Look Here Old Things Come And Spent A Moment

The Antiques Shop in Bedford-Please feel free to make an offer if you see something you like

Look here, Old Things, Come and Spent a Moment.!!!!

This is something that you simply should not say to me. Not in such a brutally open and merciless way. There is no rehab for this costly addiction. I can say this with certainty because I have been fighting it for many ways. 

We did spend a moment and looked thoroughly and it should cost us a little time and a little more petrol later on. Me and my brother got lost in Bedford !

A "calm" street in Bedford

Well, Bedford looks like this - on a busy day.

The circle in Bedford

Bedford is a town (I'd say village) in the centre of the Eastern province of South Africa. It was established in the mid-19th century when Sir Andries Stockenstroom sold portions of land from his farm Maastroom to raise funds for the restoration of his library, which had been burnt by British soldiers mistrustful of his attempts to broker peace in one of the Cape Frontier Wars

It is located on the southern edge of the Winterberg mountain range, in the smaldeel (a narrow strip of grass land running laterally from Fort Beaufort to Somerset East, renowned for its sweet grass). 

The town suffered a major decline in fortunes in the latter half of the 20th century before reviving itself around the turn of the millennium. It is regarded today as an artist's haven and retirement village.

( When I start sounding very formal you must know by now that the Wikipedia is involved again ) 

Beautiful old porch of a colonial house in Bedford

The thing about the artists haven was a bit hard to believe (forgive me Bedford artists). The "retirement village" I could imagine quite well.

There is not really something that would keep me there today if I had not any emotional or psychological ties or fallen in love out of some strange reason with a man in Bedford. 

Love can make you do strange things some times. But this was not the case this time. 

Except there was this little Antiques shop at the side of the main road. That was indeed a reason to stay there for a while.

Seduction at the side of  Bedford's road

with it's infatuating dirty nasty little sign board !

Antiques and Collectables aligned under the old corrugated iron roof of the old Antiques shop in Bedford

Two hours later with an enormous thirst, a couple of boxes of old grammophone records, German Majolica bowls, some rotten and badly mounted trophy horns and things I don't want to mention, not to compromise myself entirely, we left the hunting ground. The excitement was enormous, more for me than for my brother.

And then the unthinkable happened and became thinkable !

The public library in the Karoo Town of Bedford

On our way out we saw what must have been Sir Andries Stockenstroom's library. Fascinated we came to a circle with a monument and we circled around for a while, still looking at some gorgeous old palm trees and a very idyllic corner of which I had to take a picture. Unfortunately we circled out of Bedford in the wrong way.

After approximately 170 km we did not arrive at our destination in Graaff  Reinet from where we wanted to drive to Nieu Bethesda where a friend of ours was waiting with a delicious roasted chicken. But instead we entered Grahamstown again but this time from behind (only symbolically speaking), where we had been four hours ago.

To our defense we have to say that there was not one single signboard on the road for 170 km. If you think, that you have to say now, that this is not a reason, please keep it to yourself. The lunch became a very late dinner.