Rooms Full of Gifts

Kamersvol Geskenke started it's adventurous journey about 8 years ago, with a focus on handmade, art and crafts and enabling people to 
come together to sell their wares to the public.   This is now an annual event in the Cape.  

This year, Kamersvol Geskenke (translates Rooms Full of Gifts) had it's Gauteng debut  event in Irene, a few weeks back.    
They opened their doors, and no sooner than they did, were they overwhelmed with people.   I had made arrangements 
to go through and enjoy the sights and sounds, but also hoping to capture images of the detail, the vibe, the look and feel of this awesome event.  
Quieter is was, but the vibe was still very apparent.

Let's set the scene ... a gorgeous property with loads of texture (cement, stone, metal, glass), a wild indigenous garden, 
loads of handmade artefacts and other goodies on display throughout (indoor and outdoor), wonderful music, wine tasting, 
cupcakes,  coffee..... Okay - you get the picture?    

I have  always adored handmade items, crafts and things with an old world, vintage feel.  It appears that  I have 
quite a nostalgic side to me.    To top that I adore texture, pattern, colour .... Well needless to say I was in my element - everywhere
I looked there was something else to see, to touch, to enjoy .... oh and by the way, loads of really friendly people too!!!      

The vendors really excelled at creating and displaying their wares....    All in all it was a resoudning success leaving the local people wanting more.  

 I look forward to next year's event ..... In the meantime,  I will be blogging about some of the vendors that I interacted with ..... so watch this space!

Link to their facebook page : http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&ref=mb#!/Kamersvol

as well as the link to their website :  http://www.kamersvol.com/

Article adapted from a post on {Gena D Photography} - click here

Image(s) All Rights Reserved 
Copyright 2010 Gena D Images and {Gena D Photography} for thinking aloud

In honour of a great pilgrimage II

a view of the monument from the parking lot, seen through a mass

of the inidigenous Bauhinia shrubs which were in flower.

This is part II of my visit to the Voortrkker Monument 
(click to view post I). 

This monument commemorates the pioneers who travelled from the coastal
areas inlands between 1835 and 1855 - this trip was called "The GreatTrek".

During this time approximately 15,000 pioneers moved inlands to
 establish the provinces of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal, effectively
 the start of  South Africa as it was to become.

Images clockwise from top left:        
Monumnet from the parking lot; a view over part of Pretoria; internal architecture;
Woman and Children statue by  Anton van Wouw; a view of the monument from
 entrance as you approach;  the numerous arches and circles.

Click here to see previous post

View more Scenic Sunday posts here

Image(s) All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2010 Gena D Images for thinking aloud

Coneflower

this gorgeous flower is commonly called a coneflower.

It's one of a few types, and this particular one is also known as

 Echinacea - the medicinal flower

being used in homeopathic remedies for colds and flu, amongst other things...

I took these images at the annual Herb  Happening on the Doonholm Farm -

a local nursery that specialises in (amongst other things) herbs.

They have a great herbal labyrinth - really worth replicating in your own

garden if you have the space, and well as a Monastic herb garden

(in the original layout of monastic gardens)

a butterfly was kind enough to "pose" for me ....

I guess this is why it's called a coneflower???

View more macro images here and here

and also more flower images here

Image(s) All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2010 Gena D Images for thinking aloud

The "Lusito" Festival

choices... choices....

Lusitoland is an annual festival (run by the Portugues community) held in the

south of Johannesburg at the end of April/ beginnning of May of every year.

It runs for 10 days and the main aim is to raise funds on behalf of the

 Lusito School for the Challenged.

chicken on the barbecue

This is quite simply one of those events that you should not miss .... there is

loads of great Portuguese (style) food,  pubs, coffee bars, live music and

musicians throughout the event, a flea market ... etc.etc... 

We decided to go yesterday afternoon as the festival ends today 2nd May,

It had been raining earlier in the afternoon and when we got there the place

was one huge mud "bath" - you would think that this would stop people.

Not a chance... they kept arriving in their droves - for the food, the entertainment

 and the sheer good vibe of the event.

We walked around (very cautiously!!!), enjoyed a great meal ......

...and it also presented a fantastic opportunity to do some night shots (luckily I

had taken my lightweight tripod with me) ....

And we got to enjoy Danny K on stage (a local artist).

I must admit, that he is a better musician than I had given him credit for, 

and has  a great stage presence to boot!

We left feeling that we had had a fantastic time and look forward to

next years event!

Go Lusitoland organisers - a job well done!!!!

View more Scenic Sunday posts here

View more My World Tuesday posts here

Image(s) All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2010 Gena D Images for thinking aloud

Signs of Pilgrims Rest II

Another post on the gorgeous museum village of Pilgrims Rest, which we
visited late last year.   As per previous posts, most buildings are as
they were in times gone by and are being used as actual stores,
hotel space or living museums ...               This blue building is the original
general dealer (grocer etc.etc.) so it is set up as a real store back
in the times of the gold rush.   It  great to walk around and see the
 wares "on sale" and other wonderful items for that time. 

I loved the texture and detail on the outside and of course the gorgeous red and

rather rusty Pepsi sign....

Another store sign in the area ... selling arts & crafts and also serving

as a restaurant.   This is the same place where we stopped to enjoy

pancakes  - click here to see yesterday's post

Click here to view previous posts and images of this gorgeous area

View more Blue posts at Smiling Sally - click here

and click here to view more My World Tuesday posts

Image(s) All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2010 Gena D Images for thinking aloud

Melon Rouge

Autumn and Spring  have the most marked changes in terms of lighting,

colours, details (in my mind anyway), so it's a time when I start

pondering all the wonderful places to visit in order to capture 

the great detail that nature provides. 

In my planning I was thinking to spend a day over in Magaliesburg (about
an hour out of Johannesburg) visiting some of the wonderful places there,
and it reminded me of the review I did on Melon Rouge entitled

 "Kick off Your Shoes" last May - link here.
And that ...   brought me to post a collection of images from
that outing ..... enjoy!!!

View more "My World Tuesday posts here

more Ruby Tuesday posts here

more MidWeek Blues here

more Outdoor Wednesday posts here

and more Mosaic Monday posts here

Image(s) All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2010 Gena D Images for thinking aloud

Open Gardens in Johannesburg

Gardens of the Golden City is a "volunteer organisation who work hard to get privately owned gardens to be opened to the public to view during our spring and summer months. A nominal fee is charged per person which goes towards a worthy cause (one of the many pre-nominated charities - all info on their website).

For me these events are fantastic in that I get to take 100's of pictures and enjoy someone else's amazing garden, and believe me they are all beautiful in their own right, but some, well... are truly spectacular, and all this whilst supporting a worthy cause!!

I recently posted an article on Vintage Rose as to why I enjoy attending the "open garden season season (spring and summer) - for more pictures and details, click here.

For more information on the organisation and forthcoming gardens, click here.

Kick off your shoes!

Last Sunday, together with a few friends, we headed out into the country to recharge and just chill. Lunchtime announced itself, so we headed to closest place we could think of .... Melon Rouge in Magalies, a quaint, country eatery, amongst other things. As this is now the third time I have dined there, and since we all enjoyed our afternoon so much, I thought it worth my while to write a few words on this interesting place.

Melon Rouge is just outside of Magalies and I suspect that with exception of a few city fans, it's a little known gem. This is a true bohemian country place – a bit eccentric, a bit rustic, and bit farmy, with a touch of the unexpected. Allow me to explain, Melon Rouge is essentially a country restaurant serving great food, but…. it’s also an art gallery, antique store, a crafty home store, and 2nd hand bookshop.

The setting is gorgeous, the rustic buildings lie secluded by mountain on two sides and a vast “forest” of large Wild Olive trees, which in themselves are exquisite and certainly do their part in contributing to the ambience. The décor is most definitely bohemian and the watrons are kitted out in black and french style red berets.

You can choose to sit outdoors on the rather large patio, basking in the sunshine; you can take to the garden, or alternatively, you can sit indoors in the main restaurant area where the tables and chairs are all refurbished vintage. In fact, you feel like you are at a friends country home having lunch, with the roosters waltzing around the grounds, and kiddies enjoying themselves in the sandpit. The smells of the delicious freshly prepared food waft from the kitchen (warning: sitting indoors could make you ravenously hungry!!), and the music, which varies from French, to Cuban, including the occassional salsa! to African and more – wonderful world music which with each song transports you somewhere else in the world…

When the food arrives, you are taken aback by the size of the portions – in fact it was at this point that I felt, I could be visiting a friend “op die plaas” (on the farm), as the food truly reminds me of traditonal farm food - rich and wholesome!

Melon Rouge is not a Magalies Manor type of "posh" or “polished” place, and it's not trying to be, it's far simpler, more enjoyable and above all a lot more relaxing! In fact the sign at the entrance says it all, really, " Kick off Your Shoes"!

I’ll certainly be stopping by when next in the area - anyone want to join me?

For those who are interested, Melon Rouge is on the Seekoeihoek Road, near the Bekker Schools (off the Hekpoort Road). The contact no. is 079 680 6050.