Legends and Lilians

Legends and Lilian’s

There is a place somewhere deep in the greys, greens and purples of the Jesse of the Zambezi valley, It’s a place where water, the very essence of life comes from the ground, the animals of course know this place and they trust in it, it has been here for thousands, perhaps millions of years and I am sure almost unchanged from what it is now so many years before our time, an oasis in this harsh dry place that we love so dearly.

Hundreds of years ago the ancients also used this spring for water, evidenced by the remnants of pottery on the ground under the great baobabs that stand like sentinels, watching over this part of the great Chewore river

The ambiance here is spiritual, it’s a place that is truly magnificent to be a witness to, its natural Unspoilt beauty resonates deeply within you, and even in the blistering heat, being here has a cool soothing effect on your soul

The walk to this spring is always an emotional one, a journey that in some respects imitates the journey that is life. Some how each time I walk this path my my mind reflects on the most important parts and people of my life, so many images flash through my mind of days gone by and of days ahead, of my ” tribe “and of the experiences in life that have moulded me into who I am today.

Not far from the spring on a bend in the river stands an enormous Baobab, she sits like a sentry overlooking the river, her great trunk marked by the thousands of elephant that have stopped and contemplated in her shade. The energy is tangible in the air here, for this is “Padare” , the meeting place, a place where we stop and allow ourselves to take in the beauty and splendour of AFRICA , where we pause and remember the legends of our lives, past and present

Being out here reminds of us our own mortality, as for thousands of years ‘Padare’ has stood quietly observing and recording what happens around her

And if you sit here quietly and allow your mind to still, you will hear her energy talking to you, breathing on you, stilling you!

At this time of the year, the Lilians love birds become like Christmas lights as they flock to the ground, looking for food, their magnificent colours a stark contrast to the greys and browns of the dry landscape. A reminder perhaps that wherever we look and when ever we look, as long as we truly open our eyes we see this unbelievable beauty in nature. There is so much around us that we simply don’t see or hear ! It’s only in this humbling environment that we take in the ambiance of reality. It’s tough out here, but it’s real and there in lies it’s beauty and it’s why we are drawn to this !

It is not possible to put into words the emotion of being in this Untouched landscape, a place where life is simple, there are no excuses out here - life is exactly as it should be every moment of the day, a thought that takes most of us way out of our comfort zone.

Perhaps it is the harsh realities of the wild places that draw me in, or maybe its the sense of freedom I feel out here in this quiet place, where  the winds whisper the myths and legends of Africa as they blow through the branches of these great trees, somehow it feels like they beckon me to tell their story!

It is here that I reflect in my mind on the legends of my life , the ones I have had the privilege to have walked this path with. Some still walk with me on this path, whilst others have left on a path to eternity that we all take at some stage, but our bond still exists, and its in these places I feel your connection to me, through the winds, the sounds of the birds , the trees and the animals.

To those legends in my life who walk with me now, I can only thank you from the deepest part of my soul for helping me be who I am and. To the legends that taken the path to the sunsets, I feel you every day out here, you complete me !

And to the legends who I don’t know, the ones that stand on these dry soils, fighting the good fight in sometimes unbelievably difficult conditions, so that our children’s children will be able to know and interact as we have done in these wild places, I salute you and your efforts 

Padare 

Oil on Canvas