I was hoping I would be able to register there at the same time. But in order to register I first need to submit the final document of my masters.
So I have been frantically busy trying to get all my corrections done and everything ready in time. Its a neck and neck race to the finish, at this point as there are letters and signatures I need from other people and it depends on how long they take.
I will let you know if I make it! and I will let you know how Cape Town goes.
Cheers

Bushman Beading

Hi all

I had a wonderful experience on Monday that I wanted to share with you. One of the researchers in our department, who I have mentioned in a previous post has been working with groups of San Bushmen for many years. Every year she travels to their rural villages in the northern-most part of Botswana and Namibia to undertake experiments. Many of these experiments entail testing hominid butchery patterns produced by stone tools on animal remains. The Bushmen butcher the carcasses and take the meat and Lucinda then studies the cut mark patterns on the bones. During these periods Lucinda stays in the village with them and experiences their very traditional way of life.

 Recently as part of a new and very exciting project Lucinda brought some of the village elders on their first ever trip to Johannesburg where they have been investigating some of the many cultural artifacts housed in the Museum Africa in Newtown. They had brought some of their own bead work with them to sell. As they live in such rural environments selling their handmade crafts is a major source of income for them.

Twisted necklace of Ostrich egg-shell beads, choker length.  The number of beads that appears to have gone into this surprisingly solid necklace is amazing!

Closeup of necklace showing the detail of all those beautiful beads

Their stuff was amazing! Intricately beaded headbands and handbags made out of both glass beads in bright colours and ostrich egg-shell beads. Although none of us could fit the headbands on, they were so tiny! And the things made out of Ostrich egg-shell beads were spectacular! I bought 2 necklaces. I just wanted to show you the intricacy of the work and the wonderful patterns you can get from Ostrich egg-shell beads. It was particularly exciting as I started a new project using these beads myself last week. And which is almost finished!

The other necklace showing white and brown (dyed) egg-shell beads with glass beads

Details of the back of the necklace and the clasp

Closeup of the strands with their mixed beads

It was a wonderful experience to meet them and seeing their beads has given me some excellent inspiration! Seriously I havnt been able to concentrate on work all week! I especially want to play around and try to work out how they make the necklaces.
If you would like to know more about how these beads are made or where one can buy jewellery like this follow this Link

PS I had a picture of the Bushmen themselves to show you but no matter what I do it keeps uploading upside down! Sigh.