Day 24

As the electric was out for most of yesterday, and Kuzuko had a lot of guests, the laundry pile was huuuge. We guessed that our work clothes wouldn't be ready by morning, (the wonderlful laundry ladies can always do the impossible but miracles, as they say, take a little longer...) but as we'd planned to go and visit the school this morning it wouldn't have been a problem anyway. Unfortunately though, the plan to go to school had fallen through for some reason, and with no workclothes or transport we hadn't much choice other than to try and find things to do at home and around the staff village.

We had hoped to maybe take the opportunity to go and visit the bushmen caves close to Hopewell, but without knowing where the rhino was, it would have been a bit too risky without the presence of a ranger to accompany us.

Good news was that our shopping arrived! Yay forChuma! You are a most excellent shopper! And we are very grateful.

We were especially glad to get a new supply of Chockits, that we all love so much here. This time though, we had two boxes of milk chocolate and two boxes of white. Kira is not a fan of white chocolate..at all..Max doesn't mind so much but still prefers the milk chocolate, as do myself and Ines, but we're a bit meh about it.

So only one thing to do. We divided them equally - there are 18 Chockits in a box so we each had nine milk, and nine white - and then the trading began. We established that the market value of one milk chocolate Chockit was equal to two white chocolate Chockits. Kira and I made the first trades, and she traded most of her white Chockits for my milk chocolate Chockits, and the remainder with Max. This meant that Kira had nine milk chocolate Chockits, and I had millions and millions of white chocolate Chockits. It may seem harsh, or unfair, but this is Chockits we're talking about here, and Chockits are serious business.

CHKT - Trading Exchange opens

Buy! Buy! Buy! Sell! Sell! Eat!

After the Chockit trading floor closed, Ines and Max decided to walk up the mountain, well, very large hill is probably more accurate, that overlooks Kuzuko, and took some great photos of the views, while myself and Kira stayed home and read, took pictures of visiting birds, and played some games of Mastermind. Well, it's a cheap rip-off called Supercode, but it's the same thing only made in China. Unlike the staring competition, Kira beat me hands down almost every game.

Spot the birdie

Kuzuko and the road leading up to the Lodge from Reception - Staff village on right

The view of the Barn from the top of the hill

Max

Ines

Ines and Max

Ines and Max

Ines and Max

Ines and Max

Still a bit bored, Kira and I also decided to go for a walk into the bush surrounding the staff village to see if we could find anything interesting. If we were into, or knew much about plants, it would have been as there's plenty of varieties around, but we're both more interested in animals, and the only evidence of them we found were lots of kudu poo, but no kudus, and several large termite mounds. Amazingly well constructed and very hard things, termite mounds.

Termite... I'm going to have myself.... a real good time

Trying to fight our way through african thornbushes to get back to the house was fun (in retorspect, at least..) which we finally managed, though it cost us several scratches. Worse for Kira as she only had leggings on, but as always, the trooper that she is she just got on with it as we struggled through. Our joy, or at least mine, was shortlived when we reached the other side when I realised our walky-talky had fallen out of my pocket, somewhere back in the bush. Oh noes! Luckily it wasn't too far in before I could retrieve it.

Good news too that our clothes were ready to pick up just before the laundry closed, so we can at least get back to the Barn tomorrow, unless of course we get to go visit the school. In the meantime, here's some more pics of our reluctant day off...

It's bendy, Wendy

Forget planking..the new craze is Hammocking

Day 23

This is going to be a short one as I explained yesterday, we've taken a day off today so our work clothes could be washed before they walked to the laundry themselves, as well as there's not a lot we can do on the Barn with no putty, and there's no point painting over the primer coat until all the cementing is out of the way.

Still, it did mean we could finally catch up with the blog. As the electricity supply failed from the reception and laundry down to all the staff quarters, the morning was spent relaxing, which made a nice change, and then later in the afternoon, once the electric was finally back on, updating the blog until late evening for me, while Ines, Max and Kira planned our activities in SA, ready for when we leave here in just under a week's time.

Really the only thing of much interest was a lovely biltong pizza that Ines made for me and brought up with the kids late afternoon. Delish!

Pizza: it's all gone biltong

Ines and Max outside the house

Sorry! This is Ines and Max outside the house :)

No waterhole pic, only water in the air pic today

Day 22

We haven't seen Rodwell for a while (our first ever contact with Kuzuko when he picked us up when we arrived at Port Elizabeth) so it was great to see him again this morning when he came to take us to Hopewell. On board already were our other newly made friends, Jospeh and David. The other good news is that it was quite warm this morning! Someone has obviously pointed out to the sun that it should be delivering some heat with its light at last!

As we neared the Barn passing by the other, and slowly diminishing, waterhole we saw it was busy with wildebeast, and our friendly neighbourhood ostriches. (Isn't it great to be able to say that you saw wildebeast and ostriches on the way to work..?!) As that waterhole gets smaller we're hoping that they'll start making more use of ours, and then we'll get to see them more often!

Magnificent creatures are wildebeast

As usual, Justin, Frieir and Atchi were already hard at work doing a fine job on the steps, and with the cement foundations laid were beginning to build the wall of bricks that will support them.

We danced down to the waterhole (ok, we didn't dance...I'm just trying to make it sound less repetitive..) to find more rhino footprints. Not being wise in the art of tracking, we couldn't quite work out which way he was coming or going, but we do know he's been there. My raking idea has been of limited success, as it does show that kudu have been visiting, but we wonder if the orderly lines are making some of the visitors nervous of walking on them. I don't think I'll bother re-raking them this time.

Mine-o's and rhino's

Priming the walls resumed by myself, Max and Kira, as did the varnishing by Ines. It's really starting to look like something other than a cement making factory in there now. There's still lots of cement being made of course, as our eyes and mouths will testify, but with the primered walls it is beginning to look a lot more civilised.

That's how he rolls

During a break we saw a family of baboons near the waterhole, not sure if they're using it, or were just passing by. Myself and Max went to investigate and tried to get near them, but they were too alert by half, and took off into the mountain bush pretty sharpish as soon as they saw us.

On the way back to the Barn, we passed the small graveyard, situated about 100 metres from the waterhole. We had seen it very briefly before, but this time I took pictures of the headstones.

After a quick google later that night, it seems that the Pote family name appears to stem from Devon and Cornwall, in the UK. When I have more time I think it mgiht be interesting to see if we can discover more about them, and their lives here over a hundred years ago..

Back at the Barn, with Joseph and David constantly hauling freshly made cement from inside to outside by leaky barrows, and Justin, Freer and Atchi busy outside, the walls for the steps were taking shape, and by lunchtime the wall (supporting the 1metre entrance  platform where the animal prints will be) was already built.

Suddenly..wall!

We were all well ready for lunch by the time Tammy arrived, and went back to reception to pick up our lunches. Ines and Kira went on ahead to prepare the table and get water while Max and myself waited for the lunch truck and discussed the best plan of action should either of us get electrocuted by the electric fence to pass the time.

I bring water...for my family

When we got to house Ines and Kira told us about seeing the local bush pig. An aggressive and cantankerous little fellow by all accounts, who we had seen on our way home a few nights earlier wtih Tammy, but as it was the day the SD card in the camera was borked we had no pictures of it. This time however, the girls were ready for him.

What he might lack in appearance, is not made up for in personality

That'll do, pig, that'll do

After picking up all the guys from Joseph's place, on our return after dinner..lunch, I mean lunch.. it was more painting for us, more varnishing for Ines, and more building of steps for the guys.

Where's David? David!? Come on, David!

Barn Project Posse representin'!

Ines will not miss a bit

A varnishing Ines.... is a happy Ines

Later in the afternoon, Kira and Max were having trouble reaching the higher parts of the walls, so Kira came up with an ingenous solution. She took an ordinary rake, and stuck a paint roller on top! Max found it much better than going up and down the stepladder all the time. Not only does it serve as an extendable paint roller, it's also a rake! We believe she has come up with an invention that will fill the needs of those who not only need to paint high places, but also need to rake things at the same time! We present: The Paker!

Max 'paking'

Inspired by Kira's brilliant invention, I came up with my own, a paint brush taped to a spade... which Max then named... 'The Spaintbrush'!

For when you want to dig something up and then paint it. The Spaintbrush

We painted some more, and tried to get all the walls done so that we could take the next day off, as with all the dust from the cement there was no point in putting on the actual colour paint coats on. We had also run out of putty for the windows (someone had brought us the wrong colour putty earlier). It would also give us a chance to get our only work clothes washed ready for the next week (they were quite manky by now), so aside from a quick painting competition between the kids (Kira won!) it was back to the serious business of painting and varnishing as much as we could before Zander picked us up at 5:00.

The guys also were motoring along and have almost completed the walls and supports for the steps too at this point, so it's all really coming along now!

Zander arrived on the dot of 5 as always, and after cleaning up all the brushes and rollers we jumped in the truck, with a quick detour up to the Lodge to see if we could find more bricks, as the guys were running out and weren't sure they had enough to complete the steps, and the storage space at the back of the Barn.

The sunset and cloud formations were stunning, and got better and better as we neared the Lodge. The pictures here don't do them nearly enough justice.

The cloud at the top really was those amazing colours