Magic May in McGregor - some random photos
May went past in a flash and for some reason I had my camera on hand more than usual. As I was going through them, I noticed interesting textures and colours so characteristic of our village and autumn. Here is a selection.
A gabion wall embracing what will be an outside shower made from shale excavated from the building of the adjacent house. This amazed me not just for the shape but the quality of the build. Talented craftsmen.
The house "belonging" to the outside shower has been built on an original "rietdakhuisie" built of brick. These are all built with mud bricks and the original roofing was reeds harvested from the local river. Over the years thatch grass has been available and has been added to the roof. Not always successfully because unless the roof is shored up, the thatch is too heavy - particularly if it gets wet. This photograph clearly shows the two layers of original reed and the new grass thatch.
This is the north view from the street outside the same property - through the autumn leaves to the hill with the fading McGregor crest carefully set out with river stones now with the paint largely having flaked off. Before taking you into our garden, this photograph is of a giant Anagama kiln (wood-burning) that was fired up this month after being packed with pottery.
Over three or so days, it burned 5 tons of wood and had to cool for a week before it could be unpacked. Here you see the flame vent, and the heads of the folk standing next to it, give you a sense of it's magnitude.
In our garden, the buds of the indigenous A. ferox so named because of this aloe's ferocious thorns. Finally, a rare moment when this overgrown kitten is still - it was a hot day and he needed a cool spot.
Gandalf, our grey cat whose wizadry is restricted to a loquacity that annoys the humans and a persistant curiosity that really annoys Pearli.
All photos with Samsung 16.4 mp camera and minimally touched up.
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Some great photos, I love the outside shower!!
Use of slate from the area for the shower reminds me of the Zimbabwe ruins, distinct character. Old/New roofing, interesting to see the heavier reeds used below compared to the thin grass on top.
McGregor really has the lovely 'old feel' in the town, hopefully one day will get to visit this area @fionasfavourites thanks for sharing.
McGregor is the best preserved Victorian village in the province, if not the country. Unusual in the Western Cape where the dominant "European" architecture is the Cape Dutch. Yes, there is a sense of the Zimbabwe ruins, and this is local shale, not slate. There are roads in the area built by Italian prisoners of war built in a similar way.
A visit is worth it - lots more to do than people think!
@thekittygirl ah, thank you for stopping by! We do live in an amazing place. So privileged to live here.