Karate Tournament Success

Samurai School of Karate Franschhoek which is housed at the Franschhoek Health Club since 2010 has surfaced again. The Franschhoek karate group hosted the second BASKA

Berg River Dam Cleanup

On Saturday, 4 February, the Franschhoek Heritage and Ratepayers Association’s monthly community clean-up effort returned to a previously-visited site, the Berg River Dam parking area and amphitheatre.

Editor’s Letter

Siegfried Schäfer

Dear Readers,

In past editor’s letters, I have written about studies linking social media usage/screen time to depression and anxiety and also studies that linked plants and greenery with better mental health, lower crime rates, faster recuperation from medical procedures and several other positive effects – many unexplained. Last month I came across a report about a study that, in a way, links the two aforementioned types of studies.

Bloomberg CityLab reported that researchers at the Kyoto Institute of Technology analysed almost 2 million geotagged tweets from San Francisco and London. They used neural networks to identify which emotions were being expressed while in certain places.

water body. What we do have is the Berg River Dam nearby. Combining the lessons from the tweet data with evidence on the ground, I’d say it suggests the Berg River Dam Project looks like it’s onto something good. (I hear they are close to being awarded the required leases but then I’ve been hearing that for months...)

On a related note: The Bridge House Mile is coming up on 11 March. That should bring joy to the well-prepared!

Sticking with water, I think it’s a shame that our municipality is incapable of keeping the fountain in front of the town hall operational. If they can have veritable lakes with fountains in Las Vegas, surely we can have one fountain while day zero doesn’t quite loom again yet? Perhaps it’s a case of what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?

I believe our hotels and restaurants generally do a good job of eliciting joy. They’d be out of business if they didn’t!

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There was good and bad news… The good news was that the turnout was great! In addition to several regular ‘cleaners,’ there were some new faces and very good representation from Franschhoek United FC and the Franschhoek Rugby Club’s U20 players. The bad news was just how much litter had accumulated since the last clean-up in the area and the discovery that somebody had even constructed a ‘braai’ on the edge of the bone-dry fynbos veld. After pertinent enquiries were made, the Department of Water and Sanitation indicated that they do not approve of fires being lit on their land and that the braai would be demolished. If you’d like to assist in a clean-up, watch local social media towards the end of every month for the announcement of where the next one will be. Clean-ups take place on the first Saturday of the month from 08h00 to 09h00.

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Supplied

Going (More) Greek

The study found that people expressed more positive emotions in places like “restaurants and parks and more negative ones in offices and sports stadiums.” The most positive emotions were associated with green and recreational spaces. Water seemed to elicit joy with swimming pools, sailing ports, coastlines and boat ramps eliciting tweets with the highest levels of joy. Tweets from restaurants and hotels also showed high levels of joy.

Other than sports stadiums and offices, transport networks also caused lots of negative emotions. According to the study: “Tweets made near train stations, bus stops and bridges congested with car traffic conveyed feelings of disgust and anger.”

“The data does have its limits. The tweets gathered were all exclusively in English, and might not be as applicable to locations with a small digital footprint. Still, researchers believe the findings could help advance the improvement of individual cities’ infrastructure. Knowing what aspects of city living elicit positive or negative reactions from its residents can provide a framework for better urban planning, like structural changes to transit hubs or adding more green spaces.”

Thinking about what might evoke positive emotions in Franschhoek some thoughts occurred. Unlike London and San Francisco, we’re not situated next to or astride a large

On the green front, compared to the Stellenbosch CBD our village looks rather like an afterthought at times. We have no beds with colourful annuals or landscaped road verges or large planters with succulents as abound in Stellenbosch. Our parks are also rather uninspiring compared to those in London and San Francisco. On the positive side, the proximity of our beautiful mountains does to some extent compensate for the shortcomings of our urban green areas and certainly does evoke positive feelings.

We certainly have our fair share of transportrelated woes. Minibus taxis are often a frustration to both commuters and other road users. Unfortunately, they are what passes as a public transport system in South Africa... The R45 into the village is also richly blessed with problems – from speeding to dangerous intersections. One of the few modes of transport that can be expected to elicit joyous tweets in Franschhoek must be the Franschhoek Wine Tram.

What brings you joy in Franschhoek? Please put it out there. We’re far too focused on the negative, let’s put some positive energy out there!

We’re welcoming a new columnist this month. Chantal Lascaris is well-known to many in the valley as, amongst others, the author of several cookbooks including the hugely-successful “All Sorts” series. She’ll regularly share her food experiences, insights, discoveries and more. Welcome to Team Tatler, Chantal!

Until next month,

Taki’s Pub & Restaurant held its more-or-less annual Greek Evening on Saturday, 11 February. The fun-filled evening certainly ticked all the requisite boxes. Greek-inspired menu? Check!

Franschhoek Wine Valley News

RUTH McCOURT

Our Franschhoek Wine Valley is a beautiful destination all year round, but March is a particularly exciting time in the valley. This is when the vineyards are bustling with activity, with harvest season in full swing. It’s a time when many hands make light work and workers tend to the fruits of the earth with great care.

Behind closed cellar doors, winemakers and cellar masters are working tirelessly to craft the exceptional wines, which our Valley Of Dreams is so renowned for. The grapes are harvested, sorted and carefully pressed to begin the process of creating the perfect wine. It’s a process that requires precision, patience and a great deal of expertise.

In the vineyards, you’ll see workers busily tending to the vines. They’ll be picking grapes, pruning in a few months time and generally keeping a close eye on the health of the vines. The Franschhoek Wine Valley is known for its exceptional quality grapes, and the workers take great pride in maintaining the highest standards.

During this busy time in the vineyards, there is a sense of camaraderie and community hanging in the air. A time for both hard work and celebration; everyone comes together, united by their love of the land and their shared passion for creating (and young minds are inspired; where individual care and attention is combined with a distinctive, progressive education and where changemakers are equipped with skills for a world beyond our imagination. Bridge House is a leading independent, co-ed day and boarding school, situated in a beautiful, safe setting in the Franschhoek Valley.

(Yummy Moussaka!) Ouzo? Check! Extra plates? Check! Live Bouzouki music? Check! Pictured above are the inimitable Taki and bouzouki player, Demitri.

An independent (IEB) Matric examination accepted by universities worldwide

· An excellent academic track record – 100% pass rate to date

· A wide variety of traditional team and individual sports and cultural activities enjoying) exceptional wines.

Visitors to our picturesque slice of paradise can expect to see the valley in full swing and whether you’re a wine lover, or simply appreciate the beauty of the vineyards, March is an exciting time to visit with countless opportunities to celebrate fine living, wonderful weather and unrivalled views. Make sure you’re making the most of these summer days and join us as we continue to support local at a time where generosity of spirit and sense of community have never been more apparent.

· Four, spacious, modern boarding houses for students from Grade 6 to 12

· Extensive facilities on 28 hectares of land

Open Day is any day you want it to be.

Contact Gill Malcolm gilmal@bridgehouse.org.za or +27 (0) 874 8100 for a bespoke tour of the school or an online interview with the Head. www.bridgehouse.org.za

I love this time of year! Longer nights and cooler mornings brings some refreshment to the hot sunny days characteristic of our Mediterranean autumn. There’s even been some dew on the lawn this morning and a very dry summer has been interrupted by welcome, if unseasonal, rain this past week. Autumn is also harvest season in the Boland. This comes with a sense of abundance as seasonal workers bring in the crops and fully-laden tractor trailers fill the wine cellars and pack stores.

If you managed to maintain your garden through the summer you will be well rewarded now. Get out there and enjoy it. The autumn rose flush often beats the spring flush in our climate. Deciduous trees are slowly turning their leaves into the bronze colours of fall. Your vegetable and fruit garden should be bursting with food. Cannabis home growers will want to spend as many hours as possible staring at their flowers ripening. It is also a great time of year for pictures, make sure you take your phone along to capture those rewarding moments.

March is however not only about long garden strolls, there is quite a bit to do out there. As your fruits and vegetables are ripening garden hygiene becomes important. Pick up fallen fruit, remove damaged fruit and scout for pests and disease daily. March is a big feeding month. You want to get around a third of your yearly fertiliser requirements onto vines and summer fruit trees now. Keep an eye on the weather report and wait for a cool and rainy day to apply a few spades full of kraal manure and a cup of fertiliser around every tree. Look for a balanced fertiliser like 2:3:2 and always go for the organic options, especially in the food garden. Your lawn will love some fertiliser. It is especially important to look at higher phosphorous feeding to ensure proper root development during winter. Camellias and Azaleas can do with some high potash feeding to ensure that they hang on to their flowers in spring. Get a load of manure delivered and apply to all beds. As soon as we have had the first proper rain this can be covered by a thick layer of your preferred mulch.

Our main landscaping season starts as soon as the first rains have fallen. Start planning and preparing for those revamps you have in mind. Autumn is the best time to establish Fynbos and other indigenous plants. Bring some colour to you winter garden by looking at the range of indigenous flower bulbs available in the garden centres now. Don’t skip the seed packets – we’ve had great effect by scattering those mixed flower pack seeds in bare patches of the garden. Beds should be well prepared with rotten manure or good compost. Dig planting holes as wide as possible – a large dish is better than a deep hole. Never plant in dry soil and water well and regularly after planting.

Your food and medicine garden will keep you busy on its own. While we are harvesting and processing the fruit of our labour, we also need to plan our winter and spring plantings. All brassicas can be started from seed now. We do these in a combination of seed trays and open ground seedbeds. The same goes for spinach, chard and lettuces. The first root crops can be sown in situ –plan for proper succession this year to avoid the glut/famine that often comes with home growing. Remember that your root crops should follow a well composted crop, but they don’t like any fresh manure or compost in the soil. Don’t hang onto spent summer vegetable plants – rather clear the beds and prepare for a green manure sowing if you don’t plan to use the bed in winter.

The farm kitchen should be a hive of activity this time of year with all the vegetables and fruit coming in. Try your hand at something new this season – I want to start experimenting with making my own cordials for instance. The internet is awash with homesteading sites and groups giving information on different fermentation and preservation methods. Food dehydration makes for a captivating kitchen hobby – a small biltong maker is inexpensive and will be a good introduction to the world of dried foods and medicine.

Happy gardening!