The Pink Beach Cottage

I knew there was something special about this beautiful pink beach cottage when I arrived at the charming entrance.

I had mentioned how much I loved the colourful beach cottages at Point Village to the manager of the B&B where I was staying in Mossel Bay. She told me her friend lived in the Pink one and would give her a call to see if I could pop around to take some photos for my blog.

 

The soft pink exterior, fits in perfectly with the other pastel coloured beach cottages and compliments the beautiful surroundings. The quaint cottage has two bedrooms, one bathroom, kitchen, a living room and large covered porch area. Visiting the home I couldn’t think of what more you would want or need, especially when you have a view like this!

The people of Mossel Bay are so friendly and despite the short notice, the owner of the cottage, Candice Fehrsen, welcomed me in and let me snap away.  Candice is beautiful, stylish and relaxed and so is her home.

The decor is  a mixture of beach chic and the best of shabby chic, creating a welcoming, relaxed and uplifting atmosphere.

    

The colours are beach inspired, with colourful quirky decor items that are fun and uplifting. The “M” and “E” on the close up of a funky stand are part of the word HOME.

    

The Bedroom is relaxed, cool and comfortable and I loved the handmade wreath hanging above the bed.

    

The Back entrance to the cottage is just as gorgeous.

   

Point Village 

I had heard the cottages originally belonged to fishermen and asked Candice – who has lived there for 20 years with her husband Tim – if she could send me something on the history. I love the “Point Musings” she sent me below:

In a time before plastic, the area that is now Point Village, at that time considered to be on the very outskirts of town, was the Municipal Dump.  Excavations for the foundations of the ‘new’ houses, unearthed glass bottles, in different hues of blues and pinks, beautifully weathered by time.  Local children, wanting to be the first to lay hands on these glass treasures, presented a challenge to the onsite building crews. Scrambling in front of the heavy machinery as they attempted to grab the best of these reminders from long ago.

Between the dump days and bulldozers, The Point was divided into small plots.  These were leased out by the municipality, on condition that, any dwelling erected be completely movable, hence the original buildings being wooden and ‘shack-like’.  The little wooden houses became synonymous with the Point and, as a nod to it’s humble history, it is the aesthetic the development has maintained, albeit in modern times, with no small amount of gentrification.

In the late 1990’s the Municipality called time on the long leases and sold the land to developers.  For us it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to stake a small claim in this special spot.

Over the years, strangers have knocked on our door and regaled us with happy stories of childhood holidays spent in our home, fishing off the rocks and diving for sinkers behind ‘the gat’ – a natural rock pool on the North Side of the development.  We have been told about the other regulars, the farmers from Oudshoorn, the Jewish Family, the people from Stilbaai, all who make up the legend of holidays gone by.

In the 80’s and 90’s, it was almost considered a right of passage to graduate from Point High and move on and into a house at The Point.

Our house was apparently haunted.  The ghost of ‘Whitey’ a vagrant fisherman who lived on the beach and who came to a watery end was thought to frequent our home.  On one particular night, perhaps after a little bit of imbibing by the resident surfers, Whitey came to call.  Terrified the young men locked themselves in the bedroom climbed into the bed and clutched together trembling under the blankets. The dominee was called and Whitey was exorcised from the house never to return.

There was the family who gathered from all over the world to fulfil their father’s dying wish to die at the Point.  They carried the frail, dying man down onto the beach every day until, at last, surrounded by the people he loved in the place he loved most, he died.  A beautiful ending to a life lived well.

It makes me smile to think that this is where I will grow old.  Age creeps up on one. Only recently a stranger remarked to us that ‘a young couple used to live here’.  It did not take long to establish that we were that young couple now 20 years older.

As the sun and the moon rises over the ocean, through the days and years, new memories are being made to last our lifetime.

What a privilege it is to call The Point:  Home!

I was told Candice was a breast cancer surviour and had written a blog about her journey. I was so taken with her home and  personal style, I didn’t bring this up much, after-all she looked so healthy and fabulous. When I got home I visited her blog – My Lump In the Road  and my jaw dropped.

Candice was diagnosed with breast cancer on the 27th of July 2015. Her blog is a story of the years that have followed, her highs and lows. It is intended to dispel fears and guide newly diagnosed and their loved one’s on what to expect.

Thankfully now cancer free, Candice’s blog is an incredible testament to her cancer journey from early detection to being cancer free. I was really touched, enlightened and inspired by it.  As I write this post it is Sunday 4th February 2018 – World Cancer Day – I would urge anyone reading this to visit Candice’s blog, it could literally save your life.

I can’t say for sure, but I think this little beach cottage had a lot to do with the miracle of Candice’s story.

Hope you have an inspirational week.

To and Fro Beach Cottage is open for bookings via Airbnb during December.

All Images by Anne Roselt.