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!

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

Happy Friday!

As I sit facing the first Friday of my 2012 working year - Friday the 13th - I consider all the plans and excitement of many weekends to come. This weekend we are off to the game-farm! Yippee I cannot wait - my previous post Bushveld Day dreams refers to what I am expecting for this weekend and I am super excited.

From Pinterest

What are your plans for the weekend? My Friday Favorites include:

What happens when you give thousands of stickers to thousands of kids - an AWESOME Colossal Art Design project.

The best street art of 2011

Wondering which camera is best suited for you? Here is a breakdown of the world's leaders in Compact Camera.

Awesome Idea - make your own Vanilla Sugar Body Scrub.

Thinking about the versatility of a scarf.

Have a wonderful day dear reader and may you not fall under the wrath of Friday the 13th! xoxo

Silent World

Some amazing photographs by Michael Kenna; all from here:

source

Underwater Beautiful

When I think of diving or snorkeling, I associate it with sea, sun and beautiful underwater scenery - commonly filled with fishes, coral and natural underwater wonders. But artist Jason de Caires Taylor is changing the way the under water world is perceived.

This artist is creating an underwater exhibition, a man made reef and surprising underwater landscapes, which change and grow overtime as the natural environment it is placed in accepts it as its own. 

I find his works inspiring, fresh and out of this world.

Read more on his work and the process for this exhibition here.

Becoming one with its setting:

 

All images from here

Twinkle twinkle little star

This is so beautiful. The most amazing time lapse video of the Milky Way by Terje Sorgjerd.

It makes me feel small and insignificant.

Because the music in this video adds to the beauty of the time lapse I have to reference it_ music is by Ludovico Einaudi, the song is called "Nuvole bianche".