I was in the CNA at Somerset Mall this morning, looking at the magazines. I spotted one that I liked the look of and picked it up to have a closer look. I noticed that it was a British magazine with a cover price of £4.99, but also noticed a sticker giving the local price as R122.50. The GBP/ZAR exchange rate is around 12 Rand to the Pound so this is way off. oanda.com currently give a conversion of R57.96 for £4.99. So the price they are selling it at is more than double the original cover price. I know there are costs involved in importing stuff, but what did they do, buy the magazine a seat on a plane? I hope that nobody is stupid enough to actually buy these magazines at such inflated prices.

I have a serious weight problem, being somewhere around twice my ideal body weight and need to start exercising a lot more, and eating a lot less. This morning I hauled myself out of bed at 5:15 and went cycling. We live near the sea and it's pretty flat so not too hard for an unfit slob like me. I have a 12km route that I follow that takes me down to the beachfront, along the full length of Beach Road and then back home. It is quite relaxing to ride along in the predawn light, looking at the sea and thinking about the day ahead. Sometimes I see other's out exercising; walking, jogging or cycling. It is usual to greet one another as you pass, so this morning when two cyclists overtook me as I cruised along at my slow pace, I said "Good Morning". Much to my surprise these dickheads didn't even acknowledge me with a nod, let alone a word of greeting. Perhaps it was because I was riding a mountain bike, rather than the road racer's they were on, but rather than assume some roadie snobbery as the reason I'll just assume that they are rude arseholes, wrapped up in their own little worlds.

Went back out to Rooiels on Sunday, with Mela this time, and spent a couple of hours walking, sitting watching the sea and of course taking photographs.

I try to be a good driver, be courteous and stick to the speed limit. Of course like any South African I do speed a little and occasionally I get a speeding ticket. I think I have only had five or so in the 24 years I've been driving.

Anyway, I received one of my rare speeding tickets in the mail a few days ago and the way these things work is quite ridiculous. I was caught by a camera trap while on my way home and the trap was only three or four kilometres from my home. But there is only one place that I may pay it, at the Parow traffic department. Parow is in Cape Town, around 40 kilometres from where I live and was caught speeding. I don't go into Cape Town very often, so why I should have to go there to pay a fine is beyond me. Fortunately I can mail in a cheque, which is what I've done. But what if I had been here on holiday and having returned home I receive a ticket through the mail and for some reason the mail was delayed so there is not enough time to mail a cheque before the due date? Would I have to return to Cape Town to pay my fine, or wait to be summonsed to appear in court, in Cape Town?

In years gone by you could pay a fine at any police station, no matter where the ticket was issued. Why this is no longer possible, when there are more forms of electronic communication linking everywhere is really beyond me.

A sunset viewed over two Strand beach landmarks, the fence and pipeline.