Brian’s Walk and OMG HOW MUCH?!??!

After being away for the long weekend and the rigours of the kids’ Science Week to prepare for, plus a myriad of bugs to grow in the lab, I’m only finding time to catch up on the other blogs I read. Top of that list, as regular readers will already know, is BrianMicklethwait.com.
Post lurgy, and with Spring in the London air, Brian took us on a walk along the Thames to Battersea. He took some great photos too, as you’ll see when you click on that link. But it was the seventh one that stood out for me:

PowerStationDwellings

Firstly, I should note that this isn’t as “nice” as some of the other images. But just because it’s not showing “the river… adorned by bright reflections” or “world class roof clutter” doesn’t mean that it’s not a valid photo. It’s taken to share information rather than because it’s pretty. It’s something I find myself doing more and more too – photos of the blackboard shopping list in the kitchen or details of a show or something else I see on a poster for later investigation. Quick and easy.

But if you’re in SA and you’ve looked at that seventh image, then you’ll have seen why is stood out for me.

A 516 square foot, one-bedroom apartment, for £1,400,000.

Look out! Here comes the conversion:

That’s 47.94m² for a cool R25,474,034.59.
Twenty-five. And a half. Million. Rand.

‘Ow Much?!???!!??!?!

I recognise that we’re not comparing apples with apples here. I recognise that this is prime London real estate, but let’s just see what R25.5 million would get you over here, shall we? I popped in at leading SA estate agency Pam Golding Properties for a quick look.

Well, if we’re going down the apartment route, why not buy this place?

367417_H_11   367417_H_2
It’s over seven times the size of the London offering, has 4 en-suite bedrooms, overlooks all four of the beautiful Clifton beaches and comes with two (count them and weep) two parking bays. You’d also have R500,000 spare cash to buy a nice outside table, which would put you one up on the current owners.

But apartments are so boxy, aren’t they? Especially when, for the same money, you could buy your own BOUTIQUE WINE FARM AND EQUESTRIAN ESTATE:

413637_H_10
     413637_H_2   413637_H_6
At 42,505 m², the property size is a mere 887 times the size of the Battersea flat, (although the actual living area is just 17 times the size). That pool is 11m long though, meaning that it’s about the size of the R25.5m London apartment. But what else do you get?

With majestic mountain views as a backdrop and entrancing vineyards gracing the surrounding slopes, one could imagine you’re in the south of France. Enjoy the romance of your own award winning vineyards (Savignon Blanc, Merlot, Shiraz and Viognier), without the labour if you wish, as it can be leased out.
Constantia Nek Farm graces a valley on the back slopes of Table Mountain National Park with a large home, several stables and 3ha of vineyards. Riding in the restricted Orange Kloof area of the park is allowed with a special permit.
The Property also includes a granny flat, two large sheds/workshops, extensive parking, three garages, large spring and perennial stream fed dam, and adjacent staff quarters on the Houtkapperspoort side of its Southern boundary. Amenities include an 11m pool with electronically operated cover and solar heating and heat pump and large, cool wine cellar. The grounds and vineyards are irrigated via a seven station computerised underground system.

And again, you’d still have R500,000 spare for a nice outside table.
Or you could look at the Thames from your shoebox. It really is your call.

Like I said, I know that I can’t legitimately compare these properties. But with London prices and frankly terrifying exchange rates, it makes for an interesting – and, as an ex-pat, rather distressing – juxtaposition.

Still. Where would you rather be?

2 thoughts on “Brian’s Walk and OMG HOW MUCH?!??!

  1. The point about using a smartphone or other small camera to photo information is a very good one. I did a talk recently about the impact of digital photography, and to prepare I asked around about how friends and acquaintances, and just people I met, used cameras. What did they photo? This photoing of information thing came up again and again. Posters in the tube. Documents. Websites in adverts.

    This is mostly a smartphone thing, because to make this work, you need your camera on you all the time.

    My favourite was a friend who said that after he and his workmates had had a brainstorming session, which they did quite often (they’re software writers), everyone involved would photo the whiteboards on which all their passing thoughts had been scribbled. Think about how much more productive that might make a brainstorming session. If only one good idea gets back into someone’s head and gets pursued that might otherwise have been forgotten, the impact might be huge. With photoing, ideas can come back to life literally years later.

  2. Brian Micklethwait > Yes, Mrs 6000 does that whiteboard photography thing too, but she’s far more important than I am. This morning, I photographed a calendar, because I didn’t have time to update my schedule at that particular moment. I could easily check back and get my two appointments in order over a leisurely coffee a little later.
    The only issue with this (and it is a minor, yet rather annoying one), is that my phone creates a weekly ‘highlights’ montage for me. This is generally lovely, and reminds me of all the fun things I did this week (mainly staring at sunsets, apparently). Sadly, Sony has yet to distinguish between my ‘painting with light’ and my ‘photographing a form I needed to complete’, which often ruins the overall effect.

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