1st Year in Cape Province!
We arrived here yesterday, exactly one year ago!
As a memory of our arrival in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, I decided to post a few photos of our first week on the apple farm.
This is both a sad and a happy story.
Let's have a look!
This was our cottage on the apple farm!
My first Malachite Sunbird in the garden!
A wonderful view from the balcony of the main house!
There are four irrigation dams on the farm!
Here's the pup "Wolfie" peeping at me from the balcony!
This is the sad part. Lady Cecilia appealed constantly to us to relocate from the city and join her on her apple farm.
She was suffering from aggressive Leukemia cancer and she died two months after our arrival.
She had heard about a miracle cure in Israel and she went there for treatment. Sadly she passed away in Israel. A most wonderful woman!
As I began the post, so I end the post with the farm crew at work!
After Cecilia died, we moved across the mountains to the town. We spent 6 months at the farm and now 6 months here in the town.
We arrived mid winter and our first year has ended in mid winter.
Having spent all four of the seasons here now, albeit in two different areas, I have seen a vast change in the weather patterns this side and the other side of the mountains. Almost like two different countries.
Apples are grown on the other side of the mountains due to the Meditteranean climate and on this side facing the ocean, no apples can grow here as it is a coastal area.
We are glad that we came here, as there is much work to be done here with the poor people!
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Thank you kindly!
Blessings to your work!
You're welcome @papilloncharity
hello @papilloncharity beautiful farm sir.
Awesome photographs of animals. thanks for share with us..
Hello. Thanks so much!
The Cape is truly beautiful.
Blessings...
That's a nice, bittersweet story. It's sad to hear about the loss of a friend, but you've certainly had a great journey in the process!
Life works like that my friend, up and down just like the waves of the ocean!
Blessings and thank you!
Wow how blessed you are to live there
Thank you my friend. And we are blessed indeed!
The apply farm looks like heaven, the view from balcony is amazing and Sorry about lady Cecilia.
That looks like a great place to live!
I'm sure you have really enjoyed it a lot. Right?
Have a nice day my friend.
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Thank you. We are certainly enjoying it here.
Blessings!
I remember when you moved to the farm so Sad about Lady Cecelia,
Its it amazing how the weather patterns can change so much Ina relatively short distance
Thank you JJ.
Life never works out according to one's plans, as Cecilia wanted me to help her with the planning and design of her new project. A step down clinic on the farm for cancer patients after they leave the hospital.
Now that the sons took over, they don't want to continue with the project.
But such is life my friend.
Blessings!
Ps! It's about 22kms over the very high mountains that separate the two areas and the mountains form a barrier to the weather between the two areas.
That’s a pity as that project could have helped so many
And yes a mountain or range can make such a difference I remember in the Balkans one long tunnel through a range you could drive into the tunnel in heavy snow and cold and come out the other side to a nice sunny day
Same thing here JJ.
Many tunnels through the mountains, but I prefer to cross on the high mountain pass. Views that are terrific.
One side raining and the other side beach weather.
Ohh yes I to would prefer the high mountain passes if that had been an option there
As one chapter closes another one begins, you have had an extraordinary year settling into a new province.
Thanks for sharing life on both sides of the mountain, helping the desperately poor, especially our children growing up in very tough conditions Stephen.
Thanks.
Yes, seasons in our lives - they can't remain stuck in any one - must move along to the next.
We all try to do what we can.
Hope we can make a difference that will give them lasting hope.
Blessings...
Hey there keep the Cape in shape, I'm glad you are settled and content in the cape, my homeland for the first 30 years. Always good to see the fine farmlands there, lots of fruit like apples and grapes. Let's hope the rain brings enough water for the summer.
Hi Julian. Thus far the rain seems to be doing it's thing, and having lived so long in the Cape you know what the weather patterns are like. It is indeed a beautiful place. Hope your area gets sufficient rain too.
Thanks.
Blessings...
Thanks buddy, rain has become a luxury lately. Big rain tanks are the secret.
So amazing that no planning takes place for the vast population increases Julian.
Just the other day the Theewaterskloof dam, Cape Town's main feeder dam was almost empty. Large areas of the dam could be seen as only ankle deep.
I told Marian that I would have a string of bull dozers there to make the dam deeper, thereby increasing its volume.
It is now covered with water, but still only ankle deep.
Blessings!
Such a beautiful area to live in!
How unfortunate to have lost your friend and so shortly after having moved to the farm!
It is kinda strange how there can be two different climates in such a short distance apart.
Do keep up the good work and I hope you have many more happy years in that part of the country!
Thank you my friend and as I said somewhere else here, I think that this is the place where I would finally settle down. Mother nature speaks to me here.
The work will continue until the day that I am no more, as retirement, or pension is not for me.
Have a great weekend my friend.
Blessings!