Windthing ...

Mention a windmill in South Africa, and except for a few of us (any Hollanders in our midst?) this is what will come to mind. For almost as long as I can recall I have wondered why we insist on calling these towering objects windmills – for they never milled anything and never will. Windpumps? Yes! Now that would more accurately describe their purpose, but if I talked about a windpump nobody would have a clue what I was on about. No matter though, windmill or pump, these lofty workers are found throughout the South African landscape and they add great character to the countryside. They sit above our wells and boreholes – any underground water source - and provide water to our thirsty land. I may be mistaken, but their number seems to declining and so I was delighted to have found a few, still in operation around the Midlands area.

It is unusual to see a windmill in such a verdant setting, and I found the colour of the rust red bricks of the reservoir and the oxidised iron blades of the sail and its rudder added just an interesting touch of subtle colour to this composition. Not a typical SA windmill shot, and yet it couldn’t be anywhere else.