  Winston Park
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| Page Views: 797 Last Visit to Winston Park: - | Winston Park. by linnyloo - last update: Nov 3, 2003 |
A Beautiful place to live. I am fortunate to have lived in this beautiful residential suberb for the last 23 years, in my family home, and then my own for the last 5 years.
Winston Park lies approximately 35 -40 km north of Durban - roughly midway between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.
Our elevation is at least 500m above sea level, so thankfully, we don't have the extreme heat of Durban. The drop in temperature during winter and summer upon climbing the hill, is very noticeable.
One enters Winston Park through a 4km avenue of enormous, old plain trees. The most expensive real estate is found with an address in the avenue. There are some spectacular mansions here, complete with stables and horses.
The changing seasons are very dramatic in the avenue. In Autumn, (April)a blaze of yellow and orange leaves falling gently to the ground, swirling in the breeze. In Winter, completely bare branches, stark against the chilly wintery sky.
Spring time (September) sees life renewed, budding leaves, and blazing azaleas prevail. Many gardens feature a display of clivias which flower once a year (mine on my homepage)
Summer sees the avenue thick with green leaves, the shade a welcome respite from the heat. A favoured running, walking and cycling venue for local residents.
We have no shops in the area, apart from the local petrol station at the start of the avenue. However Gillitts is adjacent and very close, where there is a postoffice and a variety of shops.
Across the highway, is Hillcrest, a rapidly expanding suberb.
Winston Park has a primary school and a pre primary.
We have a sports field, but apart from the above mentioned we are mostly residential.
There is only one road in and out. Winston Park lies on a plateau, surrounded by cliffs on all sides. Many houses on the perimeter boast glorious views, often all the way down to the coast.
We are a notorious mist belt in the rainy season - Spring and Summer, as well as attracting lighning strikes for some reason. Could be the elevation combined with the trees? We have lost 3 intercoms to lighning and last year had our T.V and satellite decoder struck as well.
However, sadly we do not enjoy a carefree life here. Crime is a problem. The vast majority of houses here have high walls, electric or barbed wire on the top, electronic gates and intercoms as well as big dogs and an armed response linked to a house alarm. We are no exception. Only 3 months ago, in spite of our security measures, and despite the fact that our home is set back well off the road and cannot be seen, we had 3 men walk into our home at 5 o clock in the afternoon to attempt to rob us. Luckily they took fright and ran off, but it could have been worse.
It is sad that for every bump in the night, one wakes up with a racing heart.* |
|  | Vervet monkeys There is a large troup of vervet monkeys that frequent the area. They are very cute to watch, but are actually a nuisance after the novelty has worn off. If I leave the kitchen door open, you can guarantee that they'll be inside in a flash stealing anything edible. They are not considerate thieves either - I have had an entire tray of eggs smashed on the floor in the past. It is not advisable to feed them, no matter how hungry they look - and it is so hard not to when you can see that they have small babies. If you give in and feed them, firstly they will be in your garden all the time and secondly, the less they have to eat, the less fertile the females and the less they will breed.
Tragically there are residents in the area who have taken to shooting them with pellet guns and worse - often causing horrific injuries and a slow death. Cars are another problem. I myself have hit one - an experience that left me mortified, horrified - and a little hysterical. I'll never forget it.
These creatures are intelligent, good and caring parents and have a very well defined social system. There is no doubt that they are capable of grieving. The best thing to do is to get an injured monkey to C.R.O.W (Centre for the Rehabilitation of Injured Wildlife) We have had to do this before - to a very successful result. The monkeys are treated if they can be saved, rehabilitated and finally released into a wildlife area well away from horrid humans. |
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| Pros: | "Beauty, good climate, peaceful." | | Cons: | "Crime, speed humps, vervet monkeys." | | In A Nutshell: | "A priviledged place to live." |
 Comments for linnyloo about Winston Park | | | | |
kenHuocj Mon Dec 1, 2003 13:08 UTC
Gillits was always mentioned in the Comrades, and Winston Park ? ;-))) |
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