Franschhoek Tatler - September 2024

Bastille Festival Double

The Bag That Builds

Recycling plastic isn’t nearly as simple as one might think. Not only does plastic that goes to recycling have to be clean, but it must also be separated into one of seven types – not all of which are recyclable. A pilot project currently underway in the valley could help turn conventional wisdom about plastic recycling on its head.

Franschhoek celebrated the Bastille Festival twice this year. It wasn’t planned that way, but the operating principle seemed to be that when the universe serves up grapes it is best to make wine!

Franschhoek Bastille 2024 (sponsored by global financial services firm Prescient) was, as is the tradition, planned to take place on the weekend closest to the French national day, i.e. 13&14 July. Mother Nature had other plans though… July 2024 was one of the wettest on record with the planned Bastille weekend marked by a rare Level 8 storm warning. The result was a first in Franschhoek Bastille history – the organisers in consultation with their safety consultants and structural engineer postponed the event by a week.

At the heart of the pilot project is a technology developed by the Center for Regenerative Design & Collaboration (CRDC). The technology allows plastic to be converted into an eco-additive – RESIN8 –that is added to concrete in the manufacturing of structural and other concrete products.

As expected, the weekend was marked by copious rain and gale-force winds. Thankfully the enormous marquee erected on the Franschhoek High School rugby field survived the storm. Yet more rain followed during the week leading up to the postponed festival. Come Saturday, 20 July, however, the sun emerged and the event could go ahead in clear but chilly conditions.

Many Bastille goers had reserved accommodation for the Bastille weekend. When the event was postponed they couldn’t change their bookings, so – despite the storms – they came anyway. The result was a bumper visitor weekend for the valley and, better still, the prospect of another one on the postponed festival weekend.

Replacing up to 20% of natural aggregates with RESIN8 in concrete product manufacture has several advantages: It improves the performance characteristics of concrete products, reduces the amount of quarried material used in the concrete and removes plastic waste from the environment. Best of all, all seven types of plastic can be converted into RESIN8 and it doesn’t have to be clean to be used.

As in the past, the village was awash in red, white and blue flags and bunting. An added attraction this year was a display of classic cars on Church Street.

CRDC SA has a processing plant in Cape Town from where the local leg of a global programme titled ‘The Bag That Builds’ is being rolled out. The programme is named after the distinctive green bags that are used to collect plastics for recycling.

Attendees at the marquee – most dressed up in red, white and blue – enjoyed wine tastings, local food stalls and a feast of live entertainment. So much so that when closing time arrived on Sunday attendees almost had to be ushered out of the marquee as they didn’t want the experience to end.

take part in the pilot programme.

The pilot programme will run for three months from 1 January 2023 as part of a larger cleaning and recycling effort that is coordinated by members of the Franschhoek Heritage and Ratepayers Association (FHRPA). Current initiatives include the privatelyfunded clean-up crew that cleans areas that are outside municipal jurisdiction or that need extra cleaning, the installation (and servicing) of refuse bins where they are lacking and monthly community clean-ups.

Hospitality Academy were also able to get some on-the-job experience assisting stallholders during the festival. Other beneficiaries included: Franschhoek High School, which was paid for the use of the rugby field and earned extra income from providing convenient paid parking on their premises, The Sinothando Choir, and The Papier Family Band in support of the newlyfounded Uncorked Franschhoek Music Academy at Franschhoek High School.

All two thousand marquee tickets for Saturday were sold out, while 1430 were sold for Sunday. The village, according to some, was not as busy as when the marquee was in the middle of the village. Nevertheless, 4500 people visited the Franschhoek Village Market on Saturday and 3500 on Sunday.

According to FWV CEO, Ruth McCourt, 69 local employment opportunities were created on both weekends – particularly in waste management and security. Students from the Franschhoek

Individuals and companies are rewarded per bag of plastic they collect, making it a simple way for anyone to earn a small income while improving the environment. A collection drive in the Langrug community has already led to the coining of the phrase ‘pick up your money’ to inspire residents to

Irmela Alberts, co-chair of the FHRPA says “We’re excited by both the environmental and economic opportunities this pilot programme presents for the valley. Our challenge now is to find ways to make it sustainable, so that the pilot programme can become a permanent one. We will keep the Franschhoek Valley cleaner, send significantly less rubbish to the landfill and through the involvement of the local schools contribute to creating a mindset where people litter less”

For more information or if you have any form of plastic that you want to get rid of feel free to contact Jocelyn at 073 587 6132.

From the Tatler’s informal enquiries, it appears that businesses that created special offerings for Bastille gained more benefit than those that just relied on the increase in visitors.

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Supplied

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: FWV

On Thursday, 8 December 2022, the first 830 bags of plastic waste collected in the valley were sent to a cuttingedge plant in Cape Town to be turned into an innovative eco-aggregate used in concrete product manufacture.

Fashion competition was intense

Classic Cars: from Bastille Festival to FCCF

Classic cars are an important element of Brand Franschhoek and are increasingly taking their place in the local festival circuit.

This year Bugaloo Car Gallery facilitated the ‘French and Friends’ car displays at the Franschhoek Bastille Festival. On Saturday, 20 July, Italian cars were on display in Church Street while their owners enjoyed an Italianstyle lunch at Allora. On Sunday, 21 July, the owners of a group of French cars enjoyed coffee and fresh croissants from Café du Vin while their cars were on display. Following the successful Launch Edition that took place last year the first edition of the Franschhoek Classic Car Festival will take place on the weekend of 5 and 6 October at the Franschhoek Motor Museum (FMM) and Huguenot Monument Grounds, respectively. Saturday, 5 October, will see a record breaking display of visiting Alfa Romeo Giuliettas and the opening of an exhibition of special Alfa Romeos at the FMM. In total more than 150 cars will be on display. This exhibition is part of the international celebration of this stalwart model’s 70th anniversary.

On Sunday, 6 October, attention shifts to the

Huguenot Monument grounds where will be a number of different displays. Central to activities is the event’s trademark ‘Forty of the Finest’ exhibit that features forty iconic pre-1990 cars from forty different brands. There will also be a display of Ford Mustangs. This iconic model is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. A number of car clubs and groups, including the Rolls Royce Club, will also be putting up displays of their members’ cars.

Another attraction on Sunday morning will be the ‘Rivals Tour Parade’ down Franschhoek main road. This multi day tour, which starts at Museo della Passionione on Lourensford in Somerset West, consists of classic cars from rival European manufacturers Alfa Romeo and Porsche.

For more information on the event please visit: www.fccf.co.za. Ticket sales have opened on Webtickets.co.za

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: FotoArtistStudio

Haute Grandeur for Hotel du Vin

Hotel du Vin - Franschhoek won the prestigious Haute Grandeur 2024 Award for The Best Historical Hotel in Africa. Haute Grandeur is a prestigious international awards programme recognizing excellence in the luxury hospitality industry worldwide.

This prestigious recognition celebrates the hotel’s rich heritage in a beautifully restored Victorian building from 1904, its commitment to exceptional guest experiences, and its position as a landmark in Franschhoek.

“We are incredibly honoured to receive this recognition from Haute Grandeur,” says Celeste Klem, General Manager of Hotel du VinFranschhoek. “This award is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our team, which strives to create a truly unforgettable experience for every guest. We are passionate about preserving the hotel’s history while offering modern luxuries and impeccable service.”

Hotel du Vin - Franschhoek boasts a unique heritage dating back to 1904. The property’s original architecture has been meticulously restored with contemporary design elements to complement its wine-themed offering.

The Haute Grandeur accolade is a significant achievement for Hotel du Vin - Franschhoek, further positioning itself as a premier wine tourist destination in South Africa. The Hotel offers guests a luxurious escape, featuring elegant rooms and suites, a renowned restaurant, a world-class wine cellar, a charming courtyard, and a sparkling swimming pool, all in the picture-perfect village. www.hotelduvin.co.za | 021 300 6761

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Supplied

Experience 19th Century Farm Life at Soetmelksvlei

Babylonstoren recently introduced Soetmelksvlei, an agricultural museum just a short shuttle ride from the estate. This carefully curated experience immerses visitors in the rural life of the late nineteenth century, offering a glimpse into the self-sufficiency and artisanal craftsmanship that defined this era.

Soetmelksvlei is not just a museum; it’s an engrossing experience that transports visitors into a world where life moved at a slower, more deliberate pace. Meticulously crafted by a team of master builders and historians, the exhibits offer a rare opportunity to experience the daily rhythms and craftsmanship of the 1800s, in a time before electricity, where the sounds of nature and the crackling of a wood-fired stove were part of everyday life.

At the heart of Soetmelksvlei is the meticulously restored farmhouse, showcasing the simple yet refined home life of the era. Visitors can sit at the kitchen table, enjoy a cup of freshly brewed ‘moerkoffie’ and sample still-warm bread with home-churned butter. The kitchen, featuring period-appropriate utensils and methods, provides a direct link to a time when food was closely connected to the land and the hands that cultivated it. Outside, the kitchen garden thrives with heritage fruit and vegetable varieties, tended by gardeners eager to share their knowledge.

The Gardener’s Cottage, with its display of dried medicinal herbs, offers insight into the natural remedies that sustained families long before modern medicine.

The Old Cellar, a space combining an exhibition, playhouse and reading room, invites visitors to experience a ‘wonder room’. Emphasising hands-on learning, guests can observe and even participate in traditional crafts. The Old Stables Restaurant offers wholesome refreshments with a view of the outdoor children’s play area, while the Jonkershuis Farm Shop presents a collection of old-world keepsakes. From hand-knitted blankets to finely crafted cast-iron pans and braai tools made by the farm’s blacksmith, each item reflects the durability and skill of the era.

Daily activities at Soetmelksvlei, including cow milking, cream separation, butter churning and wheat milling, take place at scheduled times throughout the day, offering guests a chance to engage with these traditional. A range of workshops is available for those interested in learning more, from culinary sessions in the Meat Room or Creamery to crafting workshops with

blacksmiths, carpenters and leather crafters. The art of distillation is also explored, with guests able to learn how to make their own mampoer. Animals are integral to Soetmelksvlei. The gabled fowl house shelters chickens, ducks and doves, while the kraal area is home to cows, horses, sheep and the farm’s cherished miniature donkeys, Faf and Tjokkie. Visitors are encouraged to observe and participate in the feeding and care of these animals, fostering a deeper connection to the rhythms of farm life. Museologist Elsa Vogts, who led the curation of this multi-sensory experience, is passionate about the self-reliance that characterised farm life in 1897. “It was a self-contained ecosystem where everything was handmade and repaired on site, with a surprising level of sophistication,” she explains. Among her favourite features is the water mill, carefully constructed from scratch to function exactly as it would have over a century ago. Adele Johnson, Head of Soetmelksvlei, shares in the enthusiasm to present this project to visitors. “After years of hard work and preparation, it’s rewarding to share the knowledge we’ve gained with people who value handwork and craftsmanship,” she says. Her only concern is that guests might not realise how much there is to see and explore.

Soetmelksvlei is open Thursday to Sunday in winter from 09h00 to 16h00, and daily in summer from 09h00 to 18h00. A shuttle departs from Babylonstoren every 30 minutes with returns scheduled hourly until 16h00.

The experience costs R300 per adult, which includes an annual Babylonstoren membership valued at R100. For adults with a valid Babylonstoren membership, the cost is R200, and for children aged 4–17, it is R100. Children aged 3 and younger enter for free, provided they sit on an adult’s lap during the shuttle ride. Tickets can be booked online at https://babylonstoren.com/ or by contacting enquiries@babylonstoren.com. For more information, you can reach out to Marisa Beyers at +27 (0)21 863 3852 or +27 (0)84 248 4484, or email media@babylonstoren.com.

Text: Leila Shirley | Image: Babylonstoren

Louise Johannes in the Soetmelksvlei kitchen.

Theo Lõtter CEO of the Franschhoek Classic Car Festival with two of the iconic models that will be on display at the FCCF on 5&6 October – a 1968 Ford Mustang and 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint.

The Hotel du Vin – Franschhoek team celebrate their recent award.

Help Safeguard St George’s

The historic St George’s Church in Groot Drakenstein – designed by famed architect Sir Herbert Baker – needs some care and attention. The parish is appealing to the public – whether connected to the church in some way, or not – to help preserve this precious landmark.

St George’s Fr Wilfred Meyer says “St George’s carries with it a rich history dating back to 1905 and it stands as a reminder of the persistence and resilience of our faithful.  Our lovely quaint church building is home to a diverse community that has worshipped and worked here continuously for well over 100 years.”

“St George’s guards the remains of many who worshipped here over the years. The cemetery and inside of the church boasts many memorial plaques dating back to the early 1900s,” Fr Wilfred continues. The parish is busy restoring a beautiful stained glass window that was badly damaged by burglars. At a cost of tens of thousands of Rand, it is severely straining the church’s limited resources. Ideally, the precious windows must be protected by wrought iron screens, but this is out of reach for

the small congregation.

The past two harsh winters have also left their impact on the thatched roof of the church, which now requires urgent maintenance.

“Together with the parishioners, the people of Franschhoek have the responsibility to preserve this local heritage for the generations to come. It is my prayer and the prayers of our people that the public will be inspired and encouraged to assist the congregation of St George’s so that we can together protect our heritage and not see it as a problem or a burden”, concludes Fr Wilfred.

The parish appeals to the goodwill of the public and relatives of those who have been associated with the church to see that the little whitewashed church between the mountains and the

Women’s Watch

On Thursday, 8 August, in anticipation of Women’s Day, an all-female team of law enforcement and traffic services officers from Stellenbosch Municipality conducted a vehicle checkpoint and foot patrols in Franschhoek. By

vineyards retains the central role it has played in its community for at least another 100 years.

Anyone wishing to assist is welcome to contact the rector, Fr Wilfred Meyer at 084 407 1280.

Text & Image: Editorial Desk

St George’s Church is appealing for assistance in maintaining their historic church building.

Leopard’s Leap Wines Family Collection Heritage Blend 2022

A vibrant colour with delicious oak-derived vanilla and spice complementing the dark fruit on the nose. The palate is refined and elegant, with prominent mulberry and mixed spice flavours supported by well-defined tannins. Best enjoyed with a hearty stew or your favourite from the braai. Cellar door price: R125 T 021 876 8002 E info@leopardsleap.co.za

Leopard’s Leap Rotisserie’s Slow Cooked Leg of Lamb Gozleme served with Muhammara

Ingredients (Lamb)

2.25 kg Leg of lamb; 2 Tbsp Olive oil; 2 Garlic bulbs, unpeeled, halved; 3 Onions, cleaned & quartered; 3 Rosemary sprigs; 2 cups Beef stock; 1 Tbsp Sea salt; 2 tsp Black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 170 celcius. Place lamb on top of garlic bulbs, onions and rosemary in a roasting tray. Season. Drizzle lamb with oil, pour over stock and cover with foil. Roast for 6 hours. Remove foil and roast for another 45 minutes until well browned. Remove from oven and rest for 25 min. Pull lamb off the bone with fork.

Ingredients (Gozleme dough)

x 24cm in size. Place the slow cooked lamb in the centre, spread it out to cover about 12cm of the centre. Fold sides over to cover the lamb with dough. Repeat for all the gozlemes. Cook over medium heat coals, like a braaibroodjie. Serve with muhammara, pitted green olives and fresh lemon wedges.

Ingredients (Muhammara)

FROM THE FRANSCHHOEK

WINE VALLEY DESK

As spring dawns in our enchanting valley, the transition from fallen leaves to fresh blooms unveils a season of vibrant renewal and exquisite experiences.The extended sunshine hours of spring allow for more than just shared toasts though - so while exploring the valley during this season of renewal, be sure to visit one of our favourite foodie hot-spots - Fromages de France, loved by all as Franschhoek’s premier cheese and wine shop perfectly positioned amidst the Main Road shopping buzz. And no visit to Franschhoek would be complete without a stop at Huguenot Fine Chocolates, where master chocolatiers craft exquisite confections that are as beautiful as they are delicious.Their enticing 'chocolate experience' is a multisensory demo you can also add to your winelands weekend itinerary planning - a great way to learn more about the evolution of cocoa bean to cherished treat.

And as we get closer to month-end, we get ready to celebrate our rich heritage on September 24th. Embrace our cultural roots by gathering around lit fires and savouring the finest Franschhoek wines you can get your hands on - and for those searching for festivities within the valley, there is no shortage of epicurean experiences and themed menus hero-ing our most loved local flavours and specials to further entice you.

GOOD NEWS STORY

Franschhoek Wine Tram Wins TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award 2024

Reviews from millions of Tripadvisor travellers placed the Franschhoek Wine Tram among the top 10% of things to do worldwide. This accolade celebrates their commitment to exceptional experiences and your incredible feedback. Let's raise a glass to more unforgettable memories aboard the Wine Tram!

WHERE WE’VE BEEN

We are thrilled to report that Franschhoek Celebrates Bastille 2024 was a resounding success, despite the challenges faced. This achievement wouldn't have been possible without our incredible events team, whose dedication made the celebration a reality. We extended our support to the Franschhoek community by employing 69 additional locals over two weeks and further contributed through paid activations, benefiting Franschhoek High School with venue hire fees, parking, and food stall revenue, while also supporting the Sinothando Choir and the Papier Family, aiding the newly funded Uncorked Franschhoek Music Academy. The event saw a strong turnout, with over 11,000 visitors over the postponed weekend, benefiting local businesses, accommodation, and restaurants. Even with the stormy setbacks, the event was an overwhelming success!

NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

8 Red peppers; 3 Tbsp  Olive oil; 70 g Walnuts; 2 Red chillies, deseeded and chopped; 0.5 tsp Cumin seeds, toasted; 50 g Breadcrumbs; 3 Tbsp  Pomegranate molasses; 1 Garlic cloves, crushed; Sea salt                                      Method

4.5 cups White bread flour; 2 tsp salt;1 cup Double thick plain yoghurt; 1 cup water

Method

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and stir in yoghurt and water. Mix until well combined. Flour work surface and knead dough for 3 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover with damp kitchen towel and rest for 20 minutes. Divide dough into 8 equal portions and roll out to about 30cm

the featured beverage!

Send

Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Roast peppers until the skin is blackened.Remove from oven,transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow peppers to sweat for 15 minutes, then remove the skin. Place cleaned peppers and rest of the ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth. Season to taste.

T 021 876 8002

E reception@leopardsleap.co.za

ANSWER THIS EASY QUESTION!

WhenisFCCF2024takingplace?

MUSE Gallery

The Gallery is a vibrant new space nestled in the picturesque Franschhoek Valley, conveniently accessible from the R45 as you enter the village. The gallery is run by a dedicated team of artists, curators, and passionate art enthusiasts, all united by a shared mission: to showcase the rich diversity of South African art. Here, the works of both emerging and established living artists are displayed, creating a space where art inspires and evokes emotions.

Booking site admin (listings, updates, bookings) | Guest liaison from booking stage to check-out | Cleaning & laundry service | Check-in & check-out of guests | Utilities contact | Garden & pool maintenance | Maintenance arrangements & supervision

enthusiasts and patrons are invited to partake in the annual Franschhoek Creates calendar highlight. The showcase is designed to honour the arts and the abundance of creativity flowing through the valley. From curated gallery exhibitions, to interactive showcases and the usual gourmand offerings of the Franschhoek valley, guests are invited to craft their own ideal itinerary, interspersed with a wine tasting, or leisurely wine farm lunch.

Keep an eye out for details: www.franschhoek.org.za

Franschhoek Open Gardens 15 - 17 November 2024

The Franschhoek Open Gardens festival, a delightful showcase of diverse and enchanting gardens, is the perfect excuse to book a Franschhoek weekend getaway! Join us on the 15,16 and 17th November 2024, from 10 am to 5 pm each day, to immerse yourself in the beauty of these remarkable landscapes.

Find out more: www.franschhoekopengardens.co.za

As always, there's much cause for celebration and we can't wait to welcome you!

Thoughts From My Kitchen

Chantal Lascaris

The Great Braai Debate: Gas Guys versus Coal Kings

In the ‘braai world’ there are two types of men : the Gas Guys and the Coal Kings. Both are fiercely loyal to their braaiing method and both are convinced they’ve unlocked the secret to perfect outdoor cooking. But which one is truly the master of the braai?

The Gas Guy: The Convenience King

The Gas Guy is all about convenience. He’s the type who believes that technology exists to make his life easier, and his braai is no exception. His gas braai is shiny, high-tech and can probably be controlled by an app on his phone. He boasts about its instant ignition, consistent heat, and ability to be ready for action at the push of a button. “Why mess with charcoal when you can have a steak on your plate in 10 minutes?” he’ll ask, flipping a choppie with one hand while sipping a craft beer with the other.

Cellar Chat

Once, while staying with friends in England for a few days, I was mildly surprised to learn that my host was a teetotaller and had been since birth. At sundowner time, out came the fruit juices. After the third breakfast, when I had learned my way around the kitchen enough to make a cup of tea, my searches uncovered a small wine rack with about fifteen bottles under a counter. Of course, I could not stop myself from having a look at the labels. Wow! There were two or three really good Chateau wines from Bordeaux together with some nice examples from Burgundy; in all a really praiseworthy collection. Teetotaller indeed! That evening I mentioned my find. “Ah yes”, she said, “These wines are an accumulation of gifts from people invited to dinner and have never been touched”.  Being the most perfect host she smiled and said, “Help yourself, if you like”. Sometimes things go from zero to hero!

Now that winter has set in, it points towards steaming stews and hearty red wines. However, by accidentally reading that the UK had experienced the hottest May since records began, I came across what could be called ‘picnic’ wines. It is surely a hard task to select a bottle that goes well with

The Coal King: The Purist

The Coal King is a traditionalist, a man who believes that true braaiing requires fire, patience and the primal satisfaction of watching a flame slowly turn raw meat into a work of art. He’ll tell you that the only way to achieve that smoky flavour is by painstakingly arranging coals, fanning the flames and waiting for the perfect moment to sear the boerie.

For the Coal King, the braai is not just a cooking tool; it’s a rite of passage. He’s convinced that real men don’t need a thermometer – they can tell the braai’s temperature by feel alone. He takes pride in his blackened hands and the fact that his clothes smell like a veldfire.

The Waiting Game: Gas vs Coals

Here’s where you see the real difference between Gas Guys and Coal Kings: the waiting time. If you’re

sandwiches and sticky buns. Let’s face it; nothing could be more satisfying than relaxing in the shade of a big tree amidst stunning countryside with a bottle of country wine and picnic fare. But what are ‘country wines’? To me, it has always been wines made by country folk for country folk and in limited production. This is never any of the expensive stuff but good solid stuff that goes well with simple foods. A crisp dry Rosé will go far with salmon. For soft cheeses try a dry Riesling. The everpresent Sauvignon Blanc is good wherever sharp seasoning and a certain amount of acidity are present in the food. It is one of the few wines that pairs well with a salad. Pinot Gris can go well with cold cuts of venison and Pinot Noir, being a lighter style of red wine, even pares well with fish and chicken. The ever-ubiquitous Cabernet Sauvignon is versatile to the extreme and can be enjoyed with cold roasts, cheeses and even with well-seasoned foods. At the end of the day a picnic should offer a relaxed environment where one can adapt to the great outdoors in informal mode. Similarly, the wine should provide adaptability from spicy foods to bland and boring. There are only a few months left before another summer and another picnic season. Choose your outdoor summer wines well!

***

PS: This will be my last contribution to the Tatler. I do hope that you have enjoyed this column as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I am going on a journey so I’m off to have one for the road.

Cheers! Mark Tanner.

invited to a coal braai and told to come around

13h00, don’t skip breakfast, you’ll arrive hungry and hopeful, only to find the charcoal still in the bag. By 16h00 you’re seriously considering ordering pizza as a back-up plan.

However, if you’re eating at a Gas Guy, it’s best to arrive on time. He’ll have the braai fired up so fast you’ll barely have time to finish your first beer before the boerie is sizzling. He’ll have you eating within the hour, like some kind of braai superhero.

The Women: The Unsung Heroes

While these men are busy debating the finer points of gas versus coal, let’s give a thought to the real masterminds of the braai: the women. They’re the ones who’ve been up early, chopping veggies, assembling salads and whipping up desserts that make you think about skipping the main course altogether.

And what are the men doing? They’re outside, with a beer in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other, acting like they’re the stars of a cooking show. The women watch from the kitchen, slightly amused, as the men stand around the braai, poking at the meat like it’s a science experiment.

The Verdict?

In the end, whether you’re a Gas Guy or a Coal

King, what’s important is that you’re out there, grilling your heart out, and arguing with your mates about who’s doing it better. But let’s be honest: The real winner of the braai is anyone who gets to eat the food!

Mark Tanner

Tatler Motoring

Prius Proves Plug-In Plusses On Road To Paris

2,000 km around France in a plug-in Toyota Prius

The automotive landscape is changing faster than I can type this story out. Electric Vehicles were supposed to be the future. But nobody took market sentiment into account. So, despite the billions spent to bring EVs out of the cupboard, people just don’t want them after all. So it’s back to the drawing board.

Designed as a stopgap, plug-in hybrid sales however surge as EVs falter. Over a million plugin hybrids s sold in the first quarter of 2024 versus 600K last year. See the trend? Used correctly, a plug-in does the same job as an EV in the urban realm. But come the weekend, or holiday, you’re not limited. The petrol engine simply takes over and you just drive on.

But surely that road is littered with obstacles?

So we set out to learn exactly what it’s like to drive a plug-in hybrid in the first world. Toyota Hybrids are nothing new. 5 million pioneer Prius have cut carbon emissions by 82 million tonnes since ’97. But the venerable Prius had reached a turning point, so Toyota completely reinvented it to keep it relevant for another 25 years.

Our steed for our ten-day 2,000 km lap of France, the new Toyota Prius is only available as a plug-in hybrid. It pairs a 106 kW 2-litre four-cylinder petrol lump with a 115 kW e-motor to drive the front axle

via a CVT transmission. Its 160 kW is a very handy 75 kW up and Toyota promises captivating driver performance, claims 6.6 seconds to 100 km/h, and that you can travel up to 90 km on the battery only. So let’s see…

New Prius also matches the old 1.8-litre on fuel efficiency, but its improved energy density 13.6 kWh battery boosts range by 50% to be among the best of any PHEV. New Prius also has a solar roof to help charge the battery while the car is parked to add 1250 km of EV driving a year. The solar also powers the climate control and other systems.

Our Tour of France taught us as much about Prius, plug-in motoring and even the EV first world, as it did about France. But let’s worry about the car. It looks the part. That hammerhead front light bar had us using google translate a few times as onlookers gawked. Its creased wedge shape, rearward roof peak and smart face polished 19-inch wheels contribute to that coupé stance.

Shorter, wider and lower than before, on a 2-inch longer wheelbase and now with a lower floor too, the stiffer, quieter, and more stable TNGA platform enhances cabin space and improves dynamics via a lower centre of gravity. That certainly comes through on the road. Rapid enough to feel sporty, Prius is however a little let down by a subtly wooden steering feel and a rather dull engine sound.

Our route was by no means kind to plug-in motoring, however. Prius loves B-roads and a little stop and go traffic to return below 4 litres per 100 km. But it’s not that happy on the freeway. So we drove more country roads where we could and were rewarded with great fuel consumption to match the magic views en route. Comfortable and easy on the road, Prius proved a pleasure to travel in.

Still, a plug-in hybrid is a bit of a fish out of water on the longer road and we soon learned a few crucial lessons how to drive it best. The first was not to bother charging it. See, while 130-plus kilowatthour EV charging is all the rage in Europe, this car only has a standard plug and that limits it to a slower 40 kW-hour or less charge on a separate, older charging station at the end of, or away from the fast charger rows.

At one stop, a fellow plugged his almost flat Tesla into a fast charger alongside and added 80% charge to it in the time it took Prius to add 30% to a far smaller battery. Note to Toyota – allow your plugins to fast charge! We soon figured that it was best to let the car to regen-charge itself to about 60%,

BORGWARD ISABELLA COMBI

There is a charisma about Borgward that belies its short but interesting history. Based in Bremen, Germany, the company was founded by Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Borgward (18901963) and the name was first applied to a car

DISPLAY CHANGES

During August, some display changes took place at FMM. The most significant of these is the celebration of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta –‘la fidanzata d’Italia’ (‘Italy’s sweetheart’) – which turns 70 this year. The Sprint version, designed by Franco Scaglione at Bertone, was launched first and was soon joined by several other versions: the sedan; the Spider, which was designed by Pinin Farina with the US market in mind and, as with the Sprint, also available in a Veloce version; the Sprint Speciale, also by Bertone; and the Giulietta SZ by Zagato. There was also a station wagon version, named Promiscua. From 1954 to 1965, a total of 177 690 Giuliettas were produced in all its variations, testifying to a success and appeal

in 1939. But the model that made Borgward famous was the Isabella, which appeared in 1954. In standard and Deluxe specification, the Isabella had a four-cylinder, in-line, 1 493 cc overheadvalve mated with a four-speed all-synchromesh gearbox.

The monocoque, stylish, two-door Isabella was well received and 11 150 were sold in its first year, despite being more expensive than equivalent models from Ford and Opel, and suffering some teething problems. A spacious, airy, comfortable cabin, performance and braking were acknowledged plus points.

In May 1955 a station wagon version was

that shows no signs of diminishing over time.

FMM’s 1958 Sprint Veloce, 1960 Ti Sedan and 1961 Spider Giuliettas will make an appearance later in the year towards the anniversary date, and leading up to that time the museum’s 1947 6C 2500 SS Freccia d’Oro, 1965 2600 Berlina, 1969 1750 GTV, 1969 Spider and 1972 Montreal will be on display in Hall D. Local Alfa enthusiasts will also be bringing vehicles to the museum later in the year in what will be a fantastic celebration of an iconic car.

A Local Geological Journey with Nick Norman

While you may know something of the geological forms seen in the Franschhoek Valley, it is no simple task to piece together these features into a story of the valley’s geological history. Local geologist and published author, Nick Norman, speaks and writes accessibly about the otherwise remote world of rocks. Born in Kwa-Zulu Natal where he completed his M.Sc in Geology, Nick has explored far and wide in search of the stories embedded in rocks. After exploring South American and Southern African geological features, Nick settled in Franschhoek in 1981 where he has since continued to write and explore the world of rocks.

which takes over an hour on the freeway. Then simply select Hybrid mode to maintain the charge and drive as a regular hybrid. Hybrid mode even works as an EV in the city, so all those advantages are retained.

Nick tells the fascinating story of how the Franschhoek Valley has taken on its present form after hundreds of millions of years and is still changing. You may know that the Franschhoek Mountains are formed from sandstone, a kind of sedimentary rock, and form part of the Cape Fold Mountains. Nick emphasises that these mountains, despite forming part of the Cape Fold Mountains, do not owe their current form to the process of folding (the convergence of plate tectonics that heaves vast quantities of the Earth’s material upward, forming mountains). Rather, our Franschhoek Mountains and valley were formed from an extremely slow process of erosion, mainly by water.

The car however defaults to EV mode every time you start it. Which can catch you with your pants down and a depleted battery when you’re not paying full attention! I’d prefer if it defaulted to Hybrid mode. And then let me choose when I want it to be an EV. Still, we managed well over 500 km every time on the 35-litre tank. And we had the advantage of EV mode when we needed it, to cruise all around town and drive deep into limited city centres where gas cars have long been banned. New Prius’ quality, comfy cockpit has a 7-inch digital display sitting above the steering wheel in your line of sight for least distraction. Infotainment is nicked from the Corolla. Packed with every conceivable driver assistance system, it becomes a bit overbearing. And complex to switch off. And while it was easy to switch the car language from French to English, the navigation voice still only spoke French!

In accounting for this, Nick takes us back to almost 600 million years ago. He explains that a sedimentation process was underway at this time, followed by folding. Igneous intrusions were being formed (molten rock which pushes its way up from the Earth’s mantle and into sedimentary rock formations). These would form Paarl Rock and the granite rock formations on Montpellier farm (near Bridge House School), exposed to the surface by erosion. The deposition of the sediments would form an impressive basin extending from Clanwilliam to Port Elizabeth and beyond (now removed by Continental Drift).

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed a stunning voyage around France with our Prius. We came home far bigger fans of plug-in motoring. Look, there’s huge room to improve. First off, Prius should be compatible with fast chargers. And I’d prefer it retained the mode I left it in when restarting. But as a green motoring solution, our journey more than anything proved why the world is turning en masse to the plug-in hybrid.

Sure, it’s only half an EV. But then the petrol other half is what people find so reassuring. It’s

The folding that would ensue once more, explains Nick, would heave material up to an almost Himalayan scale! This time the erosion of these gigantic mountains would supply sediments extending across the entire Karoo Basin. Millennia of erosive action would give way to a gently undulating plain. At this stage, the supercontinent, Gondwana, would start to break up due to stirrings

there when you need it, or when want it. And it’s probably the future. Now to watch it develop!

*The Toyota Prius is not presently sold in SA, but the same drivetrain is available in the RAV4 and certain Lexus models, with more to follow. Why EVs Work in the First World

Our journey also underscored why it’s so much easier to live with an EV in first world Europe, than it is in SA. France and most of Europe’s EV infrastructure has rapidly evolved into a sophisticated, advanced and capable network, versus a quite pathetic lack of EV infrastructure in SA. Every petrol stations is fully compatible with EVs. There are ample charging stations on every forecourt to ensure a quick, full charge and get you back on the road in the time it takes for a coffee or comfort break. Each 130 kW or faster charging station has three cables to fit whatever car’s port. There are downsides. You must reverse into the EV charging bay. And a surprising number of EV stations are out in the open and the elements, while every petrol pump is under cover. The stations are however simple to use. Just swipe the card, plug in and off you charge. European cities are also EV ready. Paris has entire city block rows of EV charger parking bays where cars of all shapes and sizes sit to sip their juice. Compared to South Africa, EV life is next level in Europe. Yet EVs still struggle. But the infrastructure is now all in place, so if you want the EV life, it’s fully justified in the first world. Unlike in SA. Where nobody cares a damn about a real EV driving solution, And in a village that does not seem to understand that EVs even exist! Follow Michele Lupini’s motoring adventures on https://theauto.page

Nick Norman with the Wemmershoek Mountains in the background.

SEPTEMBER NEWS

introduced, called Combi. Because it was a general purpose load carrier, the Combi was fitted with heavy duty springs, and only one –basic – spec level was available. Advertised as being ‘2 Cars in One’, in private transport mode the Combi could easily accommodate five adults and their luggage while in commercial guise, with the rear seat folded flat it had a loading capacity of 454 kg and 1,9 m3 of load space. An unusual feature at the time was the side-hinged tailgate that is naturally set for left-hand drive markets.

ENTRANCE FEE INCREASE

in the Earth’s mantle. This movement would shape the landscape anew - new continents, mountains, oceans, coastlines, and rivers. This landscape dictated how the water would flow inland, capturing previous headwaters, and finding its way toward the oceans. In so doing, these active young rivers would carve out new valleys. And this is how the Franschhoek Valley and surrounding mountains came into being. Traces of this history can be identified in the valley. For example, river stones may be observed near Wemmershoek Primary School, which testify to the fact that the Berg River had meandered from one side of the valley to the other, carving out the valley as it went. The geological foundations described have also set the scene for the ecological systems surrounding us. From the sandy nutrient-poor soil, derived from the extremely hard quartzitic sandstone, the world’s most bio-diverse flora has sprung forth: fynbos. Indeed, the harsh conditions have required our indigenous plant life to be resourceful, adaptive, and evolutionarily creative. It follows that the fauna have also had to acclimatise to this harsh terrain. And yet, the valley’s ecology has provided enough organic matter, mixing with the eroded sedimentary rock and granite, to form soil that is fertile enough to produce some of the world’s finest wines and natural produce. And so we find ourselves entwined in the ongoing geological and ecological story of the land in our valley. If this story piqued your interest, Nick’s books can be purchased or ordered from your local book vendor. His publications include Going to Ground, Box of Rocks, Geology Off the Beaten Track, The Extraordinary World of Diamonds, and Geological Journeys. For more information about Nick, you can visit his website: https://www.nicknormanbook.com/.

Having kept admission prices unchanged for the last eight years, FMM has announced that entrance fees will increase on 1 September 2024. The new prices are Adults: R90, Pensioners and motor club members: R70, and Children (ages 3-12): R50.

The car’s logos refer to Catherina da Braganza Tee. Catherina was born in 1638, the second surviving daughter of a Portuguese nobleman John, 8th Duke of Braganza, who later became his country’s King. Catherina went on to marry Britain’s King Charles II and became Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland. Catherina is credited with popularising, if not, in fact, introducing, the British to drinking tea, so leaving a lasting legacy when she passed away in 1705. Back in the early-’50s, Anton Rupert recognised that “women were increasingly found in the front line where things are being done”. He established the Eerste Nasionale Tee en Koffiefabrieke (First National Tea and Coffee Factory Limited), and its first products were Braganza tea and Frisco coffee. The company had an all-women management team and board. FMM’s original condition Combi was most likely a rep’s car.

Text: Leila Shirley | Image: Nick Norman

Isabella Combi are on show.

VISITING FMM

FMM’s opening time are Monday to Friday 10h00 to 17h00 (last admittance 16h00), Saturday and Sunday 10h00 to 16h00 (last admittance 15h00). Visiting the museum is by appointment only and via online booking. Entry fees: R90 adults, R70 pensioners and motor club members (with membership ID), R50 children (ages 3-12). Only electronic payments are accepted. The famed FMM Pitstop Deli is open throughout the visiting hours. For booking tickets and any other information as well as signing on for a free monthly newsletter, logon to www.fmm. co.za or phone 021 874 9000 or e-mail fmm@fmm.co.za

In Hall B, to mark the respective anniversaries of Fiat and the Borgward Isabella, FMM’s Fiat 500 and

Gardening in May

NATIE FERREIRA

I’ve often mused in the past on how May is one of the most unpredictable months of the year. Every farmer in the winter rainfall area will tell stories of the years they waited for the rain to sow their crops, with the end of May being the ultimate deadline. In dry years the joke is that farmers plant on the 50th of May. This year things seem different. We were blessed with abundant early rains, and winter quickly pushed a short autumn out of the way.

My soil is too waterlogged to work already – a pity because I had big plans to prepare new sections for vegetable planting in spring. I will have to go no-till this season and will experiment with sowing a green manure crop in narrow drills in the soil. Adding some radish and other root crops should loosen the soil enough to make up for the lack of deep cultivation. This green manure sowing must be done before the end of the month to ensure enough biomass to dig into the soil in spring. Finding a decent green manure seed mix in small quantities might be difficult and expensive for the home gardener. I’ve successfully used a mix of my expired vegetable and flower seeds combined with a garden bird seed blend from the pet food section. This gives a good variety of grains and green material. Adding some peas to the mix will trap nitrogen in the soil for the next season. You will have to utilize the sunny days between the cold fronts to their best, because May is a busy gardening month, with the rewards only coming much later in the season. Your autumn pruning should be well on its way by now, with only the late flowering shrubs such as Solanum, Tecomaria, Leonotis, Lavender, Plumbago and Hibiscus that still needs to be pruned. Tree surgery to deciduous trees also needs to be done sooner rather than later. Pay attention to overgrown evergreen trees and shrubs by cutting away some of the lower branches and opening the canopy to let in more sunlight. Perennials such as Canna’s, Michaelmas daisies, Japanese anenomes, Salvia and Gaura should all be cut back hard this month. Fertilise and mulch afterwards. Lift Dahlia bulbs if you have clay soil; in well-drained soil most bulbs and tubers can be left in the ground over winter. Fertilise all winter flowering shrubs with a balanced fertilizer.

Is it really springtime? The debate on when spring starts will continue. Astronomically it starts on the 23rd of September with the meteorologist telling us that it is the 1st. If we follow the sun, the Celtic calendar that places the start of spring on the 1st of August makes more sense, with the solstice as midwinter night. This has certainly been my experience in our Mediterranean climate, with the appearance of the wildflowers on the West Coast often coinciding with that date. Whatever your belief or experience, by the end of this month there will be no argument; we are solidly in gardening season. This past winter has been brutal to many and we look forward to a great season for gardeners and farmers alike. With the lingering winter weather and amount of rain we’ve had, let’s first run through the tasks that should have been done by now in a normal year. You might have to get these out of the way first. Your roses, deciduous fruit and grape vines should have been pruned already. If you haven’t done so yet, a lighter prune with a focus on renewal and light penetration will be better than a hard prune. You will have to keep your hands on those plants through the season and do regular deadheading and thinning. I like to scarify my lawn early in the season – I’ll rather skip that task for next season than leave it too late. Your lawn will love an application of calcitic lime, though, and it is especially important this season with the waterlogged conditions acidifying the soil. Your entire garden will appreciate a feed with a higher nitrogen content. Chicken manure-based pellets are a great and cost-effective choice that won’t damage the microbial life in your soil. Mulching can continue throughout the season, but it would have been good to have a thick blanket of well composted material on all garden beds by now. My cover crop attempts were dismal this winter, but I have kept up with my compost making and look forward to bringing this magic to my food garden as soon as the beds dry out a bit. Those that have a successful green manure crop growing must cut that down as soon as they can to let it wilt for a few weeks before working it into the top layers of the soil. Storm damaged trees and shrubs must be dealt with before the south-easter hits. Get a professional in if you need help with this. As soon as new growth on your deciduous plants starts, you must begin your preventative spraying programme against disease; I expect this season to be challenging. Use products that have minimal impact on the environment and focus on general plant health. Foliar spraying with your own compost tea and herbal preparations is a great alternative and worthwhile to experiment with, especially in the food garden.

The food garden is where you should focus most of your

attention. Your fruit trees should all have been pruned by now. Cuttings can be made from figs and berries before they sprout. The strawberries will be looking promising, put down some mulch under the ripening fruit. It is not only the gardener that has a sweet tooth, and we lose a big share of fruit to millipedes and other soil-borne critters. I did some very early sowings of tomato, chilli, eggplant, green beans and squash under cover –not sure how many days I will win in the end. But in September, almost all summer crops can be sown or transplanted. I am often tempted to stock up on nursery seedlings this time of the year – simply because they are so well advanced already. Beans, pumpkins, cucumbers, squashes, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, brown onions, beetroot, carrots, chard, and sweetcorn; all of them can be planted now. You can even attempt some late sowings of peas and broad beans.

I think it is the famine that the self-sufficient experience in Spring that motivates them to start growing. Without cover it is a difficult time to put food from the garden on the table this time of the year. Most food gardeners are eagerly awaiting the first peas or asparagus of spring after running out of ideas with cabbage, spinach and root veggies. There are plenty of high quality citrus fruit available on the local market and the eager can chef can well spend a rainy day stocking up on marmalade. Happy gardening.

Your lawnmower can be set slightly lower. This will allow more sunlight to the lower swards of grass and help against diseases. Lawns should be fed with a high potash feed to ensure good root growth through winter. Applying agricultural lime at a rate of 50g per square meter helps keep winter weeds at bay and will help ensure a lush spring lawn.

Rainfall Figures

Measured at La Cotte/Nerina

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The nurseries are stocked with all sorts of winter colour – sweet peas, delphinium, dianthus, foxgloves, Iceland poppies, larkspur, pansies, viola, primula, stocks and lobelia. Patient gardeners can still sow seeds of all of these. The last of the winter and early spring flowering bulbs such as Lachenalia and Watsonia must be planted before the middle of the month. May is probably the best month to establish new Fynbos gardens. Trees planted now will have a chance to establish a decent root system before the summer heat arrives.

In the vegetable garden beetroot, broad beans, cabbage, carrots, celery, Swiss chard, onions, peas and turnips can all be sown now. Winter is also the most successful time of the year to grow salad crops in the Cape; summer is often simply too hot. Sow cover crop on unused beds, even letting weeds grow is better that leaving the soil exposed. In our house cold and rainy autumn days are spent in the kitchen. Soups, broths, stews, and slow roasts are the order of the day. While these are slowly bubbling away on the stove, we will have an abundance of guavas to process into preserves and chutney. I will also be dreaming about next season, and the abundance that I hope for by this time next year. Last year’s lack of planning and timeous action left our pantry quite empty this winter.

Ansche’s People

ANSCHE GROBLER

Raffaella Goedvolk

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” - Lao Tzu. This proverb perfectly encapsulates the mission of Raffaella Goedvolk, a woman committed to educating and empowering those in need.

Raffaella, originally from Italy, began her career as an interpreter and translator. Her work evolved into journalism, marketing and business development in developing countries. In 1996, a business trip to Mozambique introduced her to her husband, Mark Goedvolk. The following year she moved to South Africa, initially settling in Johannesburg before relocating to Durban. Working for Boys Town was a real eye-opener for her. She assisted with fundraising and visited the boys’ residential centres to raise awareness about the organization. This sparked a fire in her to help underprivileged kids with education and life skills.

The Goedvolk family moved to the Middle East in 2008. Despite the challenges of raising three daughters and adapting to a new culture, they built a fulfilling life. After ten years, with their eldest daughter heading to university, the Goedvolks returned to South Africa, settling in Franschhoek.

Raffaella soon met Ron Whytock, founder of the Franschhoek Resource And Network Co-ordinating Organization (FRANCO). She joined the FRANCO board in 2019 and became Chairman in 2020.

“When one is used to travelling all over developing countries, you cannot keep your eyes closed for the need out there. Wherever you go you have to leave a legacy,” she says. And that is what she decided to do.

FRANCO’s mission is to empower the disadvantaged in the community through financial aid and by sharing and teaching life skills while fostering a sense of dignity. The organization supports school children, students, and

Sports Centre News

ATHI NDAMANE

A Morning of Inspiration

The Franschhoek Valley Community Sport Centre (FVCSC) hosted a very impactful Women’s Day event on 10 August 2024 to celebrate the women in our community who make a difference every day!

FVCSC invited these female pillars of strength to a morning where they’d be heard, seen and recognised. We had present ECD owners, small business owners, school principals, angels who run soup kitchens, and others who contribute unfailingly to our community.

The FVCSC male staff served and treated these ladies like queens! They were welcomed with coffee and a cupcake and ushered into a beautifully decorated centre where they were encouraged to relax, be comfortable and enjoy this day that was all about them.

Schinelle Boonzaaier was our MC and welcomed the ladies with a poem titled “Women of Strength”. Our keynote speaker, Dr Roselind H Thomas, shared an inspiring message about achieving success despite the hardships of growing up in a single-parent home. Alta Bester, a fabulous mentor for a WCED @HomeLearning programme in Paarl East, facilitated a wonderful (messy!) painting session. The session was designed for each woman to share their amazing life stories. It was followed by a vote for the most inspiring stories. Each winner received a beautiful glass trophy and a special sponsored gift.

unemployed families, helping them to rediscover their strengths and contribute positively to society.

“When kids start reasoning, you as a parent have that window of opportunity to teach them yes or no, right or wrong. And many kids in our valley don’t have that support.” FRANCO recently launched an initiative supporting children who used to beg on the streets, providing them with basic needs, from daily meals to personal hygiene and essential life skills such as mindfulness, yoga, music, karate and basic literacy.

Raffaella’s ability to manage her diverse responsibilities stems from compartmentalizing tasks and surrounding herself with supportive friends and family.

FRANCO appreciates any donations, particularly those small, regular contributions from the community that allow the organization to budget better and plan. To get involved, visit their website www.francosa.co.za, or contact Tzilka Watson at 060 374 0353 or via email at manager@francosa. co.za.

“Love has always been the constant behind my journey in life, and being passionate is at the core of everything I do” - Raffaella Goedvolk

another incredible woman who shared her story of overcoming abuse and dealing with being paralysed while pursuing a career in sport.

Another winner was Zikhona Ndzimela, a young mentor in the YearBeyond ECD Little Explorers programme here in Franschhoek. Her story focussed on how her happy family life fell apart in grade 9 year when her parents separated. This shook her so much that she tried multiple times to commit suicide. She has now pushed through that and is a mother who contributes to uplifting a whole community. With golden generosity, Zikhona decided to share her prize with a lady from the community whom she felt inspired her a lot – Amina du Toit, a special ECD owner.

The 3rd place winner was Nobantu Ndude who also had an incredibly inspiring life story!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the ladies who were present at the event and we want to encourage them to continue contributing and giving back to this beautiful valley. All of their small efforts make a big difference!

A special ‘Thank You’ to all our sponsors who made this event so special and meaningful and contributed prizes, goodies and refreshments.

In particular, we would like to thank Fleur du Soleil Luxury Guesthouse, Franschhoek PicknPay, Huguenot Fine Chocolates, Rickety Bridge Wine Estate and aQuelle S.A.

Some individuals played a huge role in making this event a success and we would like to mention them as well: Wendy Bowley, the family of Duke Coulbanis and Chanelle Schoeman.

Thank you Franschhoek Valley for helping us to celebrate the matriarchs of our community. What an honour!

Creating Safe Environments

On 1 June 2024 the Foundation for Sport, Development and Peace in a joint initiative with the Franschhoek Community Police Forum and the Groendal Library presented much needed Safeguarding and Anti-Bullying Training to children between ages 9-14 as it was Child Protection Week.

This training, offered under the leadership of Henrietta du Preez, gave children the platform to raise their concerns and voice their opinions about their safety in their school, sport and community environments. The Foundation for Sport, Development and Peace recruited 14 volunteers as youth ambassadors. The group were part of the leadership training on the day assisting with the completing of attendance registers and distribution of green ribbons to all in attendance as well as welcoming the guest speakers including Professor Marion Keim who is the UNESCO Chair for Sport, Development and Peace and Olympic Education, Lt Col Rossouw – the Franschhoek SAPS Commander, Cllr Minnie Petersen – Portfolio Councillor, Rural and Social Development Cape Winelands District Municipality, Sergeant Muriel Sitzer – Victim Empowerment Officer at Franschhoek SAPS and Gaillene Jonkers our local Groendal Library Assistant as well as Ms. Nomganga – a teacher at Dalubuhle who also drove the school’s learners to the venue.

Learners from the following schools attended this training: Wes-Eind Primary, Groendal Primary, Wemmershoek Primary, Ligstraal School of Skills, Dalubhule Primary, Groendal Secondary and Franschhoek High. The learners interacted and participated in lively discussions and also compiled an informative anti-bullying poster.

The Foundation for Sport, Development and Peace went a step further on 29 June 2024 to train sports coaches, sport managers, educators, music teachers and even participants holding PhDs in their respective fields. This safeguarding and antibullying training for adults was conducted as a follow up and aligned with the training conducted on 1 June 2024 for Child Protection Week.

Safeguarding and anti-bullying training is a much sought after topic within both the sport and school environments .The Foundation for Sport, Development and Peace partnered with the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport under Chief-Director Adv. Dr. Lyndon Bouah and a representative of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Mr. Dyllon Van Der Rheede (Sport Promotion Officer Major Events) gave insight on

FRANCO Focus

BRUCE ACKERMAN

Again To the Rescue!

Owing to July’s serious flooding caused by heavy, persistent rains, FRANCO was again at the forefront of coordinating local emergency relief measures with other local NGOs. We work closely with ward councillors to discover who needs immediate assistance. We immediately provided muchneeded blankets and warm clothing to those whose homes had washed away and distributed digital relief grocery vouchers to seniors and families. The estimable Ashley Bauer spearheaded our efforts. Among many other vital community responsibilities, he is the FRANCO emergencies portfolio leader.

A note of appreciation to all involved in the immediate relief operations of such emergencies is warranted; from our ward councillors to NGOs, private residents and businesses in town. The unity and generosity Franschhoekers show during such adversities is really commendable and we are pleased to note that the recently created NPO Community Response platform proved itself by effectively allocating responsibilities to the many

Top Geographer

Sibrina Montle, a young netball coach at the Centre, was our first winner. She battled cancer from a very young age until she was 10. With no childhood of her own, she has chosen to be a junior netball coach to give them the opportunity to play and to be guided with love. There was not a dry eye in the room as Sabrina shared her story. Sibrina chose to share her prize with Henrietta du Preez –

(iGeo)

this month. The 18th International Geography Olympiad will be held online and hosted by France from 12 to 18 July, under the auspices of the International Geographical

Olympiad Task Force. iGeo is an annual competition for the best 16 to 19 year-old Geography students from all over the world. Students chosen to represent their countries are the very best, chosen from thousands of students who participate enthusiastically in their own

Geography Olympiads. The aims of

Olympiad are

the importance of safeguarding in sport and in the recreational and sporting environments. All participants obtained Safeguarding Awareness Certification by the Western Province Sport Confederation after successfully completing the required test. Prof Marion Keim from the Foundation for Sport Development and Peace encouraged participants to adhere to the Olympic values of Excellence, Respect, Friendship, Fair Play, Joy of Effort and the Balance of Body, Will and Mind. She also encouraged them to give their best to upskill themselves on the safeguarding and antibullying topic. Participants had to achieve 80 % in order to pass and everyone succeeded.

Councillor Mini Petersen affirmed how important this safeguarding and anti-bullying programme is and that she is fighting for this programme and training to become mandatory within all educational and sporting institutions. The partnership between the Community Police Forum project team and The Foundation for Sport, Development and Peace has contributed not only to the development of the Franschhoek community but even had participants from Cape Town attending the workshops. With all the goals set achieved, both workshops were a huge success. Contact the Foundation for Development and Peace Project Manager Henrietta du Preez on +27 63 949 9150 if you are interested in the safeguarding and anti-bullying workshops.

Text & Image: Henrietta du Preez

participants. Thank you Franschhoek!

This emergency was akin to ‘back to the future’ for FRANCO, fulfilling founder Ron Whytock’s original 2005 main aim of assisting and uplifting those in need in the local community in adverse times. While never neglecting this vital role, our focus more recently has been on prioritizing selfhelp via providing educational financial aid, and bursaries to deserving, aspiring local students.

The many willing but currently unemployed people known to us are much in demand during crises. They are organized and paid by us to assist in rebuilding and remediation when called upon. This is at no cost to afflicted property owners and occupiers. They also were engaged in filling (for immediate distribution) much-needed sandbags for flood protection, when unable to work outside due to weather conditions. Such occasions provide them with opportunities to exhibit their skills and diligence, resulting in many finding permanent employment subsequently.

We remain truly grateful to our donors, large and small, for providing us with the wherewithal to respond so expeditiously to local natural and man-made disasters, thereby helping those most in need. We would encourage those who might like to assist us further in our endeavours, to contact our manager, Tzilka Watson, at 060 374 0353 or by email on manager@francosa.co.za

Franschhoek Leeskring

HESTER STRŰMPFER

Franschhoek

Leeskring

SUSAN MÖLLER

The Franschhoek Reading Circle visited Grand Provence Art Gallery in July. We were entertained by René de Reuck of Art & About Franschhoek, with a guided tour of 10 vastly different works of art, mediums and expressions . We are discussing two books that have art as a central theme.

• stimulate active interest in geographical and environmental studies among young people; • contribute positively to debate about the importance of geography as a senior secondary school subject by drawing attention to the quality of geographical facilitate social contacts between young people from different countries and in doing so, contribute to the understanding between nations.

Professor John van Zyl will discuss Wuthering Heights on 5 September, at 14h30, at the Dutch Reformed Church hall. Please RSVP to the number below.

We plan to watch the movie at the Franschhoek Theatre later in September. Please join us! Contact Hester Strümpfer for details. 084 900 9060

By die volgende byeenkoms van die Franschhoek Leeskring, wat op 7 Julie plaasvind, bespreek Danie du Toit Francois Smith se “Die getuienis”. Die byeenkoms word gehou in die NG Kerksaal. Lede en besoekers geniet vooraf n koffie koffie/tee met verrigtinge wat om 15h00 begin. Navrae: 0729325393 Francois Smith se derde roman, “Die getuienis”, slaan ’n interessante nuwe rigting in, weg van sy twee vorige romans “Kamphoer” en “Die kleinste ramp denkbaar” waarmee hy reeds vir hom ’n beduidende plek in die Afrikaanse lettere oopgeskryf het.

COLLEEN DOUGLAS

“Die getuienis” vertel die verhaal van Retha en Gerbrand wat saam met hulle twee seuns by ’n Christelike bedieningsentrum êrens tussen Naboomspruit en Bela-Bela woon en werk. Retha behartig die sentrum se administrasie, spyseniering en kommunikasie op sosiale media; Gerhard bedien die Woord en lei seminare. Hulle beland per toeval daar nadat hulle lewe in Pretoria ineengestort het en hulle al hulle aardse besittings verloor het. Die woord “toeval” pas egter nie in hulle manier van dink en praat nie; wat hulle betref, is alles voorbeskik en deel van God (na wie hulle deurentyd verwys

Hospice News

Colleen Douglas

Franschhoek

Hospice Evolves

Franschhoek Hospice has seen many changes since it was established in 1986. The next few months will see some of the biggest changes in the organisation’s history. What will not change though is Franschhoek Hospice’s focus on improving the lives of its patients and the community. In one of the most visible changes, Hospice House will be sold. “We no longer find it necessary to maintain such a large building and will be looking for more suitable office space” explains Hospice CEO Colleen Douglas.

Sister Susan moves to

Drakenstein Paarl Hospice

The board, staff, and community of Franschhoek Hospice are saddened to announce that Sister Susan has moved to Drakenstein Paarl Hospice at the end of August. During more than 15 years of unwavering dedication, Sister Susan has touched countless lives with her compassion, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to the well-being of our patients and their families.

Sister Susan has been a beacon of hope and comfort for many during their most challenging times. Her presence at Franschhoek Hospice has been a source of strength and reassurance, not only for those in her care but also for her colleagues and the wider community. Her gentle spirit, tireless work ethic, and genuine kindness have left an indelible mark on all who have had the privilege of working with her.

The Board, Staff, and entire community of Franschhoek Hospice extend their deepest gratitude to Sister Susan for her exceptional service and the profound impact she has made over the

Farewell Tiana!

After many years of dedicated service to Franschhoek Hospice, the time has come to say a heartfelt goodbye to Tiana Leonard, who has announced her retirement. As a social auxiliary worker, Tiana has been a cornerstone of support, compassion, and care, touching countless lives and leaving an indelible mark on all who had the privilege to know her.

Tiana’s journey with Franschhoek Hospice began 16 years ago. Since then, she has been a tireless advocate for those in need, providing not only professional support but also a personal touch that made her work resonate deeply with patients and their families. Her empathy, patience, and unwavering commitment to the community made her an irreplaceable part of Franschhoek Hospice. The staff at Franschhoek Hospice will undoubtedly miss her presence, energy and infectious positivity. However, it is the community that will feel her absence the most. Tiana was more than just a social auxiliary worker; she was a friend, a confidante, and a source of strength for many during some of their most challenging times.

As Tiana embarks on this new chapter of her life,

These changes have been brought about by the difficulty in finding and recruiting suitable professional nursing staff. Hospice has been looking for a palliative care sister for 7 months. To deal with this challenge, without sacrificing standards of care, palliative care patients will be for the next few months managed by Drakenstein Paarl Hospice under the dedicated leadership of Sister Susan Swanepoel who will be joining that hospice. “We are extremely confident that our patients will continue to receive the compassionate and high-quality care they deserve,” says CEO Colleen Douglas, “and we are continuing our efforts to recruit professional staff.”

“Franschhoek Hospice will continue to operate as usual, and we will share further details with the community as they become available. We appreciate your understanding and continued support during this period of change,” concludes CEO Colleen Douglas.

we believe the Franschhoek Valley community joins together in wishing her health, happiness, and fulfilment in her retirement. While she may be stepping away from her professional role, the impact of her work and the warmth of her spirit will continue to be felt by all who were fortunate enough to know her.

The Hospice Board, staff and community thank you, Tiana, for your years of service, your kindness and your dedication. You will be dearly missed.

Defending Themselves

August was Women’s Month. In recognition of this, Sensei Chris Ensil arranged a free selfdefence class for women at the Franschhoek Health Club.

When the Tatler arrived, the attendees were practising to land a hard blow to an assailant’s temple. They had already covered striking a blow to the groin and some other techniques. During the final part of the two-hour class, they reviewed all the techniques they had learned – including headbutts – to ensure they had mastered them fully.

Sensei Chris, a former world champion and South Africa’s national karate coach, has taught free selfdefence classes all over the Cape for 30 years. “In an environment where general criminality and gender-based violence is commonplace it is enormously empowering for women to know that they can defend themselves from an attack,” he said.  His students strongly endorsed this view and suggested that self-defence classes should be offered to all school girls.

Sensei Chris was assisted by one of his local students, Jayne Wunder. Jayne is preparing to grade to a black belt in December and is a member of the SA national karate team that will be travelling to Estonia in October to take part in the KSI European Karate Championships.

Franschhoek Health Club made their studio available for the class at no cost.

Sensei Chris teaches karate classes at the Club on

Editor’s Letter

Siegfried Schäfer

Dear Readers

I’m writing this in mid-July while the rain is bucketing down outside. The entire village is holding its breath that this time around the river and stream beds are clear and that the water will stay in the channels. Rebuilding has started on the Dirkie Uys and Akademie St culverts, but I suspect much of what was achieved thus far was washed away again. Winter is not a good time to build in watercourses…

I’ve just finished reading a report on a new bridge over the Garonne River in Bordeaux, France. Unlike many large bridges that seem designed to attract attention, this one is deliberately low-key. Its most notable feature is that more than half of its 44m width doesn’t carry traffic and is devoted to a new public space that can be used for markets, festivals and the like.

Anyway, it all got me thinking about bridges again. Although they’re primarily functional structures many of them have reached iconic status, not only for the engineering prowess embodied in them but also for their aesthetic qualities. It is not unusual to hear that some ‘starchitect’ or another – past or present – was involved in their design. (By way of example, the elegant and magnificent Millau Viaduct – the world’s highest bridge – had Sir Norman Foster on the design team and Spanish architect Alberto Calatrava has practically built a career designing bridges.)

In South Africa, we don’t have many iconic bridges. The Bloukrans Bridge with its enormous arch – popular with bungee jumpers – was in my view for a long time the only really iconic bridge in SA. A newer example would be the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg. Closer to home the Ashton Arch Bridge is already firmly established as that village’s biggest tourist attraction. Iconic as they may be, I’m not sure if any of their iconic status derives from the efforts of architects. I think they’re all examples of engineering solutions that happened as an unplanned consequence to be visually arresting. (The visual appeal of engineering solutions usually ranges from nondescript to appalling…) This brings me back to Franschhoek and solutions to our flood dilemma. Detailed

proposals regarding what to do where the La Cotte Stream flows under Huguenot Street haven’t been shared with the public yet. What is certain though is that it will require a significantly-sized intervention. This makes me hold my breath… In 2013 proposals were made to simply cut an enormous concrete channel through the heart of the village with no regard to aesthetic or heritage considerations. I really hope that the current consulting engineers won’t miss the opportunity to do something that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing, or at least not an eyesore. Along with the recommended relocation of the Huguenot St electrical substation whatever flood prevention solution is implemented here creates an opportunity to create something that provides the public with more than just flood prevention.

Specifically, I’m thinking of a small public square/space where the substation is now, a pedestrian walkway along the bank of the stream linking Huguenot St with Cabrière St and a small park next to the gym in Cabrière St.  This is however something that should be done properly or not at all.  The walkway in particular should be properly paved and lit and would benefit from a security camera or two.

I believe such a scheme would serve several purposes. The obvious one is linking Huguenot St with Cabrière St along what is a rather long block with no access between the streets. Bringing pedestrian activity, lighting and cameras to the area will also serve to reduce the amount of anti-social behaviour that currently characterises the usually unkempt stream banks. Pedestrian activity along the stream will also make it much more likely that blockages and other problems are reported earlier rather than later.

A small public space under the huge plane tree could provide convenient shaded seating for visitors – right next to the tourism information office – or just a place for locals to catch their breath on a hot summer’s day. Finally, the small park along Cabrière St would in my mind be much preferable over the current mess on the underutilised municipal erf next to the gym.

(For the record, if anyone proposes removing the magnificent plane tree next to the substation in the interest of flood remediation I’ll start a crowdfunding campaign for a hitman!) What do you think of my idea? (Not the hit man, although some public disobedience would certainly be called for.)

Until next month!

DEADLINES - OCTOBER 2024 ISSUE

Bookings - 16 September

Mandela Day Meals

The recently-established Wemmershoek Community Feeding Scheme had some extra help on Mandela Day, 18 July 2024.

Pick n Pay Franschhoek supported their efforts with a grocery voucher while Smitten Café also made a donation. Standard Bank Franschhoek donated the ingredients for the day’s meals and some of their staff also assisted with serving meals on the day.

The scheme is funded by its committee and provides meals to the needy on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Potential donors can contact Isaac or Lynette Davids at 074 367 6469.

Sensei Chris Ensil and Jayne Wunder demonstrate a technique during the free self-defence class for women.

Tuesdays and Thursdays. For more info call or send a WhatsApp to 083 5050 808.

Text & Image: Editorial Desk

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Supplied

Birthday Blankets

Local wine icon, Achim von Arnim (founder of Haute Cabrière), celebrated his 79th birthday on 19 July. Achim retired from active involvement in the winery at age 75 in 2020 but still maintains a keen interest in what goes on in the cellar and with the farm’s staff.

With his birthday approaching and winter taking an icy turn he was bothered by whether everyone who works at the farm enjoys a warm bed like he does.  The thought led to action and he decided that on his birthday he’d give a blanket to all of the winery’s production team (kitchen, cellar and vineyard) – 63 staff members in all.

The gesture was greatly appreciated by the staff who immediately wrapped themselves in the warm blankets. They reciprocated Achim’s gesture by presenting him with a birthday card expressing equally warm wishes.

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Supplied

Staff from Standard Bank Franschhoek assisted the Wemmershoek Community Feeding Scheme on Mandela Day.

years. We wish her the very best in her new role at Drakenstein Paarl Hospice, where we are confident, she will continue to bring comfort to those in need. Thank you, Sister Susan, for your many years of dedicated service. You will always be a cherished member of the Franschhoek Hospice family.

Achim von Arnim celebrated his birthday by gifting blankets to 63 staff members.

Business Leadership

Spring Is About To Spring!

If autumn and winter are the seasons for clearing out the cupboards, pruning and preparing for the warm weather to come, then spring is all about renewal, refocussing and refreshing.

It is quite easy to write this, to say it, but it is quite different to do, and needs focus and consciousness to actually make it happen.

Old habits do not just evaporate or fade away and we all know how difficult it is to change. We can feel the tension of change that our world is experiencing right now. It is not easy. The uncertainty of it pervades our thinking, our actions, and impacts our ability to be positive about the future both here and abroad. No-one and no country is immune from this pervasive uneasiness.

Oftentimes when change is happening on a grand scale the tension erupts into conflict. Look around; there is no shortage of conflict all over the world. Because so many countries (more than forty at last count) are holding or have held national elections, much of the tension is driven by political uncertainty. Sometimes these elections have ended in stalemate governments which leads to more tension unless these countries are blessed with wise and perspicacious leaders. This is an exceedingly rare reality. The world is desperately in need of good, strong, and positive leadership.

With most of the elections, calm and peaceful, or violent and vitriolic, out of the way we must now focus forward. We need to sow the seeds of a better more positive world. This requires us to ensure the right nutrients are added to the mix, and an adequate supply of water and warmth for the plants to grow and thrive.

Metaphorically we need to do the same thing with our lives, our families, and our countries. This is, as usual, much easier to say than to do. The difficulty starts with trying to identify the old bad habits that get in the way of installing good new habits. They say that it takes about

six weeks for a new habit to take hold. Getting rid of the old baggage probably takes just as long. Therefore, we must manage the conflict between the old and the new. We see this conflict playing out in our country right now, but also elsewhere in the world.

We have said before in these pages that change starts with us. Revolution never starts at the top. It generally starts in the middle. In other words, this is mostly most of us. Gandhi’s famous quotation, “Be the change you want to see in the world,” is truer now than ever. Our world needs a lot of positive change. It will not come from bickering, self-interested politicians. Therefore, it can only come from people like us. So, let us look at some of the steps we can take to start making that positive difference:

• Start by recognising that you cannot change the world. It is too big and there are too many people. Just focus on your immediate environment and those closest to you.

• Make sure you have done good introspection and have done/are doing your best to let the old unhelpful habits go and helping others to do the same.

• Choose some small impactful things you can manage within your time and resources budget.

• Engage with other like-minded people.

• Remember small things count. Think of a bee and its essential contribution to the well-being of the world and all of us. No bees, no food. It is simple. Become a bee to your community.

• Talk about your dream all the time. This will help to clarify its purpose and how you can engage with others. It will also help you to shed those old unhealthy habits.

• To turn your dream/vision into reality you must act. Otherwise, it remains a dream. This will leave you feeling frustrated and will negatively impact your self-esteem. Taking action, helping others to experience positive change is one of the most meaningful and personally satisfying things you can do in this one-time walk through the Valley of Life!

Just in case you are concerned that there is nothing you can do. Do not be concerned, just look around there is plenty that needs attention, needs to change. Choose something close and make a start.

Every big journey starts with one small step. Take that step and feel the difference! tony@siroccostrategy.com

TONY FROST

Congratulations on your recent win at the Singapore Garden Festival! What was the inspiration behind your award-winning installation and your design process for this project?

The Singapore Garden Festival is the biggest garden design show in Asia and the only tropical flower show in the world. It invites gold awardwinners from around the globe to compete. I had the honour of representing not only South Africa but also Africa as a whole.

My inspiration for this garden came from the threatened mangroves in that part of the world. They are incredibly beautiful and have a magical, almost Narnia-like, fantasy quality to them.

The theme for my garden was “Between Two Worlds,” representing the moment between falling asleep and just before waking up. It’s that space where the mind is free from the constraints of reality, and imagination takes over without bounds. In the garden, I included a large nest, a sanctuary that could be interpreted as a bed. Inside the nest is something that moves and breathes – this could be you or a creature of your imagination beginning to fall asleep. As it breathes out, the lights and sounds in the garden change, and magic begins to unfold, continuing until just before the sun rises. I designed this garden through the eyes of a child, with no inhibitions – just pure magic and imagination. Each visitor who explored the garden could create their own story or connection to the space.

With your background in botanical gardens and your family’s horticultural influence, how have

Poetic Licence

Since September is the month of my birth, I have something of a proprietary interest in celebrating it, not just because of me but rather for those poets with whom I share it. Reflected glory is a wonderful thing!

Some of these poets include D.H. Lawrence (1885), T.S. Eliot (1888), W.S. Merwin (1927), Ingrid Jonker (1933), Mary Oliver (1935), Keorapetse Kgositsile (1938) and Breyten Breytenbach (1939).

The work of two other September-born writers, one an American poet and the other an Anglo-Irish poet, is featured here this month. They are Donald Hall and Louis MacNeice. Each has something to say about what it means to be a poet.

Donald Hall (Sept 1928 - June 2018) was a prolific biographer, poet and editor who lived in New Hampshire. When his wife (also a poet)

Long Island by Colm Toibin Publ.Picador.

286 pages

Colm Toibin has established himself over the years as a reliably innovative and imaginative writer (think “Nora Webster” or “The Master.”) Commercially he also became a highly successful novelist with his book “Brooklyn,” which was made into an equally successful film.

Now, he has produced a sequel to “Brooklyn”, “Long Island” which is possibly even more beautifully written and conceived than its predecessor. This new book can be read and enjoyed as a standalone novel. Or it can be read as the maturing of the Irish immigrant girl, Eilis Lacey, the central figure of “Brooklyn,” who found it so difficult to exchange the ways of her home town of Enniscorthy for the sophistication of Brooklyn.

these early experiences shaped your approach to garden design?

I grew up in the Lowveld, where my dad was the curator of the Lowveld Botanical Gardens, and my mom ran a wholesale nursery. My grandfather was the curator of the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens in Betty’s Bay. So from a young age, I was always surrounded by plants, and working with them in some way or form was always going to be part of my life. From an early age, I joined my parents on weekends and whenever I could to help build flower stands or shows for the botanical gardens. I also went on hikes with the Orchid Society, looking at orchids. This early exposure to plants made me fall in love with them.

It wasn’t just my dad’s influence, but also my mom’s involvement in growing plants. This is something I still do today – I grow most of the plants I use in my landscapes. Many of the plants I work with are difficult to find, and nurseries often don’t want to grow them because they might not look great in pots, but they thrive in gardens. These plants are like my paint when I create landscapes, and that’s the result of growing up in a family surrounded by greenery.

How do international projects, like those for Disney and the UN, differ from your local projects, and what unique challenges do you face?

The difference between my local and international projects is vast. The international ones are often built very quickly, though we usually plan for them about a year in advance. By contrast, the projects I do in South Africa are large gardens, with each one taking about two to three years to complete. In South Africa, I don’t typically do home gardens; instead, I work on large, often organic, farms.

My international projects usually involve being invited to create large installations that are mostly short-lived, ranging from about two weeks to six months in duration, depending on the project. These projects always have a significant message to convey to the public. For example, at the United Nations, the focus was on water and the importance of all biomes in cleaning water. For Disney, it was about promoting their new movie at the time, Maleficent with Angelina Jolie, where the

died of leukemia in 1995, Hall had himself already been diagnosed with colon cancer but went into remission, during which time he wrote movingly about his wife and their life together.

His sense of the mysterious, shape-changing quality of poetry – where it comes from, how it works – is beautifully captured in this furtive little poem:

The Poem It discovers by night what the day hid from it. Sometimes it turns itself into an animal.

In summer it takes long walks by itself where meadows fold back from ditches. Once it stood still in a quiet row of machines. Who knows what it is thinking?

Donald Hall from ‘Old and New Poems’, Houghton Mifflin, 1990

“Long Island” shows Toibin at the height of his mastery. It is subtle, it is heart-breaking and yet it is so simple that you can only shake your head at the intelligence of it all.

Of course, writing a sequel makes the story-telling a lot simpler. You can simply pick up the story, gather up the characters and sketch the setting with a few familiar locations. The main character is again Eilis (pronounced Aisleesh.) If you have not read the previous book, it will take you a few moments to catch up on the back story: just before she went back to Ireland in the 1950s for a funeral, she married into an Italian family in Brooklyn. Back in Ireland she has a brief fling with an old boyfriend, Jim Farrell. She hesitates before deciding to leave him and to return to Brooklyn, but ultimately feels it is the right thing to do.

In the sequel we are 20 years further into her life. This becomes the simplest of love stories involving a threesome of good people whose lives reconnect and, partly through circumstance and partly through choice, experience the complexities of loyalty and love. Within the first two pages we are introduced to the problem that will set in motion the action of the story.

A strange man confronts Eilis on her doorstep, who informs her that Tony, her plumber husband,

theme needed to be instantly recognisable and have a magical quality to it.

For aspiring garden designers in South Africa, what advice would you give about incorporating indigenous plants and adapting designs to the local climate?

Some designers focus heavily on architectural elements in a garden and collaborate with a plantsmith for the plant selection. On the other hand, some designers are more focused on plants and less on architecture. However, if you enjoy a balanced mix of the two, then it’s crucial that you know your plants very well.

My biggest advice to aspiring designers is to truly study your plants, and not just from books or nurseries. You need hands-on experience. Play with plants in your garden or someone else’s, and if you want to focus on indigenous plants, observe how they grow in their natural environment. This is the only way to understand how different plants interact in terms of texture, colour, and growth habits, and how to make them thrive together. It’s also important to recognise that indigenous plants aren’t always the best choice for every location. For instance, if you live in a dry region, planting indigenous ferns that require more water isn’t sustainable. Choose plants that are well-suited to the climate where you live, not just because they’re indigenous.

You take part in major international shows. Describe your journey to that level of competition. I started my journey in international flower shows about 22 years ago. Initially, I entered small shows around the country, paying my own way. It was a massive financial drain, but over time, I worked my way up, learning valuable lessons along the way. Designing gardens for the public in a short timeframe requires a lot of practice and skill. It took me years of practice to develop a method that works for me. Gradually, I started getting noticed by different shows. Only when you win gold or best in show do you typically get invited to other prestigious shows, and that’s how I slowly progressed from local to international recognition. Now, I’ve participated in nearly every major flower show around the world. The most prestigious of them all is the Chelsea Flower Show, which is

Louis MacNeice (Sept 1907 - Sept 1963) retained a sense of his Irishness throughout his life but deliberately lost his accent when he went up to Oxford at the age of nineteen. He was always something of an outsider, perhaps because of what the Poetry Foundation calls “the underlying melancholy which characterizes much of his work”. Introspective and contemplative he certainly was.

Although September marks welcome relief from the chill of winter, the snows recently covering nearby mountains are not yet too distant a memory.

There can be a poignant beauty to snowfall, as MacNeice explores in his poem ‘Snow’. The room in which the speaker finds himself seems suddenly transformed by snow gathering against the window, causing him to recognise that the “world is crazier…than we think”. He is entranced by “the drunkenness of things being various”.

What is it, we are invited to consider, that is “more than glass” between our outer and the inner worlds?

has had an affair with his wife, who is now pregnant. The implacably angry husband tells her that he will deposit the baby on her doorstep when it is born.

Eilis, equally implacably, refuses to accept his threat. However, she slowly learns that the extended Italian family of her husband are negotiating the acceptance of the baby. Two decades of marriage give her the independence and courage to go back to Ireland with her two adolescent children for her mother’s 80th birthday.

In Ireland we meet up with the two other elements in the love-story. Nancy, her former best friend, has fallen in love with Jim Farrell, Eilis’s former flame, and is carefully crafting a wedding date. Jim, however, is still rather hopelessly in love with Eilis. Her return sets off an intricate dance of chance and choice, of self-deception and real deception.

Toibin brilliantly allows each character to tell their story from chapter to chapter so that we understand their feelings and their motivations. It is impossible to judge them because they are inherently such decent people. But it is a love story, after all, and some will dance and some will weep. And we care for them.

Even the minor characters are richly drawn: the stubborn old mother who resists Eilis’s gift of a new fridge, the American son who discovers the joy of

considered the pinnacle of achievement in the botanical, landscape, and floral installation world. Winning at Chelsea, means you’re recognised as the top in the world for that year, and that’s what we achieved this year. I’ve been part of the Chelsea team for about 15 years and have been leading the Chelsea Flower Show since 2018. I have several gold medals to my name, and this year, we won best in show, the highest award at Chelsea.

I’ve also won best in show at the Philadelphia Flower Show, the largest in the Americas. That win also included a gold medal and the Governor’s Award, which was a tremendous honour. Singapore hosts the biggest show in Asia, and every few years, there’s a Gardening World Cup, where best-inshow winners from around the world compete. I won the Gardening World Cup in 2015, which was one of my highest accolades.

Preparing for a show takes about a year, with a lot of design work involved. Language barriers can be challenging in some countries, but we manage. The installation typically takes one to two weeks. Once the garden is installed, I leave the show for the public to enjoy and then begin preparations for the next one. My upcoming show is in Luxembourg, where I’ll be representing Africa at their first inaugural large-scale show in the city.

Snow

The room was suddenly rich and the great bay-window was Spawning snow and pink roses against it

Soundlessly collateral and incompatible: World is suddener than we fancy it.

World is crazier and more of it than we think, Incorrigibly plural. I peel and portion

A tangerine and spit the pips and feel

The drunkenness of things being various.

And the fire flames with a bubbling sound for world Is more spiteful and gay than one supposes –On the tongue on the eyes on the ears in the palms of one’s hands –

There is more than glass between the snow and the huge roses.

Louis MacNeice from ‘The Collected Poems of Louis MacNeice’, Oxford University Press, 1967 May this September’s equinox bring us all not snow but the warm blessings of springtime.

Irish pub food, the man at a wedding who dances with Nancy “like a man driving a tractor.” This is a book

with landscape designer and botanist, Leon Kluge

HARRY OWEN

CHARLOTTE VAN ZYL

PLATTER GUIDES: Lifetime collection of Platter Wine Guides for sale. Every issue from highly sought-after first-ever 1980 edition to 2020 edition. All in excellent condition. R29k. WhatsApp 082 391 5327.

MOBILE MASSAGE THERAPIST: Highly professional mobile massage in and around a 30km radius of Franschhoek. Swedish, Deep Tissue and Sports. Treatments may include a Indian head massage, hands and feet reflexology. Contact Glenda Lee Newman on 062 019 9662 Need a PET/HOUSE-SITTER with good references? Contact Ronelle @ 073 646 1687

RE-THINKING YOUR GARDEN? For Garden

Consulting call Susan at 072 932 5393

PET / HOUSE SITTING: Tina Stanley. Trusted pet & house sitter in Franschoek, WC. Reliable care for your pets & home, ensuring peace of mind while you’re away. Contact 083 448 4951 for bookings & references.

RE-FIBRE GLASS YOUR POOL in any colour you like. Call RiaPools for a quote: 072 347 5355

ACCOMMODATION REQUIRED for quiet single lady with no pets, +-R5000/R7000pm ASAP Please contact Ronelle 073 646 1687

CD COLLECTION FOR SALE: I am selling 225 rock, pop, blues, jazz, and classical CDS accumulated over 40 years. Almost all are in their original cases, and are R25 each. If interested, please contact me on 072 458 8769

WESTERN CAPE HOUSE SITTERS: We have many mature, kind, responsible, animal loving, live-in house sitter members who would love to care for your home and pets. Your furry children may miss you but their environment and routines remain intact which is why we at Western Cape House Sitters will provide a perfect win-win for everyone... Peter Walsingham 082 822 4200 info@westerncapehousesitters.co.za

CHANGING TO A SALT WATER SYSTEM? Let us advise & quote for you! Call RiaPools: 072 347 5355

POOL PUMP PROBLEMS? Noise? We quote and help you out! Call RiaPools: 072 347 5355

STUFF WANTED: All manner of clothing and household items needed for our ‘First Friday of The Month’ jumble sales. Please help us to help the animals of the valley. Please drop off at the SPCA clinic in La Provence Street, Groendal, or phone for us to collect. 021 876 4808

FRESH, ORGANIC FARM PRODUCE: Delivered weekly to Franschhoek, including vegetables and fruit in season, chicken, eggs, cheese, honey, etc. Lists of available produce received on Monday, orders placed on Tuesday for Wednesday delivery. A number of Franschhoekers are already receiving weekly deliveries. To be added to the list contact Sue Norman on 083 321 3442 or suenorman50@outlook.com.

DO YOU STILL HAVE THAT POOL LEAK? Losing water all the time? Let us quote and take care of the problem! Call RiaPools: 072 347 5355

PROFESSIONAL POOL SERVICE REQUIRED? Keep it local! Get a quote. Call RiaPools: 072 347 5355 HOUSE/PET SITTER: I have worked with animals for over 20 years. I need to bring my 16-year-old dog with me. He sleeps all day and is not a barker. Fees are reasonable and references are available. Internet access essential. For further details call Rentia 072 324 3882. DOMESTIC / HOUSEKEEPER: My name is Ndazunga Longwe and I am looking for a job as a domestic worker or housekeeper. I have 5

years of experience. Please contact me on 083 597 4657. For references, please contact Peru at 081 038 2351, Vanesa at 079 286 9445, or Melisa at 074 034 0081.

Community Events

SPORT

FRANSCHHOEK TENNIS CLUB: Social tennis is played at the club on Fridays, Sundays and Public Holidays from 08h30. For more information contact Nicky. 082 455 6411

PARKRUN: Saturdays at Rickety Bridge Wine Estate. Time: 08h00. Cost: Free. Register at www.parkrun.co.za

CHURCH SERVICES

METHODIST CHURCH: Sunday service 10h00. Rev Russell Norman. 021 872 3580 or 082 662 4509.

NG KERK: Sondagdienste 09h30. Geen aanddiens. Ds Peet Bester. 021 876 2431. Besoekers welkom.New Apostolic Church: Le Roux Street, Groendal. Sundays 09h00, Wednesdays 19h30. Rector: Charles Leibrandt. ST GEORGE’S ANGLICAN CHURCH: Groot

Drakenstein. Sunday Services: Holy Communion and Sunday School 10h00. Revd Wilfred Meyer 084 407 1280. Office - 021 874 4008. willowdale@cybersmart.co.za

SHOFAR CHRISTIAN CHURCH: Services - 09h00 & 18h00 English services at 7 Lambrechts Street. Pastor Richard Wade. 083 225 8529. All welcome!

TRINITY CHURCH: Worship Sundays at 09h30 at L’Ermitage Chapel, with Holy Communion. Weekday service Thursday at 10h30 at Fleur de Lis. Contact Gavin – 083 799 0726.

UNITING REFORMED CHURCH: Sunday service 09h30. Dr Shaun Burrows. 021 876 2632. Visitors welcome.

GENERAL

Alcoholics Anonymous: WED evenings 19:00, Groendal Community Centre, Contact David +27 83 305 5159

Useful Numbers

ACCOUNTANTS

Tax Shop 021 876 2676

ATTORNEYS

Susan Charlesworth 021 876 2592/072 402 9469

Snipelisky & Killian 083 250 0943/021 876 2084

BURGLAR ALARMS

Pepler Alarms 021 876 3308

CLUBS & ASSOCIATIONS

Boland Bridge Club 021 876 3031

Franschhoek Tennis Club 078 278 4843

FHK Heritage & Ratepayers Ass. 083 441 8280

Groot Drakenstein Games Club 021 874 1906

- Craig Mc Naught: Captain 080 845 1014

- Lejean Pieterse, Hiring 082 490 0405 Lions 021 876 3775

Stb Masonic Lodge (Chris) 072 211 9991

Franschhoek Rotary Club 082 891 4613

Franschhoek Probus Club 021 876 3179

ELECTRICAL

Franschhoek Electric 074 313 7829/021 876 3640

Rensburg Electrical 021 876 2120/083 309 2923

HEALTH & BEAUTY

From 1 Sept 2024 you’ll find us at Cabrièrre Farm. The farm entrance is on the corner of Berg and Cabrièrre Streets. We’re 300m from the gate on the left. As always we will continue to offer you our best service. Our telephone number will remain 082 625 5577 WE ARE MOVING... but not too far!!

Franschhoek Pharmacy 021 876 2261

Franschhoek Health Club 021 876 3310

Karen Protheroe (Dietician) 082 925 0931

HOUSE & GARDEN

Clock Repairs 028 840 1716

Lighting & Accessories 021 876 3640

Ria Pools (Franschhoek) 021 876 2612/072 347 5355

Sue’s Gardens 083 321 3442

Valley Garden Service 071 591 0342

OPTOMETRIST

Marelise Bester 021 872 3530

PHYSIOTHERAPY

Fhk Physiotherapy Associates 021 876 4234 (office) 074 325 5555 (Bronwen) 076 842 6052 (Maans)

PLUMBERS

Franschhoek Plumbing 021 876 3759

PSYCHOLOGIST

Danielle Smith 082 812 1476

PUBLIC SERVICES

Hospice 021 876 3085

Library 021 808 8406

Post Office 021 876 2342

Welfare (ACVV) 021 876 2670

SPCA 083 745 5344

SHARF 076 327 4939

SCHOOLS

Bridge House School 021 874 8100

Franschhoek High School 021 876 2079

Groendal Primary School 021 876 2448

Groendal Secondary School 021 876 2211

Wes-Eind Primary School 021 876 2360

Dalubuhle Primary School 021 876 3957

STORAGE

Franschhoek Storage 021 876 2174

TOURIST INFORMATION & SERVICES

Info Office 066 224 6360 / 073 688 9894

Huguenot Memorial Museum 021 876 2532

VETERINARY

Fhk Animal Clinic (plus surgery) 021 876 2504

Emergencies / Weekends 021 863 3187 / 082 8089 100

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Stb Fire Dept. (Buildings) 021 808 8888

District Municipality(Bush & veld) 021 887 4446 021 886 9244

Police 10111/021 876 8061

Eskom 086 003 7566

Omnipage Farm Watch 021 852 3318

Plaaswag 021 876 2346

N1, N2 & R300 Emergency number: 021 946 1646

DENTISTS

Dr Schalk du Plessis 021 876 3070

DOCTORS

Dr Karin Eksteen 021 876 4622

Dr Alexander Heywood 021 876 2474

Dr Hannes Van der Merwe 066 100 6429

Dr Nicolas Els 021 876 2561

Dr Bernard Fisher 021 876 4622

AUDIOLOGIST

Audiologist Tracy-Ann Morris 084 264 0000

EMERGENCY MEDICAL RESPONSE

Medicare EMR 074 363 7744/021 876 4316

MUNICIPALITY

(Ward 1) Clr Pfeiffer (DA) 079 597 2765

(Ward 2) Clr Petersen (DA) 082 404 5055

(Ward 3) Clr Manuel (DA) 074 686 2364

(Ward 4) Clr Adams (DA) 073 446 5411

Municipality (Office Hours) 021 808 8700

Municipality (After Hours) 021 808 8890

Municipality 24hr Service 021 808 8700

065 959 7004 daveysias486@gmail.com SPECIALIZING IN:

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Two slices toast one topped with scrambled eggs and one topped with chicken liver peri-peri (tomato based)

FARMERS' BREAKFAST: Mieliepap with tomato & onion relish topped with crispy onion akes served with two eggs and boerewors

PENNY PINCHER: Two eggs with grilled mushrooms, two rashers bacon served with a slice of toast

VEGETARIAN OPTIONS: Vanilla oats OR Avo on toast Coffee or Tea included

B est H istorical H otel in a frica

Saturday, 21 Septermber | 10h00 | R250 pp RSVP at numbers below by 18 September Wiesenhof Lifestyle, R45, Franschhoek B est H istorical H otel in a frica

Hotel du Vin® is a wine-themed boutique hotel, one-of-a-kind, in a beautifully restored heritage Victorian property in the centre of the Franschhoek Village. Dedicated to everyone with a love for wine, food and village-style luxury accommodation.

7 Reservoir Street, Franschhoek, Western Cape +27 (0)21 300 6761 · info@hotelduvin.co.za · www.hotelduvin.co.za

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23 HECTARE BOUTIQUE WINE FARM

EXCLUSIVE MANDATE. A rare opportunity to own this 23-hectare Boutique Farm and Winery in a truly spectacular setting overlooking the Franschhoek valley. Whether your interests extend to winemaking or just enjoying your days amongst vineyards and indigenous mountain fynbos, this special property presents many revenue possibilities to support your dream lifestyle.

The farm was previously planted to 12 hectares of Noble red varieties, the cornerstone of their flagship wine, and offers a 120 tonne wine production and cellaring facility along with a 330 sqm tasting and function venue.

Accommodation is offered in five separate dwellings including a 3-bedroom farmhouse and 2-bedroom cottage on the mid-slopes and a 4-bedroom home, 2-bedroom gate house and

LARGE

Cape Vernacular style residence boasting 630sqm of living space on a large stand of 6,105sqm (1.5acres) planted to vineyards and olive groves. Positioned on the low density L’avenue security estate, it offers privacy and country-like ambience.

The house comprises a light-filled, doublevolume lounge & dining area that opens up to two terraces either side of the propert and a separate, large TV room. The semiopen plan kitchen boasts high-end finishes, a kitchen island and breakfast area.

The main living area opens out to a covered veranda overlooking the swimming pool, screened by an olive grove, providing privacy without impeding the surrounding mountain

1-bedroom studio on the lower portion of the farm. A further uninhabited old cottage could be restored for additional accommodation.

The higher slopes of the farm have been actively regenerated and boast 7 hectares of natural Fynbos, including Proteas, Ericas and Restios, a haven for birds and natural wildlife. The owners’ vision to live harmoniously with nature inspired their transition to biodynamic farming practices in 2010 and continues to reward its hosts with the re-emergence of natural flora and fauna in abundance. This combination of natural beauty and a prized Franschhoek lifestyle is a unique opportunity for the right buyer.

Tom Clode 079 955 3114

Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194 R55 million plus VAT

views. The bedroom wing features three bedrooms en-suite downstairs and upstairs two expansive loft bedrooms en-suite. Also includes a double garage with separate spacious laundry room and off-street parking.

Tom Clode 079 955 3114

Terry-Lee George 082 650 9194 R18 950 000

IN QUIET VILLAGE SETTING