When we cancelled the Cederberg field trip in February because of extreme heat, I was convinced that it would snow over the weekend of the rescheduled trip - what a pessimist!
The weather report said we'd have fine days but it was hard to believe as we set off on Friday afternoon and drove the first 150 km's in torrential rain. When we stopped at Kardoesie on top of the Piekenier's pass we were greeted with a cloudburst that kept us huddled in coats, shivering inside the farmstall.
Onward when the rain stopped, to Clanwilliam and an hour at the Living Landscape Project that our archaeology guide, John Parkington, began some years ago and where our students spent a weekend in 2003, 2006 and 2008.
This time though, we were not staying here. Instead we headed higher up into the mountains, over the Pakhuis pass, to Traveller's Rest, a large farm owned by the Strauss family, offering accommodation and food, with hikes to the many San rock art sites that are found here. We arrived, got the bed selection organized and headed over to the Khoisan Kitchen for our first meal, a huge three course dinner made by our generous host, Haffie Strauss.
After supper, John Parkington gave us a slide show of what we could expect to see on our hike in the morning, after which it was off to our cottages.
Saturday was a perfect day, sunny and warm - how could I have doubted those forecasters! After breakfast, we walked the Sevilla trail with John. I'm not going to describe it here - it would take too long - just take a look at the photos in the link below. After lunch, we walked to Salmanslaagte, another rock art site alongside a babbling river with cliffs on either side. Six of our party went on horseback - Traveller's Rest offers horse trails too. Back to the Khoisan Kitchen in the setting sun for another wonderful meal and pleasant end to the day.
Sunday morning John walked all but 9 of us to the Hollow Rock Shelter, set on top of a ridge with quite a demanding ascent. From the top we waved at the riders down below on their trail. We didn't meet up with them this time.
John explained how the Hollow Rock Shelter had been found and excavated. It was not a site for paintings, but a very interesting collection of stone tools. See this U-tube video if you want to find out more about the tools man used 70,000 odd years ago.
We had a slight panic on return when the horse riders were not back by 11:45 and we were due for lunch at noon. Tim waited for them while Sipho took the first bunch to Bushmanskloof a Relais & Châteaux lodge that adjoins Traveller's Rest and has an extensive collection of rock art.
I guess the photos really say it all, so this is enough from me for now. Thanks to all who made this such a great excursion, especially the Bings!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Witsand and Hermanus
My brother, Thane, farms outside the seaside village of Witsand, at the mouth of the Breede River. He and his wife, Elize, have turned a ramshackle purchase of a few years ago into a fully working sheep farm called Melkhoutkraal (Milkwood 'enclosure'). I love a lot of things about my brother, but mostly I am so proud of the wind generator and solar panels he installed to feed 36 batteries and provide all the power they need. Well, not quite. All except a gas cooker and the HWC, but the latter will change soon. And the water collection tanks he uses to be independent of council supplies.. The really pleasing thing is they don't get the utitlity bills that the people in the cities dread to find in their mailboxes. Such freedom! I wish my parents were still about to see his handiwork. Here he is.
Last Friday afternoon, Tim and I drove to Witsand, three hours away. We checked into the Breede River Lodge and were soon visited by Thane's daughters, Natalie and Liza. Natalie was on her way to spend the weekend with her boyfriend. Fortunately Liza was on hand to fetch Thane and Elize because the clutch of his 'bakkie' (pick-up truck) had collapsed and we wouldn't have been able to have supper together if it hadn't been for Liza and her boyfriend, Jannie. They set off in a tiny little bakkie to rescue my stranded brother. On their way back to Witsand, they had a puncture! Repair had to be done in the dark by the light of Liza's cell phone. That was the second bad thing to happen to Thane that day. Fortunately, meeting up with Tim and me was not the third. We had a fabulous meal with non stop chatting and lots of education about the fishing industry in South Africa, as well as wind turbines, sustainability, etc.
Saturday morning we visited the farm, see back view, above, and walked over the scorched earth (no rain) to look at the geese, the sheep and the two hand built and brick walled wells - their source of water. The wells were made by a previous owner. After the tour we sat inside the house and chatted for a few hours and then set off for Hermanus, the seaside town where I spent all my school holidays, and where my parents retired.
My father's sister, Ruth, turning 96 at the end of the month, inherited her parent's holiday home in a beautiful position on a headland overlooking the rocks and sea and, in season, the whales. Ruth's son, Peter, and his wife, Muffy, invited us to spend a night with them and what a treat that was. Although the fine Saturday weather didn't last and Sunday we got a bit wet on our cliff path walk, I loved being in the familiar places of my childhood, walking past the beaches and cliff pools where we swam and sunbathed, smelling the heady scents of the fynbos, treading magical paths through arches of indigenous trees and shrubs. My childhood was definitely spent in heaven!
Home again and a picasa photo album posted. This week has been mostly preparation for the upcoming weekend. We leave on Friday for our long awaited Field Trip to Clanwilliam. The one that was postponed in February because of the extreme heat. It looks like we may be in for extreme cold this weekend. We've had a week of torrential rain. Hopefully it will not follow us to the mountains!
Last Friday afternoon, Tim and I drove to Witsand, three hours away. We checked into the Breede River Lodge and were soon visited by Thane's daughters, Natalie and Liza. Natalie was on her way to spend the weekend with her boyfriend. Fortunately Liza was on hand to fetch Thane and Elize because the clutch of his 'bakkie' (pick-up truck) had collapsed and we wouldn't have been able to have supper together if it hadn't been for Liza and her boyfriend, Jannie. They set off in a tiny little bakkie to rescue my stranded brother. On their way back to Witsand, they had a puncture! Repair had to be done in the dark by the light of Liza's cell phone. That was the second bad thing to happen to Thane that day. Fortunately, meeting up with Tim and me was not the third. We had a fabulous meal with non stop chatting and lots of education about the fishing industry in South Africa, as well as wind turbines, sustainability, etc.
Saturday morning we visited the farm, see back view, above, and walked over the scorched earth (no rain) to look at the geese, the sheep and the two hand built and brick walled wells - their source of water. The wells were made by a previous owner. After the tour we sat inside the house and chatted for a few hours and then set off for Hermanus, the seaside town where I spent all my school holidays, and where my parents retired.
My father's sister, Ruth, turning 96 at the end of the month, inherited her parent's holiday home in a beautiful position on a headland overlooking the rocks and sea and, in season, the whales. Ruth's son, Peter, and his wife, Muffy, invited us to spend a night with them and what a treat that was. Although the fine Saturday weather didn't last and Sunday we got a bit wet on our cliff path walk, I loved being in the familiar places of my childhood, walking past the beaches and cliff pools where we swam and sunbathed, smelling the heady scents of the fynbos, treading magical paths through arches of indigenous trees and shrubs. My childhood was definitely spent in heaven!
Home again and a picasa photo album posted. This week has been mostly preparation for the upcoming weekend. We leave on Friday for our long awaited Field Trip to Clanwilliam. The one that was postponed in February because of the extreme heat. It looks like we may be in for extreme cold this weekend. We've had a week of torrential rain. Hopefully it will not follow us to the mountains!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Trips and visits and an important birthday
I spent five lovely, chilly, days in Johannesburg, visiting my sister at the end of April. Funny, the weather was what I'd expect in the Cape, long, soaking rains. It was an excellent break from Cape Town routine, a chance to read, go to the movies with Gill (to watch (mostly in horror) A Prophet) and be treated by Gill and Michael to a superb dinner/night out at CasaLinga restaurant. Over the weekend we had visits from my nieces, Gill's Polly, and her boyfriend, Chris, as well as Michael's Bernadette, and boyfriend, Alan, and their children. Wonderful to catch up.
Back to Cape Town to enjoy another daughter's visit - this time Tim's Erin, all the way from California. She spent a week with us - a gorgeous sunny week, ratcheting up several kilometers hiking on the Cape's mountain trails. Twice above Kalk Bay, once in Newlands Forest, and the last, all the way from our house in Newlands to Kirstenbosch, up Skeleton Gorge and down Nursery Ravine to end up with weak and wobbly knees for lunch at the Kirstenbosch tea room. After huge, healthy salads, we walked home feeling very weary.
Here's our self timed photo on top of Skeleton Gorge - I'm already collapsed and we still had to get down the slippery, steep mountain.
On Friday we nipped off to the winelands, to visit the goats of Fairview Wine Estate's "Goats Do Roam" fame, and taste their fine wines and cheese. We had lunch in Groote Drakenstein, at Solms-Delta in a beautiful setting at a table with a sweeping view of the Simonsberg mountain - here's the photo.
Sunday morning was a special day for Nan's Nathaniel. He turned 5 and had a picnic party in the forest at Silvermine. 22 children and their parents engaged in a lot of merriment. Tim, Erin and I managed a quick walk along the river after the party, the last bit of exercise for Erin before she boarded the plane that afternoon, back to California.
This week winter arrived with a vengeance - it's been cold and very wet. I guess we can't complain about a few wintery storms after 5 months of summer. Our house is dark and cold, the fuzzy jackets and heaters are out, and we're working our way through some good books. My latest have been two thrillers, one by Scottish author Val McDermid, and a South African writer, Deon Meyer which was fun to read. It is so South African it was written in Afrikaans and translated into English. I rather enjoyed the familiar place names and a real mystery set in this country. Fun! I'm nearly finished another SA book, Trekking to Teema by Pieter Dirk Uys, the satirist who performs in his theatre, Evita se Perron, in the small town of Darling, about 90kilometers from Cape Town. Another homely read for me.
We'll be taking the students to Darling to see Pieter Dirk Uys's latest show, Koeksisters for Zuma at the end of May. A koeksister is a very sticky sort of South African doughnut and the show is a send up of our colourful politician's food fancies.Lots to look forward to this month. Four more student dinners, one each week, next weekend is the field trip to Clanwilliam, wine tasting the following week and we end the month with koeksisters in Darling.
Back to Cape Town to enjoy another daughter's visit - this time Tim's Erin, all the way from California. She spent a week with us - a gorgeous sunny week, ratcheting up several kilometers hiking on the Cape's mountain trails. Twice above Kalk Bay, once in Newlands Forest, and the last, all the way from our house in Newlands to Kirstenbosch, up Skeleton Gorge and down Nursery Ravine to end up with weak and wobbly knees for lunch at the Kirstenbosch tea room. After huge, healthy salads, we walked home feeling very weary.
Here's our self timed photo on top of Skeleton Gorge - I'm already collapsed and we still had to get down the slippery, steep mountain.
On Friday we nipped off to the winelands, to visit the goats of Fairview Wine Estate's "Goats Do Roam" fame, and taste their fine wines and cheese. We had lunch in Groote Drakenstein, at Solms-Delta in a beautiful setting at a table with a sweeping view of the Simonsberg mountain - here's the photo.
Sunday morning was a special day for Nan's Nathaniel. He turned 5 and had a picnic party in the forest at Silvermine. 22 children and their parents engaged in a lot of merriment. Tim, Erin and I managed a quick walk along the river after the party, the last bit of exercise for Erin before she boarded the plane that afternoon, back to California.
This week winter arrived with a vengeance - it's been cold and very wet. I guess we can't complain about a few wintery storms after 5 months of summer. Our house is dark and cold, the fuzzy jackets and heaters are out, and we're working our way through some good books. My latest have been two thrillers, one by Scottish author Val McDermid, and a South African writer, Deon Meyer which was fun to read. It is so South African it was written in Afrikaans and translated into English. I rather enjoyed the familiar place names and a real mystery set in this country. Fun! I'm nearly finished another SA book, Trekking to Teema by Pieter Dirk Uys, the satirist who performs in his theatre, Evita se Perron, in the small town of Darling, about 90kilometers from Cape Town. Another homely read for me.
We'll be taking the students to Darling to see Pieter Dirk Uys's latest show, Koeksisters for Zuma at the end of May. A koeksister is a very sticky sort of South African doughnut and the show is a send up of our colourful politician's food fancies.Lots to look forward to this month. Four more student dinners, one each week, next weekend is the field trip to Clanwilliam, wine tasting the following week and we end the month with koeksisters in Darling.
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