Orderly Cows

Cows in the countryside can contribute greatly to the sense of peace and order. I was amazed when I took the byroads near Darling, at how evenly they spaced themselves while grazing! They follow the contours of the land and each gives the other a fair area to work their way through the grass. Not only is there a sense of personal space that they respect; I remember from my childhood days that they would also move homewards in a row, with no pushing at all.

I had to relay the above thoughts about cows, but I promise to stop trying to be poetic, and be more practical in my next post! There is a famous dairy industry here, after all!

My paintings and photos from the last two posts show a scene that is familiar here, but also in many countries in the world! The gallery owner in Hopefield chose these beautiful frames for me, so that the scenes look timeless and could even have been from an earlier age!

Nguni Cattle at Waylands

Avoiding the highway as usual, I often take the country road in order to observe some cattle. Waylands, a farm situated between Darling and Malmesbury will never disappoint. They have the most wonderful herd of cattle and some fabulous specimens of our famous indigenous Nguni cattle.

These beautifully individually patterned animals have been around Africa for centuries. They were famously used in the bartering-for-brides system. Today, they are the pride and joy of each farmer who owns them. To learn more about Nguni, visit Wikipedia, or the Breeders Association. Here is an amazing site dealing with their heritage, colours, etc.

I painted my canvas in a bright transparent yellow ochre first and proceeded from there, using only purple, ochre, sky blue, rust colour, black and white paints. My painting was chosen to hang in the Seasonal Changes Exhibition at Perels en Pampoene Gallery in Hopefield, that opens tomorrow evening.(022 723 1756)

Surprise Animal Friendship at Paternoster

I find that my travels has no particular pattern or order. On this day I was on my way to Hopefield, when there was time for a round trip. Once again, like often before, the choice was Paternoster. When I am in Paternoster, I can never settle to lunch without having taken a walk on the vast beach.

On this occassion the rewards were enormous..... When photographing gulls, I suddenly noticed a strange form emerging from the ocean. It was a friendly-looking seal! He joined the birds and here in the photo it seems as if one gull is doing a very special flying performance for the others gathering there! If you love unusual animal friendships you can buy this as a card on RebBubble. It is called :"At the Air Show"!

My painting shows another Paternoster scene that is now available at Perels & Pampoene Gallery in Hopefield.