Gunda and other vehicles

Jan's beloved old Land Cruiser is at the doctor's again. The back left wheel sheared right off on his way to Tai Chi the other night. So lucky it happened where it did and not on a major road far from home. And he was not hurt at all. Who knows when we will get it back- and it is the only 4x4 vehicle we have. Better not rain too hard.

Unless you count the tractor whose seat is not fixed to the body. I have no idea how Patrick (our farm labourer) has managed to stay on it. I think this must be Jan's next job so I can learn to drive it. Very useful old thing.

We have a large trailer for the tractor whose wheel keeps going flat. Jan bought a new tube and it looks like that has done the trick. Now don't drive it over very pointy things with those old wheels! Very big chunks of rubber missing from them and I don't think it has had any new tyres in a very long time.

May have to trade my Condor in for a double cab bakkie with diff lock. That should go about anywhere on the farm. Could be worse- I could have to have a vehicle for dodging taxis.

Working on the farm

Yesterday we began working on Granny's cottage. We did some damp-proofing and sealing and today we filled and began painting. She very kindly sent lunch and while I sat to eat it, I realised she has the best view of all the houses! She looks directly at the mountain with no other houses visible except ours though the trees. Just divine and tonight as I walked back home under lots of stars I felt so fortunate to be able to do this for my Mommy. Tomorrow I will check my second coat and she can begin moving in. Max has even said he will spend a night with her. Now that is a BIG step! And Granny thought she was moving to peace and quiet...

LIFE

Last Friday I had to put 1 of my 5 black cats to sleep. She was not my favourite cat- I have never met such a stupid cat! But I rescued her from a night club where she drank beer and ate chips and she was one of my babies. I miss my silly Chilli.
Her daughter has also been sick and so some very expensive tests later, we will see what is up and if I will lose anymore children. I don't do well with animals in pain/suffering or dying.
Our labourers lost 2 sheep to the rooikat in 1 weekend and then 1 got sick. They did what they could but really did not know much. And what do I know about sheep?!! Anyway, I had them help me drag and carry a really heavy sheep into the shade and sat with it to slowly pour water into it's mouth.
What it makes me wonder is- Am I ready for any other animals which may die? I am planning chickens a 2 geese but it could be heart-breaking. Dare I risk it?

Evil-looking mushroom

 After the first lot of rain, we put on our gum boots and went for a walk. Toni & Helix- our boy cat who thinks he is a dog- came with us. We had to carry the children- all 3- across some of the river branches. None wanted to be left behind ( a lot of woofing and meowing going on!)

Along the way we found the usual puff ball mushrooms (mostly not-edible) and this Red Stinkhorn. And boy did it!

It was lovely to see the river run.
Then it rained again! Eish! There is a drift which you cannot usually see from the house but we could this time. Just lovely.
Of course the dam is still leaking so all that lovely  water poured out and down into our fields. We will have to do something to try and fix it without spending too much.

We also used our indoor fireplace (everyone seems to have one around here) for the first time. We used lots of cast-iron pots and Jan did a sacrifice for he & Mom (that's a braai in case you were wondering).
First bread on the fire got a bit burnt on contact as the pot was a bit hot but tasted great. And I think we will be doing some more cooking like this because we have a forest of wattle to tame.

Next up a curry, another bread and more bones for Toni!

This a nice pic of Max digging up our driveway. Now that should keep him busy!

And finally, the future veg garden. This was taken before the rain when the holes for the electric fence were dug but not "poled" yet. The holes promptly filled with water so it took us another week before we could carry on. (The previous pic of Max shows him behind where I was taking this pic from. A long driveway to dig.)

 I have since filled the tyres and planted my first potatoes. The wires go in for the bokkies, pigs, rabbits etc tomorrow and then we can really get planting. It's so late in the year already but hopefully we will still have a long enough season to get a lot grown.

By the way the beginning of the driveway is at the end of the row of trees.

Can't wait to get going.

We have had lots of interesting challenges since moving to the farm. Today was no exception. The pump died. Technically this should not be a problem for us as the leivoor is about 10m behind the house over a 3m drop. We should still be able to get water. But this is life and not a technicality.

Jan has never fixed a pump before but clever boy that he is, he has been able to transfer his knowlegde of electrical, mechanical and plumbing stuff to this. Sadly he has run out of teflon tape! I think he had 3 rolls when he started.
He has used silicon grease to seal the nuts which drain the housing before the impellar (sp?) and is about to cut up and old gum boot to make a gasket.
He has had to re-wire it as it was wired backwards and not earthed. Oh and also not sealed. Not good in a potentially wet environment. And the worst of it was, he can't see how it was EVER serviced with all the mud and gunk he took out of the housing. Perhaps our water won't be such a lovely shade of beige anymore.
But we still don't need an alarm on the house.

We took the Tradouw Pass through Heidelberg to Barrydale a while back. It was so pretty and Barrydale is an unusual little town with the highway running right through it. There are lots of places to stop to eat and shop. Many Vaalies have moved there to get away from the rat race. Worth a visit.
We stopped for a picnic at the bottom of the pass at Max's insistence. Half way up would have been better.

Our newest family member has reminded me of how much a person learns in their first few years of life. And of how important "life" is. Not just to exist, because is there really a reason for living, but the amazing thing that new life is. Toni came from the SPCA in Mossel Bay and is not the Lab mix I had planned. In fact all I can recognise is a bit of German Shepard in her flopped over ears, the rest I don't know. Max is still a bit uncertain that when she jumps on him, she is not trying to bite him. Wonder where his fear of dogs came from.

She is very sweet, clever and has been very good. So far, no shoes have been chewed! She will be a medium-sized dog and we will still look for that lab as a friend for her. Soon. Can anyone sleep as well as a puppy?

Also new to our brood is Prunes- a calico cat which has been living on the farm. Perhaps we should have called her Hoover with the way she sucks down food. She is healthy and really doesn't seem to have the ticks & fleas one would expect from an unattended farm cat. She is loving and doesn't seem too phased by the other cats, puppy or Max. BTW, she too is named after a character in one of Max's books.

Next on my list of adoptees will be a few chickens. I am planning a chicken tractor to move around the farm but first off the bat will probably be just 3 and a small movable ark. I want them in the orchard first to manage any bugs as the fruit grows. The trees are so small, they need all the help they can get.

We still await the police clearance to continue with adopting our human family member.