Lumbering lumber ...

Continuing my fascination with the forests of the Midlands, I liked the patterns formed by the canopy foliage of these eucalyptus / blue gum trees. I'd been asked to scout for some locations by two contacts - one for some pre-wedding shots for a soon to be married couple, the other for a furniture location shoot where they don't want to use the usual boring room setting styling. I think both will shortly be here. I hope I get to see the results.

I often take several shots to get just one that I really like (of course that's a huge benefit with digital cameras - no wasted film), but with this shot I could see that I got just what I wanted first time.

Snow seen.....

I believe it is the heaviest snow to have fallen in the area in twenty years. This was the view of iNhlosane and her mountains I awakened to this morning - and it was magnificent. The weather has however wreaked havoc with the local roads this week with the main N3 highway between Durban and Johannesburg having been closed since the heavy snow falls of Monday. We're simply not equipped to cope with this European type weather in these parts and the latest traffic reports spoke of a fifteen kilometre backlog of stationary traffic queued up at Van Reenen's Pass waiting for conditions to improve to continue on their journey. Stuck in sub zero temperatures, and totally unprepared for the enforced and unplanned stopover, my heart goes out to those poor drivers enduring this. I risked a drive out through the Dargle Valley closer to the mountains, and the iced over roads were treacherous - thank goodness for the quattro drive on my Audi - many other vehicles were slip-sliding across the slush and ice.

The rising sun reflected magically off the white of the snow capped hills, with the valley still sleeping in the early morning chill.

Lonely tree 2 ...

It's darned cold here today. All day it has rained. There's snow up at Nottingham Road. I'm going tomorrow to take some photos. With the dull misty grey of today I cannot believe that this past weekend delivered such crisp and glorious weather with such cloudless clear blue skies as seen here. But that's our winter, and by this weekend hopefully this latest cold front will have passed us by.
This could only be Africa. It's part of what I love about the place.

Ringing a bell ...

One of the more unusual attractions on the Midlands Meander is the fascinating  Culamoya Chimes. Found in the Lidgetton Valley area just off of the R103 the home of a thousand chime notes is also the home of delightful couple Frik and Lola Haupt who have turned an unusual interest into an equally unusual business venture. With small to giant wind chimes made from metals, glass, bamboo, woods and even sea shells the soothing sounds of chiming fills the air as notes from Big Ben, Westminster and a myriad other appropriately named instruments harmoniously fills the air. If you like the sounds you're certain to find a suitable model to take home and relive the music of the area long after your visit is over. Reached via a winding hill-climbing road the views across the valley are spectacular reward enough - even if the sound of chiming reminds you of the last bout of tinnitus you thought you'd cured.

The magnificent candelabra like mountain cabbage tree at the garden's edge adds foreground interest to what must surely be one of the most beautiful outlooks you could awaken to each day.

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

Water Falling ...

This area has an abundance of waterfalls. Perhaps that explains the good humour of Midlands folk, for I have heard that the falling of water creates negative ions, which are extremely therapeutic for man's soul. There is no question that I find a while spent listening to the splashing, roaring or even thundering of these wonders of nature very relaxing, and I have set myself a personal mission to visit as many of them as I can find. I have already made a good start having so far taken in the Howick, Woodhouse and Karkloof Falls, and I will become more serious in this quest when the next summer rains start in earnest. The Umgeni Valley alone is said to have some fifteen falls to see. In the meantime here is a fairly unknown cascade in the Dargle Valley area. Surprisingly it lies only a few hundred metres from the main road, but remains unsignposted, and is best viewed from a small path from a private residence. Having gained permission to hike down into the river gorge I was privileged to spend half an hour here exposing my stresses (what stresses?) to the negative ions of the Dargle waters.

Again challenged by the overhead lighting directly behind the falls, the shade cast by the overhead branches of a riverbank tree allowed a good shot of the twin cascades of these as yet unnamed falls.

St Pauls ...

Unlike the same named cathedral in London,the small church of St Paul's in Curry's Post has no claims to great architectural merit or grandeur. And yet built in 1876 by Sgt M Curry it has been a centre of Anglican Christian worship for over a century, continuing to hold regular monthly services for Midlands worshippers to this day. One of four churches under the wing of the central St Luke's church in Howick I have already featured St Andrew's in the Dargle Valley and St Mark's in the Karkloof/Shafton area. Like those two there is a graveyard alongside the church with many graves of the Curry family, and other notable dynasties of the Curry's Post area. There truly is much history recorded in the simple (and sometimes not so simple) tombstones. So, my recording of the Churches of Midlands county continues.

A simple image for the delightful simplicity of the red brick building was all that was needed.

Bless the blesbok ...

I became instantly  fonder of the fairly common blesbok during a visit to the FreeMe Foundation KZN near the Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve where a young doe named Ella was being nursed back to health after having been savagely attacked by domestic dogs. She had been taken into captivity by a probably well meaning human, with tragic consequences that will hopefully have a positive outcome. FreeMe is a wildlife rehabilitation operation funded only by public donations and benefactors, and provides a wonderful service to our distressed and injured indigenous animals. In the neighbouring valley reserve handsome specimens roam freely - as nature intended. They are a beautiful breed.

Once again capturing a good shot of these animals in Umgeni Valley is quite a cinch, the animals being quite used to human visitors ogling them at close range. No telephoto zooming required. Magic.

Likin' lichen....

With parts of the Midlands being in what is known as the mistbelt of KwaZulu Natal conditions are evidently ideal for certain lichens to thrive. Many trees and rocks are covered by these fungal growths, and they can give an old trunk or rocky outcrop an amazing look of age. Actually lichens are extremely hardy and different varieties are found in even the most extreme conditions from arid desert landscapes to arctic tundra. A close look at their formation reveals a form and colour palette that is quite amazing, such as this example of a rock face in the Lidgetton Valley, almost entirely covered with growth. It could almost be an underwater scene. For an interesting foray into the world of lichens refer to this piece on Wikipedia - fascinating stuff!

Often the abstract simplicity of a single subject can make an interesting study in texture and depth,  which seems to go beyond the two dimensions of photography.

Country Kitchen ...

There are many delightful restaurants dotted around the area, and you’ll be certain to find one on any day trip along the routes of the Midlands Meander that will suit your dining needs. I have sampled around ten of them so far, and not one has been a disappointment,  with the personal host’s attention that one just does not find in franchised city eateries. To discover that the kitchen is as rustic and charm filled as the main dining area is a bonus, and this is the kitchen at the characterful Travellers’  Rest at New Hannover.

Taken with only the natural light of the room on an ISO setting of 200, the warmth of the kitchen and its copper accoutrements is well captured here. Delightful.