Kurumakatiti reserve _ a final goodbye

It is a beautiful day in Johannesburg and it is clear that my week will be a bit rough! Next week the husband and I will be taking a sneaky little mid-year break without little Antonlief (don't get me started on the emotions this is stirring up!) but I am still insanely EXCITED!

The last few months have been tough in saying farewell to a very special place as our much beloved Kurumakatiti game reserve has been sold. It has been especially tough for the husband as he holds on to so many sentimental and precious memories here. Having been in the family for 3 generations it is very sad to say goodbye!



We are happy that little Anton could at least spend a few happy weekends on this beautiful piece of African soil and I hope that one day we will be able to provide just a small resemblance of such a beautiful environment to him and future siblings. This special reserve will be greatly missed and we are so grateful for all the happy and rich memories we will forever have!

For those of you that did have the opportunity to visit this special wonder you know exactly what we have lost and you can probably relate to the sadness that overwhelms us now. For the readers that have only caught glimpses of the farm on Wordedreflections you know just how dear this place was to me.

It is a sad time in the Derksen household and 

we will forever treasure these memories!

Marvelous Monday

Hello dear readers, I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are feeling rested and ready for this new week ahead.

This week I would like to focus on a few things in and the around the kitchen. With Anton having started eating solid foods in the past few weeks, the husband providing too much meat for two people to consume from the farm - Kudu, Eland, Impala... you name it, I have it! - I am foreseeing a good few hours in the kitchen.

Can anyone say venison pie, steamed, liquidised veggies, kudu roast or biltong !? Let the cooking games begin!

Although I do like to page through recipe books, read cooking or recipes specific blogs and watch cooking programs, I am not one to strictly follow recipes. I find recipes too regulated and strict, but great for inspiration and sparking ideas; the kitchen is where I like to experiment and play.

A few of my favourite culinary inspirations include:
Punchfork
Foodgawker
I love cooking
Whats for dinner

My kitchen_this is where I play!

Perhaps with spring winking at us some of you are less focused on food than on putting on your gym gear, but who said cooking and eating cant be yum and healthy!? More on this tomorrow.

Hello week!

Its Monday morning and I am feeling rested and revived after a lovely weekend on the farm... As some of you might have realised by now, the farm is to me what a full body massage is to most people. I can never get enough of the fresh air, beautiful nature and even the 3 hour drive out there is part of the experience. Smile.

So what do you have planned this week? I am still not 100% back in my regular routine after my long break and I think that this week requires some attention to healthy eating and living - just to spark the habit again.

From here

 Some wise words to get me going again, perhaps some of you also find this useful:

From here

Have a lovely week all! xoxo

Happy Monday

Hello dear readers, may you have a happy week!

A shot of the husband on the farm this weekend - this is most certainly our favorite spot on the reserve!

Fabulous Friday

Wow! This week was a blur! So its Friday again...

I am off to our game reserve Kurumakatiti this weekend - not all fun and games though, we are meeting with a potential contractor to build our new lodge - exciting and a little bit scary all at the same time!!!

View of the site for our new lodge, taken from a cave situated about 100m from the site.

Here is another picture I took from this cave on our last visit - how beautiful is this!?

A Paperbark Corkwood tree growing on the ledge of a cliff.

A friend asked me yesterday if I can bring her back some fresh air from the farm and my immediate reaction was to laugh, but this also made me think of how lucky we are to have this natural gem right at our doorstep and it made me appreciate the farm even more!

My worded inspiration for the week, inspired by my friend's request:

From here

 

I am not posting any Friday Favorites today, my only request is that you take time to breath, share a smile and be kind to a stranger this weekend.

Have a good weekend dear readers. 

xoxo

Natural Textures

As mentioned on Friday, I spent my weekend with the husband on our family farm- Kurumakatiti Reserve. What a wonderful few days! Fresh and clean air, limited cellphone reception, open fire cooking - back to basics - and nature in its purest form.

Today I share why I love this place so much in the form of close-up shots of some of the natural textures and elements of the farm. Perhaps some inspiration for prints in my house?

There is beauty in the Zebra hide lying on the floor

There is beauty in the natural lines in the sand

There is beauty in the thatch roof details

 

There is beauty in the old scull of an elephant

There is beauty in the dappled shadow of a tree

 

There is beauty in the ashes of last night's fire.

There is beauty in a fallen bird nest

There is beauty in the natural timber all around

There is beauty in a fallen sprig of a tree

In our backyard

I often refer to the game farm as being my place of escape where I can stop, relax, breathe and recharge. But I am yet to do a proper post about this place of wonder.

So for the past few weekends spent in the bush I have focused on taking some images to share, so that is what I am doing today. I hope you enjoy it! 

Kurumakatiti Reserve, where we spend so many lovely weekends away.

The farm is located just outside Vaalwater, Limpopo, about a 4 hour drive outside of Jo'burg, but as soon as we leave the city skyline behind us we are on "holiday".

The drive to the farm_ clear skies and open road!

Typical road on the farm

All the cooking is done on the open fire

 

One of the thousand natural finds - a giant toadstool

Spot of the year (so far)_ a Brown Hyena at a watering hole

 A visitor at the camp this past weekend - these images were taken from the stoep (veranda).

We are also in the process of designing a new camp site - we've already identified a spot and are in the early stages of planning; watch this space! 

EXCITING!!!