When the constellation of Orion begins the arduous task of dropping below the horizon, you know that we’re slowly heading towards winter. He’ll disappear completely in a few weeks, and be gone for months, visiting friends in the northern hemisphere.
The days are getting shorter, and the nights have become crisp, but we’re still in the pleasant offerings that early Autumn brings. There’s still plenty of sunshine during the day, and although we’ve begun airing the blankets we’ll be needing in due course, we won’t be packing on the layers of clothing quite yet.
We’ve started to see some scattered showers, which are promising during this time of drought, but we look forward to the potential rain bringing cold fronts that will spill over from the Cape of Storms. It’s an exercise in patience.
The woods shed will need some replenishment, especially when those bitterly cold nights start arriving, bringing cold air off the Touwsberg; down into the valley. On rare occasions the Touwsberg will be under snow this winter, so the fireplace in D’Waenhuis and Dover Stove in Zara Cottage, are going to be hungry. We provide a complimentary crate of wood every evening to our guests.
Fanciful dreams of bubbling soup recipes are stirring in the imagination, with our firm favourite being a cauliflower, with gruyere and roasted garlic concoction. It’s certainly going to be a season of red wine and oven roasts, and with our fully equipped kitchens in both the cottages; our guests will be able to partake in all their hearty food requirements.
This will also be the season of flowering aloes, and we’ve already begun to see clear indications that flaming red pokers will be punctuating the veld. Even on the gloomiest of cloudy days, these beautiful burst of red will bring joy to the heart. They mark the passage of time in the Klein Karoo, and keep our eyes on the promise of a returning summer.
It’s a time for bucolic nostalgia, of woollen hats and scarves, of blankets and hearths, and calls for soul enriching hibernation.
With July school holidays now extending all the way into September, it’s an excellent time to gather your family and friends around, and plan a road trip to Wolverfontein Karoo Cottages.
