Monday 18 February 2013
Boekenhoutskloof weekend : It has been some time since I did a blog and with ...
Boekenhoutskloof weekend : It has been some time since I did a blog and with ...: It has been some time since I did a blog and with the weeks running along so fast. I decide to do the blog for this week right now otherwise...
Sunday 17 February 2013
It has been some time since I did a blog and with the weeks running along so fast. I decide to do the blog for this week right now otherwise I would never get to tell you of a great weekend I had on the farm in the Boekenhoutskloof.
Crossing the boarder on Thursday and another four hours and fifty minutes from the boarder we got to our destination " The Farm" I have been looking forward to going for sometime now. Just seeing a different terrain from the Botswana Gaborone sand and too short thorn trees. The farm neatly nestled in the valley of the Boekenhoutskloof, - ( Loosely translated the name of the valley , Book-wood- valley ),The farm has a few beautiful stone climbing hills and nature that is still so untouched by people and a view on each hill to die for.
We picked up some friends in Pretoria and I was so surprised on reading all the name changes of street names. Street names that is pretty much genetically imprinted for navigation of Pretoria are all gone and now streets like Duncan, and Pretorius are only captured images of my memories, filed and stored to be remember.
Leaving Pretoria feeling a little robbed of my childhood securities we set of again for another 50 minutes drive towards Boekenhoutskloof. ( I suppose I should be grateful it was the only thing that was robbed) I was pleased to turn off the main road onto the ground road to opening the windows and smelling " The Farm " bush veld.
The valley terrain looks so different from Gaborone bush veld The density and thinker bush is the first thing you notice and then you eye starts catching the tones of green from dark leaf to light brown makes a feast for the eye coming form a terrain that has been suffering with low rain and has been very dry. This lush green dens right in your face is beautiful. In saying and using the word lush for most people living in Europe this lush I use so frivolously would be looked at as dry Savannah grass and dull green. Its all about the eye of the beholder.
Arriving in the afternoon we where welcomed with typical South African tradition, coffee and cake. We set off shortly afterwards for our first walk to one hill just across the fresh water stream, that flows off the crocodile river. Walking towards the stream the trees turn into a tight logged tall tree forest that is not wider than about three hundred meters. I have always love walking through there. There is something special walking between old trees, its like you feel their age and the soft sweet peace that without knowing takes holds of you. I did a few snaps on the bridges of the trees.
We reach the top of the hill by four and spent about an hour on top of the hill recovering for the stiff climb walk. I was very surprised on the recovery of the hills vegetation after being there during a bad rain fall season two years ago. We had also been lucky that only two days before it was a good evening rain shower, that lead to seeing some rarities of little rock ferns that creep up between rocks after rains that only live for about seven days in the heat on the stone hills.
On the top I had the chance to do some shoots of clouds formation that was forming on the horizon. Here is one of the shots I did that I added to my Fine Arts portfolio and I fell in love with this black and white even before I started with the post production. Its that knowing that " That is the shot" after you snapped what you saw. Here is the link to the images Cotton Candy Clouds
I should be posting more about the weekend later. Will tell you about day two tomorrow but I am off to bed for now .
Crossing the boarder on Thursday and another four hours and fifty minutes from the boarder we got to our destination " The Farm" I have been looking forward to going for sometime now. Just seeing a different terrain from the Botswana Gaborone sand and too short thorn trees. The farm neatly nestled in the valley of the Boekenhoutskloof, - ( Loosely translated the name of the valley , Book-wood- valley ),The farm has a few beautiful stone climbing hills and nature that is still so untouched by people and a view on each hill to die for.
We picked up some friends in Pretoria and I was so surprised on reading all the name changes of street names. Street names that is pretty much genetically imprinted for navigation of Pretoria are all gone and now streets like Duncan, and Pretorius are only captured images of my memories, filed and stored to be remember.
Leaving Pretoria feeling a little robbed of my childhood securities we set of again for another 50 minutes drive towards Boekenhoutskloof. ( I suppose I should be grateful it was the only thing that was robbed) I was pleased to turn off the main road onto the ground road to opening the windows and smelling " The Farm " bush veld.
The valley terrain looks so different from Gaborone bush veld The density and thinker bush is the first thing you notice and then you eye starts catching the tones of green from dark leaf to light brown makes a feast for the eye coming form a terrain that has been suffering with low rain and has been very dry. This lush green dens right in your face is beautiful. In saying and using the word lush for most people living in Europe this lush I use so frivolously would be looked at as dry Savannah grass and dull green. Its all about the eye of the beholder.
Arriving in the afternoon we where welcomed with typical South African tradition, coffee and cake. We set off shortly afterwards for our first walk to one hill just across the fresh water stream, that flows off the crocodile river. Walking towards the stream the trees turn into a tight logged tall tree forest that is not wider than about three hundred meters. I have always love walking through there. There is something special walking between old trees, its like you feel their age and the soft sweet peace that without knowing takes holds of you. I did a few snaps on the bridges of the trees.
We reach the top of the hill by four and spent about an hour on top of the hill recovering for the stiff climb walk. I was very surprised on the recovery of the hills vegetation after being there during a bad rain fall season two years ago. We had also been lucky that only two days before it was a good evening rain shower, that lead to seeing some rarities of little rock ferns that creep up between rocks after rains that only live for about seven days in the heat on the stone hills.
On the top I had the chance to do some shoots of clouds formation that was forming on the horizon. Here is one of the shots I did that I added to my Fine Arts portfolio and I fell in love with this black and white even before I started with the post production. Its that knowing that " That is the shot" after you snapped what you saw. Here is the link to the images Cotton Candy Clouds
I should be posting more about the weekend later. Will tell you about day two tomorrow but I am off to bed for now .
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