The oldest desert in the world, so the scientists say, more than 500 million years old in fact. The Namib (open space) is just that – so open it forces your heart to expand and your soul to lift and time to stand still. So at times as we sat and absorbed the expanse, the silence, the colour, the feel, the vastness it felt as though time too, had stopped.
Was this where time began?
Or is these where time has ended?
Sandwich HarbourThis was once, a homeJust because…..We were not alone – Springbok looking at us looking at him
Spacewherever we lookedtime to recaptureor captureever changing and always staying the samea moment in timeso fortunate to seeand he showed off happilyThere was hugeeffort involvedin climbingthe duneswhether oldor young
but the views rewarded usand of course we had to go down too….but who is complaining
The never ending beauty of the dunesDifficult to assess the steepness of the dune as we drop down – with the engine switched off you hear the roar of the sand – as if from the bowels of the earth – AMAZING
These rather ordinary videos will give you an idea of the scale of the place
some welcome sustenance after the walks
and this is what happens when you don’t time the tide correctly !!!!!
photos courtesy of the Powrie girls and Erika de Jäger
…in the south west corner of Africa. Namibia gained independence only in 1990 South Africans have always felt a close affinity to what was previously called South West Africa with many of our young men spending time in the military in this part of the world.
For much of my youth large parts of the country were ‘out of bounds’ because of the fighting ‘up north’ as we used to say.
Happily now, we are free to explore – and that is precisely what we did recently.
Well actually we only explored a little of the country – 10 days is not enough to do it justice. Almost the size of South Africa, with a population of 2.5mill (S African has approx 60mill) it is a deliciously sparsely populated so that it is possible to ‘escape the madding crowd’ and absorb the light and air unhindered.
We began in Walvis Bay, with time spent on the water sharing our boat with friends
The light and mood in the bay is extraordinary – enjoy
The Salt Pans are also amazing – this salt pan currently supplies South Africa with 90% of it’s salt; concentrated salt from seawater with the aid of evaporation. This salt pan also forms part of Southern Africa’s single most important coastal wetland for migratory birds.
and when we thought we had seen such beauty nothing could compare, we visited Sandwich Harbour…… which deserves it’s own page.
(photos courtesy of the ‘Powrie girls’ and Erika De Jager)
Nothing I have ever done prepared me for Jesters Flat, Margaret River
…….
Beautiful Perth.
My final few hours before returning to ‘the real world’
as I walked along the banks of the Swan River
Enough time to marvel at what had happened over the past week at Jester’s Flat
Enough time to marvel at what happened when seven women, unknown to one another arrived in a place unknown to any of them, and challenged themselves to a completely new experience.
doing ‘their thing’ at different parts of the week.
And what happened was that I found, in that a week a glimpse
of His creation in all its glory.
Miles of manicured vineyards; shade and light playing with the colours on display as the wild flowers showed off their extravagance
Birds of remarkable colour and sounds more varied and sweeter than any music created by man.
Grasses, flowers, trees of every shape and hue – so many variations of blue, baby blue, dusky blue, egg shell blue, blue blue light blue; as many pinks as there are adjectives; every variation of white imaginable and then the yellows, oranges, purples, mauves, reds and every shade of green. Some tiny delicate plants last but a few hours and are as small as a finger nail, some stand bold and strong for hundreds of years, each a miracle of design and detail.
Only with His palette on His canvas, can these colours work so beautifully
and not jar the eye.
I found a sky that brooded over us, kept us jacketed but honoured us all the same by not wetting us.
A sun that teased us, warming us intermittently and unexpectedly filtering through the forest or lighting up the fields and fields of yellow daisies, until finally it exposed itself totally to reveal a sky of such blue blue our eyes were opened to a world of promise; shining new growth on the trees, shimmering in the light, red clover stark and strong alongside the vines which ran so straight and neat beside us.
Kangaroos by the score looking at us as we looked at them, scampering away, with their young sometimes peeping at us from a snug pouch and at other times hopping alongside their mothers. Was there ever a stranger creature?
Cows always curious running up to stare at us, eyes luminous and vacant at the same time.
Sheep taking no notice of us at all.
All though, taking notice of the season, and dropping young as Spring arrives with That promise of new life.
Everywhere we looked
these strange creatures
reminded us of
an amazingly created world
And of course I found the horses.
The reason we were all here.
These four legged creatures; as strong as an ox and as gentle as a baby, as wild as it’s possible to be and then again as submissive, as yielding as gentle as imaginable.
There is nothing in the world quite like sitting astride a horse which weighs hundreds of kilos, and working with it to move, stop, walk, trot, canter, turn on a dime all with subtle body movements and a tiny metal piece in its mouth. Having said that, they can be capricious and unpredictable, kicking and pulling for no reason and then again be kind and loving and snuggle you for no reason too (or perhaps it can smell that Apple 😜)
And all the while seven women share their stories, their dreams, their fears.
They offer encouragement, a helping hand, a laugh, a glass of wine, a smile.
They stretch themselves doing things never done before (like trying to play polocrosse 😂😂😂)
They bond through a common love of horses and all that they experienced Through that love, in that place.
And for one week His plan for creation shone; people and nature worked together in perfect harmony. Each leaving with a sense of being part of ‘what’s possible’ ; linked forever through Jesters Flat – a very special time
Me and my special GeorgeThe “Mob” – if we weren’t eating……
We were probably riding 🙂
Brave New World of Blogging 
