It has taken a little while of living in the Eastern Free State to not struggle with the brownness and dust but rather to come to appreciate the many shades of gold and orange that adorn the fields at the moment. Farmers are busy harvesting, and we see combine harvesters (‘gander ganders’ according to my kids from the time they were tiny….) loping up and down the fields and then spitting out tons of pale yellow pips. Well, we had our first ride on a ‘gander gander’ this week with Minei as she harvested mielies on her father’s farm, what a great experience! The buck along with their partners in crime, Albert and Victoria, the peacocks are eating all the spring seedlings and bulbs. Already some of the fruit trees are budding – far too early as we haven’t begun pruning yet! Even Charlotte, the tortoise has been popping in and out of hibernation…

We already have three new calves, all Quella’s babies, very beautiful and chocolate brown in colour, duly named Cadbury, Mousse and Brownie! Shane carried Mousse up to the top paddock on her second day and discovered that she is quite a weight and although very small still packs a kick! He also graduated to a slightly larger new camera case after he was unceremoniously relocated by little Moo (who should I suppose now be called medium Moo)! (The camera survived – not sure about Shane’s ego)

We have at last managed to find the leak in the duck pond, which means they now no longer have to stand in line for a chance at ‘the’ puddle… but can actually swim once more albeit with floating ice bergs the last few mornings. The weather has been beautiful, very cold in the mornings and warm in the middle of the day, still no sign of snow, but the ski slopes have a good run going with their snow machines. (Remember to bring your passports if you are thinking of going through to Lesotho – temporary passports are not allowed)

I would not claim in any way to be a gardener but we are very excited about our discovery in the veggie garden…We have managed to keep our coriander, parsley, lettuce and a few other things going amid the severe frosts by nesting them in the hay we feed the horses. This has obviously kept them warm and protected and wonderful to still be picking fresh things from the garden. It does however come with other problems, like last week when the horses escaped and we found them munching away in the veggie patch……nothing like a midnight roundup to warm one up and ensure you sleep well at night!

We also said a warm Wyndford welcome to baby Cassidy who arrived on World Cup Final day, having slid under the radar a full two weeks earlier than expected. A tiny little dot at just under 3kg with a light dusting of brown hair who already upsets all Angelique’s precise planning and is the apple of Dad’s eye! Life has forever changed in the Woolmore residence….

Football is still a hot topic here although the World Cup has come and gone we now boast a Wyndford Team…I spent an hour and a half waiting for kick off yesterday (definitely on African time….) or maybe things were just delayed due to the opposition being the team from Home Affairs!!

It is nearly time to close the bowling green for its annual makeover – (Ponty gets pedicures and the bowling green gets a makeover…I’m definitely missing a trick here) and before we know it, it will be Spring.
Looking forward to hearing from you
Until then, stay well and warm,
Best regards
the Wyndford Team