VISITORS TO FYNBOS

The last while has seen many visitors to Fynbos of all ages (and species).  We have had Mia with Snowflake, Mia’s poodle, and the Steele family together with their two Yorkies.  

Mia and Snowflake

Yorkies and Mom

Sonja a friend from Sweden, brought her friend Magite here for a few days (without dogs), and Bronwyn and Liesel had a girls weekend in the cottage from Cape Town.  Liesel then brought her husband Kurt and daughter Gabrielle back the next night. 

Sonja and Magite



Liesel and Bronwyn



Liesel and family



Rosa, Anna and Chanelle

 There were also a few teenagers who lay in teenage fashion and sculpted clay animals on the veranda, and from Australia came Avril, Jules, Taryn, Cameron and baby Leon.

Anna and Chanelle

Visitors from Australia

Some of our visitors even ended up working (and no we didn’t dragoon them).  Lee and Lynden from Cape Town helped us with Leigh-Robin and James’ wedding, and Evelien, from Durban, fixed the garden swing (as she does each year).  Finally, this weekend, we had a visit from Shiraz, our friend and farm partner, from Lusaka.

Lee and Lynden

Evelien

Shiraz

Comments

It was wonderfully relaxing and nice to stay with you in your everyday life with the animals, the people working for you & their children and the volunteers, to see the winemaking and preparation for the upcoming wedding and thereby get some insight what a day in your life might be like.

To take a walk in the mountain, relax at the pool, reading, doing Sudoku was really just what we needed too there and then. Very refreshing! To meet the vulnerable or wounded animals gave also a special dimension to it all.

Sonya

Thanks again for the lovely weekend, we all really enjoyed every second of our stay and really struggled to leave ;-)  Until we visit again, keep well;   Many Thanks & Kind Regards, 

Sam Steele

I fell in love with Fynbos and will be back

Liesel Strauss

I am really looking at another date to come through soon. My friend has beaten me to it! J She’s fallen in love with Malmesbury, and esp. Fynbos Estate, with very good reason!

I am still trying to get my partner to squeeze some time away from his work soon. (not easy) for a hike and perhaps 1 or 2 nights’ stay-over...Opened the Sangiovese last week end, really & honestly, a lovely wine J  

 All the best Bronwyn

Thank you both so much for such a cool time at Fynbos......I loved being part of the wedding! 

 Hope you're chilling, a little bit at least... warm greetings, love, Lynden

Positive Feedback from the Cape Wine Academy

We were delighted to receive a very positive mention from Marilyn Cooper, Cape Wine Master and CEO of the Cape Wine Academy. She visited us some weeks ago, and tasted what was available. The Academy, with branches all over the country and Southern Africa, offers accredited courses at all levels in wine making(Contact details below).

“On the way to Riebeek Kasteel, we stopped at Dragonridge Winery, a recommendation from Erica, and was blown away by Johan Simons’ approach to sustainability, conservation, natural winemaking and tasting the best South African Sangiovese, showing wonderful aging potential despite having no added sulphur. Met WWOOFers – a new word for me - they are worker opportunties on organic farms and volunteers ranged from medical students, cooks to electrical engineers! If you are ever in the area, this is a very inspiring visit.”       

Nicole’s birthday festival of colours, and some information on her new endeavour called Creative Days.

Nicole wrote to us asking if she and her friends could use the pavilion for some play with paint as part of her 30^th birthday weekend. I wasn’t quite sure what would transpire - especially when they arrived with a Hoover and a large plastic groundsheet and biodegradable paint in bright hues. I left them to it. Then when I popped down I found some strangely coloured people on their way home.   What was that all about?  Nicole reported back and said it was the best birthday she has ever had.

The idea behind the event was to release the inner child, to have fun with art, self expression and creativity. Everyone brought their favourite childhood foods for lunch and we had a lot of fun reminiscing over our favourite childhood moments. .......Afterwards we moved on to the Holi Festival part. The Holi Festival, also known as the festival of colours, is celebrated in India and is about renewing sweet relationships. We had such fun throwing paint around! Everyone got into the spirit of it and it was like an artistic happening, full of colour, movement, laughter and fun. We laughed so hard! The energy changed from being well-behaved to going wild to creating deliberate works of art which 5 minutes later would dissolve into a blank canvas and clouds of paint. Eventually we collapsed from sheer exhaustion (and because there was no more paint)! It was like the ultimate colour therapy!

We had a fantastic time! It was perfect and even better than I could have imagined! We had an unforgettable experience, everyone remarked on the beauty of the surroundings, the peaceful atmosphere and it was wonderful to be surrounded by trees and grass and nature! Thank you for organising everything and showing me around, for showing us the new born lambs (so cute!) and to Johan for allowing us to sample some of his delicious wine and sharing his expertise with us. We felt immediately welcomed! This was definitely the best birthday party I have ever had!

About Creative Days:

Creative Days are artistic fun happenings that I have started running this year. The point of Creative Days is to make the time to have fun and be creative, in whatever way, drawing, painting, taking photos, making stuff, whatever takes our fancy! The point is to have fun and get the creative energy flowing. Art doesn't have to be serious, anything you make is art. This is all about having awesome fun and rekindling the joyful playfulness in ourselves and art. I'm looking to have the next one in June - We are going to do black and white photography!

To find out more about Creative Days, you can contact Nicole Bergsted 

email nicole.bergstedt@gmail.com

LAMBERT AND BAHRRRBARA JOIN THE FARMYARD

And some observations, information and the nature of electric sheep..........

Just in case our farmyard doesn’t keep us sufficiently entertained and busy, it has expanded once again to include Lambert the Merino hanslammetjie (orphan lamb) rejected by mom in favour of a twin sib, and Bahrrbara, the Dorper ewe, whose mom died suddenly.

They are both about two and a half weeks old and spend their time cuddled up in a nest of blankets in the chicken hok (shed), or hanging about with us in the garden. They drink calves milk from the bottle 6 times a day - a duty shared by myself and the Dutch volunteers Esther and Koen. 

I must admit they are cute – even Johan, who initially raised his eyes heavenward saying his wife is nuts (i.e. me), has been found sterilizing bottles and even suggested we don’t get  Lambert castrated before the two lambs breed `a bit’. Hmmm!

Having never had the pleasure of meeting a sheep close-up, observing these two is quite instructive. First off they look quite different. Lambert, the Merino, is long limbed and has a knobbly woolly coat, while Bahrrrbara, the Dorper, is quite stocky and has a smooth silky coat. (For more info on these breeds, see below)

And if anyone thought that sheep have no individuality – I mean after all sheep are the quintessentially dumb beast – these two babies are very different temperamentally and behaviourally.   Where Lambert the boy has never been sheep mothered, and is definitely ADD, and VERY desperate about guzzling down his milk, Bahrrbara, who spent her first weeks with mom and the flock, is much more chilled. These beginnings also explain, we think, their response to the donkeys. Where Lambert flees in fright from them, she seeks refuge among their feet and hooves, clearly identifying them with the sheep flock she has known. As for gender differences, with horn initials buried on top of on his little head, Lambert simply butts you to get what he wants.  Bahrrbara on the other hand approaches more gently from the side (Well OK I wouldn’t write a paper on the gender aspects based on this).

Cautioned by a few people who have hand reared sheep, we know that they can become very demanding as adults. So we try to divide up their time between hanging out with us, and getting on with it on their own. We are told they start grazing at about 4 – 6 weeks, and we look forward to putting them out to graze with the goats and donkeys, as well as on occasion, leading them to the garden to do some mowing to pay for their keep.

Some information on Sheep

While sheep and goats are distinct species and genus, Sheep (Ovis Aries) have 54 chromosomes, while goats (Capra Hircus) have 60. While they will occasionally mate, fertile sheep-goat hybrids are rare. The life expectancy of sheep is similar to large breeds of dogs, about 10 to 12 years, although Merinos are longer-lived.  Sheep are a prey animal who when faced with danger, will naturally flee rather than fight. After fleeing, they will reform their group and look at the predator. They use their natural herding instinct to band together for safety. Sheep will also never walk on a straight track as a winding trail allows them to observe behind them. They have a keen sense of smell and good wide angle vision so they can perceive forms of danger from 1,200 to 1,500 yards away. Their hearing is good too, and they can direct their ears to the direction of sound.

Interestingly, sheep have both an amazing tolerance for pain, and do not show pain. It is thought that this is because, as a clearly injured animal, they would be more vulnerable to predators.

Unlike goats who are natural browsers, preferring to eat leaves, twigs, vines, and shrubs, and often standing on their hind legs to do so, sheep are grazers, preferring to eat short, tender grasses. They also require less nutritious food which makes them ideal for arid regions.

In terms of behaviours, while goats are naturally curious and independent, sheep tend to be more distant and aloof, with a stronger flocking instinct. As a result it is easier to keep sheep inside a fence than goats. Neither goats nor sheep like to get their feet wet (as they are sensitive to foot rot), and both prefer upland grazing to lowland.

Dorper and Merino sheep breeds

Merino









Dorper



The Dorper  (black heads and our Bahrrbara) is a South African breed of domestic sheep developed in the 1940’s by crossing Dorset Horn and Blackhead Persian sheep, with the aim of creating a meat sheep suitable to the more arid regions of the country. It is now farmed in other areas as well, and is the second most common sheep breed in South Africa. Unlike Merinos, Dopers do not need shearing.



In 1789 the first Merinos were introduced to South Africa and are an excellent dual purpose breed which is highly fertile with good mothering qualities. It’s sought after wool and hardiness make it South Africa’s number one breed. Lambert might one day look like the pic above, in which case, we may have to change his name to Rambo.



Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep? *



Goggling sheep I came across a reference to Electric Sheep, and discovered that there is a collaborative abstract artwork run by thousands of people all over the world, which can be installed on any ordinary PC or Mac. When these computers "sleep", they communicate with each other and morph abstract animations known as "sheep”. The more popular sheep live longer and reproduce according to a genetic algorithm with mutation and cross-over. Hence the flock evolves to please its global audience. If you have time and lots of gigs, (not to mention a touch of insanity), you too can design sheep and submit them to the gene pool. In any event, the result is a collective "android dream", blending man and machine to create an artificial life form. Here are some electric sheep and a lineage of such sheep.

*The title of Philip K Dick’s Science fiction novel

IT’S OLIVE TIME AGAIN

If it’s autumn, it must be olive time – well that is providing there are olives of course. Organic olive growing is quite unpredictable, and in some years, for no apparent reason, farms in whole regions will bear virtually no fruit. But for us this is a quite a good year, and both our mature trees and our teenage trees are sporting a good number of green and black berries.

Currently our mature trees are Leccinos, from which we make our European style oil. Then there are the 4 year old Frantoios, also for oil, and the dual purpose Missions. Finally, our two year saplings, Kalamatas and Noccelar del Belices will hopefully bear their first olives next year.

We won’t know how much oil we get out until the olives have been pressed, (at the Olive Boutique in Riebeek Kasteel), but we anticipate around 50 litres, which means 25 litres for our own use, and 25 litres for sale.  And with our first yield of Missions this year, we will be pickling olives too - just for fun and for our own use. The pics show everyone out picking in the glorious sunshine.

Danielle and Wern marry

Another relaxed and happy wedding has happened at Fynbos. The rain held off for Danielle and Wern and their friends and family (not to mention their two Collies) who kuiered (hung out) for a wedding weekend of braaing and chatting and dancing, and in between marrying in the chapel and lunching in the Pavilion.  Here are some unofficial photos and we await more to come

Ancient Andean Wisdom

Participants began arriving after lunch carrying cushions and blankets, some known to us from previous retreats, and many with faces painted with red and blue stripes - the colours of a South American tribe they are studying.

While waiting for things to begin, participants lounged in hammocks or cushions on the veranda reading or chatting. One woman hula-hooped in the garden, another danced gracefully with his juggling sticks, and strains of world music drifted through the farmhouse, along with the aromas from incense made from Peruvian flowers.

As things began, we went off to a 60th birthday in Cape Town (which actually had happened the night before), and by the time we returned, all was quiet save for the haunting sound of chants from the farmhouse. Johan and I lay in bed in the dark listening and marvelling at the things that happen on the farm. Aren’t we lucky Johan said? Who would have thought when we left our small house in Observatory 15 years ago, that such a life awaited us?
By the time we were up the next morning, people were stirring, faces back to normal, drinking coffee in the kitchen and looking happy and at peace. They had further sessions during the day and watched films during the evening. By midday on Monday morning everyone had gone, and we began to prepare for the wedding to happen here at the end of the week.
For more information on Ancient Andean Wisdom contact Melisa at posydonproductions@gmail.com

Bees around the Paardeberg

Robert Post - April 2012

Beekeepers in South Africa have noted that concerns exist globally, regarding the health and continued existence of pollinators. Pollinators are all those living organisms that affect the transfer of pollen in flowers and - as a result - ensure the creation of seeds in their "fruit" and a subsequent generation of plants.

It is a well-known fact that of these pollinators, bees make up an astounding 72%. Honeybees make up a very large component of the more efficient and effective pollinators, because they are highly social insects, living in colonies of up to 80,000 individual insects.

Honeybees are under threat - world-wide - due to many (mainly man made) issues that play a role in their lives. Sometimes, bees experience stresses. Sometimes, they react uncharacteristically to these stresses.  In many parts of the world, beekeepers (managing beehives in manmade structures for the fun of it, or for commercial farming) report uncharacteristic behaviour in bees, namely the sudden disappearance of colonies out of their hives. The jury on this is still out. No one in the scientific community knows WHAT the malady is all about or WHAT causes it, WHERE it comes from, WHAT the actual effect is on the bees or WHO is responsible (perhaps Osama Bin Laden or the Russians?).

This does not mean that we can be glib or blasé about this issue. In the Western Cape, beekeepers are currently extremely sensitive about the health of their bees. In 2009, a bacterial bee disease - called American Foul Brood disease or AFB - found its way into our bee colonies from somewhere overseas. It is an age-old malady in the rest of the world, affecting the baby larvae of the bees (the immature stages of the bee) and sometimes leads to the demise of the colony. Beekeepers here (and also our bees) are still learning about this disease and how to manage in these new times.

The Paardeberg area was one of the first places that reported AFB on quite a serious level. Even new colonies trapped in the area soon succumbed to the symptoms.

The current situation is quite a bit better. The past honey season has been fair and the bees seem healthy enough. Added stresses to our bees, might soon affect a new outbreak of the disease, however. Beekeepers need to learn how to keep their bees stress free and how to manage them effectively and efficiently - i.e. the same way that our bees do their work.

Robert Post runs various bee keeping courses for more info please contact him at.
crpost@telkomsa.net
(021) 971 1022
073 080 3544

DELICIOUS DANGEROUS LIMONCELLO FROM JOHAN'S FARM KITCHEN

Last week in anticipation of Daniele and Wern’s wedding, Johan took out his bottles and funnels and whatnots and mixed up his delicious and dangerous limoncello. Limoncello can be drunk with tonic and ice as a long summer drink, or chilled as an aperitif. I myself like it best with tonic, but be warned, it is altogether too easy to quaff down.

How limoncello is made (Takes 80 days)

Take the zest of 20 unwaxed lemons and steep in one and a half litres of neutral spirits like grappa or vodka. Leave it for 40 days, strain and add one and a half litres more of grappa or vodka. Then make a sugar solution by boiling 4 cups of water with 3 cups of sugar, simmer for 15 minutes, allow cooling, and add to the lemon-spirit mix. Leave for a further 40 days and then bottle. This 80 days makes good sense of course when one thinks about lemons as a winter fruit, which slowly turns into limoncello in time for summer drinking.

Summer drinks are made with one part limoncello to 4 parts tonic water and ice, or served chilled as an aperitif without a mix.

LEIGH-ROBIN AND JAMES MARRY UNDER A RAINBOW SKY

Here are the first unofficial photos of the wedding of Leigh-Robin and James. They were blessed by a glorious rainbow and soft light, and their decor was gorgeous, the food scrumptious and the vibe was light hearted and full of joy.  30 guests stayed over on the Saturday night and got together for a farm breakfast the next day before heading home. Official pics still to come

THE PRESENCE RETREAT facilitated by NATALIA BAKER

Are you willing to commit to yourself to
- go beyond restrictions, resistances and distractions?
- allow life to be fun, a game?
- take time for yourself?
- fall in love with yourself?
- integrate your divine with your human self?

This retreat is designed to gently and powerfully peel away the outer layers that prevent you from experiencing and living the awareness, simplicity, wisdom and love of the Presence, your essence. It’s about opening up, going beyond the mind and trusting yourself.

3pm Friday 15 June - 4pm Sunday 17 June
COST FOR 2 NIGHTS, INCLUDING ALL MEALS R2100 Accomodation pp sharing
FOR FURTHER DETAILS CONTACT Natalia Baker info@nataliabaker.com http://www.nataliabaker.com/ 021-7882900

NEWS AND FEEDBACK FROM SIMON THE FRENCH WWOOFER

Finally I get into the school in Paris that I would like after the interview! Next I need to find the best Hotel in Paris from September. ...

I show all my pictures to my circle of friends and I realize that I’m very lucky to work for you and meet you. This 2 months was great just working for the wine without pressure but with a BIG pleasure!

Missing to talk with Johan about wine and food until middle of night ! I remember the story when Johan talking about his lunch in Paris. Johan remember exactly what he ate in 1968 in Paris. It was so funny!

Definitely I will be back to meet you again. I hope the sweet wine will be good without my hand

  

Peace and Love

Simon

CDRA WORKSHOP

CDRA (Community Development Resource Association) returned to Fynbos for their fourth workshop, two of which were around an action research project on organisational learning for social change. This latest workshop was devoted to a final reflection on the project and in it involved three South African NGOs and one NGO from Zimbabwe. We had lots of comments about Fynbos feeling like home and quite a few special requests for dishes eaten on previous visits. 

To find out more about CDRA and this project, visit www.cdra.org.za

LATE HARVEST RIGEL AND FIRST TIME PORT

A month or so after our main harvest, pickers have been out again in the vineyards, collecting vine dried Chenin for the second season of RIGEL, our sweet white straw wine, and Mourvedre for our first time experiment with PORT. 

Both were pressed in the age old feet method as the grapes were too raisiny to put through the press. RIGEL is made as other wines are, just using late harvest very sweet grapes, and it should be ready for drinking in about September.  PORT is made by partly fermenting the grapes and then adding grape spirit in the form of Brandy.  Since it is a vintage port, it will be bottled soon, but will take a year or more before being released.

These pics show Koen and Esther, our current Dutch volunteers stomping for PORT, and Basil, Pardon and Jacob (with bucket), our three men workers, helping with RIGEL.