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Published: November 20th 2009
Tuesday, November 17th
We woke to a beautiful morning in the peaceful country side. Ferdi went to feed the chickens and in return they kindly left us two eggs. We made tea and enjoyed Talita’s rusks while sitting on the veranda. What a way to live! We feel right at home here. Dave and Deborah might be in for a surprise when they return; a couple of bus-sitters with no intention of leaving.
😱
Ferdi also took care of the plants in the greenhouse. It’s a great feeling to take care of a living thing. It’s strange how he’s come almost full-circle; having grown up on a small-holding with veggies and chickens to tend, a few sheep, a cow and some horses, the quiet of nature and the peace of not living on your neighbour’s doorstep.
We spent the day working on the van. Because there’s only solar electricity we had to use the generator whenever we had to use a power-tool. Dave’s got a beaut of a genny and we made great progress even though we ended up changing our design once more.
During the morning Bruce showed up on his “new” bicycle. It was brand new when
Houdini
She does it for the hugs and kissesPaddy bought it, but had spent the last nine years rusting away underneath his truck. Bruce had found it and cleaned it up, got rid of most of the rust and mould. He spent hours chatting to Amber and Matai on Skype. They’re both healthy and happy and we can’t wait to meet them in person.
Later in the afternoon Talita tried her hand at Vetkoek because Rick, Bruce’s best friend in town, was coming over for dinner. The Vetkoek was a huge success! Talita’s not bad at the baking-thing. It must be her Afrikaans blood. We enjoyed a combo of tofu, curry sauce and cheese, and jam and cheese as fillings. After dinner we shared a glass of sparkling wine in celebration of Matai’s arrival on planet Earth.
After all those Vetkoek we were proper stuffed so we all went for a post-dinner stroll to one of the nearby properties. It was a beautiful spot with a great view of the ocean. Back home we had tea and rusks. Rick was getting a full dose of South African cuisine.
Today’s highlights:
1. Continuing to work on our van.
2. Talita’s first Vetkoek.
3. Drinking a toast
to Matai’s arrival.
Wednesday, November 18th
Dave had warned us about their bus-rat. It comes and lives with them during the cold months and leaves during the warm months. They don’t hate it but they wouldn’t mind if it never returned. Talita had mixed some cement with flour and left it out by the toilet. There’d been a few feasts the last couple of nights, but the rat still returned and was chewing more vigorously than before (with a belly full of cement we’d also feel like more roughage).
Bruce had stayed over and spent the night in the computer-shed. We got two more eggs from the friendly and inquisitive ladies and so far we had yet to kill a plant. So far, so good. After breakfast we continued working on the van. Designing on the computer is one thing, but when you get to the building you have to continually adopt, adapt and improve. We were making good progress and having fun too.
One of the ladies seemed to be a Chicken Houdini of sorts, escaping the coup no matter how many times we check for holes in the fence. Her wings had been clipped, so
it’s unlikely she’s flying out. Luckily she’s very friendly, so it’s no bother catching her. We have started to think that she’s doing it to get hugs and kisses every time!
After lunch we varnished the panels we’ve prepared. Talita had been looking forward to the varnishing since the start of the project. With that done, we left to go to the building site to start clearing the fallen trees with our new chainsaw. As per the agreement with the owner we started cutting all the unused timber into fireplace-sized logs. As a bonus we also collected all the pinecones we could get. Our little saw is light and strong and made firewood out of even the thickest of the logs. We got a long way toward clearing the area, but it was hard work and we were soon exhausted. Around dinner time we called it a day and returned home.
Houdini had escaped once more and Ferdi returned her to her lonely friend. He’d come to realize that he’d be mostly vegetarian when we have our own place. He just likes the creatures way too much to kill them.
Bruce left to ride the 12km back
to Paddy’s, we had a beer, cooked a tasty dinner with herbs and veggies from the garden and crawled into bed.
Today’s highlights:
1. Making more progress on the van.
2. Great meeting with John and Margaret.
3. Making progress on the firewood.
4. Tasty, fresh dinner.
Thursday, November 19th
The bus-rat was at it again last night. He was gnawing so loudly it actually woke us up. When Ferdi went to feed the ladies he found Houdini wandering around. When she saw him she came running up and when he got close she sat down and waited to be picked up.
We continued full steam with the van, making strong progress. Talita was on the ball, figuring out all the solutions to the problems we encountered. Around lunch time Bruce phoned to say he was going fishing and we should join him when we’re done for the day.
Houdini kept escaping and Ferdi tried a few things to try and eliminate possible ways of escape. Eventually Talita found her possible route of escape; a piece of unsecured wire near the door. We tied it closed and waited to see if Houdini would make her appearance
outside the coup.
After 6pm, with all the newly cut and assembled pieces varnished, we dragged our aching backs through a shower, then drove to Paddy’s to see if Bruce had returned from his fishing trip. We were invited for dinner, but he wasn’t home yet so we drove out to the fishing spot near Little Wanganui. He was still at the river mouth fishing in full swing and questioned Ferdi why he’d not brought his rod with. He’d caught a big and a small fish and was pretty happy. While he cleaned the fish Ferdi continued fishing in the hopes of adding to the pot, but with only 10mins to catch something it was no surprise that he came up empty-handed.
The beach is littered with driftwood so we loaded up a few armloads for firewood for Bruce, popped his bike in the back, and drove back to Paddy’s. We had tea and chocolate while Bruce cooked up a delicious rice and veggie dish. Once our bellies were full, Paddy came by bringing cookies and tea. Bruce cut up his fish and pickled it while Paddy regaled us with tales from his past. He also did a
few magic tricks. He’s truly a unique dude.
We were knackered from our day and headed home around 11pm. At home we checked our email and got news that the David family are expecting another little one. Congrats you guys! May God bless you with another healthy and wonderful child!
Today’s highlights:
1. A lot of progress to the Boesman.
2. Finding Houdini’s route of escape.
3. Dinner and entertainment.
4. Annie and Geoff’s good news.
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Stuart
non-member comment
Greetings from town!
Hey guys, Stuart here from Rongo, I'm so stoked I found your blog I'd been wanting to have a look at the sweet photos you guys had been taking on that lovely camera of yours! So, you're still in the area, that is cool - I thought you had moved o already! Love your blog, and it's good to see that log house you guys were working on, it's a work of art! Anyhow, hope you're enjoying yourselves, it certainly looks that way! Stu.