Feb 23 - Lowveld

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course I said yes. We got married on the farm, with only close friends and family in attendance. A few months later, our second son, Phil, was born.” Living on Plaas Owen is like having a little slice of heaven. There are a few pecan nut trees that were planted by Philip’s father, but the rest is natural indigenous vegetation. “We love living in the wild and having lots of animals around us,” explains Philip. “Not wanting to develop much, and both being horse lovers, we decided to open a horse and hiking trail, which has a low impact on the environment. Elsmarie still works in town at the dialysis unit and I run the dinosaur park, along with Geasphere, my own non-profit environmental organisation.” Philip also inherited the dinosaur Phil, Elsmarie, Megan and Rudi park from his father, and after being involved in running it for many years, he has developed a passion for these gentle giants, along with bucketloads of knowledge. Elsmarie smilingly says that it’s awesome to see how fascinated the children are by his guided tours through the park. “It is so important, especially for education,” Philip says. “Many people, both young and old, come here experiencing the true size of the dinosaurs and prehistoric life for the very first time, and that is something wonderful to see.” This idyllic lifestyle suits the Owens down to the ground. A close-knit family, the most important thing to them is being able to trust in one another completely, to share the same passions and to understand that even though they have different outlooks on some things, they still respect everyone else. “We work because we love one another unconditionally,” explains Elsmarie. “We are happy in our environment and with what we do, in tune with one another and content with what we have.” It is obvious that bells and whistles are not what make the Owens tick. While Elsmarie says that every happily married couple have their romantic moments, doing romantic things together is not the be all and end all. “I remember one particular Valentine’s Day, I asked Philip why he doesn’t ever give me flowers. He took my hand and said, come, let me show you something. We went outside and he said, I don’t kill flowers, look at them, how beautiful they are. Needless to say we never have flowers in the house, but we do have a veld full of them! He never takes me to expensive restaurants, but he always tells me how beautiful I am, even when I feel my worst. He loves seeing me happy, especially when horse riding, even though he can’t ride anymore after his accident. This is what love is really about.” Apart from the couple’s two boys, Rudi (22) and Phil (19), Philip has two children from his first marriage. Robert lives in America with his wife, and Megan, who lives in Cape Town, sings like an angel. “Rudi plans on travelling abroad next year, while Phil just finished homeschooling and is currently taking a gap year,” Elsmarie
One big happy family explains. “He helps out in the dinosaur park and like his brother also plans on travelling abroad. Because I have a full-time job in town and with Philip being visually impaired, I do most of the shopping and travelling. Philip and the boys keep the farm and dinosaur park going, and also do the cooking whenever I work late. We all spend dinnertime together around the table, and on weekends, the boys join me for horse riding and hikes. With Philip working from home, we get to spend quality time together, which is very important to all of us.” Elsmarie also loves to spend time exploring, looking for new places in their beautiful valley, and taking the dogs for walks, while Philip loves having conversations on Clubhouse and looking after his plants and earthworms. The mountains and rivers, and the rural feeling of being away from the city, are where this family find their inspiration. Elsmarie explains how she loves driving through the Makhonjwa Mountains to a special waterfall where they sometimes go for a picnic, saying how passionate they are about the environment and animals, and one another. “My family and my animals are more important than anything to me. I love living in a healthy, natural environment, and having a balanced life. I can’t really ask for more than that.” But what about plans for the future? Oh yes, she smiles broadly, like the proverbial fairy tale princess, there is one other thing … To live happily ever after.
Page 1: Local artists talking shop A love a
Page 4 and 5: A hot date! Pencil these events int
Page 6 and 7: Book club First book club of the ye
Page 8 and 9: Wish list Love. Lust. Longings. Her
Page 10 and 11: Elsmarie and Philip Owen
Page 14 and 15: magic of mushrooms Born on a farm n
Page 16 and 17: For you ... Kate Spade Chérie, R1
Page 18 and 19: GOODY TWO SHOES There’s nothing q
Page 20 and 21: PROMOTION Summer in the Lowveld is
Page 24 and 25: Text: MELLISSA BUSHBY he truth is,
Page 26 and 27: Sarah’s Palette If you are lookin
Page 28 and 29: Text: MELLISSA BUSHBY Blank canvas
Page 30 and 31: We love a little VROOM VROOM Jaguar
Page 32 and 33: GET IT DIRECTORY
Page 34: Spoil February Get into the CIRCA f

Feb 23 - Lowveld

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