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News from Zululand
Winter seems to have eluded us this year. Whilst evenings hold a slight chill, we greet you from a Zululand giddy with warm sunny days. One of the few reminders that we are in the throws of winter is the constellation of Scorpio which can be seen clearly overhead at night, whilst Orion is just a glimmer on the other end of the sphere. The story of these two enemies lies immortalized in Greek Mythology where the two were locked in a continual battle.
The myth goes that Orion ‘The Hunter’ and the Goddess Artemis held a competition to test their hunting prowess as a result of Orion’s boast that he could single-handedly kill every animal. Artemis proved him wrong with her deadly Scorpion, in thanks turning them both into constellations which are only ever in the same sky for a brief period over Autumn and Spring but always as far apart as possible. The rain has carried us through winter well and the bush veldt still holds a splash of colour. It seems that over winter months more Nyala tend to move into our area providing patches of reddish-brown against the grey veldt. Whilst at night, the absence of the summer insects and beetles leaves the crisp air still with only the echo of bush babies and night jars traveling through the darkness.
Bush Cuisine
Quick and Easy Vetkoek
500ml Flour
20ml Baking Powder
5ml Salt
30ml Oil
1 Egg
250ml Buttermilk
Method
Sift dry ingredients together
Beat oil, egg and buttermilk and fold into the dry ingredients
With floured hands roll the dough into 12 balls and flatten
Fry in 2cm deep medium-hot oil. Turn when golden brown and cook on the other side
Drain on paper towel
Fillings can include anything from Savory Mince, Chicken & Mayonnaise, Ham, Cheese & Tomato to something sweet like Cheese & Jam.
Keep it Green!
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
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle….Simple Steps!
Part 3: Recycle
No explanation necessary for this one! Perhaps some help to distinguish what can and cannot be recycled as this will probably reduce your household rubbish by half. In recent years recycling has become more popular and more convenient with specific drop-off points and in some larger towns, companies that can collect the refuse for recycling. There are often schools or charities that collect what you need to get rid of, as this provides them with some income.
To get you started:
You will need a few extra rubbish bins for this one! The benefit being that they do not need to be too big as they are only taking a small percentage of your total rubbish. Label each of them; cans, glass, paper, plastic & other
Create awareness in your family to be more selective about how you throw out your rubbish, using the various compartments.
A trick is to rinse out milk bottles, etc as they might start to smell after a few days.
Do an internet search of recycling companies in your area to discover where you can drop off your refuse and whether there are companies that collect. Some options are www.paperpickup.co.za; www.harmoniousliving.co.za (one of the most comprehensive site with detailed drop off points); www.yellowpages.co.za, contact Mondi or perhaps your local municipality.
Items which can be recycled include: newspapers, magazines, cardboard boxes, plain paper, food and drink cans, paint tins, oil cans, aerosol cans, all glass bottles and jars, plastic drink bottles.
Items which cannot be recycled include: sheet glass, light bulbs, drinking glasses, ceramic dishware, carbon paper, chemically treated fax or photographic paper, dog food/ potato bags, wax-coated boxes, food wrappings, polystyrene products.
Give it a try…. Perhaps recycling has become more convenient then ever before and the satisfaction even greater.
News from our Tracker
Half way through winter and as we have mentioned, the Bushveld is in impeccable condition for this time of the year. As the reserve is drier around this period with less surface water lying around, we tend to see great activity, especially around the water holes and at the hide. The most entertaining creatures of late, tend to be the boisterous warthog families. The young ones are all but grown up but tend to enjoy staying in their family groups as long as possible. These ‘kids’ are definitely not without their fighting and bickering, as they can often be seen chasing each other around or giving each other a good push to ‘get moving’! One of the Bull elephants has once again taken a fancy to patrolling the dry river bed as was reported by one of our guests who had spotted the roving elephant from the perfect vantage point of the shower! We have recently had a good few days of game capturing on the Zululand Rhino Reserve. The expertly maneuvered helicopter and the reserve management have managed to do an intricate game count of all the various species on the reserve. Their main goal was to aid in the capture of Wildebeest and Impala as the reserve is over stocked with these animals which could lead to the grazing being affected later on down the line as the veldt struggles to sustain growing numbers of these animals. They will however be going on the adventure of a lifetime as they will soon be making their ways to new homes all over South Africa.
Trumpeter Hornbill (Bycanistes Bucinator)
This peculiar looking bird is quite a delight to see as it is so out of the ordinary. Mostly black in colour, it is this birds unusual bill that begs a second glance. The bill has a large, dark casque on the upper part of its bill and bright red skin around the eye area. The prolonged wailing, baby-like cry often heard carrying across the Bushveld belongs to the hornbill who likes to nest in natural holes in trees. The female seals herself in with mud pellets brought by the male, leaving a small hole for the male to bring her food. She then moults her feathers during the incubation period. When her feathers grow back she will break out and help the male to get food for the chicks.
The Bush Pig
Bush pigs are nocturnal animals making them quite difficult to see. They have omnivore tendencies, with food being located mostly by smell. They generally prefer digging for food with their snouts which is called rooting. The male literally owns the female and protects her well, especially when there are young ones around. They are normally found in thickets and more wooded areas, making grass nests to sleep in during the day.
Funny Bones
A woman and a man are involved in a car accident on a snowy, cold Monday morning, it’s a bad one. Both of their cars are totally demolished but amazingly neither of them are hurt. Things do sure work out weird!!
After they crawl out of their cars, the woman says, “So you’re a man. That’s interesting. I’m a woman. Wow, just look at our cars!!! There is nothing left, but we’re unhurt, This must be a sign that we should meet and be friends and live together in peace for the rest of our days”.
Flattered, the man replies, “Oh yes, I agree with you completely, this must be a sign!!” The woman continues, “And look at this, here’s another miracle. My car is completely demolished but this bottle of wine didn’t break. It a sign for us to drink this wine to celebrate our good fortune!!” Then she handed the man the bottle.
The, man nods his head in agreement, opens it and drinks half the bottle and then hands it back to the woman. The woman takes the bottle and immediately puts the cap back on, and hands it back to the man. The man asks, “Aren’t you having any?” The woman reply’s “No. I think I’ll just wait for the police.”
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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
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Brain Teaser
Thank you to everyone who responded to our April competition! The winner of our Leopard Mountain competition for April is Kim Giraudeaux! 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:
Move over Big 5, I’m one of the small!
Serious armor plating, only centimeters tall
One of the strongest creatures, lifting 3 times my own weight
If you ever pick on me I have the tool to retaliate
I get my name from something bigger….with something just the same as mine
Which I use for a little digging and to keep competitors in line
I’ve met you once before… just a few months ago
So there really is no excuse for you not to know…
who am I?
A Rhino Beetle!
.........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
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(competition closes 20th June 2008 & conditions apply):
This week’s competition:
In flocks we fly
With big red and yellow eyes
We follow big beasts to have our daily feasts
Because of chemicals and spray
We might have all been gone one day
Who would have said….my beak is red
And we eat the ticks off buffalo’s heads
When danger lurks we sound an alarm
To keep all antelope from harm
What am I?
News from the Lodge
What an eventful month! Rudolph and Estelle were married by his father on a beautiful, crisp morning in Johannesburg on the 24th May. Estelle looked radiant in a breathtaking white dress with guinea fowl feathers in her hair, obviously stealing every ounce of breath from Rudolph. A reception alongside a lake followed with an arrangement of black and orange and beautiful decorations prepared with the help of Nicky. Congratulations to both of you! We look forward to you coming home soon and wearing that khaki uniform we are much more used to seeing you in!
From such a happy event to news a little sadder. Nicky, Wayne and the boys are moving down to Mtunzini this month so that they can be closer to the twin’s school. We look forward to them visiting the lodge every other week and though they leave us all heartbroken we are happy that they will soon be settled in their new environment and visiting the lodge regularly. We wish them all the happiness their little family deserves and thank them for the 110% commitment that they have showed not only to the lodge but to the people that have had the pleasure of working with them everyday.
We have the pleasure of welcoming Ferdie and Prudence Muller and baby Abby to the lodge. They will be bringing their extensive knowledge of the industry and there expertise into play as the new managers of the lodge.
We have a new gallery up on our website - have a look at it here!
Best guest comments of the month:
Thanks for the extra-special treatment! Great place to spend out first few days of married life! So relaxing, peaceful and beautiful sunrises!
A garden of Eden made even more special by the wonderful people who pamper their guests.
What an amazing, heavenly place to get away form the busy city life. This would be the place. Thank you for the stunning service we received from Sandy & Jaison, well done guys, we are definitely coming back.
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