Weekend away at Wolseley, Ceres and Tulbagh with Heather and Russell

A super weekend in the country with Russell and Heather.  

The Fynbos Farm was a wonderful place to connect with many beautiful animals and birds like donkeys, llamas, zebras, goats, pigs, rabbit, emus and peacocks. The owners, a very friendly gay couple, are very spiritual and have built a meditation chapel and a labyrinth. Walking the labyrinth was a very special experience, it really does quieten the mind.

On Saturday, Russell and I went to climb Matroosberg but we gave up after a couple of hours because of rain and wind.  We went to pick cherries in Ceres instead.

On Sunday, we went for a lovely swim in a local waterfall and then explored Tulbagh. The highlight was trying a local restaurant's very adventurous ice cream flavours like wasabi.

Fynbos Farm outside Wolseley

Walking at Matroosberg

Picking cherries

Swimming at the local waterfall

Visiting Tulbagh on the way home

A week with Brendan on his farm

A wonderful week with Brendan.

Highlights

• Lots of very satisfying physical labour including installing a fireplace, clearing a canopy of fallen trees and clearing a fence.
• Being inspired by Brendan with DIY.  There's nothing you can't do with the right outlook.
• Getting to use a chainsaw for the first time. I loved it!
• The delicious creme brulee tarts and doughnuts at the local bakery - and the even more delicious woman who owned it.
• A lovely swim on the last day and leaping off the pier.
• Meeting Brendan's old neighbour at his restaurant and the amazing cheese platter we enjoyed with some lovely wine.

The house

Things we worked on: Clearing trees, installing a fireplace, clearing gutters, taking down a fence.

We cleared old trees to create lots of firewood.  I had my first experience of chainsawing!

Brendan at war with his nemeses.  Blackberry, weeds, thistles and bracken.

Bails of grass.

A swim at the beach nearby.

Hi there guys

At last some good Internet connection and a chance to say hi. 

I'm having a wonderful time on the farm. 

It's a paradise place with rolling, grassy hills and a forested gully running through it. And it's so amazingly quiet. Apart from the beautiful silence, nothing but bird songs and cricket chirrups to listen to. 

I've been doing loads of hard physical labour. Cleaning and installing gutters. Installing a huge fireplace in the farm cottage. Clearing fallen trees (I've become a chainsaw wielding fiend!).  And most fun of all, taking down fences to open up the farm. It feels like rural Feng Shui. Each night I go to bed at 8 pm and sleep like a baby. 

Brendan and I are having lots of fun exploring the local eateries and enjoying local wines. He's a wonderful guy with an amazing sense of humour. A great connection. 

I hope you're all well. I'll be sorry to miss Eckhart on Tuesday. I will be thinking of you all.

G