Farm gates are extremely important to the success of the operation. They keep the livestock in and the unwanted out. They allow the farmer to maintain control of the animals while maneuvering large working vehicles on and off the property.
A friend of mine commented recently that local farm gates did not seem to have a consistent width. Well they do. The available sizes are: 200x200mm by either 2.7m or 2.4m long. 175x175mm comes in either 2.7m, 2.4m and 2.1m. 150x150mm is also available in 2,7m, 2,4m or 2,1m…so now you know!
In order to keep the gate in fplace and operational, there 4 elements.
Gate frame – The structural members of the gate.
Gate latch – A fitting to hold the gate in place when closed. In South Africa this seems to be constructed out of twisted wire with no fixed size. The only criteria is that it keeps the gate closed.
Gate opening – The clear distance between the gate posts.
Gate post – The post to which a gate is attached by hinges and latches.
There is an old building that stands close to the main building that looks like it is currently being used as a store room of some sort. It was the brickwork that caught my attention rather than the purpose of the building.
On the left is the Lapa that can be used for functions. In the middle is the public pool that can be utilized by all the guests.
On the right is the main building that contains the Sweet Thyme Restaurant.
The first patents on barbed wire were taken out in the United States in 1867, but it was not until 1874, when Joseph Glidden of De Kalb, Ill., invented a practical machine for its manufacture, that the innovation became widespread.
When was barbed wire first used? Barbed wire was used for the first time by Portuguese troops defending from African tribes during the Combat of Magul in 1895.
But Lucien Smith is credited with making the first barbed wire prototypes, which he called “thorny wire.”
Did you know?
The Kansas Barbed Wire Museum is located in La Crosse, Kansas, United States, known as the “Barbed Wire Capital of the World.” The museum focuses on barbed wire and its history, displaying over 2,000 different forms of the wire and its history.
This is a Red Sunflower, Tithonia rotundifoliia
traditionally used for the treatment of diabetes, diarrhea, menstrual pain, malaria, hematomas, hepatitis, hepatomas, and wound healing.
Bidens bipinnata also known as the Common Blackjack.
Bidens bipinnata is traditionally used to treat a variety of infectious diseases especially in traditional Chinese medicine. The whole plant is used against malaria, sore throat, acute nephritis and dysentery.
Yellow salsify or Tragopogon dubius.
The seedhead is also most conspicuous, being a very large creamy dandelion clock, up to 3″ across. Tragopogon pratensis prefers sunny, open sites. The common name indicates that it only opens in the morning when the sun is out. Taraxacum officinale (Common Dandelion). About 60 species, native to north temperate regions and temperate South America. There are 15 species that have become established in southern Africa.
A butterfly taking a moment of respite on this Lantana sp.
There are only six or seven Lantanas indigenous to South Africa and Africa, none of them being really suitable for garden cultivation as they tend to be woody and do not respond well to pruning. However, it is useful to have a bush or two in a quiet corner if you are trying to attract birds to the garden. Lantana is one of the worst weeds in the world, a category 1b species in South Africa in terms of the Alien and Invasive Species Regulations (AIS), National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (Act No 10 of 2004). Land occupiers are legally obliged to control it, or to remove and destroy it if possible.
Hiking and bike as well as trail running are just some of the activities offered. Al are recommended given the quality (and quantity) of the food on offer…
The start of just one of the many trails that abound on the property.
Take a moment to access your inner child. Swings are a wonderful way of calming the mind while remembering a childhood from long ago.
A great place for reflection…
To find out more about what the lodge offers, click on their logo above.
For those that were not aware, there is an extension to the Travel & Things Blog in the form of ‘In conversation with‘ a YouTube channel hosted by David Batzofin and filled with a plethora of interesting interviews with a variety of people.
To visit the channel, click on the ‘In conversation with’ image above.
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