I Have A Farm In Africa.......

 

I have a farm in Africa(please say in a German accent).......... Well to be honest my Father-in-law has a farm in Swaziland, but it is every bit as lovely as Karen Blixen's farm in Out of Africa! We so enjoy going there but due to school terms and LSO's work schedule we don't get to go very often anymore.  It is in a remote part of Swaziland, and not far from Mozambique, in fact on a clear day you can see Maputo!  It is the farm that LSO grew up on. It is remote, It is a tranquil place, a place you can go to when you want to get away from it all, the nights are starry and still and the days are hot and dusty, and to Little Madame it is ABSOLUTE  HEAVEN! Before school days we went up often, I  remember watching a tiny little semi naked child(nappy and gumboots were all she would wear) disappear into the distance after a goose, horse or chicken. She had endless conversations with the turkeys,  got so filthy dirty that at night the bath looked like the duck pond and fell asleep at 5 in the afternoon! So she always is besides herself with joy when we go up to the farm!

 

Now I grew up in the city, so calling me a 'city slicker' would not be wrong! BUT I would give anything to be able to live on a farm, and let my child grow up in that care free environment. So it follows that I love going to the farm too!  I generally end up cooking large meals, with veggies fresh from the garden, and eggs still warm, straight from under a fluffy chickens bottom.  'She is rambling again', I hear you say....... So I will get on with it.

 

During the recent school break, we packed the car, and headed for the border! For a few days of  farm therapy!

 

  

The Early Morning View From Our Window



The Stables and Sheds

If I can drag myself out of bed(and I am usually the last one up) I love watching the farm wake up!  The chickens are always first up, with crows of 'WAKE UP PEOPLE ITS MORNING!!' The gates get opened and the geese and ducks waddle off to the dam, making a terrible racket! The horse are let out into the paddock and farm worker yell across the farm to each other! It is a riot of sound and activity! Sheer Bliss! The Family all goes off to work at the plant, and I am left to my own devices, a cup of hot  coffee and a wonder around!  

 

 

Animal Magic!

Old Tractors

I never tire of exploring the farm, there are so many interesting thing to look at. The one thing I have come to realise is that we "slickers" all think recycling is our new invention, rubbish! Nothing on a farm ever get thrown out there is always a use for old things! My father-in-law has a deep love and affinity for old tractors and buys them like I buy shoes! He painstakingly restores them to their former glory, sourcing parts from all over the world! There are bits and pieces of old tractors in every nook and cranny!

5 Day Old Baby Geese's

 

Baby Gooslings are impossibly cute,  the cutest thing in the world, but you cannot get any where near them, Mama Geese are fierce creatures! I can promise you you don't want a goose to bite you, IT IS SORE!!!   At Christmas a few years back( And after a few glasses of champers - well OK!  A few bottles!), a goose and I had a small altercation - No prize for guessing who won!

 

 



Even Horse Poo Get Recycled!

A Bath is Used As a Water Trough!



Old Stuff Waiting For A New Lease On Life!

An Old Landy - Also Waiting To be Restored!

Whats Under There??

 

 The wonderful thing about Swaziland is the abundance of wild life and Game reserves, that are just down the road! We drove about 20 minutes from the farm and were in Hlane Game Reserve, where we had some lunch and spent a few hours driving around watching game, we saw a vast number of buck,  and I took pictures of every single one,  but don't worry, I am so not gonna bore you with those pictures but, I will show you these, as we were leaving the park at about 5, A grand old Elephant walked right in front of our car, and stood around eating, just meters away from us! We were jubilant when a few minutes later his wife and 2 sweet babies appeared around the corner! What a wonderful wat to round off to our drive! 

 

 

Nelly the Elephant!

Granddad, Dad and Daughter!

 Another surprise was waiting for us just out side the gates, a VERY SLOW totor(What Little Madame calls a tortoise) was ambling across the very busy road, "Operation Totor", was on! The grand old man was picked up and  carried to the fence of the reserve and put down- Good Deed done, we head back to the farm! Dinner at the farm is a very big and noisy affair, lots of laughter and teasing is always the order of the day! 

 

 

Operation Totor!

 

The next day, with the rest of the family all at work we headed to the Eselweni(forgive me if I have spelt that wrong!) for some lunch and a general look around at the local craft markets! LSO was looking for a small table for his study, Little Madame was looking for a beautiful candle for her teacher, and for a change I was not shopping for anything althoughI did manage to find a gorgeous handbag!

  

 

The Gorgeous Wooden Sculptures At The Candle Factory!

 

 

The Craft Market

We always go to bed REALLY early on the farm( I think it is because 5AM is the general wake up time there!- MADNESS!!!!!) I love lying in bed and listening to the night sounds, and because it is so quiet you can hear every little nuance, a bat, a distant dog bark, owls hooting, my favourite is the wind in the gum tree's outside. At the risk of trying to sound poetic, the wind seems to play with the leaves and the gentle dance of this always seems to be the last thing I hear before drifting off........ 

 

The next day was spent around the farm, I sat and crocheted( Yes, of course my crochet went with) LSO was pottering with his dad, and Little Madame was just in HEAVEN! Our day ended with flips around the farm in LSO's fathers helicopter. This is always a treat for me, I LOVE flying and I  LOVE seeing the surrounding country side from the air!

Sunset Flips!

The Farm Dogs - Skat, Loopy, Chip and Hume(The Boss)
 

Make A Break!

Right, time for me to wax lyrically........ African days are hot and dry, you can almost smell the dryness! The days seem endless and the night very dark! wiht out the city lights, the stars seem to go on for ever in the pitch black sky! But for me, the best part of African farm life, are the mind blowing sunsets... We sit and watch the sun dip below the horizon in awe!! Each colour is a miracle and as the landscape darkens, the air chills,  one surely has to realise there is a Creator of all of this beauty - and Oh My Goodness, did He know what He was doing when He created this African Sunsets!

  

 

 

African Sunset!

African Beauty!

It was with  heavy hearts that we packed our bags the next day, and headed home..... back to reality! But at least we know can can go back next holiday, after all, the home you grew up in, always remains your HOME!! xxx