When I am among the trees
I
love the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands in Winter – think cosy wood fires, full cream sherry,
hot bubble baths, and spectacular crisp starry skies. And what better way to
enjoy all of these lovely things than in the most characterful of stays - a
treehouse. Made entirely of beautifully crafted wood, the treehouses at
Sycamore Avenue are magical spaces in which to inspire the soul. The Sycamore
Avenue slogan is “If we can’t fly with birds, we can at least nest among them.”
They have created the most beautiful nests, each in a private space and nestled
up against a large tree. There is something so fantastical about this idea of
sleeping in a treehouse – a childhood fantasy and the ultimate escape from the
grown-up pressures of real life.
I
stay in the Faraway Treehouse, aptly named for its setting in a paddock with
views to open grassland and the Drakensburg beyond. A double storey treehouse
with two decks - every window, door, step, wall hook and shelf is a bespoke
work of art. Curved smooth golden timber meets the eye, and in every space
there is a new discovery – some detailing which is as beautiful as it is
humorous. The doors and some of the windows have curvy tree shapes laid over
the glass. There are creative wooden brackets and hinges everywhere. The
upstairs mirror has carved wooden lettering which reads at the top “What a
sight...” and at the bottom of the mirror “for sore eyes.”
What
I love about Sycamore Avenue Treehouses:
- Individually styled double-storey tree-houses set against lovely old trees
- Creative and artistic detailing
- Fireplaces in open-plan bedrooms
- Private Jacuzzi baths with views of grasslands and the Berg
- Decks, hammocks and picnic tables under trees
- Caring accommodation comforts – heaters, hairdryers, fridges, tea and coffee facilities and en-suite toilet
- Individual parking spaces for each car under the treehouse
- Fabulous meals served in a spacious restaurant with individual tables set against wide glass windows with lovely views
- Warm and generous hosting
Accommodation
Experience:
I
create my own little Nordic spa experience at the top of my treehouse - with a
candle-lit, hot bubble bath in the Jacuzzi and wide open double doors to the
winter night skies. I catch myself giving sighs of happiness. After my bath, still
steaming from the heat, I go out onto the deck and the sight of the Milky Way
and Southern Cross takes my breath away. Being up in this treehouse makes me feel
like I can touch the stars and I want to be as free and as spacious as this
clear night sky. In her poem, When I am among the trees, Mary Oliver writes:
When I am among the
trees,
especially the
willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech,
the oaks and the pines,
they give off such
hints of gladness.
I would almost say
that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from
the hope of myself,
in which I have
goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry
through the world
but walk slowly, and
bow often.
Around me the trees
stir their leaves
and call out,
"Stay awhile."
And light flows from
their branches.
And they call again,
"It's simple," they say,
"and you too
have come
into the world to do
this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine."
with light, and to shine."
