The saga continues...

I know this subject has been covered a couple of times before on my blog.  But, my problem continues.  And, having watched one of our previous dogs (a wonderful, sweet-tempered [seriously] Great Dane) kill RMan's cat, Muts, in the kitchen right in front of my eyes, I need to be really, really sure that it won't happen again...

Our dog, Scallywag, is not a cat-friendly dog.  Plus, with RMan's new found relationship with Coo, the tame Cape Turtle Dove, RMan is very hesitant regarding the acquisition of a kitten / cat.

But I seriously think that a feline - of any age - is a must.  A definite.  Non-avoidable.

I was never mad about cats.  I also don't recall our family having a cat when I was a child - puppies and dogs, yes - kittens and cats - no memory.  When I met RMan - yonks ago - he had a cat called Muts.  This thing was vicious - RMan liked a bit of spirit ;)  It would sit on the floor in front of me - nervously perched on RMan's couch when I was visiting - and growl at me - warning me off.  I kid you not.  When I gave birth to Natasha, our daughter, it would lie in the dark - in wait.  As I walked down the passage from the bedroom to the kitchen to get her 2 a.m. bottle, it would attack my legs - frightening the life out of me and drawing blood with it's claws.  It never forgave me for entering RMan's life.  Perhaps the fact that RMan's long-time girlfriend gave it to him had something to do with its objection to me...?

As a result cats and I have a so-so relationship.

But, the time has come for the circle to close.

We-need-a-cat.

The field mouse problem is growing.

Let me explain.

Last week, RMan had to go to Cape Town for the day.  As he tends to return at +/- 9.30 - 10.15p.m. (it's a 550 - 600km round trip of +/- 5 - 6 hours before he attends any meetings / does any work)

I stay behind on our smallholding for the animals.

When I swept the kitchen floor that morning I found some dog food on the floor next to the Rosie.  A fleeting thought occurred, but I swept it away - and I put it own to Scallywag "dropping" some food from his jowls after eating his dinner the evening before.

Then, later that evening, I was sitting on my chair watching TV when I noticed, in my peripheral vision, the curtains moving next to the TV.

But, there was no wind.

Re-focusing my eyes from the TV to the curtain I saw a field mouse peeking out from behind it. 

Whhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaat???

It nimbly hopped off the curtain and onto the floor and made it's way to the kitchen area.

Ho-boy! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.

Okey-dokey - well - it'll just have to have a feast.  I'm not doing anything about a mouse in the house at 9.30p.m. (I don't tend to do more than climb on top of the dining room table normally anyway.)  So I stayed firmly put in my chair.

When RMan got home a half-an-hour or so later I told him what I had seen.  Being tired and half believing me, he had a cursory look around, poked under a couple of cupboards / sideboards with the end of a broom handle, but couldn't find anything.  We left the mouse to it, and went to bed.  Naturally, the bedroom door was firmly closed on it too ;)

Aha! A clue!!
The temporary fly screen is definitely
 at odds with it's usual position on the
 window

But, the next morning, I noticed that one of the temporary fly screens I had put up at the window where the mouse had hopped off the curtain the night before was hanging open.  Again, there had been no wind during the night...

Mice can climb walls, and I reckon
this is the route it uses / used

Being fairly accomplished in the art of detecting, I advised RMan that, in my expert opinion, the mouse had entered the house through the window.

Yeah, yeah.  Condescendingly, he patted my shoulder.  And carried on with his day.

But I kept an eye out.

And firmly closed and locked the window through which I believed it had entered the house.

Not a single mouse did I find, but we did notice that behind the Rosie, which I had vacuumed only the day before, there were further dog food pellets.  In a spot completely inaccessible to Scallywag.

The next morning they were gone!  And a half chewed baby potato was there in their place.

That definitely wasn't Scallywags handiwork!

So, now RMan had hard proof that a mouse had been (was still?) in the house.  But, we still couldn't find it.

Talking about laying a water bucket trap the next day, we settled down to watch TV for the evening.  At 9.15p.m. RMan suddenly sat up, and looked towards the fly screen doors.  Being closer to the noise, he'd heard something that I hadn't.  Grabbing the torch which he keeps handy in order to help Scallywag (who is 14 years old) go outside to relieve himself (he's an old dog who doesn't see very well anymore), he shone it at the screen door which was screening the open patio doors in order to keep the night insects out.

And RMan saw a mouse.

Trying to chew it's way through the aluminium fly screen.

Mice teeth marks on the aluminium flyscreen
material.  I swear, given enough time, it would've 
eaten it's way through to it's "larder"

RMan was blown away.

He kept saying "I shone the torch on it and it just stood there - looking straight at me.

It just stood there!  And we're here, in the lounge, with the lights and TV on."

He couldn't believe how brazen it was.

And Scallywag didn't budge / hear it / see it.  (So much for protecting me.)  Actually, earlier this year I saw a mouse almost walk over Scallywags legs and he did nothing but calmly watch it on it's way.

I think I can safely say that no help is ever going to come from that quarter.

Mouse catching bucket
deployed

Needless to say, the trap, liberally baited with peanut butter, was put out first thing next morning.

But, I am of the opinion that only a cat is going to help us to resolve this problem.  The bucket trap in my shadecloth veggie patch is catching 4 - 6 field mice a day.  We definitely have a field mouse overload here this year - even with all the food / seeds in the farmers fields around us!  And, if one incy-wincy mouse has laid down a "trail" into the house, more are likely to follow...

So, now to convince RMan that his precious Coo isn't going to be nabbed by the Cat, and that Scallywag probably won't take any notice of it either...

Closure on this saga would be a really good way to start the new year.

Isn't life in the countryside fun :)

As this will be my last posting for 2014, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year.  I hope your year is filled with all, and more, than you hope for.

Muddy winter gardening

Silly me.  I didn't put my gumboots on when I went into the garden after recent rain, and this was the result..

My faithful crocs...

But, it gets much worse than that...

...Let the mud in LOL

... being "holey" shoes, the wet clay can't resist seeping in any available orafice.  So now I have socks to clean - they had to be white ones too, didn't they :}

But, taking about gardens, I have discovered the strangest thing.

The  tomatoes are on the southern side
of the broad bean / pea bed, so they've been
protected from the frost.  Is that the answer
to growing tomatoes in winter...?

I am able to grow tomatoes here during winter.

There was a single self-seeded tomato growing with my corn, sunflowers and squash last summer, and when I removed the last of the corn, I left the tomato plant in situ - it had a couple of tomatoes on, and I thought I'd just wait until they were ripe.

Lo, and behold, in the shelter of the broad beans and pea plants, if this plant didn't grow wings and fly :)

Gorgeous, lucious "winter" tomatoes

I have waited until they're a near decent size, and have had to harvest them green, after which I've left them on my kitchen windowsill until they turned red.  But - I have had more tomatoes from this one plant, then I did from all those which grew when the mice were in control last summer.

Yes, the mice have had a nibble or two, but they've been more interested in my fresh young peas so the damage hasn't been as severe to this lonely plant.

I've decided that next summer I think I'm going to devote a small "out of the way" veggie bed especially for the mice - perhaps they'll leave the rest of my vegetables alone - and I don't mind giving them a tithe of my crops.

But - it's good to know.  I'm going to plant a couple of tomato seeds late next summer, and see how they do through next winter.

Strawberries growing in July???

Also, my strawberries are bearing fruit already...!!!

We haven't had much rain so far this winter - I wonder if that has had anything to do with it.  Most mornings here are around 4 - 6oC.  And the plants are in the shade created by the (winter) north positioned sun hitting the garage before it can get to the strawberry bed.

Quite peculiar I reckon...

Pesky pests

Hmmm - I thought that protecting my vegetables by growing them inside a shadecloth structure would keep the pests to a minimum.  I obviously thought wrong.


The ants were having a field day on the mealies (corn).  And they had deposited aphids all over the corn stalks.  There were ants Everywhere  - in the beds, on the weedguard path, up the plants.  Nasty, biting ants.


Harvesting anything inside was a "quick, grab, load up the container, stamp! stamp!  get out and brush off, and forge back in again - quickly" over and over happening.

Ants and aphids on the corn

I seriously need to do something radical with the ants!  I did try sprinkling cornmeal - but the ants ignored the food I left for them.  Ditto with the borax and sugar mixture.  I have re-Googled the problem - and the best advice seems to be either diatomaceous earth or ground cinnamon.   Given the infestation of my vegetable hut I going to try both - I have to sort this out!  


They are so bad that MKid even found them attacking the plug at the end of the small portable solar panel which charges the light we use to help our visitors get to their cars at nighttime.

Fried rice - does anyone want some fried ants?

I guess they enjoyed the jolt?  Seriously, they are literally eating and destroying the tip of the plug.  And being killed in the process.  The dead ants are then carted away by the living ones.

They are in the process of destroying the tip of the plug

But - as always with Mother Nature - she taps me on the shoulder, and reminds me she is in charge...

After I ripped out the remaining mealie stalks, I decided to add some fresh compost to that bed - quickly LOL


Collecting compost from the hole in the ground which is earmarked for our future cellar I was horrified to find cutworm - not small cutworm, not "squishable with the foot" cutworm, but h-u-g-e juicy morsels of destruction. I know they couldn't wait to land into the newly planted bed and munch all those tasty roots..

Look at the size of this mother!

i shouted: "RMan - come and see!" (a.k.a. I need your big heavy boot as opposed to my thin soled croc.)

Lucky I did that for RMan had a brilliant idea.  If the ants were so interested in our legs, arms and what was inside our clothing - would they - could they - possibly be interested in freshly exposed, warm and wriggling cutworm?

Oh Boy - could they ever!  "Ants secrete the formic acid for attack and defense purposes".  I reckon that is why their bites hurt as much as they do.  And what they did to those cutworms was amazing!

This is what the cutworm looked like 15
seconds after being deposited on the ground

Four cutworm being eradicated in
an eco-friendly way

In no time at all the ants had reduced the cutworm to no more than bird food - well, for those birds which were quick enough, and I'm happy to report that quite a few were.  Those that weren't - well, the ants dragged bits and pieces of the lifeless cutworms down into their nests.  Now, that I what I call an eco-friendly pest solution...!


I have no problem with the ants inhabiting the rest of the 2 Ha - but my lemon trees and my shadecloth veggie patch - I think not! 

Then I need a bit of advice from anyone who can help with my next question. Not exactly a pest, but  a really strange occurrence.  And it is occurring with my mealie plants from my heirloom (heritage) seed supplier.

And it is happening both in my town garden and in the veggie hut on the farm.

The mealies kernels are forming on the top of the plant where the tassle is normally situated.  This is on one of the popcorn plants on the farm...

Confused popcorn?

... and this is on one of the normal mealies in my town garden.

Normal corn acting strangely...

I have never seen anything like this - has anyone else?  Is this a mutant mealie?  Does one get mutant heirloom mealies?

Finally, our neighbour, CGuy, permanently has a guy living on his plot to prevent theft of his equipment and materials and wanton destruction of his "house in progress", and to look after his chickens.  This chap very kindly keeps an eye on our house as well.  As we gave him our excess food prior to leaving the farm at the end of our last weekend visit, he informed RMan that on 13th February, 2012 we had 33 baboons on our property!  33?!?!?!  That's hectic.  He managed to scare them off - thankfully. And I don't know if they got anywhere near the veggie patch...

Baboons on our neighbour's roof in March last year.

I am amazed - for it must be at least 12 kms to their natural habitat in the mountains.  And I'm not that keen on them making a habit of visiting our neck of the woods.  In fact, it is exactly a year ago that I wrote about them gamboling around on our other neighbour, Tom's roof.  Hmm, as I typed that - I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that the farmers fields have all been harvested, and they are now on the scrounge for other food...?  Blockhead doesn't seem to be making the most of his position of authority - it may, therefore, be time to increase the size of his family :)  Well, he can only remain a bachelor for so long, especially being away from the bright city lights and all those attractive females.  I'm sure one of them wants a farmer for a husband, even if he has got a big head...

Plant questions

We had to delay our departure to the farm today, so we're off to the farm tomorrow in order for that "all important question" to be put to RMan :)  While I'm gone, I need to find out if anyone can help me with the following questions?


Some of my lemon tree leaves have bumps and ridges.  Is this due to a fungal / aphid infection?  Not that I can see any aphids on the trees - touch wood.

Lemon leaf illness?

Bumps / ridges on the lemon leaves

And, a couple of the conifers which we brought to the farm from our town house, have blackened stems.  Again, is this a mildew / fungal infection?

RMan got busy spraying them with our all-purpose (insect) spray - to see if it would help.  I will only be able to find out if it's working when we arrive tomrrow.

RMan doing the eco-thing LOL

Apparently, according to Teach and Englishman, who visited their smallholding this last weekend, and who took a walk past ours to check if everything was OK, I have loads of tomatoes and spinach waiting to be harvested - guess I'll have to do some solar preserving whilst I am there.  Consol Glass collected the faulty storage containers and swopped them for some 500ml and 1 lt preserving jars.  They have all been cleaned and sterilized and are ready to be filled :)


I wonder if there are any eggplants, mealies (corn) and beans left?  And, what has happened to my pumpkin - has it grown legs and gone walkabout...?


I can't wait to get MKid to help me harvest everything - he's going to love it.


See you next week :)

Local knowledge is priceless

I have discovered that there is a plant on the farm which I am allergic to.  After researching and walking - lots of walking (LOL), I have narrowed it down to this one.


From a distance it looks like what I call a bunnytail - a soft, fluffy dried plant, freely available in this country, and which can be dyed into various colours.

But, on closer inspection - both visual and physical - that is where the similarity ends.  Those little spiky things which protrude beyond the soft, fluffy-looking inner core are downright nasty!


And they caused the following reaction on my legs...

Tick bite down there, but thankfully
the tick wasn't infected :)

It doesn't itch, it doesn't hurt, but it just doesn't look so lekker (nice).

I'm always in crocs - summer
and winter...

RMan recalled our GP, Dr A, had mentioned that a friend, Alan, was getting a reaction to something on their smallholding, so I sent Dr A these three photo's.  He confirmed that the reaction is the same.  At least both Dr H and Alan both now know the cause.


I just don't know the name of the plant...  Teach, can you help? :)


Aside from providing work for locals, thus assisting them to remain in the rural areas, the beauty of employing, and communicating, with local inhabitants is that they have a wealth of knowledge which they freely share.  Such was the case with one such labourer, Dan the Man.


Before he moved to the nearest town, we employed him for a few days a year or so ago.  As we were leaving the farm after a long weekend visit, we requested that he remove as much of the renosterbos as he could in a given number of days.  He question to us was: "Moet ek alles uithaal?" ("Must I remove everything?")  When we looked puzzled, he then proceeded to tell us about the following plant.

Helichrysum species

This plant is called Kooigoed (bedding material) {thanks Diana :)} - it is from the Helichrysum species.  It has, to me, an aroma of camphor, and the leaves are soft.  

Kooigoed was used is days of yore as a bedding material - simply placed on the ground, or shoved inside a slip.  Naturally, as the branches are quite hard,  the bedding would probably have to be replaced quite frequently by us soft Westerners who are used to spring mattresses. It is reputed to keep insects and parasites at bay, and a tea made by soaking a couple of handfuls in a litre of boiling water overnight is said to lower blood pressure, and be beneficial to both the digestive tract and kidneys.  The leaves may also be used on wounds to prevent infection.  I reckon all round it s a very beneficial plant to have in one's garden :)

The last of the flowers on the Helichrysum

Finally, I have also read that tossing a few leaves on a fire and inhaling the smoke can supposedly relieve pain and insomnia.


I love finding out how such things were done in the days of yore.  Like how to protect pumpkins from getting stung by using straw.  I would love to write a book on all the old traditions that are in danger of being lost through the migration of rural inhabitants to urban areas.    Yes, initially, that knowledge will remain, but their children, and their children's children, wont be exposed to their ancestral plants / habits / methods and therefore that knowledge won't be passed on.  That will be such a sad day on this planet.


For such knowledge is infinitely more beneficial to this planet, but it can also free us from the pharmaceutical companies, from shopping malls, and from spending our hard-earned money. :)

Look who paid us a visit...

We reckon that moving to, and living on the farm, growing whatever will grow in those conditions, will bring more peace and quiet to our lives.  Less of the rush, rush, rush, and more time to actually enjoy each day as it happens.


I am looking forward to entertaining those who would like to share our experience when they have the time to pop in for a visit.


But, as we discovered this past December, there are some visitors who will not be quite so welcome.  Not ever!


This is Muffin, NGirl's new Pekinese puppy.  Muffin turned out to be a very welcome visitor because he developed a particular liking for large green grashoppers / crickets / locusts...

First the right paw went out.  Squish.  Then the left paw.  Scrape... squish. This was repeated until...

Good boy, Muffin :)

The object landed with it's feet / legs / what would you call them, in the air. Muffin managed to wipe out at least 4 - 5 of these in his last few nights.  Well done, Muffin!

As John Cleese said in the one Monty Python skit:
"This (locust) is deceased.
It has ceased to live.  It is an ex-(locust)."

They are the most revolting insects, for the noise they make is unlike any noise I have heard before.  Not the irritating, piercing "chirp chirp" of a cricket, but more like a rasping, grating noise - quite peculiar.  And not one which would be conducive to a good night's sleep.


The solution to this problem, if you don't have a Muffin in your life - is, if you have lights on inside, keep the doors and windows closed - otherwise you'll have these unwelcome visitors!


There were more of these enormous worms too - and they got sorted out with a quick squirt of our special mixture...  A heavy boot also does the trick. Messy - yes.  But it works.


They are beautiful, if very destructive insects, but I wonder what they look like as butterflies?

More locusts were lurking in the lemon trees - this time the quick squirt took less than 10 seconds to take effect.

Can you see the locust lurking in the lemon tree?

The result...  Done and dusted LOL  You're not going to damage my lemon trees if I can help it.

I'm not too sure if this palm-sized fellow is a toad or a frog - but he is welcome.  Even though as a child I stood on one with bare feet, I try and block out the memory when I come across one.  Mosquitoes, crickets / grasshoppers / locusts - they are all surely on his menu?

Looking for one of Muffin's "toys" which
escaped highlighted this chap skulking
in the corner of the lounge...

John, our helper / labourer, was a mine of useful information.  One of his suggestions was that I place the emerging pumpkins on a bed of straw and...   

... covered by yet more straw.  This is supposedly to prevent the fruit from getting stung.  I know it gets stung, but I have no idea by what... can anyone help?

Pumpkins "smothered" in straw

For those who have followed my blog for a while, you know about our solar shower enclosure around the caravan.  We decided to move the caravan as it is blocking our sunset view.  So that has been shifted to the other side of the house, where it is also less windy, and exposed.  That left us with the temporary shower shadecloth structure.  Initially, we were going to take it all down, so we started moving the sandbags which are placed around the base. However... 

Temporary shower structure at the side of the caravan

As John was emptying the contents of the bags into the wheelbarrow, he heard, and saw, something out of the corner of his eye.  Closer inspection caused him to shout out: "Meneer, SLANG"!  ("Sir - SNAKE").

It's just had it's head bashed in... and it continued
to move for another couple of hours...

Bearing in mind that MKid, and two additional dogs, were due to arrive three days later, RMan grabbed his gun, and taking aim - gave the trigger a careful and considered pull.  A couple of hard whacks to the head by John finished the job off satisfactorily :)

A 1.8 mtr Cape Cobra

Lastly, can anyone identify what insect is on the back of this leaf?  I found it in my veggie patch - and the plant was covered with them.  Buried under the sprawling tomatoes, the base / roots of the plant wasn't easy to find but I managed to yank it out.  But I would dearly love to know what they are.

Damn dam

We experienced some very hot days on the farm in December.  Very hot days. Strangely enough though the evening were deliciously cool and comfortable.

But, a couple of the days were just too hot for dogs and MKid, so they did the sensible thing.

They went "swimming" in our dam.

We were told that it would take 3-odd years for the sand (clay) to settle and whoever told us that was 100% correct.  This summer it has finally managed to hold water beyond winter, and with the roughly 1/2 mtr that remained, MKid figured that that was plenty to start the cooling-off process.

But a kid can't go swimming on his own, and if there are 1, or 2, or, even better, 3 dogs to leap into the water with - well that constitutes a pool party :)

All four in the dam - muddy, wet, sticky, wet,
cool, wet :)  And, best of all, great fun!

The screams of delight / yelps of excitement were a treat.  Until MKid said, "Hey, what just bit my leg?"

A water scorpion?

Closer inspection revealed what looked like a scorpion (thus a water scorpion?) swimming nearby.

Rush, rush, rush!  "Everyone / thing / animal - OUT now!  NOW!!"  Thankfully, we couldn't see any mark on MKids leg, so we can only presume it was a branch or something that touched his leg.

But the scare was huge.  And a good lesson.  Be careful!  Be aware!  Be vigilant!

With all the frolicking the clay surface of the dam, naturally, got disturbed.  To the extent that the water level dropped - rapidly.

Day 2 after the swim: Ill-fated tadpoles...

Day 2: Just a tiny puddle of water left 2 days later...

I felt sad for the tadpoles which got marooned in the ever diminishing dam.  They didn't stand a chance.

Day 3: Dried out water, clay and tadpoles

Yes, that is a completely dry dam.  A pity, but it was worth the fun to see MKid and the dogs enjoying themselves, albeit briefly.


I know that the clay seal is there on the bottom of the dam, and I'm sure that this winter the dam will hold water again.  And, it won't be disturbed this time...


As for the frogs / toads - we have thousands hopping round / hiding under weedguard / woodpiles / rocks / waiting for me to stand on one barefoot - again...!  But I'm grateful for our frog / toad population, as we have a huge problem... (more on that later)  So losing this batch of tadpoles, although sad, is not a major train smash.  Next Spring there will be another mating / breeding season... :)