A MINDFUL MODE OF STILLNESS

"What amazes me about landscape, landscape recalls you into a mindful mode of stillness, solitude, and silence where you can truly receive time." - John O'Donohue

We have returned from the Drakensberg feeling soothed and replenished. The first thing I did once the car was unpacked and we had enjoyed a cup of tea was clean my work table. Now that's a first! Quiet time has done me a lot of good if I'm feeling the need to get back to work so soon. 

A profusion of wildflowers were out wherever we looked...

....as were the baboons. The pastures and hillsides were alive with them. Eating, sun bathing, grooming, chasing. They were not happy having a camera pointed at them.

The fields were dotted with Sacred Ibis. Everything in flocks, herds, troops, clusters and strings. I had forgotten a group of ponies was called a string of ponies, but it makes sense!

"....you look up into a blue sky and, in a moment of grace, imagine a worthwhile tomorrow." -  Dianne Crumbaker

We experienced every season in one day. Even snow which melted the moment the sun came up so that we thought we had imagined it. Many storms, day and night but short and cleansing. The beauty of the landscape sparkling after rain caught my breath every time I stepped outside and walked on squelching earth to look at the lush farmlands.

"there is a certain shimmering essence that nearly breaks the heart" - Dianne Crumbaker

"I would like to step out of my heart and go walking beneath the enormous sky" - Rainer Maria Rilke

My friend Dianne Crumbaker has written a beautiful poem which I have quoted a few times in this post. I would love to share the whole poem with you.

AXIS MUNDI

The point at which heaven and earth meet.
There are other definitions. But think about this one. 
Better yet, think of it this way:
"A" point at which heaven and earth meet.
There is a point at the base of a baby's neck where heaven meets
earth.
And, certainly,
when fall moves into winter,
in the late afternoon light filtering through not-quite-bare
branches,
there is a certain shimmering essence that nearly breaks the 
heart.
Consider the point at which,
lying on your back,
you look up into a blue sky and, in a moment of grace, imagine a
worthwhile tomorrow.
Or when an unexpected wind sweeps around a corner and brings
with it a hint of some distant unknown sea
Maroon and gray and gold strata on a rocky headland
above a green-gray sea.
Tea in a special cup.
Points at which heaven and earth meet.
A string of points, connected, make a line.
A line can be followed, to a destination,
can draw us in.
Axis mundi.

- Dianne Crumbaker

ESCAPE TO THE MOUNTAINS

"Do you know what I need? To escape to the mountains, surrounded by tall trees, I will lay on the moss, and breath in the scent of mushrooms, flowers and wet soil."  --  Lyrics by Les Discrets

.... and that is exactly what we did
We escaped to the mountains for four wondrous days

Wherever we went
through forests 
or up mountain slopes
we could hear water
gurgling
baboons barking
sharp warnings
that we were approaching

The baboon population seems to have increased since we were there last.

Some spent time on the roof
Others foraged the grass for snacks
in the hotel gardens.
We watched babies doing somersaults 
on the lawn outside our room
I'm convinced they were showing off 
because we were watching them.

I was thrilled that I managed to photograph the Bee Eaters before they flew off, though this image is far better.

The Poet Dreams of the Mountain 

Sometimes I grow weary of the days, with all their fits and starts.
I want to climb some old gray mountains, slowly, taking
The rest of my lifetime to do it, resting often, sleeping
Under the pines or, above them, on unclothed rocks.
I want to see how many stars are still in the sky
That we have smothered for years now, a century at least.
I want to look back at everything, forgiving it all,
And peaceful, knowing the last thing there is to know.
All the urgency! Not what the earth is about!
How silent the trees, their poetry being of themselves only.
I want to take slow steps, and think appropriate thoughts.
In ten thousand years, maybe, a piece of the mountain will fall.

-- Mary Oliver

"But I'll tell you what hermits realize. If you go off into a far, far forest and get very quiet, you'll come to understand that you're connected to everything'"  --  Alan Watts

I take a photo of this dam every time we go. It is always so peaceful and a soothing introduction to our holiday. 

THE DRAKENSBERG IN MAY

"Is it not possible that a place could have a huge affection for those who dwell there? Perhaps your place loves having you there. It misses you when you are away and in its secret way rejoices when you return. Could it be possible that a landscape might have a deep friendship with you? That it could feel your presence and feel the care you extend towards it? Perhaps your favorite place feels proud of you…" - John O'Donohue (in his book Beauty)

May is my favourite month of the year because it is my birthday month (it is also Autumn) and my husband treats me to a 4 day stay in the Drakensberg. At the beginning of each year I start the countdown and by the time May rolls around I am more than ready to head for the mountains.

We were lucky enough to have a suite facing the mountains with no buildings to obstruct the view. This photograph was taken from the patio.

Drinking water with cupped hands straight from a mountain stream always tastes better than anywhere else.

So many of the trees in the Eucalyptus Forest were hollowed out, inviting one to step inside and contemplate life as a tree .... except there was always that lingering thought..... What an ideal nest for snakes and spiders!

It was well worth the steep climb up to the fern forest and a great way to work off 2 or 3 buffet meals a day.

We came across this baby Berg Adder. It is one of the most poisonous snakes in the Drakensberg....... and yet we were drawn to it.

It is particularly beautiful at the end of the day when shadows fill the hollows in the hillside and Egyptian Geese gather before flying home to roost.

"Now I was suddenly made aware of another world of beauty and mystery such as I had never imagined to exist, except in poetry...I experienced an overwhelming emotion in the presence of nature, especially at evening. It began to wear a kind of sacramental character for me. I approached it with a sense of almost religious awe, and in the hush which comes before sunset, I felt again the presence of an unfathomable mystery. The song of the birds, the shapes of the trees, the colors of the sunset, were so many signs of this presence, which seemed to be drawing me to itself. " - Bede Griffiths

ON TOP OF THE WORLD

My daughter enjoying the view on top of the Sphinx.

Most people have one or two special places that feed the soul and the Drakensberg mountains of KwaZulu Natal is "my" place. This is where I feel most at peace......balanced.... and inspired.

We have just spent three blissful days at Champagne Castle, one of the most beautiful parts of the Drakensberg and though I could always do with a little more time away I am feeling rejuvenated.

Every day was perfect. 
Long walks along paths scattered with pine needles, 
wending our way up through the forests ....

across streams.....

stopping periodically to drink the purest crystal clear water.....

photographing all manner of mushrooms and funghi ....

.... out of the forest to push through waist high grass and wild flowers

Wild dagga, leonotis leonorus. Read more here.

marveling over the Bushman paintings that we have seen many times before but never tire of seeing again.

Still climbing ....... the clouds come and go.


Lucky enough to see a mountain rescue exercise .....

The noise was deafening for a while but silence soon returned,
broken only by the bark of a baboon and a sudden swish of grass as a
grey Duiker burst from cover.

On top of the world at last. Well, almost :-)


Back to the hotel in time for tea


....and a little retail therapy at a roadside stall.

"It is an act of worship to sit and look at high mountains." - Sir Edmund Hillary