Garden Galore

Maud so loves gardening that one could call it an addiction. Though - she has excellent reasons to motivate why it’s a real ‘have to do it’:-) Here’s the stoep in front of Bram’s office / our little guest quarters. Yes, it has a sinkdakkie to provide shade. But once they are full-grown, the acacia-with-bougainvillea, the orange trumpet creepers and the jasmine will provide way more cool shade. And all the ground covers – how else are we going to prevent soil erosion? Don’t even start about paving everywhere - hate that!

People expect us to put a wall around our plot (at some point). No way! Why would we imprison ourselves, look at a brick wall? We moved here to escape the stone jungle, to enjoy the view, to see as much nature around us as possible. Still you have to do something to keep the goats out and the dogs in, so a diamond mesh  fence as support for a green ‘wall’ it is. Here seen from the outside; note the baby sisals that will keep cattle and other intruders away from the creepers at some point. The cape honeysuckle, orange trumpet creeper, bougainvillea and ‘Jacinta’ (climber with blue-ish flowers; got the seeds from Jacinta, Mozambique) really exploded compared to December 2009, when we started planting.

Cape Honeysuckle in bloom. Got my first successful layer, so expect to have many by next year:-)

A genuine 'Miena' shrub (got the cuttings out of Mien's garden), and lemon geranium to keep the mosquitos away.

A 'Pietje' creeper; got some layers from Pietje-in-Maun last October. In our dreams these creepers are covering the fence in the vicinity of the hot tub, so we can skinny-dip in private.

Hot chillies. I’m not that successful with veggies and other edible stuff yet, but I have a few things that thrive – and at some point I will succeed:-) Just got several fabulous seeds from Jillian, so expect to have great zucchini, tomatoes and etcetera soon.

Inez’ Afrikaantjes (Marigolds, Tagetes). We will put those around our many lemon and other citrus trees to keep away the caterpillars. The first batch of seedlings I got from Inez is self-seeding already; I’m at my third generation now!

Attack!!! Our killer-watch-dog (in his dreams that is) Lionel ready for protective action!

Back Home

Despite the Hilux break down we manage to get back home just before Christmas, just as planned, with only one day delay. Okay, we have to drive back in a rental, cause the parts for our bakkie will only arrive after Xmas, so we’ll have to go back to Potch to fetch it later.

As always Bashi took perfect care of our dogs, garden and house. Note our bougainvilleas, planted March 2010, and Orange Trumpet Creepers, planted end of 2009 – never thought they would grow all the way up so fast.

Louis would love to claim our Xmas presents for Richardt & Steven, two cool pillows, as his own. Don’t we know by now he can’t sleep without a pillow to put his wary head on?

Interior decoration: one just has to put a skull above the fireplace – comes in handy when putting up Xmas ornaments. Apart from our traditional ‘everyone brings some grub’ second day of Xmess dinner at Mien & Bernard’s we are not going to do much. That’s always the plan...

So we spend X-eve with Inez & Peter. Peter’s ‘it’s a meal!’ onion soup is delicious! At some point we decide it’s a bit late for sjoelen – so we get out the sjoelbak, and discover Bram really is a crack. Maud wonders what other hidden talents he might have...

First X-day we do a morning round of visiting the neighbours. Which gets us invited to Bram’s ‘mother’ Mme Binkie for lunch. Her daughter outdid herself, just like last year, with a huge spread of yummy traditional dishes. It’s great Henk gets to see this part of our life also!

Second X-day we cook up something desserty, and join the as always fun party at Mien & Bernard’s house.

Klippies & Coke – yep, worked hard on Henk-i blending in while travelling all over South Africa.

On our way to the internet connection, walking all the about 200 meters from our house to Jeff’s office.

Like all other visitors Henk has to do the picnic on the rocks around the Mochudi museum, and enjoy the stunning view. Since it’s still school holidays Cormac (left), Duncan (right), and Calum, their parents and their grandma from Scotland join. Their gran makes the most amazing trifle ever!

Modern rock art.

Our neighbour and friend Anele, the most enthusiastic and sociable boy ever. 

Our neighbours from across the road; Obakeng, Maatla, Mma go Obakeng and One, visiting us for Xmas. They are only home during school holidays cause they work far away, in Orapa, where one of Botswana’s big diamond mines is located. At some point Bram & Maud will visit them in Orapa, and get a tour of the mine yeah! You can't just go to Orapa; the diamond mines are very well protected. Our neighbours put our names on the official visitors application list, and now we have to wait till it's their turn to get permits for guests.

about Orapa

A bit about everything

Finally some pictures:-) Here’s our neighbour & friend Anele, all dressed up and ready to go to church. He’s not going to school yet, so every time we stick our nose out of the door we hear him shouting “Bram! I’m fine!”, and then we have a little conversation. About a week ago he added “Maud” to his vocabulary; I used to be “Bram” also.

 Our neighbours from the other side (right to left): Bram’s ‘mother’, my mother-in-law Mme Binkie, her youngest granddaughter Maduo, and her daughter Mma Sweiu or Mma go Moagi.

 Combining doing chores in town with visiting friends; at Inez & Peter’s.

 Rhythm in their garden.

 We planned a short ‘on our way home’ coffee or tea visit – but ended up staying all evening and having a great wraps-dinner...

 Yet another ‘we are in town, lets visit’ event – in Miena & Bernard’s yard.

Their garden is kindo lush & tropical:-)

 Yeah, we have been poaching again; transplanted ferns from Miena & Bernard to our yard. It’s so dry & hot, and the spring rains are so late, that we simply cannot water enough to get those to settle nicely...

 Results of poaching in  Pietje’s garden in Maun.

 The orange trumpet creepers bloomed fabulously in august – actually most plants bloom in winter or early, early spring.

 Last year’s yucca cutting gets bad leave burn from the scorching hot winds.

 Last Saturday we were up & about at 5 am to attend the Unveiling of the Tombstone for Dineo’s brother Stephen, who passed away last year, and for his son, who passed away earlier. The ceremony is a bit like a funeral.

 At the end of the ceremony, everyone walks around the grave and puts a little stone on the tomb.

 One of our village elders.

 My aloe marlotii settled beautifully - got part of those from Peter Dow. The rest I dug out myself somewhere in the bush.

 My Echinacea.

House, Garden, Dwgs

 

Some fairly recent pictures of new projects in & around our house, our gardening attempts, and of course our canine darling beauties. Here’s the most beautiful (and grumpiest) of all: Tsarina Lisa.

 

We finally started finishing the roof terrace on top of our bedroom. The roofing over the terrace is supposed to cool down the bedroom, and provide a dry & cool place to sleep during the hottest summer nights. and to add a cool party place with a magnificent view to our premises.

 

This project will also add a cool party place with a magnificent view to our premises.

 

View from the deck around the hot tub.

 

Finally a bookcase; having all our books in crates was really not handy!

 

In the middles of this purple stuff there is a baby lemon tree.

 

Meanwhile Bram’s rock pigeons chased the sparrows from their nesting place. After adding some wire the nest could hold mom & dad fatso and their chicks.

 

Our girls.

 

New dog hobby: sit underneath the nest, stare at it with open mouths, and just keep hoping these delicious snacks will tumble down from heaven.

 

Our attempts at creating a green wall around the plot are already working out at some spots. The flamboyant tree we raised from seeds last year.

 

In between neighbour mme Binkie and us we try to keep the soil free from weeds as required by the village rules, and make a goat- and cow-resistant cactus & aloe‘garden’ to prevent soil erosion and to have something nice to look at.

 

One of the succulent borders; this ‘originally from Madagascar’ plant is producing babies like there is no tomorrow.

 

Baby baobab in between the famous purple stuff that we use all over the garden to prevent soil erosion and have something flowery to look at.

Aussies Moira & Nadia enjoying a well earned rest after another night of guarding the premises. Or was it one of their many ‘chase the effin’ monkeys’ efforts during the day?

Up To Date

 

Finally this blog is back to being up-to-date. Last week Jill stayed with us for a couple of days. Next to having a lot of fun we started organizing the next stage for the Kalahari Kids Kit: finishing touches, marketing, selling, and future projects like the creepy crawlers book on the internet.

We can be quiet proud of our premises: Jill said next time she has to be in Gaborone she’ll use us as base camp again, instead of staying in the Big City as usual, because our rooisanddorpie is absolutely way more ‘normal’ and nice then Gabs.

 

Finishing touches: our neighbour teenager Karabo and Bram are making labels out of tin cans.

 

Looking quiet good for an inexpensive (already way over budget…) labelling solution!

 

Maduo’s first visit to our yard, together with her big brother Karabo. Maduo helped Bram establishing his claim to fame at Mochudi hospital. April 2009 he went there with Rachel, and after she gave birth to Anele he fetched mother and son. April 2010 he brought Mma go Moagi in to deliver Maduo, and picked them when they were discharged. Sure, another ‘neighbour’ who just needs a ride to the hospital haha.

 

We had our first decent rain, 34 mm! Immediately after this all the acacias turn green and start blossoming. According to Mma Binkie it will be the last decent rain for the time being. She only has to look at the sky to know, she is way better then any scientific weather forecast.

Contemplating the small disaster in the herb garden. The rain was welcome, but poured down so heavily that almost all the baby coriander, dill and lavas is smashed. On the upside the sage, parsley, thyme, lemon grass, oregano and lemon herb seems to do well. So what to with the empty spaces? And how to up the greening of the fence, and what to put in the new patch in front of the herb garden? Endless things to contemplate…

Wet moselesele blossom – close to the acacia family (Dichrostachys cinera).

 Dry moselesele - the Shona name ‘Mupangare’ means tassels for the chief’s hat. We still have to identify many other acacias and trees that spontaneously grow in our yard.

 

After finishing his first nest this little guy immediately started to build a second tree house, and then a third. Busy busy busy, cause while building he also has to attract chicks into the nests he already finished.

 

More amazing is that our resident weaverbird is so tame that Bram can approach him real close. ‘Weaponed’ only with his old camera and a mere 135 mm tele lens it’s possible to capture the huisvlijt vlechtwerk.

A man’s dream: his small houses right next to his house, very convenient. He managed to get the first nest occupied by a lekker bird already. There is a chick that shows serious interest in nest number two. House number three literally is a bit small, but still attracting attractive potential buitenvrouwen.