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Married to Nick for 13 years, with 2 children; Sabrina - 12 and Dominic - 11. I am a girlfriend through and through in that I love girly things and anything that celebrates the essence of being a woman. I love vintage, shabby chic, the country and try my best to do my bit for the environment. SO yes...we have 3 bins in our house and try our best to recycle! I believe that with everything in life, the closer we stick to nature, the better off we'll be. I would love to have a balance in life, but have learnt that balance is not always possible, so strive for significance instead, in the hopes that that will be just as meaningful, and the rest will hopefully follow.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Memorable Midlands moments....

One of the things I value and treasure about the life I share with my husband, is how often we have travelled together, both internationally as well as locally. I don’t think I can count how many places we have been to, from the fancy, to rustic – you name it! But there are always certain trips and weekends that stand out above the rest, for whatever reason, and this weekend was one of them. Besides the fact that we were in one of our favourite places, everything was just…wonderful. And with the knowledge that our kids were safe in the loving arms of their Aunt, Uncle and Cuz, having an absolute ball themselves, Nick and I got to relax, share some laughs, and just enjoy one another’s undivided attention. Our roadtrips to the Midlands are always filled with conversation, laughter and a stop (or three!!) along the way. I know that this has got to be one of the most magnificent places on earth – also to the surprise of 2 English Doctors working in South Africa, who were also staying at the Lodge, and were amazed that this little piece of heaven existed in KZN!…

We stayed at “The Lodge” in Curry’s post, which has got to be one of the nicest spots we’ve stayed at in the area in a long, long time. Considering the fact that we have become frequent visitors to the area over the last 9 years, it’s amazing that we still continue to find gems like this. SO at the risk of looking like a travel brochure I just had to share some of my favourite pics, and I really highly recommend it for a weekend getaway! I think what made the trip even more amazing, were our hosts, Greg, Nikki, Rob and Anne, who were UNBELIEVABLE, and epitomise the phrase, "people's person" - they could not do enough for their guests and knew your name from the moment you arrived (yes, even mine!!). Greg, Nikki and their sons have returned from a rather long stay in the UK, where they left their horses and beautiful 10ha property in the lovely “New Forest” area behind, - thankfully to settle in another beautiful spot. Rob (Nikki’s brother) and Anne have migrated from Benoni! Their attention to detail was brilliant - we even had bird seed in our rooms with our own bird feeders outside our windows, a (genuine) scrapbook of their history and prices etc. which included a “Do’s and Don’t list” that had only “Do’s” on it. The Lodge is perfect for children who are encouraged to feed the fish, birds, chickens, collect eggs – anything goes! The little dam infront of the lodge is well stocked with fish fort he kids to feed, and the water is relatively clear along the edges, for them to see the fish clearly.
Below is our cottage - Loteni with it's own little garden, but also very conventiently close to the main house.




The grounds at "The Lodge" are just every bit 'country living'. Perfect combination of manicaured lawns and bowling greens, with the more natural green pastures with chickens and horses at the back... Nikki and Anne have very kindly offered to have me adopt some of their bantams and silkies which I thought were just BEAUTIFUL..(if you're a chicken lover of course!...giggle) ...SO loving that Cornish Hen hairdo in the back - who DOES your hair Boyfriend?????? - eishThe interior of the Lodge is just SO INVITING...especially this sun lounge area off the main lounge/bar area, where you flop into a chair and a cat comes to curl herself up on your lap! Tea and coffee is on top and an honesty bar for drinks and snacks.
I cannot remember being so high up and close to the clouds as I did when we visited Blueberry Hill Coffee Chop based in this Art/Furniture Decor Gallery, high on a hill with views that leave you in absolute awe....and whilst you sip your Blueberry Smoothie or cappuccino in comfy big chairs, the double doors open right up to let the outdoors in! Black and white cows are my BEST! Desperate to be friends..but she was not having it!..


My DH is adamant that if I were a chicken this would be me - dolled up in feathers and fluff to the floor (or IMPRACTAL shoes AS USUAL) but every bit a country girl at heart!..and she was EVERY BIT a Madam, let me tell you!

7 comments:

  1. oh how wonderfull - what a place - so so awesome to chill and rest at - i am serious when i say you and nick looked terribly AT HOME there. So so glad you were able to get away and invest time in your relationship - after all as much as we love and adore our children - when they have flown the nest its down to us and our men - so its worth investing our time and energy into them as much as we do our precious children. Missing you so much - kisses and hugs, Linda

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  2. What a wonderful break gf, you look so happy sitting on that little wall, just up your street and as for those cows.....sigh.....I can just see you there.

    Am thinking bout you loads and loads as our birthdays approach and found the perfect little something for you which I have sent back with Tanya so should be with you not tooooo long after your birthday.

    Miss you madly every day!

    xxx
    A

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  3. P.S. LOVE the photos, took me with you gf, they are stunning!

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  4. Wow, that is stunning. I will have to keep it in mind for a breakaway later in the year. Your photos are lovely and capture the beauty of our Midlands.

    If you want Bantam chicks, let me know as my dad has some.

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  5. Aaah I loved that...always look forward to your posts 'cos they're not that frequent,lol! But always so worthwhile. Beautiful photos - time to scrap ;0)

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  6. 4got to ask u - would love it if you joined the bag challenge - you can see it on my blog ;-)

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  7. I heard a rumour that you've just had a birthday - hope it was a fab one!!!

    Love, Tracy

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