COME AND EXPLORE OUR FAMILY RUN GUEST HOUSE IN THE EXQUISITE SCHOEMANSKLOOF VALLEY IN MPUMALANGA, SOUTH AFRICA.

AN EASY 3 HOUR DRIVE FROM JOHANNESBURG WILL FIND YOU IN OUR HIDDEN PARADISE, WITH MORISH CUISINE, HOMELY ATMOSPHERE AND VIEWS THAT GO ON FOREVER....

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

WINGED WONDER

A few days ago, Royce - our Mosaic wizard & Marian - Artist and Crafter extraordinaire, were creating the new tiles for the Magic Mosaic path for the garden.

This moth astounded us with its beauty. It was sitting on a nearby fence post silently observing the goings on. The wing span is about 8 cms, and aren't those colors astounding?

There is something we can feast our eyes and minds on every day at Old Joe's Kaia - a true, natural, paradise wonder.

MEET OUR VOLUPTUOUS LADIES

We got tired of worrying about eggs and where on earth to find them when we had run out. Can you imagine the stress when the nearest town is 55kms away and you have 23 hungry guests to feed! So after much discussion, and endless searching for the perfect laying hens, we added our 29 voluptuous ladies to the family.  

They lay about 20 eggs a day - and we take huge delight in their escapades around the garden and in between all eh lodge buildings. It is also incredibly satisfying knowing that they are true free range eggs.  

We have built a safe, good sized hokkie (an Afrikaans word for coop) for them to settle into at night - away from roaming wild cats, cervals, caracals, and jackal. These are a few of the possible predators in our wild neck of the woods. We let them out mid morning after laying is complete. And they find their own way back into the coop for evening dinner! 

They snuck past us into the dining room! Not something we will let them make a habit of - but don't you think they look great on the French Kelim?