"Solitude is not a luxury - it's a right and a necessity!"
I've had a couple of requests to 'share' a bit more about where I live on my little piece of African soil, so I decided to do a short series of my home in Tarlton, South Africa, situated on an 8.5ha smallholding. This is purely for fun! I would just like to mention that, when building and decorating my home about 7 years ago, I have taken inspiration from Africa, and nature in particular, surrounding myself with natural (and sometimes living!) objects and colour. I am not ostentatious by nature and prefer the simple and natural things in life. Hope you enjoy and find this interesting! I know I just LOVE to see other people's living spaces, be it small or large, simple or ornate, in suburbia or the country, in a basement or a sky-scraper, inland or at the coast.
Nothing soothes the soul better than a long hot bath in winter. Or ANYTIME for that matter! I'm not a shower person, unless it's in the middle of the day, and I've been out in the garden all morning and need to get cleaned up quickly! I much prefer the "soak" thing, with foam, aromatic oils and lots of candles on the side of the bath, meditating or sometimes even listening to some soothing music or reading a couple of chapters of a good book.
Spending time by and with myself is essential to me for a healthy mind and outlook on life. It brings things into perspective and allows me to connect with my inner strength that gets scattered by everyday life pressures.
The 'work station' part of the bathroom - His & Hers Sandstone basins set into a concrete top, inlaid with river pebbles. The plumbing is on-surface copper pipes, with mirrors set in between the pipes, and built-in concrete shelves below offer storage for all sorts.
Above and below : my seating area where I pamper myself with creams, powders and oils - concrete inlaid with river pebbles and finished off with Bushmen rock paintings. A grass-woven basket holds spare towels and a vase filled with Restios grasses from my garden is behind it. A large candle on a tall Indonesian candle stick provides soft light to minimise wrinkles and other imperfections! (lol!)
The shower - concrete seating and floor inlaid with river pebbles for a non-slip effect - the plumbing is copper piping on-surface with a big, vintage shower-head above (shown below).
The shower just below the ceiling, which is made of "latte", (de-barked Blue gum saplings).
The view from the bath through open doors into my private, walled garden. The Wild Olive tree is about 8 years old and they grow naturally on the southern slopes of the Magaliesberg mountain range in the kloofs, woodland and down to the river bank areas of the Magalies River. The Fan Palm in the corner is home to my resident Wagtails' nest, from where their two youngsters fledged just 3 weeks ago. I watched them every morning as I bathed for 3 or four days, hopping around the court-yard, being fed by the parents until they were strong enough to fly over the wall. It really was a thrilling couple of days! The garden is also home to many lizards and geckos who often visit the bathroom, adorning my walls like living ornaments!
View from the court-yard into the bathroom
A collection of pebbles on the side of the bath in a carved African bowl
Some Coral Tree seeds found in Ballito and a Lobster tail I found on the beach, in a carved wooden bowl with Porcupine Quills tied on the edges
The facecloth rail is a Blue gum tree branch tied with silver wire to two curtain rod hooks and a collection of Porcupine Quills on the bathroom counter in an earthenware pot. I only collect Porcupine quills that I find and pick up myself. There are some stores that state on their packaging that only dropped quills are collected and no animals are harmed during the collection of their quills, but who knows whether that is the truth or not...? I removed all the make-up and face cleansers and hand creams that normally clutter this corner just for this pic! he he!
There are still many Porcupines around our area and I find many quills in the veld, but the vegetable farmers are getting more and more exasperated by these animals digging up their potato crops, and killing them has become an every day occurrence over the last few years.
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