Journey to Stardom

We purchase De Oude Huize Yard and our family moved to Harrismith on 15 December 2000. Our sons did a huge commitment to leave their schools, sport and friends behind and join this new venture into the Free State. Remembering the night that we travelled to Harrismith and the uncontrolled veld-fires were lighting the skies Pedri commented —so beautiful but so destructive. Our new lives away from the hustle and bustle of Pretoria and “retirement” in the town will have to make a difference.

 Everything’s done on impulse.

We bought the old house to save it from the bulldozer and in the words of Adam Small:

proud ou gabou—pathetic pêllie

still ou—djy fancy djy staan nog...

djy word gedemolish sê ek vir djou!...

Hoor djy die pêrepote vannie bulldozers?

Ever since we have spent all our time in renovating and collecting history about our house and the town. Even though everything that we, Pedri and Gerald-Cecil have done did not come easily we still see this as a blessing and we would like to believe that we have made a difference to De Oude Huize Yard and our neighbourhood.

Our neighbours are the best. On our day of arrival, they welcomed us with tea, coffee, rusk and a lot of help. Strange people opened their hearts and hands to help us to move into a very dialectic house. They treat us with love and open their heart to all off us.

On opening the front door of our new dwelling we immediately decided to give it a name — De Oude Huize. The state of neglect was visible and we decided to keep to the original era of the house and try to safe a little history in Stuart Street. We had little experience of such a big renovating process and as the kids at school asked Gerald-Cecil— do your parents know what they are doing—he could honestly answer I don’t know, I think they don’t know themselves.

 We have read articles on renovating but nothing helps until you start with the process. We have asked stupid questions and work our fingers to the bone.

 The renovation process of the original house was solely done by Hennie, Pedri and Gerald-Cecil. They have sanded floors, scraped down old paint remove rotten notion, wood and carpets. They have cleaned the yard from invasive kakibos. They have levelled the garden and made new beds. They have opened up the Attic, painted every room and replaced old floorboards.

To put the cherry on the cake the new sandstone wing was added on the footprint of the old stables.

Till next time

Hennie & Sandra

Hamilton Bridge in Harrismith

During the Anglo Boer War British troops were deployed near Basuto Hill – the area known as Wilgepark.

To enable the soldiers encamped in that area to reach the town, a suspension bridge was built by the by the Royal Engineers for easy crossing of the Wilge river. 

The first suspension bridge over the Wilge River was erected in 1900 by the Royal Engineers. Designed for pedestrian traffic. The British soldiers would now have easy access into the town from the area near the Basuto Hill.

The structure was washed away in March 1904.  By then the regiments were gradually moving to barracks on King's Hill and complete repair of the bridge seemed unnecessary. The troops made a temporary foot bridge of planks resting on barrels.

Today, at the same spot, a more sturdy structure, called the Hamilton Bridge, names after Sir Hamilton Goold Adams, Governor of the then Orange River Colony, provides access to vehicular traffic from the town crossing the Wilge River.

It was open to traffic on 7 August 1907.

In 1910 with the extension of the President Brand Park toward the south the town council kept the tradition of a suspension bridge and the existing suspension bridge was then built.  

The urban area has increased over the past decades and today there are new developments in this area. But the old Hamilton will stand tall.

Thanks to Nico and Biebie for sharing their photo's

Till next time

Sandra

Women in life

Celebrating all women walking the earth. 

We are all different and unique 

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. 

It is the caring that she lovingly gives the passion that she shows. 

The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years.

Audrey Hepburn

We celebrate the difference and uniqueness with quilts and patchwork 

In the garden 

Read more about De Oude Huize and the story quilts here

Lots of blessings to you from Harrismith, Free State, South Africa  

Sandra 

Beauty along our roads from a distant turbulent tragic past

DeOudeHuize

Cosmos beauty along our roads 

Today we are sharing our blog with Andrew Barlow.  
He was born in 1931 and he attended school Wartburg Kirchdorf School.  
He is a full-time novelist, historical and current affairs analyst with a love of coffee, horses and cats.  
He was the Head Regional Magistrate of South African Department of Justice.  Andrew and me at a gathering.  

Where does one start with a story which still raises deep seated emotions?
Please read more about this "historical" flowers here 

Along many of our roads all over South Africa the sides of many of our roads and often in the veld for long distances the Cosmos flowers are to be seen in Autumn. 

They are beautiful and are in several colours. 

Many motorists are so captivated by their beauty that they stop and look and and are entranced by the calm serenity and prettiness of these flowers. 

Nowadays only a very few people know where and how these flowers came into the country.

The magic of Autumn in South Africa 

During 1899 to 1902 the South African War was fought between the two Boer republics of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal on the one side and the British Empire on the other side. 

The total Afrikaner population of the two republics was about two hundred and fifty thousand people.

The British High Command believed that it would need only infantry to wage the war but soon found that against a highly mobile force of Boer Commandos mounted on their Boer Perde it needed ever increasing horse mounted soldiers. 

Apart from the horses available in the country it had to import many thousands of horses from all the colonies and from other countries such as the United States and Europe and especially from the Argentine. 
British troopers needed horses during the Boer War. 
Those horses were sent, via ship, to South Africa.

Horses bound for war, transported via double stalls on a shade-covered ship's deck.
(Horses on Board Ship: A Guide to Their Management, by Captain M. Horace Hayes) 

To feed these horses huge amounts of fodder had to be imported. 

During the course of that war far more than five hundred thousand horses were used. Of these more than three hundred thousand died.

They died from sickness, from being killed in battles and skirmishes and in the case of the Commandos from being ridden to death.

In the fodder imported from Argentine were cosmos and khaki bush.
This photo is the khaki bush in bloom 

Cosmos 

Wherever the British horses moved across the country, all over the Free State, the Cape Colony and the Transvaal the seeds of these plants germinated and grew.

Along our roads, along many of our roads and in large parts of our veld these flowers are a beautiful reminder of a vicious war.

In Port Elizabeth there is a monument to these horses. Of a soldier holding a bucket of water for his horse. 

Whenever I have seen that monument I have had great difficulty to hide my tears. Tears of sorrow that the most noble of all animals has had to die in a senseless human war.

The Horse Memorial (Cape Road, Port Elizabeth, South Africa) bears the words: "greatness of a nation consists not so much in the number of its people or the extent of its territory as in the extent and justice of its compassion" "erected by public subscription in recognition of the services of the gallant animals which perished in the anglo boer war 1899-1902"

If you pass the Cosmos Flowers along our roads salute the horses who brought this flower to this country.

The pink and white patches on the wheat fields 

Dancing in the wind 

Thank you for taking this trip along memory lane 
Till next time greetings from South Africa 
Sandra 

Welcoming committee

Some fun always happens at De Oude Huize Yard 

Hennie kept himself busy making the welcoming committee.  

Everything was regenerated 

You have to love this 

Two pieces of sand stone
Some facial features were added
The finale was the headgear
An old grinding disk and some left-over caps 

The old wooden fence post came in handy for the bodies
Pieces of left over electrical conduit was used for the arms and legs

A set of feet to stand solid and face the world 

More delicate little feet to "steel" the heart 

A rose for charm 

A Little piece of music 

Part of the committee 

The second part of the welcoming committee 

Standing at the entrance to the parking area at De Oude Huize Yard

Thanks for visiting 

Thanks for all the wonderful friends visiting us 

Lots of blessings from South Africa 

Sandra 

A Stroll Thru Life; A delightsome life; Any Girl Can Do It; Craft Berry Bush; Crafty Allie; 

Create with Joy; China on a shoestring; Confessions of a Plate Addict; Elizabeth & Co; 

Embracing Change;  Fabulous Friday;   From my front Porch; Fabulously Creative; 

French Country Cottage; Fishtail Cottage; Funky Junk;  Have a Daily Cup; 

Ivy and Elephants;  Katherines Corner; Knick of Time; Lavender Garden Cottage; 

Life on Lakeshore; My Romantic Home; My Salvaged Treasures; 

Miss Mustardseed; Revisionary Life; Rooted in thyme; Redoux Interiors; The Dedicated House; 

The Charm of Home; Rose Garden Malevik; Tilly's Nest ; Shabby Art Style Sisters; 
Savvy Southern style; Sweet Bella Roos; The Shabby Nest; The Jenny Evolution; 
 Too Much Time;  We Call It Junkin

Winter but still Autumn

DeOudeHuize

The begin of Winter falls on 1 June but our country side is still coloured in yellow.  

Taken a week ago 

Now Winter is here and this is only the first attack 

Lots of  love from South Africa 

Sandra