Belle Quilt

I'm almost in the process of completing one of my favourite quilts.... Belle!   
(A Tiki Brophy design.) I actually made 2 of them. This one is made using blanket stitch and has a special story attached to it. The other Belle I made using the 'fold -in' technique. The colours I used are also totally different. I don't usually use such bold and dark colours for my quilts but just loved this combination with the black! Once this one is done, I will be selling her and trust she will go to a good home where she will be cherished and become somebody's family heirloom!

Let me know what you think!! I just can't help but love it!

Have a wonderful day!

RE - ENAMELLING a bath....

We purchased this bath from a couple who had refurbished their house in Parys - Orange Free State -just over a year ago. It only had three feet, so I had one made at Parys Foundry a couple of months ago and now I cannot even identify that one because it's so well made and fits in with the other three feet.

I have a post of the 'Foundry' in an earlier posting, for those who have not yet seen it! - 24th August 2013.

I chose this turquoise colour because I found an old cast iron wash basin and pedestal of similar colour and since they are going to be in the same bathroom, it would be fitting that they match as closely as possible.

"Re-enamel Experts" is also a Parys - based company who guarantee a long life span of the products they use to re-enamel the baths. They do not use a paint product that is sprayed on and only lasts 5 yrs! They do a professional re-enamelling job with the end product looking like a brand new bath! We were over the moon with this result and Charles is a very fussy perfectionist who places high expectations on people... and these people 'blew him away'! The employees are professional, friendly and helpful. You are coached by a wonderful lady (who runs the business) as to proper care and cleaning of your bath. Re-enamel Experts bend over backwards with their customer care and service! How refreshing it is knowing that we still have this kind of service on our doorstep! It's enough to restore one's faith in humanity!

Our bath after it was re-enamelled!

It looked very similar to this one, before the 'experts' got stuck in!

This basin and pedestal is also going to be redone! I recently found it in a secondhand shop!

"This is a piece of cake," thinks Philip!

Philip and Jan - respectful and hard working! They have been through intensive training

This is the next bath that we are having done. The outside will be painted a charcoal colour!

Cannot wait to show you the end result! I believe it's already complete, so will have to arrange to collect!

Some examples (and colours)

Thanks for popping in! I look forward to my next post!

Last leg of the trip...

One of our favourite places to stop and shop is at a farmstall called Jachtpoort Farm Stall!
It's basically in the middle of nowhere, but they sell the most beautiful products and food - biltong, dried fruit, nuts et. Everything that a stall has to offer the tired traveller!

I just love these 'life-size' dolls sitting outside the shop, welcoming  their visitors!

Old signs make stunning decoration!

They even support breast cancer in the middle of nowhere!!

The farm stall belongs to this farm....

My favourite farm in the whole world!!

Ostriches

There's something about a windmill that always makes me turn my head...

A derelict old farmhouse lost and forgotten!

HOMEWARD BOUND.....

 I always leave the Karoo with a heavy heart. Sad to leave all the historical beauty, stories and amazingly interesting and colourful people behind!

 I always set up landmarks for myself when I travel and this humourous rock is a reminder that we are almost past the beautiful mountains and moving further away from Aberdeen. When we travel down to Aberdeen and pass this rock, I am reminded that we are almost there! It's between Jachtpoort and Graaff Reinet, facing Graaf Reinet! I just love it and am so silly because I take a photograph of it every time we pass! Ridiculous!

I almost missed this male baboon. They move so fast and spend much time along the side of the main road scrounging for food. It's easier these days for a lot of the wild animals to move out of their natural surroundings and find food in the dustbins and along the sides of the roads! Very sad actually!

Moving up into the Sneeuberg Pass just outside Graaff Reinet, with breath-taking views!

 Gabions are built up against the rock face to support and strengthen dangerously loose areas of the mountains. There are plenty of them along the roads all around South Africa and this prevents loose rock from falling down onto the public roads. You can imagine what the results of that would be?

Thankyou for taking the time to read my blog.

See you tomorrow with the last stretch of our trip, after which I will introduce you to the amazing people who re-enamelled our baths!!

Have a beautiful weekend!

Back to the Karoo

I love the change in landscape as one drives from the lush green coastal landscape into the dry rugged Karoo. See if you can notice the differences?......

Beervlei Dam just outside Willowmore - Eastern Cape.

It's shocking and scary to see how low the water level is. In fact one would never guess that this was / is a dam!  All that's left of it is a pond that's surrounded by a massive wall!

You can actually see where the water level once was!!!!