Seeing Ingrid Jones, perched in her wingback chair in the open plan setting of sunflower yellow, it’s easy to understand why this Editor-in-Chief at Miketako Media and all round media production powerhouse, feels most contented here.
In her own words, “I’ve stayed in some of the very fancy hotels and places in the world, and it’s nothing like this tiny, as deurmekaar as it is, place. I’m surrounded by the stuff that I like and this is my space.”
For Jones, her love for small town living grew over a period of almost 24 years. What started out as a holiday home in Pringle Bay, is now an eclectic haven she calls home with her family. She has watched the popular holiday town in the Western Cape evolve from a tiny handful of houses into the thriving, yet ever charming hub it is today.
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Here she spends her days running her digital media production business. At least when she is not in studio recording as one of the hosts of KykNet’s popular talk show, Tussen Ons or pushing the cause of the many initiatives and charities she supports.
Mrs Jones is one busy bee. Retreating to her tranquil space in this quaint Overberg town hits the spot just right for her.
There comes a point in life when you decide, “Is this what I want to do? Do I want to clean the pool, mow the lawn, and sort out the dogs? Oh no. I’ve done all that.”
Being spoilt for choice is one thing, she says of big city life, but small town living makes you dig in and distinguish between wants and needs.
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And while there are many trinkets and keepsakes that Jones clearly holds dear, the one thing she prizes and admits to being addicted to is the stoneground bread, made fresh daily to order by a small business on her doorstep.
“What do I need? I need stoneground bread from grain grown in the area – made by a local woman.
“My move here has entrenched my belief to buy local, support local and to get involved in the development of small entrepreneurs, who are out here doing exactly, if not better things, than people in the city.
Coining the phrase, contained living, Jones explains that it does not mean “you are cooped up in a small town, where people refer to that “mense van die plaas”.
“It’s not that. It is a very sophisticated kind of living over here, because you have to make do with what you have. And if there is something that you can’t find, that you think you need, there will be an entrepreneur for that,” she says confidently.
Jones explains how Covid and the forced lockdown has indeed fostered this spirit of resilience in many of South Africa’s small towns. From specialised décor plants by Pringle Gifts to the local preserves being produced in the area, she boasts about their artisanal offerings that smack of a typical South African road trip, and certainly not your daily indulgence. It gives new context to your corner local.
“If I want ice-cream, I can call them now, it will be delivered to my home, and certainly not dripping. People are delivering food right to your doorstep, made fresh in their homes.”
With a home this eclectic, the concept of matchy-matchy was left out on Clarence Drive for the baboons to thrash about.
Exuding a similar energy of the iconic Iris Apfel, Jones agrees her style is as “deurmekaar”.
“I have gone past the stage of caring about what people think of what I look like, how I dress and the same is for my home.
For anybody thinking about downscaling to a smaller town, she advises that you carefully consider how you will immerse yourself in this type of lifestyle, or else you might end up regretting it.
"Lockdown has taught people about what to value, about making do with what you have. And for me that is the joy of small town living.
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