Tuesday
saw us up bright and early to gather for breakfast at Vaalvlei. This is the
smallest producer on the route with a mere 3 hectares under vines. The farm,
established in 2005, belongs to winemaker/viticulturist Naas Terblanche, a
passionate conservationist and winemaker
It is the season for pincushion
proteas
One of the strangest but most beautiful
flowers in the floral kingdom. Each “flower” is actually a bunch of small
flowers
Naas is also an expert on frogs and
amphibians and he has put the endangered Western Leopard Toad on his wine
label. They currently produce a Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc and a sweet Cape
Vintage port style wine. The 2012 shiraz is soft, sweet, mature and quaffable.
They had laid out a substantial
breakfast/brunch of quiches
and more quiches
Yoghurt, muesli, honey and fresh fruit
Tiny quiches
Sausages and "oepsies" - a
local traditional treat: bacon wrapped cherries, and bacon rolled around skewers
Cooked on the oil drum braai
We sat in the sunshine with coffees
and teas and enjoyed the spread
It is Watsonia season and there are
great views of the mountains from the farm
Imagine waking up to this view every
morning
We went inside for a quick visual
presentation by Naas of the frog species found in the area; some are very rare.
He goes out at night with his camera and records them and their sounds. We
found the presentation very interesting and it has sparked an interest in frogs
for us. He certainly knows his subject
A country road
We made a stop at Panthera, a non-profit
refuge for rescued wild cats run by South African Lizaene Cornwall and Norwegian
Cathrine Nyquist. Their stated aims are No breeding, No trading No interaction.
Well meaning
However it is hard not to interact
with these magnificent animals and our visit was interaction. While we were
there, there was a tour by the local fire department who need to know how to
react if there is a bush fire in the area
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor
& Bacchus 2015
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