OPIs

After driving away from our plot, about 15 km further along the road, we suffered a puncture, brought on by the shocking condition of the 3 km gravel road from our gate to the N2. The tyre was completely ruined.

After changing over to the spare, we drove into heavy rain from Riversdale onwards. We heard on the radio how the Two Oceans Marathon was run in major downpours in Cape Town that morning and so we knew that we were headed straight back to winter weather.

We made a detour to Pringle Bay to visit some friends who have retired there. They had considered buying something near to our plot but eventually settled on living closer to Cape Town. Most of their garden is taken up with the house and a huge garage and workshop. However, they never have to buy spinach or lettuces.

I just love OPIs : Other People's Ideas. 

Here are two of their projects, unless you count Tyson as a third!

The Tyson Project

Waterways

We were at our plot in March for three days but it was so dry and unattractive, I never took a single photograph. I think my apathy was also linked to the inexplicable demise of one of the Wild Pears. It had bloomed so beautifully in Spring yet had died in the last month. We spent those three days watering our trees, both from the local water system and also from our three rain-water storage tanks. These tanks were all filled to the brim from previous year rains and  rain that had fallen a day or so before we arrived. We made a huge effort to use much of this water because I am fearful of the one tank overflowing and flooding out Roy's Folly (a 1 metre high space below the verandah.....we won't explore the wisdom of this build for now!)

By the time we returned to Cape Town on 7 March, the three tanks' levels were down to a third each.

On our arrival at the plot on 1 April, we were greeted with a new, green world. We were incredulous at the difference. It could only be attributed to the bit of rain just prior to our visit a month ago.

Again, in the few days before we arrived, it had rained, this time very heavily, and so, no doubt, next month will see even greener pastures. The water tanks were full again.

We were immediately charmed with the five honeysuckle bushes (Tecoma Capensis) which were all in bloom. They are planted along the road boundary fence and eventually we hope they will grow and spread along to create a wonderful sight. Each one is different in colour.

Two Olive trees were bearing their first crop ever.

We noticed blossoms on one Keurboom attracted some bumble bees every morning on their breakfast run.

 

 

Various insect offspring are tucked up for winter.

 

 Things are looking good.

Acacia Robusta

 However, nothing seems to survive under the huge Black Wattle on the fence.

A Struggle: second attempt at growing the eventual replacement for the Wattle

We planted out some new trees. 

A Mission Olive next to the dead Wild Pear.

Some Keurbooms, Cape Ashes, a Num-num (Carissa bispinosa), all grown at home from seed. Some were given shade-cloth for wind protection while others were protected against rabbits until they reach a secure height.

I noticed that the Wild Peach injured many years ago by trespassing cattle is finally getting a grip on life again. This experience taught me the consequence of pruning off lower branches to stimulate height gains. Now I leave lower branches as an insurance against major setbacks to the top part of a tree in this harsh environment.

Kiggeleria Africana

Keurbooms do not live forever. Ten years is probably the average lifespan. Below some of our six year old trees, the replacements are slowly developing. Not indigenous to the region specifically, nevertheless to the country, they rely on the Keurbooms for shade and wind protection in their nursery phase of life.

Blue guarri (Euclea crispa)

Jacket Plum (Pappea Capensis) 

Lavender Tree (Heteropyxis natalensis)

(For some of these, we will have to acquire same species companions to ensure reproduction and fruit.)

The flowerbox on the East wall needed some thinning out.

We have decided to incorporate a small flower box on the West side where we are going to build a platform for repositioning the one water tank, in order to make way for the stairway up to the wooden deck.  John dug some foundations for this new construction. The ground was relatively easier to dig after all the rains.

 

To tempt Mujaji, we blew our savings and bought two more water storage tanks. 

This one will deal with the overflow from the main roof tank. 

We positioned one further away, in a spot that would allow the draining off of  the other tanks. In fact, we did drain off the three full ones to prepare space for their capture of winter rain, so this one is now completely full.

And so we returned to Cape Town after a lovely six days of making provision for water and trees in the future. Our last look until next time!

          These two municipal water tanks are positioned outside our gate,                     
but on our property, with our blessing.

Small Treasures

Another adventure this week along the coastal stroll was the discovery of a turtle stranded on the rocks after the high tide had receded.  I am sure the poor thing was quite happy to stay there until the next high tide but the adventurers thought otherwise and moved it to the edge of the sea from whence it swam off rapidly into the ocean. I subsequently read this article and now, if the scenario is ever repeated, Roy is under orders not to put it back in the water but to bring it home and to contact the Oceanarium in Cape Town. 

http://www.aquarium.co.za/blog/entry/stranded_turtles_what_to_do/

Hopefully it reached another warm spot in a safer place. We do have  various birds of prey like the Crows, Ravens and Bateleur Eagles which cruise the shoreline every morning. (I can still recall the awful sound and sight of a tortoise being dropped by a crow from a dizzy height onto the tarmac below.)

While the cell phone was at hand for taking photos, some plants were lucky enough to be snapped too.

Under the Radar

I do suffer from green envy when others extol the awesome rewards of their gardening exploits. Living within the natural territory of our brazen Chacma baboons, it has proved impossible to grow anything edible. This includes certain types of flowers and most bulbs too. 

From time to time, in a fit of optimism, I live dangerously and plant out one or two sacrificial plants in our garden. 

There is an Afrikaans idiomatic expression which mentions the baboon (bobbejaan) and seems to be very appropriate here: "Moenie die bobbejaan agter die bult gaan haal nie" (literally "Do not go and fetch the baboon from the other side of the hill") which loosely translates to: Don't think or speak of negative, pessimistic possibilities which have not been indicated by the situation or else they might actually transpire. In other words, don't tempt fate to fulfill your predictions of all manner of  imagined negative outcomes. Rather, be positive! In response to my fairly pessimistic nature, my dear friend in the Karoo has often used this expression to damp down my dark forebodings.

I guess by planting some edible plants, I am actually tempting fate, which, in this instance, is a baboon. (Perhaps a clue to the origin of the idiom!)

So, you can imagine my absolute glee when we discovered that a single Paprika Pepper plant had gone unnoticed, even to the point that the plant was dangling its decent-sized fruity secrets.

 

Today the baboons were very active in and around our garden and so, without further ado, we harvested our mini-crop. Most of them had not yet turned red but this has not detracted from our sense of sneaky triumph!

Stuffed BBQ Peppers

With bacon filling

Days of Loss

My very first post on this blog was about the pets in our lives. Unbelievably, in the months since then, we have lost all our cats. Jessup to old age, Stasha, far too young, to unexpected cancer and yesterday, Ollie, our beloved Persian, to a massive brain hemorrhage. The resultant behaviour from this was frightening and the panicky drive to the vet in rush-hour traffic just added to the horror.

Its never easy to lose a pet. Some losses feel harsher  than others, especially if the life has not been long enough and cut short. 

I came across this poem on the internet years ago after an especially painful loss. I don't know who the author is. Perhaps some people will find it soppy, but I like it. I think its called Rainbow Bridge.

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,

Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.

Where the friends of man and woman do run,

When their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,

Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.

On this golden land, they wait and they play,

Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,

For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.

Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,

Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.

They romp through the grass, without even a care,

Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.

All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,

Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.

For just at that instant, their eyes have met;

Together again, both person and pet.

So they run to each other, these friends from long past,

The time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart,

Has turned into joy once more in each heart.

They embrace with a love that will last forever,

And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.

Coastal Morning Stroll

On the two days of every week when I go to work, I drop off Mad Dog and Roy on the way, in order for them to walk about 4 km back home along the Strandloper trail. 

Spot the Seal?

One morning last week, he heard high-pitched little shrieks from the direction of some grasses.  He investigated only to discover that the screeches were ones of passionate tortoisial effort! (tortoisial = adjective derived from noun: tortoise)

Further along, some adult African Black Oyster Catchers started dive-bombing him. Mad Dog had gone on ahead (fortunately). Roy noticed a movement between the rocks and spied this baby bird. 

Two adults stayed with the baby while another two adults shadowed Roy and Mad Dog for over two kilometers along the coast. A very effective Neighbourhood Watch!

Black Pearls of Pain

We went up to the plot last week to give our plants some extra water, over and above that which our neighbour gives them. It was fortuitous that we did because it was the first time ever that we have arrived there to find our little rain meter totally empty. Local residents confirmed that there had not been a drop of rain since we were there at the beginning of the month and the summer days have been scorchers. Looking towards February, the heat will increase in intensity. On Wednesday morning, before we returned to Cape Town, there was some merciful soft rain, which probably did not amount to more than 2 or 3 mm but, nevertheless, a very welcome top-up to what we had already doled out.

I brought home a few of my Ornamental Black Pearl Pepper fruit from the plot to harvest the seeds. Today I cut them open, collected the seeds, then chopped up the fruit into little pieces, put in a bottle and then filled to the brim with olive oil. The fruit is just too hot to put directly into food but perhaps the peppered oil will make it easy to control the heat. Hours later, my finger tips are burning like hell!!! Next time, I will engage my brain and wear gloves!