SPIRIT OF PLACE: September 2018

This past week has been one of Go, Go, Go …………… with Chavane, Lucille and the kids arriving tomorrow it has been a race against time to get the third bedroom ready so that we can accommodate everyone. But - its done! The office is still a mess and crowded with boxes filled with stuff that we still haven’t found space for ……… but what the hell - we’ve got the rest of our lives.

Bathurst as always never ceases to amaze: last Saturday saw the Bathurst 4x4 day at the quarry - plenty of people, incredible vehicles (many of which were driven by unbelievably competent young ladies), and some really scary up and downhill tests inside the quarry itself. On a few occasions I honestly believed that some of them were going to flip over backwards on the uphill runs. It really was a great vibe with loads of enthusiasts egging the contestants on at all stages of the event. I believe that the prize giving at the Ploughman’s Pub was a hoot, with plenty of fun had by all. Amazing how proprietors Patrick and Michelle manage to keep up the pace with all of the events and evenings that they host there …………… and always cool, relaxed and friendly. Goodonya guys!

Heritage day saw a picnic at the historic Bradshaw’s Mill - a beautiful setting in the heart of Bathurst’s Commonage area made more so by the four or five contributing musicians that kept the picnickers entertained for the entire afternoon. A huge thanks too has to go to Tom and Allison Barrett who put the whole day together, and Maryna and Michelle who provided assistance with the raffle which was won by Peter Wood, a Bathurst newcomer. What an amazing basket ………. again, well done Allison.

Dales and Meryl Nesbitt arrived from Cape Town during the course of the afternoon and joined us at the picnic ………… and spent two nights with as at No. 6 …………. our first visitors, and what a pleasure it was to see them after these last 4 months and have them stay over with us. Plenty of good food, conversation, catching up, and lots and lots of wine.

Thursday night was quiz night at the Plough - loads of fun - and guess who won? Yup, yours truly in a team with Pat, Amy Muir and son Vaughn Jnr. whose joint musical acumen definitely won the evening. Again, thanks to Michelle for a great load of General Knowledge, Musical and Character Sketch questions. They must have taken forever to put together girl - well done.

Thats all for now - still have a million bits and pieces to finish before the the rugby starts and the kids arrive tomorrow.

This weeks No.6 bird is the Hadeda Ibis (Bastrychia hagedash), of which we have a nesting pair up in our giant Coral tree ……….. their eggs have hatched and we look forward to a glimpse of the chicks.

Hadeda Ibis (Bastrychia hagedash)

Contemplating the drop

In a bit of a pickle

Check out what those wheels can do

The reticulation is amazing to watch

At the top

Crawling down

Getting to the bottom

Flippng over backwards was a distinct option

Olivia

Bev Brunette and daughter

Lauren and Dave Brunette

Andre seeking attention

Its not only the youngsters who have cellphone obsession

Dales Nesbitt enjoying a beer on his first ever visit to Bathurst

Peter Wood with his great raffle win being presented by Allison Barrett (left) and Michelle Rowley

Andre, Steve, Wally, David and Marion - all enjoying a lovely afternoon

We finally moved into 6 York Road on the 30th August. Finally - Finally!

We will miss the cottage at Tiger Springs after what was a most pleasant 3-4 month sojourn there while we worked on the house. I already miss the magnificent sunrises and sunsets that the farm afforded us, and Jesse really misses her early morning and evening walks and the opportunity to simply run. The last time we arrived to collect the final box or two of our possessions there, the old donkey (Bunny Ears as I had named him), saw us coming and ran down behind the bakkie to the gate - I believe he had actually missed us and his almost daily walk with Jessie ………….. and of course the carrots which we always took out for him. I really never ever credited a Burro with so much emotion and intelligence - he has established a whole new consideration of what donkeys are all about in any future dealings I might have with them. We will also miss our infrequent - but always rewarding interactions with our very gracious hosts, Glenn and Anne McCreath, and really do recommend their cottage to anyone seeking accommodation in the area on a self-catering basis for any short or slightly extended stays in the the area. Thanks guys, we really enjoyed our time at Tiger Springs.

The first two weeks in the house have been strenuous in the extreme, trying to establish properly working living spaces with so much unfinished business around us - and so much to unpack and put away in as yet incomplete storage spaces and cupboards. In addition we have had the very real inconvenience of toilets that refused to properly seal and which have had to be broken out and replaced - shower finishes that have simply not performed as promised by the suppliers and which are now having to be completely stripped and re-applied - fortunately not at our expense but at the expense of the suppliers as I made quite clear to them when they were called out to assess the problems. We will get everything right - it is simply the inconvenience and seemingly never-ending labour presence that gets me down and tries my patience to the limit.

While all this has been happening I received a call from Louise Gibson - the sister of my very old friend and Best Man at my wedding, Rob Pienaar, to tell me that Rob had passed away. An immense shock to say the least made somewhat worse by the nature of his passing. Making matters worse were the indicators that he had planned a surprise visit to us during the course of next week after attending the christening of his newly arrived Granddaughter in Stellenbosch. Rest in Peace Rob - the pain at least is gone, and you well knew that our considerations in respect of what might be necessary when it came to taking certain decisions in the face of what might be were, and still remain, very similar. I do so respect your courage and determination - I hope that I am able to match these if and when I am put to the test……………..and so glad that I was able to make it up to Jo’burg for the Memorial service, meet your sons, and re-connect with Laura after all these years - my, but you really don’t seem to have aged at all woman! Really do hope that you get to visit us sooner rather than later. Of course the trip up would hardly have been possible without Peter Davidson’s help in fetching, carrying and accommodating - he, Rob and I were really the Three Musketeers as kids, and there have been more memories to plough through than one could ever imagine. In so many respects it really has been a good life.

Highlight of the week was of course the Bok’s splendid win over the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday, (Rob would really have loved that), it certainly seems to have put a little spring back in the step of a great many South Africans who seem to have lost ‘moed’ in the face of more threatened petrol price increases, a seemingly never-ending spiral of corruption in Government, really frightening murder and crime statistics as reported to Parliament, land restitution without compensation, and a Rand so weak one wonders if it will ever recover ………… blah, blah, blah …….. so we can’t do anything about all these unfortunate situations other than make damn sure to vote down the ANC’s majority at the next election, but we can take heart from great little acts happening every day ………. like Stoddard’s first ever half marathon in the rain and hail in Sydney to raise funds for the Sanfelippo foundation this weekend: Well done Chum your efforts and commitment to helping these kids is a shining example to all of us. Very proud!

We are expecting our first visitors at No.6 York Road on Heritage day - just a week away. Dales and Meryl are taking the leap and popping in for a couple of nights, which means that this week will have to see some big strides in the completion process, as well as ridding ourselves of the never-ending stream of boxes currently cluttering our lives. Then on the 30th Chavane and the girls arrive with Lucille and her children for a part of the school Spring Break. Can’t wait! Got a great call from Leila yesterday enthusing about their planned visit - thank you my darling, you always manage to make my day and I can’t wait to see you all again.

I’m holding off on pics of the house until we have cleared most of the backlog of boxes and managed to get some of the pics up on the walls - they make a great difference to the warmth and ambience of the dwelling and we would like to give the right sense of Spirit of Place from the outset ……… so please bear with us in this respect. There really is just so much to show - every day there are new flowers, blossoms and blooms - every day more and more gets finished as the house takes on its character and familiar old bits and pieces find themselves places to settle in the overall setup. This house is very special - we do so want to get it right, but it is very demanding, and time is going to be an essential part of its ultimate soul …………. so we simply have to take as much time as is going to be necessary and hope that all who visit will appreciate this and enjoy the journey to completion with us.

Bathurst never ceases to amaze us - the energy of many of the friends we have made in meeting deadlines for events and ensuring that everything runs smoothly is really worth comment - once we are done with the building I have no doubt that we will begin to assist…….please be patient. This coming weekend sees the Ultimate 4x4 Challenge at the quarry with vehicles of every conceivable design participating ………… then on Monday (Heritage Day), there is going to be a picnic at the historic Bradshaw’s Mill, with live music, raffles of all kinds, and the participation of all those whose heritage has roots of some kind in this amazing community and the area in general …………. this is Frontier Country indeed - and we are only just beginning to learn about it all……….but sooner rather than later I am sure we will register proper understanding of it all and hopefully make adequate contribution to its sustenance and continuity.

This entry’s bird is the humble Dark-Capped (Black-eyed) Bulbul (Pycnonotus tricolor), that finds its way daily into the Coral Tree and serenades us with its “sweet, sweet, sweet potato” birdsong - really worth taking notice of!