Impromptu outings are often the best kind!

"I'm very spur-of-the-moment! I'm always trying to think of fun things to do to create a memory."  ~ Josh Hartnett ~

Are you a spur-of-the-moment kind of person, or do you like to plan all the intricate details ahead of time? Are you, perhaps, a good blend of both? Maybe, you're someone who is mostly inclined one way, yet, on occasional, you'd be happy to step out of your comfort zone and experience a little of the other way?

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This old bridge only accommodates one car at a time. I guess you'd call it a single lane bridge! As you can see, the roadway is wet and it was drizzling steadily at the time we stopped to take this photograph of a road stretching ahead to endless possibilities.

 

Do you prefer to plan your destination, even down to the precise time of arrival, or are you happy to be led by impulse, arriving at 'wherever' on a whim? If you should have an unexpected 'day off' tomorrow, would you find yourself agonising over various options, unable to decide at such short notice, or would you hop into your car, spontaneously hit upon an idea and then see where the road leads?

Yesterday, we drove past kilometre after kilometre of beautiful countryside, some fields lying fallow, others under heavy cultivation. In between, here and there, we spotted a thriving wetland/marshy patch, with hundreds of weavers, red, yellow and even orange bishops nesting in the reeds, with an assortment of birds of prey lazily soaring overhead. The sounds and smells were magnificent. The stuff my soul feeds off eagerly!

My husband had to do a short site visit at a (very) large dairy farm, yesterday. In addition, he'd ordered two new-fangled rat traps, which had to be collected at a warehouse in Cape Town. Since Linda was at home with us, for a couple of days, and (YAY!) therefore able to keep an eye on the dogs during our absence, my husband suggested I might like to join him for the drive...those of you who have begun to know me through my blog will know exactly what my response was!!!

Heavy heads (spikes, ears) of wheat beginning to ripen. A farm labourer's cottage is flanked by huge gum trees to the left and a field of grazing sheep to the right.

Yes, of course, I naturally jumped (leapt!) at the opportunity to enjoy some time alone with him, out in the countryside and off the beaten track, always a favourite 'escape option' of ours when we need to recharge our batteries. No, silly, not the car's...OURS!!! When we left home, no plans had been made beyond fulfilling the initial objectives, but we had decided to...definitely have lunch, somewhere nice, afterwards!


Our first port of call was the industrial area to fetch the traps (I will share the reason for these rat traps in a later post...it requires a post of its own!). Once that uninteresting task had been swiftly accomplished, we headed out of the city and into the Durbanville Hills...to embark on the FUN part!

A farm along the way...not the farm we visited, which was a huge, commercial operation.

It was one of those wet, misty days when outdoor colours seem so much richer and brighter and I hoped we'd find some interesting photographic subjects. We drove past rolling fields of beautiful green pasture land and acre upon acre of lush lucerne, wheat and canola (rapeseed), interspersed with vineyards. I kept 'Oohing and Aahing' about how beautiful everything looked and, when I spotted a signpost to Philadelphia, a tiny little village I'd recently read about, but had never visited, I suggested we might make our way there after we'd completed the business side of our day. My husband obligingly agreed it sounded like a great idea and so that's where we ended up for lunch.

BUT...since it has been sweetly pointed out to me, on more than one occasion, that I tend to ramble on and on with my posts, I've made a decision to split them into shorter segments from now on. So...rather than bombard you with everything we saw and did, yesterday, I shall cunningly keep you coming back for more! What follows, therefore, will be the first of a three part post, covering our trip to Philadelphia...for now, I'll be sharing some of the sights we stopped to photograph along the way!

Old farm walls are so characterful...

This one marked the long driveway leading to a lovely old farmhouse.

And, 'A River Runs Through It' all...the many little streams and rivers along the way were all flowing strongly after the rains. Most will dry up during the summer months.

Old farm out buildings always fascinate me. This one was sporting pretty red gateways, windowframes and gable trims.

We loved the quirkiness of the unlevelled gate and the bright green contrasted with the red. Definitely a photographic opportunity!

Same gate, but taken from a different angle to add interest.

From the size of the weed growing on this doorway's threshold, I'd guess the bottom half of this stable door hadn't been opened in a while.

I was completely mesmerised by this building...to say I fell in love with it would not be an exaggeration! I was certain it was someone's arty homestead. My husband disagreed.

This was the side on view of the same building seen above. My husband determined that its function is that of milking shed! He saw drains coming out from beneath the doors, stainless steel milking pipes exiting the building at the back, for the milk collecting trucks to hook up to, and factory extractor fans on the roof! As you can see, these photographs carefully exclude any of those in order to remain in keeping with my far more romantic view of this characterful building.

A closer look at the sealed up windows on the side section. This wall had so much beauty, it looks like a painting to me. It was real. I did touch it just to confirm!

The building ahead, with its delightful blue door and blue trim, was behind and off to the side of the building I'd fallen in love with, below...

Here it is...looking down its length...from the aloe bed against the fence. What is your guess? A home, or a milking shed?

If you're a farmer, you need a tractor! Right? So, who wants a ride?

OK, that's it for today! Please do come back later to continue this excursion with me. Part 2 will cover where we had our lunch in Philadelphia...it was a treat! Part 3 will be of scenes spotted around the delightful village. So, you see, I still have plenty to share with you!