We needed to see a man - about a horse. And a woman - about a dog. So we packed a picnic for the three hour drive - to the city. Not my favourite type of outing. But life involves sometimes doing what you don't want to do. We have the horse. We needed the dog. We hoped to dip our toes in the sea. So everyone bundled into the car and we set the GPS. The miles didn't exactly fly by. A lot of the journey is on not great dirt roads. Then there are endless roadworks on the not great tar road. As the country gets crowded out by the city you see casualties. Beautiful wildlife lying dead. Hit by inconsiderate fast drivers. Barren farmlands still struggling with lack of water and minimal prices for their produce. However we eventually saw the distant shimmer of water across the horizon. The ocean! Almost there!
We had adopted a tiny wire hair terrier rescue. She needed to be collected from the shelter. We also needed kiddies helmets for the BuckarooBabies horseriding. We steered the bakkie towards the equestrian area on the outskirts of the city. Along the coast there is a lot more rainfall and the farms look lush. Magnificent horses and fat cows graze lazily. Opposite one of South Africa's top golf estates, Fancourt, we finally stopped at the Cornerstone Lifestyle Centre.
In my country bumpkin brain a shop needs to be quaint and comfortable and pretty. I hate huge and commercial and impersonal. The Cornerstone Lifestyle Centre is tucked away like a hidden gem. Perfect for the country heart as well as the requirements of a weary traveller or adventurous spirit.
Bee and Boutique. Tack and Tuck. Salt and Stone. Protea and Paint. The names of each tiny little shop delighted my imagination. The pastel painted stable doors and artistically decorated entrance beckoned me in. Oh and the gardens! Complete with a colourful family of chickens free ranging through the herbs and garden furniture.
The pretty courtyard invited squeals of delight as the children tumbled out of the bakkie with boundless energy. Strangers smiled and nodded. Something we are used to in the country. But not the city.
We quickly found the equestrian corner and perused the superior quality but preloved goods. We chose what we needed, ignored the exorbitant prices on the beautiful saddles and then wandered around the Centre.
The variety is impressive contained in so many small shops. Gift shops. Clothing boutiques. A gallery. A nursery. Many food options - from a family bar to takeaway pizza and seafood or something for the sweet tooth. We, of course, spent most of our time in the garden in the shade of the huge trees.
Being in the heart of the farmlands it is deliciously quiet and open. There is no noise of traffic and only the smell of farmlands. Occasionally the roar of an aeroplane taking off at the nearby airport breaks the mood. Once we had done exploring we hopped across the way to the Dog Shelter. Despite the great distance we had to travel to the city both horse and hound stops were opposite each other. So convenient.
After bidding farewell to over 200 enthusiastic rescues, we bundled up our chosen girl and left. The smell of the flowering herbs and the sound of the buzzing bees still fresh in my memory as we headed home. This time the three hours flew by. It had certainly not been our average city trip but exactly my kind of shop. And a lovely #marketfriday for our very own @dswigle who does my kind of outing; the Appalachian Trail
