SUNDAY, BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY

My friend Michelle invited me to Sunday lunch at the hotel which was delicious!  Thanks very much Michelle.  I then went home for an unsuccessful Sunday afternoon nap, so I decided to pop into the office for a little while.  The dogs went with and were so excited to be there.  Bentley's tail almost sent the tea tray flying, but I managed to rescue it just in time.  They settled and behaved beautifully until Bailey got bored, so I took them for their Sunday afternoon drive which is always fun, and is just as much for my benefit as theirs.  We only go to the pass turn-off and back, but at snails pace so they can smell all the smells, check out the baboons and bark at the tortoises telling them to get a move on!

After dropping them off at home again I popped into Willem's for a cup of tea and then we fetched Dorrien and went off for a spot of fishing.  Jock the Labrador cannot resist water at any temperature, and I suspect his swim is what chased all the fish away.  But while the men were trying to catch fish, I took advantage of the light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This morning a few of us were sitting on the Swartberg Hotel stoep chatting over a cup of coffee, when the very large tour bus loaded up it's elderly travellers after a weekend in and around Prince Albert and left for their next destination.  About half an hour later, Charon the hotel owner, looks up and sees two very irate old biddies standing on the pavement in a fury!  They'd been left behind.  Tilla suggested that the hotel remove the prunes from the stewed fruit in the mornings.........much to our amusement.  The bus returned and collected the old girls with much sweet talking from the tour leader!  I still can't believe that none of the others noticed that they were missing some of their team.  Judging by the comments that were coming from some of them, they weren't all getting on too well with each other and who knows, perhaps they were hoping the bus would just keep going.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE......

Okay, so I've been out of action for some time.  Been busy with work, computers down and sorted once more, with greatest thanks to Francois Hougaard of Breedevallei Rekenaars.  All he did on my laptop was remove the spyware, whereas I was told I would have to reload windows which was going to be a "massive job".  So glad someone knows what they're doing!  He also replaced the work desktop which is working like a bomb!!

So you know me by now, I can't resist the moon and taking photos of it.  I decided to clean up my laptop and went through all my photos, and am still not through them yet, but have already remove around 20 000 odd, (no, that's not finger trouble), many of which were of the moon.  Being a Cancerian, I am supposed to be influenced by it, so perhaps that's where the intrigue comes from.

 

Last week I had a really fun shoot with Brian Finch, our local rocker, formally of Finch and Henson, and his wife Marion.  They've chosen the better shots for publicity, covers etc, so I won't publish those, but here are a couple for you to see.  Google Brian Finch and do yourselves a favour and get hold of his music.  It really is fabulous!  This guitar case of Brian's is 40 years old and has traveled the world with him.  He is touring overseas more and more and is opening for Prime Circle in PE next weekend. 

 

 

 

Comedian, Nick Rabinowitz was in town this weekend at the Jans Rautenback Schoberg Theatre, and I am so glad I was advised to go and ever so grateful to Sandy Bouwer who offered me a ticket, because the man had us rolling in our seats. We were holding our stomachs and crying with laughter.. What a treat.  This was accompanied by a cheese and wine as well as the Somerset College Jazz Band.  How wonderful it was to see such great talent in our youth.  So many thanks to Simon who brings them here from time to time for our sheer listening pleasure.

 

BERG ON FIRE!

 

All night a runaway fire raged across the little Berg.  We were up early this morning, Vaughn rallying his team to go and fight the fire that was approaching the Berghouse and Cottages with the wind blowing in this direction.  Chantal and I were dressed and ready in case it got close to the horses and we would need to go and open gates to give them an escape route.  Just as we thought they were finally under control, Vaughn has just received another call to say it has flared up again, so out the men have gone once more.  Much of what you see beyond the green fire-breaks here has since burnt already.  As a result the game have all moved to the back of the farm and out of harms way.  May the winds die down and the fires cease! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                      

I think one of the problems here is the programme as I am not able to get the options tab for these photos for sizing etc.  So again, please forgive the errors.

Now compare the above photos from yesterday, to what is going on today......

 

Beyond the mini's paddock, is a firebreak, and adjacent to that, Vaughn and  the team did another controlled burn when the wind changed as an extra precaution.  And the winds have died right down to a gentle breeze.  Thank you!!

 

 

More to come.  Not sure what powers that be have decided that no more photos shall be uploaded on this blog.  What a bitty blog you've had for the past few days!!!

 

www.berghouse.co.za

 

ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE

 

 

We've had another glorious day here in the Northern Drakensburg at The Berghouse and Cottages. The weather has been spectacular and there was lots of game to be seen.  By the time I pulled my camera out after lunch with friends from Durban, the massive eland herd had moved up the hill behind the horses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More to come on another day.

 

www.berghouse.co.za

 

 

PHOTO CATCH-UP

 

 

I thought I was going to be able to catch up on photos for you, but am still battling with the slow internet here on the farm.  So there are just a few more from Friday when I arrived. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

Chantal with Digger

 

Cody and Digger looking for a kiss

 

Frosty enjoying a good brushing

 

 

 

A hazy backdrop

 

 

LEOPARD KILL

This morning whilst on a walk, a leopard kill was stumbled upon.  It took a juvenile eland by the neck and disemboweled it as leopard do.  How exciting is that!  The Berg is full of action!

The cyclists that were here for the warm up to the Berg and Bush Cycle Race on the 10th of October have now left The Berg House and Cottages, as have all Chanel's friends that that were here for the weekend. The new guests have checked in, bar one couple, and once they have, Chantal and I are off on a walk to see the zebra and eland as well as any other game that may be around.  Grey duiker with young, common and mountain reedbuck and grey rhebok have also been seen here today.  The young crowd woke up this morning with the eland right outside their bedroom windows.