Mariannhill

The notice from the local walking club said ‘This Sunday: A walk around Mariannhill Monastery’ Now knowing that this is probably the best collection of brick buildings in South Africa I went along with high hopes of a relaxing afternoon looking at corbelling, string courses, voussoirs, label courses, various bonds and similar examples of the bricklayers craft. The result was not quite this.

The Anglo-Saxon on home ground has a passion for taking long muddy walks in the countryside. We of similar ancestry have inherited this trait and so it was a whisk through a cloistered courtyard, the chapel and then off into the sticks for a long sweaty walk through the high grass. Up hill and down dale avoiding cow turds and wondering if I had collected my quota of ticks. The object of this was apparently to look at the original water works for the Monastery which consisted of a ditch leading to a concrete settlement tank. Not quite the high art in which I had hoped to be immersed.

The long slog back ended in the Monastery Tea Gardens where people compared their high tech 2 x 2 hiking boots over tea and cream scones. All jolly good outdoor fun.

Another visit is a must – but this time to look at the buildings in detail and get more than three or so general pics.