As most of you will know by now, I am on a little bit of a ‘road trip’, so weaving news might be a little thin on the ground, although I will admit to having my 8 shaft 40cm table loom, and my 70cm Knitters Loom, cunningly concealed in the back of my little Caddy – don’t tell my husband!
We left home a week ago already, and now find ourselves in the Eastern Cape – high up in the Amathola mountains Afromontane forest belt, where South Africa’s only endemic parrot species (very originally known as the ‘Cape Parrot’) breeds and tries hard to thrive in diminishing indigenous forest habitat. The grasslands on the plateau above the escarpment are home to any number of interesting birds, beasts and other critters, and it is all in all a magical and beautiful place.
We are staying in a tiny little village called ‘Hogsback’ which is quaint and picturesque, and in the way of the quaint, picturesque and slightly off the beaten track, it is inhabited by a fascinating cross section of people – and fairies – I kid you not!
Hogsback is below the aforementioned plateau and right in the middle of the forest. It is often misty and gloomy and if local legend is anything to go by, it has snowed in Hogsback every month of the year except for February.
The combination of mist and rain, forests and trees account for a fascinating diversity of fungi, many of them tasty and safely edible. I believe that if you know where to look, ( and what to look for), you will also find ‘magic mushrooms’ – which may account for the fairies….
The link bet ween Tolkien and Hogsback is, in all honesty, tenuous at best. He was, as all good literary South Africans will tell you, in fact born in Bloemfontein, although he went to live in the U K at a very young age. Legend has it that his Nanny, from when he was still in South Africa was a native of the Amathola region, and he travelled to Hogsback with her on more than one occasion. Apparently she told him stories from her indigenous culture, many of which seem to have surfaced in the ‘Hobbit’ or “Lord of the Rings’ in one way or another– the most memorable for me being “Shelob” ( I think I’ve go that right??), the giant, creepy, horrible spider….
It is doubtful whether Tolkien would ever have returned to Hogasback as an adult, but apparently his son travelled to South Africa and visited Hogsback, sending back sketches and descriptions of the place – so perhaps there is a connection after all – who knows?
Whichever way it works out, the locals have certainly caught the ball and run with it. There are houses named ‘Rivendell’ and ‘Lothlorien’ for a start and anyone with a little imagination can catch sight of Legolas sitting at the foot of the ‘Madonna and Child’ waterfall.
Our visit though, is not about stories or legends or blockbuster movies, but about family, and I am looking forward to a couple of weeks r and r with my son and his lovely wife and their new daughter. My looms will be let out to play (perhaps – maybe…?). I will go for long walks, living in hope of a glimpse of a Cape Parrot and the occasional Knysna Turaco, and I’ll try not to trip over any fairies.
