Pepper Tree Art Stable and Coffee Shop (Part 2 of Philadelphia Outing!)

Signpost on the street corner directing visitors to the restaurant and coffee shop.

To continue reading this post, please click the Read more button below...

 

Here I am, back at my post after all the excitement of Carol Wyer's On-line Book Launch Party. If you missed it, you can still visit her blog, as she will be keeping the show open all next week for viewing and enjoyment. Her hilarious debut novel, Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines is on sale now. It was ranked amongst the Top 50 Best Sellers on Amazon, yesterday! You will find all the details on her website (and, no, I am not being paid to direct you there!)

http://facing50withhumour.blogspot.com/ 

This has been a particularly busy week for me. Apart from my normal daily activities, we spent two days away from home, but you will need to wait a while longer to hear what we got up to. Right now, I am going to finish telling you about the day trip we enjoyed last week (see previous post http://driftwoodramblings.blogspot.com/2011/09/impromptu-outings-are-often-best-kind.html ) 


Philadelphia is a rather cute, historical village situated amongst the lush  green, rolling hills of the Swartland farming community, the wheat growing region of the Western Cape. To read more about this enchanting settlement, click on the link http://blog.sa-venues.com/provinces/western-cape/philadelphia/

The comely village centre. Parking is generally not permitted in this street. As it was drizzling when we were there, some visitors clearly chose not to adhere to the polite request to park on the Church Square, which is conveniently situated just a few steps behind and to the right of where this picture was taken and which provides ample parking for the influx of visitors on weekends, especially during the summer months. 

The hubbub of Philadelphia is the delightfully quirky Pepper Tree Art Stable and Coffee Shop, which also houses a Pottery Studio and a lovely gift shop. The huge Pepper Tree, after which it is named, dominates the entrance to the stables complex. I loved the gnarled and bulbous trunk girth.

During summer, the courtyard is furnished with outdoor tables and chairs for guests who wish to eat al fresco. As it was a rainy, late winter/early spring day, we were comfortably seated inside the pleasantly toasty, original stable, the building you see on the left. The adorable little, Boomer-lookalike dog belongs to the resident Potter.

The courtyard is home to several whimsical sculptures fashioned out of repurposed rusty implements. Here we have a donkey, I think!

We rather liked this sturdy old wood and iron trestle table which was resting beneath the ample shade of the Pepper Tree. It will accommodate quite a large gathering of guests enjoying an open-air meal at the restaurant, on a balmy summer's day.

A charming old wood and zinc shed, draped in sweet-smelling Jasmine!  As you can see, the sky was very gray on the day we visited, but that in no way dampened our experience of this delightful little town.

Several of the tables were occupied when we arrived. We sat at the back of the large Gallery-cum-Restaurant. While we were waiting for our wine order and starter course to arrive, I had fun viewing the paintings in this room and the various items on display in the Pottery Shed, which leads directly off the dining area, behind and to the right of where I was standing. The grinning man belongs to me! I'd asked him to smile at the camera and he was giving a cheeky retort, much to the delight of a table of older ladies opposite.

This large room is hung from floor to ceiling with framed paintings (all for sale) and old collections of tins are displayed high up on the rafters, all adding to the beguiling atmosphere.

"Hi, nice lady. My name is Boo. What's yours?" Really? Boo? That's too cute! Hey, Hon, it's "Me and you and a dog named Boo!"

Glutton that I am (it was chilly and I was HUNGRY!) I only remembered to take a pictures of my starter course! It was a deliciously creamy broccoli and brie soup, served with a freshly baked rye roll. For mains, I had garlicky chicken, roasted tomato, herb and leek pancakes served with a deliciously fresh baby-leaf salad and, for dessert (you honestly didn't expect me to miss out on that, did you?), I had a scrumptious, warmed apple crumble with fresh cream. The whole meal was very tasty and attractively presented.

Painting in the gallery of a view down the main street of the village (I took a picture of the same scene, but from the opposite direction...see below).

It is spring in South Africa and our glorious annual display of indigenous flora has arrived. Should you wish to find out more, click on the link provided http://www.southafrica.info/about/animals/flora.htm This painting depicts one of the colourful scenes in the veld (countryside) outside Philadelphia.

At this time of year, the cultivated fields in the region are swathed in bright yellow canola flowers and bright green wheat bushels! Another painting of the area that was hanging in the gallery.

Boo acting as Concierge, welcoming guests to the gallery and restaurant. Such a friendly, sweet-natured and well mannered little dog he was, too!

The Pottery is owned and run by Ferdinand, Boo's very friendly owner. I thoroughly enjoyed myself looking at all of the interesting and fascinating items on display. Yes, I did have permission to take pictures and, in fact, I mentioned to Ferdinand that I would be putting a selection on my blog for my readers to see. He rather liked that!

Ferdinand, the resident ceramic artist offers weekend and evening classes, as well as once-off workshops. I felt really inspired by what I saw both in his gallery and in the workshop and may well find (make!) time to book myself in for class. I'd love an excuse to return to Philadelphia and to be able to spend a night in one of the self-catering cottages.

Unfortunately, my photographs cannot do  justice to the many items on display.

The vessels on display on the mid-section of this shelf were all made for drinking wine and liquers! Who says you can only enjoy these drinks from glass vessels!

A selection of assorted buttons and beads, door knobs and larger, decorative items.

Ferdinand at work in his studio off to the right. He had two or three local ladies assisting with the various stages.

"Thank you for coming! Please do come again!"

Stepping beyond the Stable Art Gallery and Coffee Shop courtyard, looking left, across to the opposite side of the street (see painting above!)

Looking down the road and to the right of where we were standing above.

These sidewalk gardeners are quite creative!

Sandbags and wooden poles have been cleverly used to create a raised bed around the base of this huge Gum Tree growing on the sidewalk outside the marvellous Gem Stone shop in the main street. This shop is a must-see, owned by a 70 + year old geologist whose life passion is evident in his astounding collections! We found it difficult to pull ourselves away. My husband bought a very attractive geode to display in his office. This is the same tree in the street scene painting that I'd photographed in the Stable's Gallery.

I loved the imaginative way this homeowner had combined colourful mosaic tiles with terracotta tiles outside the entrance to their home. These were set into the sidewalk and complemented so well by the lovely display of extremely healthy potted plants.

A very pretty feature welcoming visitors to their home! Interestingly, these facades on the streetside are deceptive, leading one to imagine quite small interiors. However, the buildings all stretch out behind, and really are quite sizeable constructions.

I do have a few more pictures to share with you, of scenes photographed in and around the village, but they will have to wait for my next posting. I really am trying to be better at keeping my posts to a more manageable length. I suspect I am still falling short of the target!