February 2008

News from Zululand

We are writing to you during our favorite time of the day. Dusk has settled offering us another cool, summer evening. The sounds of the insects have started up, along with the family of frogs residing in our water feature, which lie low during the heat of the day, but come out in the coolness to provide the perfect background music for dinner around the fire. True to form, February has seen an increase in reptile activity and we have been lucky to have had many sightings of Monitor Lizards, Leopard Tortoise, Rock Pythons as well as lizards and terrapins, undoubtedly thriving on the insects and frogs which are out in abundance before they disappear for winter. There have been numerous sightings of Leopard on the Zululand Rhino Reserve and the stealth camera picked up the first photo of a Leopard coming down to drink at one of the waterholes, showing us that there is always so much more going on around us in the natural bush then what we are aware of. A male elephant as well as a breeding herd of elephant, have been in the vicinity of the lodge over the past week…they seem to have taken to the Marula trees, managing to push them over with very little effort, the crash of the fallen boughs carries across the night sky awing us with the truth that there are things so much greater then ourselves roaming around us everyday.

Bush Cuisine

Method

Melt the butter in a pot, add the flour and cook, stirring continually until the mixture forms a ball
Slowly add milk stirring continually until smooth. Stir in ½ cup cheddar and the blue cheese and allow to cook slowly.
Cut all the vegetables into large cubes and pan fry in olive oil until partially cooked. (The vegetables can be layered by different type if you wish to add colour.)
Place sheets of lasagna in the bottom of a greased, oven proof casserole dish. Pour a layer of the cheese sauce over this followed by an even layer of vegetables topped with a sprinkling of cheese.
Follow with a second layer of sauce, vegetables, etc.
End with a layer of sauce and a sprinkling of cheese and bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes or until lasagna is cooked through.

Keep it Green!

"It takes a noble man to plant a seed for a tree that will some day give shade to people he may never meet." 
- David Trueblood

The idea of planting circular gardens, whether for home use or large scale agriculture, was developed by Professor Donald Langham primarily for South America, where conditions such as drought or in some areas flooding created many difficulties for farmers. The idea has now been adopted for home flower beds and veggie gardens saving water, utilizing space efficiently, and increasing production. The best thing about them is that they are easily maintained, using only 2 litres of water per bed per week and can create interesting circular designs in your home garden incorporating fresh veggies, herbs and flowers (acting as a natural pesticide). Resource Centers have been known to harvest a sale value of R60 per 1 meter diameter circles. The increased depth from the raised beds, as well as deep watering, help establish healthier root systems, whilst the layered compost creates a sponge which retains the water, using up to 70% less water. As there is no run off, so your top soil stays where it is supposed to!
So pull on those rubber gloves and give this simple task a try:

Mark out a circle 1 meter in diameter and remove the first 30 cm of top soil, set this aside in a pile.
Take out a further 20 cm subsoil and place in a separate pile, creating a hole 50cm deep.
Using a candle and a needle burn 16 holes, in 4 vertical rows, in the side of a 2 liter plastic bottle. Place the bottle in the middle of the circle.
Throw in 2cm of compost, followed by 8cm subsoil and water well. Continue this until all your subsoil is used.
Replace the topsoil which should make the surface of the bed higher then the surrounding ground. Create a dent in the soil where the bottle was placed to create a basin.
Mulch the surface and plant seedlings on the inside of the ridge, in circles. One bed can accommodate 10 lettuces or 5 to 8 cabbages, 4 rows of beans, alternatively a variety of different crops.
If the garden is well mulched then you should only have to fill the bottles twice a week. Make sure to tighten the cap, and then loosen a little so that no vacuum is created once the water drips out.
Keep the basin flat in very wet areas so that excess water can run off, in dry areas keep the surface concave.
This brilliant idea was inspired by the Biophile Magazine. Please be sure to let us know….how does your garden grow?

 
News from our Tracker

There are few things better then finding ripe, sweet Marula’s lying in the grass beneath the Marula trees on a hot day! The sweet smell and rich taste is something so uniquely African and long awaited, that after the brief two months that they fruit, they leave you longing for the next summer. We share our enjoyment with the elephants, monkeys and various other creatures, which like to eat the fruit as it has such high nutritional value (6 times more vitamin C then an orange). The fruit which falls from the trees can start fermenting in the sun, but only smaller animals such as monkeys can get affected by the fermenting fruit. So if you come across some particularly, happy monkeys on the game drive, you must understand that they can quite obviously, can not handle their alcohol! The Marula is part of the mango family, with only the female trees bearing fruit. The ZRR has received two Serval from a rehabilitation centre, which are ready to be integrated back into the wild. The male and female Serval are currently in a boma, thick with brush and grass, and receive minimal human contact, only at feeding times. The process should take about 4 months after which they will be released into the reserve. We will keep you up to date on their progress. We had a stunning sighting of about 56 White backed Vultures making short work of an Impala carcass.

The Violin Spider

 The Violin Spider might often go unnoticed as they seem rather small and insignificant at between 8 – 19mm in length. They do however deserve a mention as there bites can be serious, leaving extensive scaring but not fatal. They are known by the violin-shaped marking on its abdomen but otherwise appear very similar to a Daddy Long Legs, only venomous. Their short fangs secrete mainly cytotoxic (cell destroying) venom, which contains elements of haemotoxic venom as well which affects the blood. Violin spiders are found throughout South Africa but occur mostly in caves and occasionally wonder into homes, especially in the greater Johannesburg area where they are frequently found in dark corners. They are able to hear via inner hearing organs in the form of various vibration receptors and able to produce a variety of sounds which are mainly used to communicate with their own kind or attract females to males.

Rock Monitor Lizard

If you had to stumble across one of these giant lizards, you would be forgiven for thinking you had stepped back in time when dinosaurs roamed the earth and only the fittest survived. Rock monitor lizards can grow up to 1750cm including a tail which is longer then its entire body. They are tough, stout lizards with stocky limbs, sharp claws and bead-like scales. They tend to keep to themselves and live in rock overhangs, burrows or holes in trees where they enjoy creepy meals which consist of millipedes, beetles, etc. As can be expected from their hefty appearance, monitor lizards are formidable opponents. In defense they adopt a side-on posture, using their powerful tails to lash out at there rival. They have a powerful bite and holds on like a bull frog and if all else fails they will then sham death by hanging limp with their eyes open to be released. Martial Eagles are their main predators, humans however, are responsible for often knocking them with their vehicles as they attempt to cross the road and some believe that various body parts can be used for medicinal purposes. As customary in the animal kingdom, the females are there to be fought for and competing male monitor lizards will adopt the ‘let’s take this outside approach’ as they wrestle in true WWF style to determine dominance and territory. They have been labeled a protective species in South Africa.

Funny Bones

An elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentlemen to hear 100% for the first time in years!
The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor for a check up and the doctor said, “Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.”
The gentleman replied, “Oh, I haven’t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to conversations. I’ve changed my will three times!”

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Feel free to drop us an email with your favorite jokes to add into future newsletters. You can send them to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Brain Teaser

Thank you to everyone who responded to our December competition! The winner of our Leopard Mountain competition for January is Karen Forrester! Congratulations - you have won yourself and a partner a free night at the lodge including dinner, bed & breakfast as well as game drives!

Last Month’s competition was:       
Birds of a feather…we flock together
Low to the ground we’re safe and sound
101 spots…or more
Can’t fly very far that’s for sure
A crazy, Mohawk sets me apart
On months without an ‘R’ I’m found on a la carte 
They call me pretty, there’s no reason why
I have a tuft of feathers and big red eyes.
What am I?

The Crested Guinea fowl. 

.........You could be the lucky person to win yourself and a partner a free night including dinner, bed & breakfast and game drives at the lodge. Simply answer the riddle below to be entered in our lucky draw and email us the answer to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   (competition closes 20th March 2008 & conditions apply):

This week’s competition:

A slithering special, I make you jump with ease
Although, all I want to do is give you a squeeze.
Lying down, I’m almost twice your size
Largest of my kind in South Africa, it’s no surprise
Fairly laid back, I can swim and catch rays
Whilst at night I’m up and about coz rodents are my craze
Like sticks and stones, I don’t break any bones
But breathing could get tougher if I invite you for supper.

Named after the terrain in which I live, what am I?

News from the Lodge

Our breathing period is over and we welcome yet another busy season once again. With the Easter holidays just around the bend, we look forward to traveling South Africans, escaping the bustling cities for winter’s crisp starry skies and fresh, Bushveld air.
This month we say goodbye to a dear friend and colleague. Octavia, our assistant Chef is moving on after spending close on 5 years with us and watching the lodge grow and change over the years. She has amazed us with her creative ability and willingness to help out when we are in a ‘pickle’. We wish her the best of luck.

Ryan Vivier spearheaded the building of the Mbuzeli Creche (a Zululand Rhino Reserve initiative) and saw the opening on the 7th February. The crèche provides approximately 60 children from the neighboring rural community a safe haven to spend the day and learn whilst their parents are away working. Members of the reserve donated art and craft materials, toys, cups and plates, etc, as well as swings and a seesaw to keep these active little kids busy and smiling. A dedicated local lady has been trained to do basic teaching. It is a wonderful initiative and a sure way to stimulate young minds that have not had access to these basic educational facilities before. A fantastic job! Congratulations to everyone involved.

Best guest comments of the month:

It’s been a wonderful 4 days spent in such tranquil surroundings with great views form the lodge and accommodation. We hope to be back soon.

Never had such a great experience!

The quality of the facilities and service of the staff has really made our short visit with you something memorable.