Dwarskloof and Holly Lodge

Windmills of the Karoo

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 15:25:00 +0000

Wildflowers; Millstream; Last day of January 2009

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 14:45:00 +0000

more to follow

Ben goes to the most Southerly point in Africa

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:42:00 +0000

Cape Agulhas (NOT Cape Point) is the most Southerly point in Africa and on the 24th of January 2009 Ben stood where the 2 oceans meet and had a sniff/taste of the sea and then a little bit of fish in batter.

Notice how he is colour coordinated with the local rocks.

We also went to Struiss Bai to see the Sting Rays. We’ll go back in 2 weeks to see if we can photograph them and have some more fish and chips.

This Morning's Eclipse 8.25am 26 Jan 2009 (and my Dad's Birthday)

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 07:13:00 +0000

Ben Sleeps

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:43:00 +0000

Endurance Birding with the Kerstens

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:47:00 +0000

On Thursday 8th of January we (Di and I and Fred and Sharon) embarked on a trip to find a new bird (a lifer!) for Sharon and 2 lifers for us. Sharon has determination and endurance in spades or whatever the metaphor is (never understood that one!). The most dangerous part of the journey was the pie shop in Riviersonderend. Fred and I had the lard and kidney pie with extra greasey pastry and an unleaded coke each.

The first real birding stop was for the very rare Aghulas Long Billed Lark supposedly only a few breeding pairs to be found in the fields alongside a 5km stretch of dirt road on the way from Swellendam to Bredasdorp via Malgas Ferry. Sharon found a pair, or rather Fred spotted them just as we were about to give up. This is the little devil- a lifer for Sharon and for us.

I lifted this picture from the web as my camera was unable to pick out the lark from the chaff. Fred got some shots though.

So, Sharon suitably happy, we gapped it to Bredasdorp by the man powered ferry at Malgas. Yes the ferry which can carry 6 cars at a time across the Breede river is in deed man powered. Fred managed to persuade the crew to take the ferry halfway for a photo-opportunity and then back for him (how does he do it?). I

felt obliged to play the white man and do a bit of powering of the ferry. It is the new South Africa afterall.

After the compulsory Kapula candle stop we lunched/high tea’d at Julian’s (misread by me as Italian’s) and then another 50km of dirt to get to Die Mond and the search for the Damara Tern – again 6 breeding pairs restricted, so it seems to a 200 metre stretch of beach between Die Mond and Struissbai.

Here’s the intrepid Di, Fred Sharon intent on spotting the ‘diminuitive’ Tern. Spot it they did and me too (a lifer for me and Di).

Look really close and you can see it flying in the picture to the right…. in the sky in the middle somewhere ‘onist.

The beach is superb and we’ve promised to go back next week to see the Rays at Struissbai.

It was getting dark and we were tired. 120 kms later we got back home there was a superb sunset near Riviersonderend Fred and Sharon’s car was still safe in the layby.

A slide show of pictures taken on New Year Eve 2008 – should that be 2009?.. anyway 31 12 2008

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:41:00 +0000

Florence 2008

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 08:38:00 +0000

On Top of The Duomo

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 21:40:00 +0000

Fred ; Some Guy with Glasses; Di; Sharon

Bri's 2008 Christmas Pressie from Di

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 09:59:00 +0000

I love a flag and in particular I like Tibetan prayer flags. I got a set from Di.
It's 12 noon on Christmas Day 2008 and the flags now adorn the awning.
We've spoken to Emma and the kids - we'll catch up with Derwent and the others later.

Preparation of the dining table continues...........

Di's First Tiger Fish - Chobe River Feb 2008

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 23:37:00 +0000

plus some banjaxed

before I forget: rough cut arrangement for ‘let it be’

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 22:06:00 +0000

Derwent and Betsy News

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 20:35:00 +0000

We’ve just heard, 10 mins ago (14 Dec 2008), that Betsy is preggers with the second child. He/She is due in August 2009. (don’t know why I put 2009!!). 5 grandchildren byoody hell!

All they have to do now is find somewhere to live.

WELL DONE you lot

Dad & Di

Just Found This Version of Dido Bendigo

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 12:13:00 +0000

Fire

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 16:33:00 +0000

Fires near Grabouw

29 Nov Update (boring title)

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:30:00 +0000

Holly Lodge News:

Joanne tells us that the upgrade to the tool room is progressing well. The tiles have all been removed and 'it looks a lot better already'
We had a trojan virus on the PC in the office butSwanny/Owen sorted it.
Otherwise no news. Al n Valerie back in the UK and no doubt trying to catch up onsleep - oh and Val has to write up her diary.

Vineyard news:

see Vinewatch but briefly -the vines are now:
24 days planted
90 hrs of sunshine
240mm of wetness
99% have budded
90% are at the chicken stage
The leftovers (in case of loss) are all well (despite no irrigation at all - explain that Mr Irrigation man)
The anchors are all done 29 Nov 2008
The cordon wires are 60% completeThe pump at the dam still doesn't work
Dave Betka is here - building a boat and gigging at the LodgeDi is fishing a lot
The Dam water may need some treatment to get it to be palatable
Ben is well - see picture above
We miss the grandkids

Banjaxed World Tour

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:47:00 +0000

Page 10 of Greyton Sentinel #69
Banjaxed World Tour

A wet bang to the mouth

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:54:00 +0000

Dwarskloof Farm – Greyton South Africa 13 November 2008:
It has rained solidly for almost 3 days. We had 55mm of rain on Tuesday; 72mm of rain Wednesday and, so far, in the first 5 hours of Thursday another 22mm. it continues. The vines were due to have their second drink on Tuesday a mere (forgive pun) 5mm. They have now had the equivalent of 6 months of rain – if it only worked like that. In 3 days the sun will bake the ground and I will be trying to get the irrigation system to work.

The result of this excess is that I now know that the water reticulation works and that the dam is full and that the gateway to the farm is/was blocked. Greyton too is cut-off and this merited a mention on the national TV (SABC 1, 2, 3). I laboured with the mini-digger for a couple of hours in the pissing rain and cleared a way BUT fear that now, 12 hours and 50mm of more rain later, that my toil was in vain

Talking of Blocks. Al 'n' Val has had to put off their adventure to the animal park at Inverdoorn until the water abates. We have broken into the emergency red and white wine stock (the unmarked 65p a bottle stuff).

It's almost a year to the day since the last once in a hundred year storm. Surely it should have been another 99 years?

The young vines look well though. They haven't been washed out of the ground and there is evidence of budding.

A South African farmer was interviewed tonight, on the SABC News, about the fact that his harvest of table grapes would more than likely be wiped out by the storm. He agreed with the reporter and smiled and shrugged and said 'hell that's nature'.

I await the dawn to see what havoc nature has wrought.

I feel most sorry for Al 'n' Val. Their first trip to SA and marooned with us. No Monopoly board games and dwindling emergency wine stocks.

A technical note:
55mm of rain is equivalent of 55litres per square metre. 55 litres is roughly 11 UK gallons. Each vine has a catchment of 1 square meter.

Isn't that interesting?

Bang to the mouth 4- Leak Seeking Project update

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:51:00 +0000

8 Nov: 12 noon. The Rastas are still in the tool shed.

Bang to the mouth 3

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:19:00 +0000

They say that timing is everything. On the evening of Thursday 6 November 2008 and the morning of Friday 8 it rained. Jake-n-Sam's crew completed the planting of the 3000 Viognier vines at 5 in the afternoon yesterday and it started raining at 7ish. The vines need 5 litres of water each in the first few days and (yippee) we've just had the equivalent of 10litres in the last 24 hrs - see graph and also http://www.thedawes.net/.

We've been praying for rain for months. The Winter here has been unusually dry, barely 30 litres per square metre per month for the past 4 months. Which is not good. We've spent a smallish fortune putting in a sophisticated irrigation system which depends on the dam at the bottom of the yard being full of - rainwater. This timely downpour is encouraging, as we have still to find where the system is leaking - I buried the pipes some weeks back confidant that there would be no need to ever see them again. Forever an optimist.

Nevertheless, this week has been a success.
Zakrey and I collected the vines on Monday. They slept overnight in some seaweed (Kelp) treated water to condition the roots and at 8 am on Tuesday 4 November Di and I planted the first 10 vines ourselves and then let Sam-n-Jake's planting crew do the remaining 2990. I fretted like a mother hen for an hour or so but could see that everything was under control and that Zakrey and Charles had the post plant watering system sorted and so retired for breakfast with Di, Jake, Al and Val (on their first trip to SA) and later Sam and one of the many Sam-n-Jake offspring and, oh yes Ben the dog.

It took 3 days to plant all the vines - 750 the first day, 1250 the second and the balance yesterday. About 5 of the crew and Zakrey are now tidying the yard and moving some of the bigger stones back in the vine line to act as mulch and storage heaters. It's still raining a little which is frustrating my leak seeking plans.
The next stage is to make sure that 'they' have taken and then cutback and fit grow tubes and then get the cordon wire and anchors fitted. For that I need to get Jamii Hamlin of Ecostake back to show me how to do it. I also need to record how we managed to be using stainless steel posts instead of timber... see later
When I was in paid employment,prior to my retardiment, as my Grandson says, I used to have a worry attack in the early hours - usually when the digital clock said 505; where I would mentally list all the down side things that I had to do on a project or administration of the company. I haven't had any of those moments for a year now.. BUT they've started again with the realisation of the work needed for this wine project.The pre-growing stages - ripping, staking, digging can be extended, delayed, mechanically intervened but once the vines start growing I will have to move at nature's pace. Cornflakes and tea and then leak seeking will begin.
15 mins later:
Zakrey, my Rasta vineyard manager (as he has taken to calling himself!), on seeing me leak seeking in the rain, from the shelter of his tool shed, said
"Hey boss-there's no need to water until Monday, stop worrying, at least the pump in the sky is working, do what I and I are doing - relax." (Rastas use 'I and I' instead of 'We'). I might knit myself one of those red green yellow hat things that Zakrey is so fond of,whilst I wait for the rain to abate.

Bang to the mouth 2

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:08:00 +0000

I forgot to say that on top of everything else we decided to bring our trail hound ben(digo) to this South African house and farm.
So far he likes it. He's made 6 new friends and is the talk of the village. He arrived 2 hours late on Saturday 1^st of November along with my missing guitar.

The trip to pick up the vines was successful – there are now 3000 sticks sleeping overnight in 4 bins of water.
Tomorrow at ¼ to 7 we plant.

Post Post - above is picture taken on the 4th of November: Bendigo helping to plant vines

A bang on the mouth

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:53:00 +0000

Today, 3 November 2008, I am going to Voor-Groenberg Nurseries near Wellington to collect 3000 new Viognier vines to plant in the prepared holes in our virgin vineyard. I'm borrowing Steve-n-Jane's Toyota Hilux bakkie and setting off soon via Caledon (to get our mobile 'phone unblocked). I should get back mid afternoon in time for the arrival from England of Val and Al Block. Val & Al are staying for 2 weeks and, as well as being here to witness the planting of the vines, they are also singing with us at the Abbey Rose tomorrow night.

I'd always meant to write a contemporary account of the planning and building of the South African project and of our complex travelling and living arrangements between the Western Cape and West Cumbria. However I'm pretty sure it is almost impossible to devote probably 1 hour a day to the journal whilst doing the project. SOOO…. what I've decided to do is to start now, at the planting milestone, to try my best to write up the vineyard project on a weekly going forward schedule and also try and intersperse the contemporary stuff with a commentary on the past 3 years. I've got notebooks, sketch pads and correspondence going back 10 years so it should be easy. History, as we all know, is only 1 person's interpretation of what actually happened. I'm not going to spend a load of time polishing and 'byuddy shining' it (to quote my 3 year old grand-daughter). I would appreciate though some editorial help from Nick (please?) and Emma (please please?) to keep me within the rules of written English and any possible libel action.

I'm also going to publish to the blog as I go. That way it's out there, not skulking on my hard-drive, and it will encourage me to get the records up to date. Good theory!

The vineyard project started I think in early 2005, though technically it had been brewing (sorry) since we bought a house in Greyton in May 2001 - or maybe 1996 when Di and I first travelled together to SA or maybe when I worked in SA during the 70's and first visited the wine lands. Hell - I don't know.

Anyways – in January 2005 we decided to buy a piece of farm land from Steve and Jane Collins with the intent I seem to remember of creating a wilderness reserve and maybe building a small house once we had sold our place in Greyton and also our share in a café and gallery there. Complicated or what?

The chronology (is there such a word) gets a bit blurred but I think it went:

May 2005 – buy 90 hectares of land from S&J Collins – eventually agree to share it with them – they have South West side we have North East – see Map later.
May 2006 – after a lot of walking round decide on place for the house and start building
July 2006 – Sell Greyton House
December 2006 – sell Café and Gallery
April 2007 - House substantially complete – move in
September 2007 – electricity switched on
October 2007 – retire from paid employment in UK
March April 2008 – rip and prepare the land for planting
May June 2008 – install stainless steel support system to half of vineyard
July August 2008 Install Irrigation system
Aug September 2008 – intend to plant vines – FAIL
November 2008 .. here we go

Looks simple doesn't it – but just wait there's 36 months to account for.
The view this morning

From Western Cumbria to Western Cape Feb 2008 letter 1

jack@thedawes.net (I and I) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:57:00 +0000

We are 4 months in to our first 6 months posting to Dwarskloof Farm.

Dwars is an Afrikaans word meaning 'across'or 'challenge'. It certainly has been a challenge. First the lack of electricians then the floods then the worms then the power cuts then the power surge then the visitors then the crickets then the post office then the insurance claim then the gates then the cv joints on the car and …new tyres… It goes on and on .. it's a relentless challenge. Dwarskloof literally means 'across a ravine'.

We seem to cross the ravine every day. Just posting a letter can be stressful. The post office closed with the demise of the petrol station in November. The petrol station (state of the science new pumps no less) was due to open again in January BUT 'they had the wrong sort of electricity' so it remains fenced off (Feb 2008). Post Office has moved to Municipality buildings but has to be manned (personed?) by a duly authorised post office official from Caledon (22kms distant). Post office hours are 12 noon to 3pm with an HOUR for lunch at 1 pm

7.30: rise and prepare myself for the task of posting a letter during the 12 noon to 1 pm time slot.

11.45: I leave home to travel to town (Greyton)

12.05: I join the queue to buy the required stamps to send a small envelope to Cape Town

12.57: Envelope is measured and weighed and declared to be a standard envelope. The uniformed post office official looks disappointed.

12.59: I am proud possessor of stamps.

1.05 pm: I walk to site of fenced off petrol station and post letter through wire with stick and masking tape device (fashioned earlier in the day)

1.10: order 'coke float' at Oak and Vigne to calm fevered brow.

1.35: receive 'coke float'

1.45: leave Oak and Vigne to travel home (forgetting to pay)

2.00: arrive home

Duration of task 2.15 hours. By now the day is almost over - pointless trying to start another task. I'll wait for RW to break open the new bottle of gin at 6 pm and note that the last time we drove to Capetown it took 2 hours.