Introduction

The idea for this blog started off on a beautiful summer night in city that I love. A city that I feel deeply passionate about. I city with layers of history and amazing off-the-beaten-track places, people and events. I want to share experiences, recipies, architecture and generally everything that makes me love this place.
BUT there are a few things that you need to know and understand before you follow this blog. Let's call it huge chips on my shoulder or clarifications or confessions. I need to share it with you in order for you to understand the spirit of this blog:

1. I live in a duplex apartment in Sunnyside. A suburb previously occupied in the Apartheid years by wealthy white students. Now, it is often looked down apon and ever so often, when I tell people I live in Sunnyside, they raise their eyebrows and ask: isn't it dangerous there? I love this suburb immensely. There is a cosmopolitan mix of people. The smells and sounds are intriguing and it's always alive. The trees are mature and in Spring there is an awesome purple glow from the Jacaranda trees. So yes, I do not like the east of Pretoria, where so many of my friends and colleagues live. I do not feel safer in the East. I hate the traffic in the East. I especially hate the fact that all the houses and security complexes look the same and that there are no trees. So remember this: In future blogs, I will refer to the East of Pretoria as Mordor.
2. I deeply dislike Loftus and everything about it. Loftus is the rugby (and sometimes soccer) stadium a few block away from where I live. I don't mind the soccer fans, they are civilized. The rugby fans, however, really really really get the better of me. They braai on our lawns and they insult my Dachshunds. They literally camp out EVERYWHERE before a game and we often find hard-core fans the next morning passed out in our lovely parks. So yes, I do believe that Blue Bulls supporters think Loftus is some sort of a Mecca, with all the Dutch Reformed churches facing in its direction.
3. I couldn't care less about Joost and Amor and Robbie Clay and Jurie Els and all those idiots who make out Afrikaners as cheap and simple-minded. They don't even deserve a mention in this holy space but just to let you know: this is the first and last time their names will appear here.
4. I am an architect, so a lot of (but definitely not all) this blog will feature a bit of visual inspiration. I will try and deviate from all the wanna-be academics and make this more light hearted and honest. I will obviously give a biased opinion and I will stand up against bad design.
5. I will try to do at least a weekly post with visual and poetic inspiration for people who love this city. However, not everything will be Pretoria-related, there will be posts with nice things just for the hell of it.
6. Sometimes I will throw a little bit of Afrikaans in the mix. Beautiful words for a beautiful language. Because I was born and raised an Afrikaner and there's nothing racist about it, it's just embracing and not shying away from a culture that was previously linked with oppression.
7. Please please please leave comments. Happy comments, sad comments. But never comments that are discriminating, racist or demeaning. If you don't like what I'm doing here, then please don't read this blog anymore.
8. In the meantime, with the little time that I have available because of my demanding job, I will try to make this blog more visually pleasing. So please bear with me and watch this space...