Catch up time.

May  25^th 2011.

Catch up time.

Apologies for the lack of blogging, I have been distracted by much over the past months, not least the garden as the temperatures have spiralled downward , making it possible to spend an entire day, quite comfortably, in my garden. 

Bongo "assisting Moses and another spread soil

Much to my fury, most of the tools that I purchased last year have gone missing,  “Moses knows nothing Missus”, and so I have begrudgingly re purchased, and to Reginas horror, now  keep all tools on the ironing cupboard! Including axes spades shovels and rakes. [The wheelbarrow doesnt fit!]

Much has been achieved with yet more still to be done.

Orange soil now stands in dunes , in the front garden [on the “farm gate side” not the green gate side] It has yet to be levelled, and as soon as spring is with us, buffalo grass will be planted.

The front and new back lawn have been dressed with soil for the winter, to promote vigarouse growth in the spring.

The geese are very put out that their grazing ability has been substantially reduced, and have taken to sending the bravest of the bunch on sorti missions inside the kitchen. Bongo and Bee are now so petrified of them, that they keep their heads down on their beds and pretend its not happening>

I have constructed  an enclosed herb garden, outside of the kitchen by the main entrance drive, not much planted yet as I am awaiting irrigation sprayers to be situated [meant to happen today..but this is Africaaaaaa!]

The new herb garden..built by me..and irrigated today by me...polishing very dirty nails on my dressing gown as I type.

Eugene gave me a fig tree for my birthday as he knows that in my humble opinion, no garden should be without a fig tree, no matter what side of the equator it is . So a large pot has been purchased and Birthday Fig is now planted.

Thyme seed, Chillie seed, sweet peas, radishes,geraniums & nasturtiums have all germinated. And my own Rosemary ,Mint, and Parsley are installed. 

Taz`s chillie peppers and Thyme ready to go into the herb garden,

To my great delight ,I have demolished the rose garden..I have hated it for the past two and half years..its just too “she she” for me [a phrase used by my Ma very often , and I realise that it is a very good one.] So ancient roses have been offered to those that want them [plenty of takers here as they are something of a status symbol!!!!] and I am levelling a 10M X 10M area to place three raised vegetable plots and a fruit tree area...Im very excited about this project, but not much will be achieved in my 6 week absence from the farm from next Monday...but it WILL give me something to look forward to when I return.

Once again Bongo in on the action, the area behind him will be the veggie patch.

My three proposed raised veggie beds will have to have to have shade netting over them and will be irrigated from hanging sprinklers. Moses was horrified when I started attacking the roses, as his surreptitiously planted Brussel sprouts inbetween the rows of roses, have now been exposed, and his less that surreptitious sugar cane..Which was threatening the roses, will all have to go. He has been consoled by the fact that I am giving him one of the raised beds for his veggie production...lots of flashing white teeth, and glittery eyes, and subsequently, plenty of his humming! My plan is to construct the raised beds, prepare the soil during the winter, and go into complete veggie overdrive in the spring.

I have plans to plant olive trees [X6], a Macadamia tree, a Lime tree, and have already planted an Advocado and a Nectarine tree in the back garden.

So,  much going on OUTSIDE the farm house during these cool winter months.

Sad Loss of my “Angel friend”.

My dear friend, Gerry who helped me enormously with my writing, died suddenly a few weeks ago, mercifully for her she didn’t suffer a long illness but departed shockingly rapidly and with very little warning.

She really was a very special person, generous with her time and perhaps the most compassionate person that I have had the good fortune to meet. She has left a large hole in my life here in the desert, but she gave so much in the short time that I knew her, that I have a lasting legacy of her advice and kindness and goodwill to remember her by.

Happy flying Gerry.

Cape Town weekend and back with Kate and Pippa.

On Friday 20^th, I drove to Cape Town to spend the weekend with Little. I depart for UK on 30^th May, [Big already having been in Europe since 6^th May]  Little wont join us until he breaks up from school on 23^rd June. It will be his first solo International flight!

So some much needed time together and a very chilled weekend. Eugene was staying with friends just outside of Cape Town and so begged a lift there and back which I was extremely pleased to do, good company for the long trip.

He insisted on bringing a "rescued" baby barn owl down from the Northern Cape, which we dropped off at an animal rescue place in Stellenbosch, and on the way back we collected a pair of “Quaker parakeets”, they are sisters and so I suggested that he call them “Kate” & “Pippa”.  I was slightly concerned that they would suffer from my speed driving..quite the contrary, they sung beautifully and chirruped merily when I drove fast and went deathly quiet when I slowed down..so Eugene kept having to check up on them, strapped in their small wooden box between the mountains of goods that I had purchased in CT.
Two huge new dog beds especially made for Bongs and Bee for the winter, bags of ingredients shopping [lots of Thai ingredients that I cant get in the N.C, and a few bits of winter clothing for me [ somehow I had forgotten how cold it can get here and have left all my winter wear at Tazzies in UK]...Oh and a couple of cases of Champers and a couple of the white that I love.

                                            Exhibition at Grand Provenve in Franschoek.Paul Boulitreau

On Saturday Little and I shopped ,then in the evening went out to the cinema with some of his buddies from school .On Sunday we went to Franschoek to see a few art exhibitions..where I had a classic “teenage interaction” with Little.

After an hour of visiting the fantastic contemporary gallery at Grand Provence,

 I discovered that Franschoek has just had a literary festival and all the galleries had exhibited topica work from ZA artists..much of it I loved.

                   Loops if you are still reading this..I thought of your newspapered "scripted trees!!!

                                                    Light sculpture..ground bottles bases..fantastic
When we left the gallery space we walked through the gardens, which are beutiful and have all manner of sculptures, including a large woven elephant [which I dont like], but to my complete delight there was a squirell abord, taking adavantage of the height to eat a nut.

Kind of puts all the "arty farty" stuff into perspective and tickled me very much.

We went into another gallery and Littles face turned stony and sour..clearly he was not up for a second hit of "culture", so I tried to cajole him along...not successfully...so ended up saying. “Its good for your mind to be challenged by this kind of stuff. “ He gave me an utterly dead pan look and responded: “My mind DOESNT need to be challenged by THIS kind of stuff.”  One very grumpy young man, who only managed a smile when we sat at a great cafe that sells his favourite beverage..Hot white chocolate drink!!!

View from the cellar resteraunt at Haute Cabrierre in Franschoek.

Onto the Haute Cabrierre cellars where I re stocked on white wine and their delicious champagne [If I can, I will bring a couple of bottles over for you and David, Tazzie...downgraded to 20kg luggage allowance though}and a superb lunch that Little scored 9 out of 10. He shared my one glass of wine with me and decided that was quite goos as well. Papa ..be warned, your son intends to press gang you into taking him for a "cellar lunch" again.

Little  faces his first major exams in a week’s time, so good luck to him, and we look forward to collecting him from Heathrow and onto our holiday week in Devon on 24^th June. The “Keeping Place” beckons.

Birthday Boy.

Congratulations to Tommy, who celebrated his birthday on Saturday 21^st May...wow! where has the time gone.

Kisses on the lips to all.

Dawn

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX