Preventing double trouble

The square root of 4 is 2. But they have doubled up. This week Tina of the esteemed Lens-Artist quartet encourages us to two:

“Double trouble, double-time, two’s company, take two ….  the world is filled with references to twosomes. This week, let’s double our pleasure and focus on things that come in twos”.

Go see  if she doubles her pleasure or if she gets into double the trouble.  These two can go hand in hand!

Last week I prepared a post without posting it (this has happened a few times this year including Afrikaans posts)!! This week I am doubling up the p’s – by preparing and posting (I hope).

Tina’s challenge has intrigued me. At first I thought it would be interesting to digitally page through my photos in search of twosomes as I couldn’t remember photos were I specifically focused on 2 subjects apart from my beautiful daughters. But the paging got unstuck when my attention got stuck to the photos I took at East Fort, Hout Bay in the Western Cape Province of South Africa about 6 weeks ago.

I did not plan to take these photos. In fact I started the day by hiking up Table Mountain having been invited by friends. After 30 minutes of two-stepping I excused myself. I was nursing a painful ankle and realized that if I continued I may need a full-time nurse and may be unable to do sport for weeks. But as I was on the other side of the mountain camera in hand, I searched for photo opportunities and right next to the road East Fort (which I never heard of before) caught my eye.

Underneath are 2 identical rooms with identical sized windows, although due to the angle it may not appear so. These were the barracks of the soldiers stationed at East Fort. The sun winked fondly at me.

Barrack O Soldiers

⇓This is the sun’s and soldiers’ view when peering through the window. The mountain is known as the Sentinel and these are the ruins of Eastern Fort. Inversely they have a similar shape: sloping upwards, a vertical drop and sloping downwards again – two very different twins. The Sentinel mountain have been guarding the Cape from eternity. In the 1700’s Sentinels were stationed at Eastern Fort to “guard” the Sentinel. The living Eastern Fort sentinels have dwindled to a solitary sentinel pierced on top of the wall. The ageless solitary Sentinel mountain still stands strong in the knowledge that across the bay they form a sentinel twosome.

solitary sentinels

⇓The view from one of the windows of the soldier’s barracks. I stood here and the word image of sentinels gazing upon sentinels popped into my mind.

sentinels gazing upon sentinels

⇓The other side of East Fort, with a twosome windblown trees guarding the fort. Due to the winds of the Cape of Storms,  the trees and its branches were forced to develop in a specific direction. No prizes for guessing from which side the wind predominantly blows.

two blown about

⇓The single file painted on the road in front of the fort made me smile. It was the first time in more than 30 years – since military conscription – I was reminded of the term. Another command was in double quick time, when marching in one place. Here pairs of wheels are urged to stay in single file and as they are going downhill, it will happen in double quick time.

2 wheels in single file

⇓About 300 meter lower down the actual purpose of the East Fort became evident. The sentinels stationed there were on the look-out to spot enemy ships. Upon spotting them they needed to race down to the 8 cannons in double quick time to prevent double trouble – an enemy entering the bay.

a troublesome twosome

⇓A message attached to the cannon balls to the right reads: In memory of our “Master Gunner“. As this “master gunner” lived in the 20th century it was probably a symbolic remark. They certainly chose a beautiful place to celebrate his memory, creating an incentive to come and visit the master gunner.

In honour of the lens artist quartet – that cannon has 4 wheels

For more information regarding East fort and heritage sites in South Africa you can access the Heritage portal by clicking here. A quote from the site featuring East Fort: 

“On the 15th Sept 1795 the guns were fired in anger foiling the possible entry to the Bay of a squadron of British warships. HMS Echo, a 16 gun ship sloop, entered the Bay and drew fire from both East and West Forts forcing ECHO’s speedy withdrawal. HOUT BAY WON THE DAY! “

The coming weekend Japan hosts the final of the Rugby World Cup between South Africa and England.  England a 15 player sloop will try  and win the World cup but due to fierce defense leading to attacking play the two time world champions SOUTH AFRICA, WILL WIN THE DAY!!!

https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/match/final