Green Route KZN

01/07/2025

I’m back, after a month-long pause in regular programming. June was challenging and the ‘ensh*ttification’ of the world (it’s a real word) felt too overwhelming to publish a newsletter. I went to a bookbinding workshop with a wonderful woman called Zanele and I’m ready to write again. Small steps.

Take a break from the world

30/05/2025

I am here to try to make sense of my childhood as a nomad. And because a month ago a friend invited me to a talk called The Art of Memoir. And because I believe in the confluence of events that showed me the Blown Away By Books memoir workshop. I always say it’s not about me and ask other people for their opinions but maybe it is about me.

A memoir isn't necessarily happy

22/05/2025

He is warning you that this is his home … here, as a guardian of the wetlands.

Chip Snaddon's land art piece takes a bold stance

15/05/2025

Join us for a talk on guerilla gardening with fynbos!

Fynbos Corridor Collaboration and Eva van Belle, who is passionate about indigenous plants and fauna, invite you to a talk at Neighbourhood Farm where Van Belle will discuss creating small guerilla gardens in open urban spaces.

Van Belle has a large mountainside fynbos garden in Fish Hoek and she has also created, and now maintains, several small guerilla gardens near her home.

Eva van Belle from Fish Hoek talks guerilla gardening with fynbos and indigenous plants

08/05/2025

Cape Town caught fire. It started in Tokai, swept up the Constantiaberg and over to Silvermine, along to Clovelly, and then continued to Kalk Bay, Muizenberg, and Lakeside.

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best

22/04/2025

How do we talk about trees in a rational, calm way? The wrong tree in the wrong place is a problem. “Wrong trees” are alien, invasive trees. The “wrong place” is close to your house. Why wrong? Because if the tree traps embers from an urban fire your house could catch fire.

How can we protect our homes from urban fires?

16/04/2025

A friend invited me to an artist’s walkabout at a gallery in central Cape Town. Joy Carkeek is soft-spoken and gentle. A former art teacher, during lockdown she started to experiment with her artworks. Tearing them up, burying them in soil, experimenting with simple poetry. Haiku. Powerful pieces.

I was expecting slow stitching and repurposing but the poignancy of some of the exhibits evoked strong emotions.

A gentle release of emotions on an art walkabout

12/04/2025

Send a message to learn more

10/04/2025

Living in Clovelly means interacting with wildlife. I’ve seen baboons in our garden, a caracal on the golf course, snakes in our trees, and porcupines snuffling along the other side of our fence. And lots of Western Leopard toads. I haven’t seen otters in the wetland area (yet) although lots of neighbours have encountered them on their wetland walks. This week’s guest post is from Martin Scholtz from Friends of Silvermine Nature Area, who tells us about a stick sculpture of an otter taking shape in the wetland.

Chip Snaddon's stick sculpture is taking shape in the Silvermine River wetland area