The joy of proteas ...

Proteas are the national flower of South Africa & they have always been special to me. 

I blogged about them after a previous trip to South Africa - proteas in many guises. 

I have them at home too, a reminder of my roots. Daughter had them at her recent wedding too …

I have a generous vase of faux silk proteas in the living room, they look real with the red & silver foliage branches too. 

I recently sewed two cloths with proteas, as well as doing them as my glass painting design. 

In this blog post, I shared buying some unique wire & bead proteas I bought at a craft market in Howick, Natal, South Africa. 

I had previously visited the same market with both my parents & revisiting brought back memories of my parents choosing a hand crafted picnic basket there that I still use. My now late Dad chose the beaded proteas with me & they are a reminder of that shared experience. 

The 2 vases are in the same space, the beaded ones on a side table next in the corner by the clock, the faux ones on a console table along with the assorted drinks etc. 

My good friend Ellie messaged to say she had been out browsing & had found 3 large wire proteas like the ones I have & she immediately bought them as a gift for me. 

It is special when friends know your home well enough to know your likes. She came by for tea this week & brought them over. 

They are a perfect match to mine - slightly larger but perfect. 

I am naturally delighted but then realised the vase I have for them will not be able to take another 3 stems because the beaded ones have chunky stems. 

I switched the faux & beaded ones vases but that did not work out either. 

On my travels today around a local market town chunky vases were on my list to keep an eye out for. 

I struck lucky when I spied a generous vase in passing one of the charity shops. It was not as heavy as the ones I have but a more generous size & at only £4, I had to have it. 

Once home, it was washed & then I tried out the vases - the heavy jug shape vase that had the faux proteas could hold all the beaded ones - now a weighty 10 stems. 

The charity shop vase could hold the 9 faux protea stems as well as the red & silver foliage too because the neck was wide enough. 

It will need some weighting down with pebbles in time, but that is a minor adjustment to this elegant new vase. 

The previous narrow necked vase (left) is replaced by the heavy jug shaped vase to hold the 10 stems.

 

After faffing with the various protea stems in the two vases, they could be returned to their 2 spots in the living room & they look impressive with their generous stems.

What a thoughtful gift that goes well in my space. The curtains will soon change from the neutral creams to heavy berry coloured ones for winter to keep out the chills & the proteas will hold court with their elegant ways. 

Am I the only one inclined towards certain flowers & colours. Tell all. Thank you for stopping by, it is appreciated. 

Dee 

Down memory lane in Africa ...

 Hi everyone, 

I have been travelling for two of the last three months - the tours were booked in 2019 before covid & lockdowns postponed everything. More on those ones another time. 

I shared the news of my Father's passing due to Covid in January 2021 and for a long time, travel was not allowed so we planned for a safe travel time - at the end of the southern winter but before our winter set in - the window of opportunity. 

This was the last road trip we took, my Dad with us. The route took in his many siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins etc that he managed to visit.

With one daughter & her partner accompanying us & having things we needed to attend to in various places in South Africa, we decided to do a swoop of places that were special to us or which we wanted to revisit after a long break.  Our route from the Cape to the Kruger National Park, a distance covered of more than 3 200km

We started our adventure in Cape Town, the sight of the most recognisable flat mountain with its white tablecloth of clouds.  One of our oldest friends insisted we take advantage of his hospitality - his home looked out towards Table Mountain. He also insisted on being our guide - how privileged we were to have his company for our stay & to benefit from his knowledge of the magnificent Cape. We crammed in as much as possible, hungry for all it had to offer. I would gladly have stayed for a month but sadly we could not.

The iconic penguins which are found along the Cape coast near Boulders Beach. They are so sweet, curious and noisy with their comical walk. 

The Castle at Cape Town, established in 1665 by the Dutch East India Company / VOC to protect the sea route around the Cape. My early ancestors were soldiers at the Cape at that time & they would have walked these very walls so this was a very special visit for me. 

An interesting exhibition of how life would have been inside the Castle walls - fish, fruit, exotic spices, meeting places - a hub of activity 

The diverse heritage at the Cape is celebrated at the Castle with the numerous statues and museums 

The stunning view from our friends home towards Table Mountain. At night, as the sun set the colours deepened or as the Afrikaans saying goes - as die son verdof van wit tot rooi ... 

Part of a little shopping I did in Greenmarket square - some beaded animals to take back, along with the requested fabric so I can run up something for the little ones ... 

The bustling Green Market Square in the heart of Cape Town - I used to visit such markets with my parents & so took the opportunity to get some lovely gifts to take back with me ... 

The beautiful Franschhoek, a place where the displaced Huguenot settlers made their home when they were driven from their homes across Europe during times of religious persecution. 

Groot Constantia - a premier wine estate in the Cape, an early family connection to it made it a must visit again.

Bo-Kaap (upper Cape) was originally a Malay settler part of the town. It is home to the oldest mosque as well as these colourful houses which are a well loved feature of the city. They are freshly painted & tourists flock to photograph them. Living history as all are private homes ... 

The Fairview estate next to the Spice route had a stunning deli with the most delicious food, breads, nibbles, biltong and wines. We indulged in their lovely items so we could have a cheese, wine, bread, olive etc evening with our hosts on our last night. What fun it was .... 

The Spice Route wine farm for wine tasting in Paarl - the Cape was at the heart of the old spice trade as ships had to round the Cape with their wares. The Malay settlers brought their rich culture with them & spicy food has always been part of our cuisine ... 

We reluctantly bid our generous hosts farewell and left the coast for the inland after an amazing stay, revisiting so many places & finding delight in the family connections to many. 

To be continued, please stop by again ... 

Dee ~💕~