SPIRIT OF PLACE

Tuesday, 6 November 2018

Halloween, Rugby and Muddy Roads

Friday the 2nd November saw quite a Halloween (Night of the Dead I think they called it), thrash at the Pig ’n Whistle ……………. good music (some great slide guitar), more than plenty to drink, lots of dancing ……….. I reckon a great time was had by all - we certainly enjoyed it. Then on Saturday most of the same faces were to be seen there again to watch the Boks snatch a one point defeat from the jaws of victory …………. so many really silly mistakes, and that final tackle (sic!), made me think that the TMO would have been best advised not to go walking in Southfield (London), for at least a week.

The weekend also saw the Bathurst Arts Fair taking place with plenty of good stuff on show at a number of venues - loads of cars and plenty of people in the village, though Sunday's rain did put a bit of a damper on the fun (if you'll excuse the pun).

Seeing all the clouds on Sunday we decided to take the “Poor Man’s Game Drive” through Sibuya Game Reserve to see what it was like. Hardly had we gone through the gate on the Southwell side when the heavens opened turning the track into a veritable river. Everything was fine until we hit the downhill about a half a km from the gate ………… pure clay that caked itself onto the wheels in an instant and sent us sliding in every direction. It was simply impossible to move even a few feet without the weight of the vehicle taking us sideways towards the dropoff on the edge of the road. Having no idea how far this situation extended (the bottom of the valley looked a very long way down), and with absolutely no chance of turning around, I decided to call Sibuya Management. They dispatched a Ranger (Chris by name), and he was with us within about 15 minutes. He explained that this bad clay section was only a couple of hundred metres long, but we had no way of resolving the situation other than to drive it. We loaded Pat and Jesse into his vehicle with its huge fat mud tackies, and I slipped the Ford into low range and switched on the Diff lock and proceeded to crawl my way down in 1st gear under compression - literally inch by inch - just touching the brakes very gently each time she began to slide. Eventually I made the gravel with a huge sigh of relief (most of you know how I feel about heights), and continued on down to the river - then up the other side to the exit gate some four or so kms away. Chris kindly followed with Pat as far as the gate and I tipped him with everything we had in the car. Pleasant, helpful ….. a real star. Thanks Chris, I do hope you come and visit us in Bathurst sometime.

For dinner I put together a tasty little Risotto for the two of us before wandering across the road to end the weekend with some of Barry and Annie’s sublime guitar and accordion playing with their special brand of vocal accompaniment ……… Annie somehow manages to make that thing sound like a very good copy of Stephane Grappeli’s violin, and every now and then Barry’s playing reminds me of Django Rheinhardt ………. but I suspect I’ve said all this before. What a pleasure to listen to.

The past week also saw a lot getting done in the garden with the construction of a stone retaining wall for the herb/pepper garden last week Sunday which almost broke my back. On Monday we collected the huge array of bamboo’s that Graham had his guys stack to one side for me after endeavouring to clear the swamp at the bottom of his garden. Now all we need to do (ha ha), is clean them, sort them and make a deck ceiling out of them. Sometime - sometime!

Everything was looking beautiful until Tuesday brought an almighty wind which took down half the Mulberry tree and littered the entire garden with branches of every description from the vast array of trees we have on the property ………… Wednesday was definitely “pick-up parade”. The wind also managed to put out a large section of Bathurst’s lights until about 9am Wednesday morning - but it did make for a nice relaxed candlelit dinner and a relatively early night.

The moles too have been going crazy and driving Jesse around the twist. As soon as she spots the sand moving she begins to stalk, pausing like a Pointer with her nose just a few centimetres from the mound before striking like a leopard on its prey ……….. but the little buggers manage to get away nine times out of ten and no amount of digging achieves the final end. She has managed to catch two that I know of, and, as they say, practice makes perfect, so one day she might just rid the garden of these little pests.

Our neighbours on the lower east side of No. 6 have a goat by name Lola. She’s a real cutie and when Lianie (not sure how its spelt), takes the dog for a walk on the lead Lola follows along like a well trained pooch that needs no such restraints. She really enjoyed my Mulberry tree clean-up this weekend as she got to feast on the myriad leaves I passed across the fence - leaves that I suspect she has being greedily eyeing since they made their appearance at the beginning of the season. The tree really takes me back to my childhood in Pretoria when a great many very happy hours were spent up in my parents tree feeding my face and staining my clothes - now I simply pick what I can reach each day before freezing them to be enjoyed in a more cultured manner at some later stage.

Monday saw the start of a fairly substantial new contract - it will certainly keep me off the streets for a while, and is one that I am very much looking forward to watching go up as we tackle the various stages - something different and quite challenging in many respects ………………. will talk more about it as we move forward.

This week's bird is the Yellow Fronted (Yellow-eyed) Canary which spends a good deal of time in the scrub at the bottom of the garden.

Yellow Fronted (Yellow-eyed) Canary

A look into the distance from our deck through the 600mm lens

Proprietors of the Pig, Lucille and Gavin Came getting into the spirit of things

Lucille (centre) with a couple of friends

Apparently Chef Carl Penn had a difference of opinion with the kitchen staff

Manageress Natalie took me a while to recognise

Jesse stalking a busy molehill

ATTACK!

The Banana trees looking very green

The Fig also looking particularly good

Sunday, 28 October 2018

BUDS AND MORE BUDS

Spring is literally busting out all over here in Bathurst. Each day our garden presents us with new blooms and blossoms ………… each lot a pleasant surprise, and more often than not, quite unexpected. Right now the apple blossoms have taken over from the peaches ………… mulberries ripen every day and we have to pick fast to beat the birds and the monkeys. It is unfortunate that our garden was so badly neglected for so long as I am sure that had it been better looked after we would have so much more than we currently do to marvel at - but I reckon that next year is going to be a totally different story once Pat has finished weaving her magic, particularly if the donations of plants keep coming from friends.

We started out with one (and a half) flowering Clivias in the garden, then a couple of weeks ago Anne McCreath very kindly donated fifteen or so from her stunning Clivia clutches up at the farm, and they have almost instantly transformed the shaded beds adjoining our entrance. Thanks Anne, you’re an absolute star.

A walk through Sandy and Brian Thomas’s garden where the weekly farmers’ market is held each Sunday morning leaves one in a state of utter envy - it is an absolute riot of colour, shrubs, roses, flowers ………….. simply everything one could ever wish to see, and Sandy has only been at for just under two years, turning what I believe was just an overgrown mess of weeds and bush into what it is now………….so there’s definitely hope for us. I am posting some pics of both the market and a few of their garden so as to place on record what I have said here today

Glenn McCreath too very kindly arranged a small painting contract for me which we climbed into and completed earlier this week - thanks Glenn, every little bit helps. Before and after the contract I threw myself at the deck and am happy to say that with the exception of the cable trusses and cable balusters it is essentially complete - and looking quite good - and what a pleasure it is to park out there on these hot summer days and evenings and simply enjoy the birds, the garden, the views and the ambience that is this village that surrounds us.

Jesse is more settled every day and is becoming known by more and more of the residents and business owners as she takes her morning constitutional around the village centre each day -visiting the Bistro in the hope that Liz is around to sneak her a biscuit - and just generally checking out the local scene before wandering home and finding a new molehill to tackle in the hope of doing us a favour and catching one.

This week’s bird is a little female Cape Weaver that Jordan Davidson helped me identify a few weeks ago.

Female Cape Weaver

Some of Anne's Clivias at our entrance

Friday night at the Bistro with the "Office" group

Apple Blossoms at the bottom of the garden

Flowers everywhere

Another flowering tree behind the Strelizia

Hydrangeas popping out next to the resevoir

The new deck with roses in the foreground

Couldn't neglect this week's full moon

Rory and Carol - purveyors of wondrous honey and carrot cake (amongst other things)

A few of Sandy's Poppies

Pat and Sandy - Coffee and Pancakes

Some of Sandy's roses

Jay, Hendrik, Maggie, Lizbet and Ron enjoying the sunshine and the geriatrics bench

Sheralynn - purveyor of home made cheeses

Farm produce of every kind - fresh as it gets

The Troubador ....... Poetry on Demand (and great Moer Coffee)

Friday, 19 October 2018

SPRING & THE PASSING PARADE

Sitting outside the Pig n Whistle watching the passing parade I am really surprised how many of those in the parade we have gotten to know in the short time we have been in Bathurst - and every one of them a gem. Of course they have their quirks, but don’t we all? I still feel that we are too new in the village to begin with character sketches of some of them - I don’t know them well enough yet to make comment or take the piss without seeming offensive, when that is really not my intention at all. There is just so much colour here, and every character is simply a part of another group of brush strokes that I can’t wait to apply to the canvas, but I must be wary. There is a very definite overriding sense of FIFO that exists among those who are established residents here, and wanting to ultimately fit in I am very aware that I must watch my P’s and Q’s until such time as I properly feel acceptance, or run the risk of having the last two digits define my fate.

The roof is finally on over the deck area but there is still plenty to do …… hand-rails, trims sanding and sealing …………… and ultimately a bamboo ceiling. Fortunately Graham Walker is stripping his swamp area of all the resident bamboo and has very kindly offered to stack what he cuts on one side for me to collect when I am ready. Thanks Graham - most kind of you.

Spring has heralded growth in the garden that is hard to believe …………. literally within two days of cutting the grass it looks as though it has never seen a mower - flower beds that were pristine 10 days ago are thick with weeds to the point where there is virtually no definition between grass and beds. I can see how disheartening it is for Pat ofter all the work she has put in, but every day she valiantly gets down and tackles the weeding with a gusto that is quite admirable. Well done girl!

With the deck done I now have no excuse not to begin tackling all of the myriad little finish items that need to be undertaken. My excuse to date has been not having a level surface that is covered ……… well that ain’t gonna work no more, so I can see evenings and weekends being applied to more important things than relaxing with a drink and listening to the birds. But it is rewarding, despite all the frustrations of limited finance and time, and I quite frankly don’t know what I would do with myself if these challenges didn’t exist.

For weeks now I have been trying to get a decent shot of one of our resident Hoopoes, but they are extremely shy and take off immediately they become aware of one. So - I set myself up in the kitchen with the 600mm lens the other evening and finally managed to grab a few shots: not the best in the world, but definitely passable, so this week’s No. 6 bird is the Hoopoe (Upupa epops). In passing I should also mention that our Hadeda chicks have sadly been predated - we are not sure if it was other Hadedas or the Vervets that come down daily to feed in the Mulberry tree, but Mama Hadeda was absolutely distraught for a long period of time, perched in the nest and calling in every direction for three or four hours before disappearing, and we haven’t seen her since.

Hoopoe (Upupa epops)

Thursday, 11 October 2018

ITS BEGINNING TO FEEL LIKE HOME

The rush to get things ready for our visitors over the past two weeks was well worth the effort - some pictures on the walls, rugs on the floors - a few ornaments here and there ………… and suddenly No.6 is beginning to feel like home. With the exception of the kitchen units and the office the inside of the house is pretty much done, and workable in most senses of the word. I am busy with the deck, and by the middle of next week should have the roof up in that area as well.

So! Things are definitely moving along, and Pat and I can take a few minutes here and there to think about - and talk about - the visits we had from Dales and Meryl, and then a few days later from Chavane and the girls along with Lucille and Karen. It was so good seeing them all again. Sanchia has grown in every way since I last saw her nearly five months ago. She is definitely her own person with a well established set of values that she will fight to the death to protect. Goodonya Girl!

Leila is a little gem - a pure rock star in every respect - organiser extraordinaire - mediator ……….. and manipulator par excellence. But what an absolute joy to be around. She created a little candlelit circle in the garden and persuaded her mother and Lucille to decorate the trees with fairylights ……….. this was A Zen Garden specifically for Grandma - a little place of meditation with a whole ritual that attended her time in the circle. She also insisted on celebrating Jesse’s birthday ……….. a chocolate cake was baked and iced and decorated with Jesse’s name. The fairylights went up again - invitations were drawn up, and despite a quite chilly evening we were all instructed to take our places around the blue table and “Happy Birthday” was sung to this very confused and dressed up little dog. Thank you my darling, you made your time here with us very special.

We did most of the Bathurst things: Visited Waters Meeting for a picnic of sorts, Steak night at Lara’s, drinks at the Plough and the Pig and Sunday evening Jaffles at the Bistro where we were wonderfully entertained by an array of musicians, not least of all were once again Annie and Barry who really moved us all with some wonderfully emotive music. After it was all over Sanchia and Karen asked Annie if they could do a number ………. not knowing what to expect I prepared myself to be embarrassed - but to my utter surprise and delight their two numbers of lilting and thoughtful harmony brought them a standing ovation and congratulations from all the musos present who had preceded them during the evening. Well done girls, I look forward to seeing some of this on You-Tube in the not too distant future.

Thanks also to Mary Riley who allowed the kids two visits to the Al Pacas, Apache the Shetland Pony and a little bareback ride each on her grey horse - all well attended by her fleet of dogs and the odd donkey or three.

Saturday was Patrick and Michelle Rowley’s 1st Birthday as proprietors of the Ploughman’s Pub, and once again they did themselves proud with spit-braaid rolls for everyone and a hot-shot disco that had most of the regulars dancing, despite the sad (and quite unnecessary), Springbok loss against the All Blacks which we all watched in the bar. Happy Birthday guys …………. I think all of Bathurst looks forward to having you around for many more years to come.

Our Hadedas chicks have hatched, and watching mom feed and care for them is an experience all its own …………. also attracting the attention of a number of other Hadedas in the area that dad spends a good deal of noisy time trying to chase away from the nesting area.

Our little resident Olive Thrush (Turdus olivaceus), spends most evenings in the small concrete bath under one of the garden taps where he bathes and preens for a good ten to fifteen minutes at a time. I have made him this week’s No.6 bird of the week.

Enjoy the pics of our new home.