Friday, February 22, 2013

February news


Right, February already! Before you know it will be 2020….and someone else will be writing the newsletters!  But time does just seem to fly, even when you aren’t having fun!  So make sure you start planning some holidays!
Today saw us harvesting the pumpkins that magically appeared at the front gate.  So far, 15 very large, very beautiful pumpkins safely (we had visions of them being used as wheels…..) stored in the garden shed. Not a bad crop for not having planted a single one, unlike last year when our specially prepared and planted pumpkin patch yielded less.  Of course the gate is going to be looking a little less interesting now, maybe we should try carrots next time and see if we can increase our dassie population. (Ulterior motive there – they eat snakes, or so I am told).
We have also gathered some of our own figs as well as receiving donations from folk in Fouriesburg, so jam and preserves are the order of the day.  And as our wine and cider skills have not progressed from our initial lessons, we will be jamming with our grapes this year!
Charlotte, our tortoise, has relocated to greener pastures where she is watched over (fanatically!) by her new best friend. She has GT yellow stripes down each side – so that we can find her… and like some VW beetle drivers that I know (the ones who always have frilly bumpers), she drives by feel, as she has almost worn off her first set of stripes. The cats are not so sure of this ‘rock’ that hisses louder than they do….
Thanks to Jaco, we have three additional pigmy goats who have joined Yodel.  What is it about goats that they always have to stand on something? It now looks like a circus in the farmyard with any rock, bucket or hut with a goat balancing on top. Barbara (or Lambie as Cassidy calls her), is still puzzled as to where she left her coat after her recent shearing.

I am busy wall papering the “library-to-be with an old Western paperback & dress patterns (they’re the right colour….) and as is suitable for a reading room, it is as they say in the classics, a work in progress……
Maintenane work has been done on the Church. The front window had moved significantly and the glass was starting to crack. Also the mural was starting to dislodge, so yesterday saw us (for all you interested engineers…) drilling a hole in the main pole and with a threaded bar winching the whole window, which we could see visibly moving, back into place. A few hundred knee bends later the mural was resorted and the only thing wrong…was not having thought to book a massage at the salon!

Celvin and Angelique will be visiting the Howick area to promote our tours, so anyone in that area and keen to visit us get to Amber Valley (10am) or Eagle Ridge estate (11:30am) on Monday the 25th February 2013. You will need a flyer to get into these villages so give us a call if you wish to view our presentation.
A
fter, all the excitement of recent days with asteroids and meteorites…. Why don’t you plan to join us for a star gazing weekend with Joyce and Robert Faltermeier on the weekend of the 15th to 17th March 2013.  The long weekends in March and April holiday are starting to book up so get in early to avoid disappointment! 
Our winner is Bev Fourie
Have a great day further! Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
The Wyndford Team