- Kahlil Gibran
A daily practice of sketching and painting gives you a chance to exercise the big three P's - practice, practice, practice!
"Magaliesberg Mountains 3" - watercolour on Ashrad 300gsm w/colour paper - 8" x 6" - Maree©
The Magaliesberg is the closest thing to a wilderness in Gauteng (South Africa) ... to watch the sheer south-facing slopes from eagle height and to see trees, cows and cars like toys in the patchwork playground of green-brown fields below, is a sheer joy.
I sketched this scene just a few kilometers outside Magaliesburg, as these majestic mountains start rising, eventually reaching their full height of 1741m above sea level.
"The village of Magaliesburg lies just below the southern range of the Magaliesberg Mountains. The roads and rivers take similar paths, breaking though the steep ridges of the mountains in a few places, only to traverse much of the land along the valleys on either side of the two mountain ridges. This small village lies at the heart of a beautiful region of mountains, valleys, rivers and indigenous woodland - home to a variety of birds.
The Magaliesberg mountain range lies in between the highveld savannah of the Witwatersrand and the African bushveld, stretching roughly from past Rustenburg in the west, past Pretoria to Bronkhorstspruit in the east. This mountain range is almost 100 times older than Everest with interesting geology, archaeology, fauna and flora.
The area was also the site of battles during the Boer War, such as:
• Battle of Nooitgedacht: Monument to one of the historic battles between the Boer and English, at the height of the Boer War.
• Old English Block House: Loosely packed stone wall construction built by the English in 1902 towards the end of the Boer War. To view by appointment only.
The Magaliesberg has the most intriguing and longest session of history, as man would have experienced, than anywhere else on earth. The reason for this is the discovery of the remains of the earliest species of primitive man know today, in and around the Sterkfontein Caves, about 20 minutes drive from Magaliesburg."
Read more at http://www.mogalecity.gov.za/municipality/magaliesburg.stm
The history is captivating. I do not think one can ever visit these places without sadness deeply embedded in one's thoughts! A lovely viewpoint you chose Maree!
ReplyDeleteThank you Marie! And I think the sadness will grow as a lot of this beautiful heritage slowly disappears day by day. One can only hope that, somewhere along the line, some of this will be spared for future generations.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful sketch and so interesting Maree - my apologies for being 'missing' for so long - I've been a bit overwhelmed lately by too many activities, both on- and offline!
ReplyDeleteThank you Cathy! It's quite alright, you're forgiven! But I TOTALLY understand about the too many activities - it does get a bit much sometimes, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteYou bring back wonderful memories I have as a kid visiting this part of our world. The beautiful majestic mountains of the north - yes I know we have TM and the surrounding Hottentots Holland, but the Magaliesberg have their own special magic.
ReplyDeleteI agree Liz, each is special in its own way.
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