Let's go for a little walk...

Enjoying a walk around the upper section of the pine forest whilst checking for alien regrowth after last year's veld fires is thirsty work. Hobbes and Baloo are seen here, not so subtly hinting that it is time to return home and get a drink!

The photographer / joint inspector reckons that being able to take photos at Oak Grove Farm is worth the investment in his fancy new Canon Digital SLR and the exercise is surely good for his body, mind and soul...

The energy of Oak Grove Farm has crackled and changed over the last 16 months since we moved onto the old "Lost Paradise farm" to look after it for Penny and Stuart, Thomas and Marja and of course, Peter B. Since the idea of buying the balance of the farm took firm hold in everyone's minds, to protect Oak Grove from any future insensitive developments, as well as enhance the already wonderful facilities and activity areas, we have all had a few hiccups, us, them, the sellers, the attorneys, etc. however, luckily for us and in true metaphorical style, our great neighbours, Naas, Geoff, Chistiaan, Sanita, Andries as well as the fire fighting helicopter squad of 4, came to the rescue. I must admit that in the hour before the fire I had been sitting in Pietman Fourie's old house, on the freshly tiled floor - prior to grouting - gazing at the carpet samples I needed to select from. My mind wandered to Pietman and ou man Fourie and within a short time I was involved in an intense distant Reiki healing session with him. Lying outside later on the grass near the Oak Grove it carried on. Three Jackal Buzzards soared gracefully overhead and after much pointing to one-eyed Van, drifted over the mountain behind us. Immediately after the wind came up, from nothing to 50 or 60 km/h (I'm not so good at knots!) I had the thought that the Buzzards are really clever to drift up on and ahead of the high pressure wave of air moving toward the lower pressure. After all of that and because Bruce and our friend Van had been working on connecting the water pump to the outside of the house and the temporary water tank for so long, I was agitating to go back down to our home at Lavender Cottage for some coffee. Bruce said he just needed to check that the rubble and cardboard, etc. that Babi had been burning was still all ok, as the wind had definitely come up. As he went off to the other side of the house I jokingly said to Van that it would certainly be rather funny if we had to say to Pietman, oops, your house nearly got burned again! We started walking in that direction only to find Bruce attempting to put out the patches of grass near the fire pit that were quickly catching alight. The rest, as they say, is history...