Falls View Centre ...

Looking somewhat like a timber fortress from a frontier town the Falls  View Centre in Howick houses an eclectic collection of fascinating shops and galleries from woven rugs, through art collections to a bygones and collectables emporium certain to satisfy the cravings of seekers of shabby chic and mid twentieth century nostalgia. You know - the sort of thing your parents or grandparents discarded that is suddenly this year's retro rage. All part of the Midlands Meander route this is why the dusty little (though fast growing) town of Howick rightfully claims its place as the hub of the Midlands.

The vibrant colours of the place make a tantalising image, which certainly reflects the spirit and vibe of the often busy little centre

A Captured Past ...

On the 5^th August 1962 an event occurred in the Midlands that was to become a part of South Africa’s convoluted political history. At an otherwise uninspiring point on the R103 between Durban and Johannesburg, our most famous political prisoner was arrested. His given name on being taken into custody - David Motsamayi.

Today the site, although still modest in its acknowledgement of that event is clearly marked for passing travellers – these often being contented tourists experiencing the magic that is the Midlands Meander. Signs displaying the familiar symbol of National Monuments and placed a few metres either side of a poorly maintained brick memorial wall read Mandela Capture Site. Already crumbling, being slowly covered in weeds and uncollected litter - obviously paid little attention by the ineffectual local regional council - it was here that Nelson Mandela was to begin the most arduous part of that Long Walk to Freedom. Both he and our history surely deserve better treatment.

There is hope that things may change, for the significance of the place has been acknowledged by the ‘curator’ of much of our cultural and artistic heritage the director of the apartheid museum, Christopher Till. More about this and Christopher’s plans for the area can be read on the sagoodnews website.

The word tsiamelo (a place of goodness) found on the granite plaque of the monument interestingly strengthens the links of the site to the Meander route on which it is located – the Meander’s by-line being ‘a good place.’ That it is!

In much the way that I admire the stark simplicity of the Deportation Martyrs Monument in Paris, I like the simplicity of the design of this memorial – it suits the historical context. (If only its upkeep was the former’s equal). I did some weeding, removed the litter, and with the overhead cables of the train lines in the background, the light and dark of the two wings of the wall, I think the spirit of the site and significance of its history can somehow be sensed here.

Merry Meandering …

There are a number of craft routes around the country, and claiming to be the oldest of them is the Midlands Meander – now in its twenty sixth year. I have not given enough coverage to the Meander in my ramblings to date, something I’ll put to rights starting from today. To my mind too many establishments on the route  are accommodation and hospitality providers, diluting somewhat the focus on the artists and craftsfolk who were its foundation. True, these do provide the necessary sustenance and accommodation for long-distance visitors, but it is mainly the creative concerns that I’ll be visiting. Fittingly I have chosen an image of ceramics for today – taken at Hillfold Pottery – the studio of Lindsay Scott – fittingly, as one of the founders of the Meander was ceramicist David Walters, now resident in Franschoek, in the Western Cape. I have never tried throwing a pot (in the craft sense at least), and hope one day to rectify that omission. I admire the skill of the potter in that ability to shape a soggy lump of clay into a durable utile object and the distinctive beauty of the glazed decorative finishes many achieve is a bonus. Years ago I attended an exhibition of the work of Ian Glenny in Durban and I will get to his studio in the Dargle Valley soon. Sadly Ian is no longer producing due to declining health.

Of the shots I took at Hillfold I like the structure and order of the display shown here, somewhat at odds with the general surrounds of what I imagine is the typical chaos of a working potter’s studio.

The Dargle

A few kilometres south of the N3 highway between Lion's River and Nottingham Road lies the scenic Dargle Valley, or simply The Dargle. Many I have spoken to since announcing my plans of moving to the Midlands have reminisced with such fondness of this area and visible from home, it was inevitable I'd get there before too long. I now understand why it would leave such a lasting impression - it is tranquil, beautiful and offers much to see. The road to Dargle has some of the finest art and craft attractions of the Midlands Meander, whether you are looking for furniture, pottery or visual art. Add a plethora of accommodation, gentler hikes and walks than the deeper Drakensberg mountains hold, rivers and waterfalls, and the warm hospitality of its people and you have everything set for a worthwhile detour, or longer stay. The valley takes its name from the Dargle River (a tributary of the Umngeni) in its turn  named by an early Irish settler after the Dargle Stream near Dublin. The Irish connection is inevitable - but how many shades of green can there possibly be? 

For this image I reverted to panoramic mode to try and capture some hint of the sweeping grandeur of the valley vistas. It is almost impossible to replicate what the eye will absorb - not least the changing hues of colour and the light variation which, with the gathering clouds, changes almost by the second.