💛 In summer I always enjoy an early-evening walk on our smallholding. No need to get in my car to find nature, I have 8.5ha right here to explore, hoping to see the Barn Owl or some Guinea fowl, but always enjoying the Bluegum trees and beautiful grasses and wild flowers along the way.

Sunday 16 April 2017

The appeal of Tarlton lies in its serenity


Gauteng might be the smallest province in the country, but it is home to an enormous variety of attractions, activities and towns that are well worth the visit. These include the epicentre, Johannesburg, as well as the historically and politically relevant Pretoria. One of the much smaller towns of this province is Tarlton. While little and secluded, Tarlton is the perfect base from which to see a host of exciting South African sights, thanks to its convenient locale.

The incredible Sterkfontein Caves are situated in Tarlton, and are famous around the world for the fossils to which they have been home for millions of years. In fact, this entire area has been dubbed the Cradle of Humankind by many scientists, and is believed to have a history that dates back to between 20 and 30 million years.

Springbok at the Krugersdorp Game Reserve 

Giraffe at the Krugersdorp Game Reserve

The appeal of Tarlton lies in its serenity and the sense of calm that infuses every part of the visitors’ experiences here. Popular activities in the region include rock climbing, hiking and walking, visiting flower farms, the Tarlton International Raceway where hot rods and muscle cars are a huge attraction, taking a microlite flight and visiting the Krugersdorp Game Reserve. There are also several top class Guest Houses in Tarlton, offering first-class accommodation close to all amenities. Some of the nearby towns are Muldersdrift, Hartebeeshoek, Skeerpoort, Krugersdorp, Magaliesburg, Randfontein and Roodepoort.

The Tarlton summers are usually rather warm, but afternoons are cooled down with frequent, welcome thunder showers. Winter days are cool and the evenings quite cold.The area is also known for it's good water as it is situated on Dolomitic Aquifiers, a very strong source of high quality underground water and plots and smallholdings are highly sought after in this area.


Sunday 9 April 2017

Autumn on the farm

The baler standing at the ready to collect all the cut grass

Autumn is the time when we start preparing our smallholding for winter – cut the fire breaks, bale the grass and a general clean-up before the veld fires (wild fires) strike (without fail every year, no matter what precautions we take!), but it at least minimises the impact when the grass is short.



Cutting and baling the grass is no mean feat. First of all, all the equipment is very expensive. We do have our own tractor and grass cutter, but none of the necessary equipment like rakes and balers to complete the job after cutting. We are tractor repair people, not farmers, so we long ago decided to leave the job to the professionals.


I've stood and watched many a time as various people have taken on the job of cutting and baling our 8.5ha smallholding and I can tell you, by now I can see the difference between a "professional" and somebody (like us!) that just takes a tractor, cuts the grass and attempts to bale it. Over the years we have been extremely lucky in finding a neighbour that is utterly "professional" and eloquent at the job of cutting and baling, leaving our smallholding looking smart and neat and ready for the winter.

 The process of collecting the grass in the baler..

baling it up, dropping it ...
 
and moving on to the next lot of grass

 Bales ready for collection by the tractor and trailer


Since the cutting and baling was finished, we've had quite a bit of rain again and the yellow fields are now bright and green again. Looks like the same procedure is going to take place again before mid-winter!




Sunday 2 April 2017

Early morning mist


Camera : Canon EOS 550D -- 6.15am

It is purported that thick, early morning mist heralds a beautiful day ahead. Yesterday it certainly turned out to be true, beautiful blue skies and not a cloud in sight.


Wikipedia says mist is a phenomenon caused by small droplets of water suspended in air. Physically, it is an example of a dispersion. It is most commonly seen where warm, moist air meets sudden cooling. It can also occur as part of natural weather, when humid air cools rapidly, for example when the air comes into contact with surfaces that are much cooler than the air.

The only difference between mist and fog is visibility. The phenomenon is called fog if the visibility is one kilometre (1,100 yards) or less. Yesterday morning the visibility was about 50m, so technically I suppose this is fog!







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