Meandering Pathway

another landscape of the Magalies mountain range, viewed through the
surrounding grasslands, and catching a glimpse of a meandering pathway,
heading ... well, who knows where?! this is the countryside after all ...

Image(s) All Rights ReservedCopyright 2010 Gena D Images for thinking aloud

Magalies Panorama

a late afternoon panoramic shot over the Magaliesburg mountains and surrounding grasslands - heaven on earth!!

Image(s) All Rights ReservedCopyright 2010 Gena D Images for thinking aloud

Country Picnic

A vintage inspired country scene - a lunch picnic on the foothills of the Magaliesburg.

The next few images/ posts will be from a collection taken late last year in the

Magaliesburg area, whilst visiting friends ....  I have not posted from this shoot before

 and although some of the images are not my best shots (amazing how much I have

 learnt since then!!!), I still love them and the energy and feeling they invoke, just by

looking through them.  

It is a beautiful part of our country, is the Magaliesburg!!

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!!!

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Image(s) All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2010 Gena D Images for thinking aloud

Magalies Stream

a stream flowing through the Old Mill House property in Magalies

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and more Wordless Wednesday here

Image(s) All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2010 Gena D Images for thinking aloud

Vintage Car

an abandoned old car - it must certainly have been exquisite in days gone by.
I captured this image of the old vintage car at a farm in the Magaliesburg whilst
shooting landscapes amongst other things.    I was so captivated by this old relic,
 literally falling apart, but still showing the beauty of what once existed ....
I had to wonder how this car ever ended up where it did, under trees, amidst long
 grass, totally abandoned in the middle of nowhere.  
I guess we will never know how it got there, but at least it enabled an opportunity to
capture it's beauty for posterity.

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Image(s) All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2010 Gena D Images for thinking aloud

Misty Mountain

Today I'm sharing images captured at our little piece of heaven in the country, 

taken during very rainy weather last summer, which caused

heavy rolling mist to come over and down the mountain (Magaliesburg)  .....

so thick you can't even see the massive mountain, above, and below,

later in the day, the sun breaking through ...

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Game Lodge in Magalies

Pictures taken on a friend's game lodge, Rooikrans Lodge, in the Magaliesburg, which is about 1 hour drive out of Johannesburg.

a view off the patio overlooking the lapa (where they solicalise and barbecue) towards the Magalies mountains

a western mountain view

part of the lapa and barbecue area

the rustic details - stone, wood, concrete and copper pipes. 

A giraffe - one of the many wild (game) animals on the game farm

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A view over the Harties Dam

Click on picture to enlarge.

a late afternoon view over the Hartebeesport Dam, South Africa, resulting in some exquisite reflections!

After Julie's comment below, I decided to add these words to the post :  this picture was for me one of the most profound lessons in photography (so far), it was getting late, everyone in a hurry, but I was compelled to take a few (hurried) shots anyway.   I left, not really expecting much.  The fact that a few of the pictures (including the one above) came out, for me was a valued lesson in "capturing the moment" - take that picture no matter what, because you may never come back to the same spot under the same conditions - I wrote a post last year on exactly that - click here to read it - be sure to click back to the post and to link to the other participants of Skywatch, LATSOF and Weekend Reflections).

this post is part of Sky Watch Friday - click here for more pics

and Looking at the Sky on Friday, click here for more posts and participants

and

Weekend Reflections, click here for posts and participants

South Africa in Pictures : Copse of Trees, Magaliesburg

A copse of trees bathed in late afternoon sunshine. Taken at a farm in Magaliesburg (approx 1 hour out of Johannesburg). The area is named after the Magalies mountain range which stretches from Rustenburg in the west all the way to the north east boundary of Pretoria - quite a distance. You can just see the mountain range in the top left hand corner.

Picture Credit : Gena D Photography

South Africa in Pictures: Mist rolling off the Magaliesburg Mountains, NW South Africa

A picture taken during the summer rainy season, when due to dramatic temperature changes, you get the rolling mist coming over the mountain. Quite spectacular!

A Country Outing, NW South Africa

On Saturday, I was fortunate enough to be part of a group who went out into the countryside on a heritage trip. We spent our time exploring the Magaliesburg area near Hartbeesportdam (NW South Africa), and I managed to take some pictures worthy of sharing.

From a heritage perspective, we saw some great places, and heard some really good storytelling, about which I hope to write on soon. But, for now, enjoy this scenic detour .....

A view from a hilltop towards the Magaliesburg Mountains (Hartbeesport - developing town - in the valley)

A view of the Crocodile River and surrounding mountains (taken from Dietmar Wiening's Studio)

A view of the west side of the Hartbeesport Dam, NW, South Africa

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.