A few weeks 'later'

Right.. back on track and almost full steam ahead now again with the building and renovations.. starting with the first guest cottage.. but in the meantime also designating some space for the 'saddle & tack room" since all the horsey stuff does take quite some space in the modest cottage.. Hanging and lying around there are the following : 3 trail saddles, 3 numbners, 3 saddle blankets, 4 bridles, lots of brushes, horsey medicine etc. etc... so need a separate space for that.. As it happens.. did have an easy space available which was a bit 'lost' and was also the spot where the winds would whirl all kinds of stuff right into the kitchen.. So decided that here was the best location and so it went : 

Starting with some foundation

As it is now.. and will be finished when the 'rain threat' subsides.. 

And the guestcottage is coming along nicely too.. started breaking out the walls (very good at that ;-) taking out the ceiling, and removing the rubble.. so this space will be bedroom and lounge..

Was storage.. will be lounge at some stage....

From back to front.. open ceiling, love it ! the beams gives it a cottagey feeling ...

The outside space where the 'verandah' was situated will be converted into bathroom, kitchen and dining.

verandah.... converting !!!

Front to back impression

So that's it for now with the building.. we're organizing the guttering of the main cottage in the meantime as well.. it was a 'problem' that was neglected but,.. with 'heavy rains' on the way according to my friend Derek of eTV we have to sort that out first and then continue some 'inside' work while the rains will lash our area (nothing as yet)

With the horses all seems to be pretty much ok.. wish I had some more time to ride them all.. !!! They've all had their vaccinations in the meantime.. Flu vac and  AHS (African Horse Sickness) to be repeated in 3 weeks from now. Buddy.. the horse with the 'past' and exhibiting some behavioral problems was finally vaccinated to day (from the saddle mind you) and yesterday my friend Theresa came over to spend a day on the farm !!! How fab was that and we rode all 4 of them.. First GaLaXy and WhyNot got the honors and we took them up to the top of the property, where, according to 'google earth' there allegedly was a path leading to the property of the neighbors from which we would have access to the mountains giving us stunning views of goose bay in the distance (Gansbaai for afrikaners ;-)

Well..the 'path' where it should be was totally overgrown with alien vegetation so we had to turn back and off we went, past the cottage into the blue yonder for a while.. very very nice  !!!  (with the notion on my side that lots of work needs to be done 'up there' to create those fab out rides in future.. ) The  first ride lasted about an hour and a half and the second ride on Buddy and Vossie was slightly shorter.. cause time flies when you're having fun and the clock unfortunately kept ticking !

That was yet another great day on the farm, thanks Theresa..you're always welcome to ride when you can make the time !!!..The coming weekend should yet again be filled with very welcome guests.. !!!!! during which of course we hope the rains will stay away.. ;-) oh well... you know.. weather !!!!

Have  a great one ... more after the weekend.. i promise.. 

Rick

And a good day to you too dear readers.. writing this while the storm is howling outside on this Sunday morning  8 of May 2011 ! The wood stove is roaring and the fire is warming up the cottage nicely..

Max warming up a bit, ain't he cute ?!!

So what has been happening the weeks after Easter.. well.. quite a lot and not enough actually.. as far as the cottage is concerned not much change.. and the guest cottage still needs to be started with, so have to tackle that the coming weeks, need it because had some requests of friends that want to come stay overnight, and then you really have to have a guest cottage in order.. sleeping in part of the lounge here is not really an option. Have to concentrate on that real quick..

As I’m writing this in an apple/word document the internet is down again.. It appears that the ‘tower’ on the mountain that beams the signal into the valley is powered by solar panels, and with hardly any sun and lots of clouds and rain, the panels do not charge the batteries fully and Internet just switches off at times.. a bit of a hassle but what can I say other than that the provider has promised, and is busy putting up, some more panels, so the problem should be sorted the coming week.. lets hope so !

Weather should always change after Easter and that is not an understatement.. quite some water has come down in the last few weeks, adding it all up it amounts to over 50 mil and that ain’t bad at all.. One night last week we were treated to an enormous thunderstorm with lightning and all, and 15 mil fell within 90 minutes... quite a deluge and exciting too.. the pitter patter of the rain changed into an AK47 on the roof ! A little leaky in the pantry, but a towel on the ground and a pan on the hob solved that for now, gotta fix it, when its dry ....

Anyway.. let me not bore you with leaking roofs and unfinished cottages.. .. what’s nicer is that another two horses have arrived, yes yes, I know, that is very quick.. but I just could not help myself.. 

Buddy & GaLaXy (formerly known as Ninja) arriving at the farm..

What happened is that I visited Michelle somewhere two weeks ago to sort out some stuff and saw this lovely Appaloosa prancing around her property and asked, what is the story on that horse.. ‘for sale’ and at a price that is within my budget so my heart started racing again.. dear dear.. I just can’t help myself !!!! Suited for trail rides ??.. well a bit young and dof but one can teach and it would make a lovely horse for ‘the boss’ himself, which happens to be ... Me .... ;-) Aaahh.. what a nice thought.. ineeed that is Me !!! Hmmmmmm....  I LIKE is what I thought... but no time for riding that day so another excuse to make a plan and do a 'test ride'... 

What's not to like about this horse hey ??..

 I was there amongst other things to pick up two syringes so I could give my lovely Vossie and WhyNot their injections against ticks, of which there are a few on the small holding..( tried to combat it with tick grease but just in case, an injection with Dectamax should do the trick, later guinea fowl will be introduced in spring, they eat bugs, ticks etc).. and I got instructions on how to maintain their hooves.. interesting and since I want all on the farm as natural as possible the horses will not be wearing shoes if we can help it, which in itself is an interesting procedure.. but let me not bore you with that for now !

So, back home I went again later that day, and thought.. aauuuwww what a nice horse did I see now !!  Dammmmm !!!Anyway.. could not sleep of course but before that story, came home and thought let me not waste any time and give the horses their injections.. Michelle showed me where and how to do it, so one of my boys held the horse and I prepared to give my first injection ever to a horse. Breathe in breathe out concentrate concentrate  (!!) remain calm  (!!) and just do it.. so I dit  and it went off without a hitch. Great.. ! Same story on Vossie, who can be a bit more agitated at times than WhyNot but to my amazement the horse just stood there, batted with his eyes and before you knew it, the second injection was a success. Was I proud of myself or not ?... (I was actually)

Then that sleepless night followed and the next day rain rain rain.. so postponed the scraping of the hooves.. actually postponed it until Michelle came a week later to bring Ninja AND Buddy  (story about that name later.. blush) cause its complicated and not too easy to do..

But before all that we went to Cape Town on a Saturday to check out saddles and tack and what have you that one needs to care for and ride on horses.. which is quite a lot  ! As for the saddles.. we did not find what we wanted, and if we did, the prices were exorbitantly high. What is it with this country where everything used to be lots and lots cheaper than in Europe.. we’re topping the “1^st world” with prices left right and center nowadays in all areas it would seem !! No more sweet deals in SA I’m afraid.. so back to Rheebokskloof (agter Paarl near Wellington) we went again and we saddled up the horses there, and I got to ride NinjA... (Spanish for ‘girl’ little did I know it was also something to do with a computer game and fighting) so I thought I was riding a mare.. and did she ride wonderfully ??.. yes yes. I LIKE damn.. !!! So I bought ! In the canter ‘she’ threw a nice buck., a playful one, not  a 'let me try and throw you off one' and I love a horse with personality so that was a big plus ! Ninja was mine.. and in the meantime Michelle spoke to Laura from Lane Stables.. who was looking for a nice place to park one of her horses into semi retirement and to my utter amazement Laura was convinced me and my place would be the best options and utterly suitable.. (Thanks Laura !).. 

Buddy..  a horse with a history that needs lots of love..

So yet another horse was mine to care for.. Oh DEAR.. you go out to buy one horse, and as a present, you get one more ! Long story short.. Ninja was not a girl after all, but a boy, she was a he, as if it matters ;-)))) So that name was just not right for me (ninjA sounds female), and with the help of Lisa, she who is a he was renamed into GaLaXy.. the milky way on the rump, and same can be seen so well on the farm, how appropriate.. GaLaXy is an Appaloosa and here he is... Buddy is also a ‘he’ and the two horses were delivered to WatervalPlaas (place of the waterfall in Afrikaans, and there IS one on the property) not a week later.. We rode Laxy and WhyNot while MIchelle was here and that out ride was just devine..*/ Michelle spent the night and we had a fabulous time.. and supper together.. Hachee.. winterkos the Dutch way !

Max and GaLaXy, getting to know each other..

But before the horsies were brought to their new home Rene and Annemarie visited on the Wednesday and a wonderful day was had by all.. to be followed by Michelle the next day who also spent the night and left on Friday.. but not after explaining and showing all about the hooves !

So, never a dull moment on the farm, and as for the horses, I would say I have a nice little herd here already and enough for now.. ! We have to get into the groove to care for them and also pay attention to accommodation here.. need to renovate and make suitable at least one guest cottage and going to concentrate on that the coming weeks, whilst of course also caring for the horses and riding them and making a lunge arena so I can work them from time to time.. 

View from the lounge on a Sunday morning.. bliss ..

This already turned out to be quite a story, and more next time.. cause not even all is included in this little epistle..

lets see if the internet goes ‘on’ again later to day.. and will then upload and add pictures..

Have a fab day and we’ll keep you posted on progress !!!!!!!!!!!

Rick, GaLaXy, Buddy, WhyNot, Vossie, Max(i) and Zarah !

xxxx