Thathing the Roof and Gardening

We have been so busy these past two days that I have to upload some photos again. Aidan basically finished the roof, apart from one section where there are still a few poles missing (that we have to go get from the forestry first). Unfortunatley we have been hindered in our work again, this time not by rain but by wind ... ever tried to thatch a roof in a gale force wind? Not funny. Around 3 p.m. we had to abandon our posts and find other jobs to do, leaving the thatching for a less windy day.

Babalwa and some friends help with thatching

the first bundles are being put up

Rahel tightens the first row of thatching

view from underneath ... ;-)

it all looks a bit ruffled because of the wind ...

So when the wind rules out the thatching, what's left? How about some gardening, thought Nathalie, and in one afternoon she transformed the completely overgrown old gardens into beautiful fresh beds again!

Nathalie pulling out weeds ...

and that's the garden at the end of the day!!!

building progress of the lodge

hello dear readers and followers of this blog, and sorry for the long silence, but our laptop charger bombed out about a month ago, and to get a replacement was - as everything out here at the end of the world - quite a mission. Now finally we've got a new charger and the laptop is working again ... but soon the blog entries will cease again as people in charge of the project are flying to Europe. Not just for fun, but also for fundraising purposes ... Meanwhile we've been busy here and started putting up the first walls of the lodge. We wanted to get the first room finished - with roof up and everything - but the rains came to quickly. The thirsty landscape is happy but we are annoyed, it could have waited another 2 weeks if you ask me!!! Time is slipping through our hands again for Aidan is leaving in a couple of days, and I (Rahel) am leaving soon afterwards, and the building isn't finished yet. Oh well ... we do what we can, Transkei time. :-)

Aidan laying bricks

the first walls of the lodge in progress ...

and the first room almost up!

Aidan constructing the roof

While we're in Europe there will be no Blog entries, but Aidan comes back to Manzamnyama by mid-December, just in time for the high season. We've already had some booking enquiries for village huts, which is great! Looks like things are finally starting to take off now.

new (goat-proof!) gate to the Lodge

clay bricks made by Rahel and Aidan

roll of pig netting - friend and helper concerning goat affairs!