13/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 27*C Min Temp : 09*C
07:30 Did the reports and emails
08:00 We headed up the mountain to go check if everything was still fine up there. Blesbok were relaxed and fine (15)
10:10 We saw 2 x Giraffes on the way back down from the mountain (mum and calf).
10:15 We saw another 7 x Giraffes not far from the cow and calf and we were lucky enough to see the newborn calf and its mom. It looks to be female which brings the number of calves born on UmPhafa to 4 and all female.
11:00 We went to Ladysmith to fix a puncture on the left back wheel of the AFTW vehicle. A drill bit was stuck in the tyre and went straight through
13:00 On our way back from Ladysmith at the 2 ponds near the main gate we were very fortunate to see 2 x Grey Herons on the pond
14:30 We headed to Vertrek to check on the progress of the new road. There is about 100m left to go.
15:20 We also went to Geluk to check up on things there after the fires.
15:45 We did see 2 x Grey Duikers on Geluk
16:45 There was a group of 20 Impalas on Geluk as well
16:20 We saw 3 x Kudu cows and 2 of them are pregnant on Geluk
16:45 On the Ryefield we saw 95 Impalas and it looked as if most of them are pregnant. We also saw 3 x Blesbok Rams
17:00 We headed home
14/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 26*C Min Temp : 12*C
07:30 Did the report and got things ready to head to Ladysmith and then the school to start with the repairs
08:30 Headed off into Ladysmith for the building material.
10:50 We saw 7 x Waterbuck near the donga in a clearing near the base of the mountain.
11:30 We went looking for the Giraffes and found some of them on the way to the mountain.
12:00 We spotted 5 x Giraffes, 3 calves and the youngest calf's mother (one without horns) and another adult. It was the 1st, 3rd and 4th born calves we saw here
12:05 Near base of the mountain we saw 2 x Kudu cows
12:10 We found the 2nd oldest calf a little further up. She was on her own and we could not see any adults around She looked healthy as well
12:35 About halfway down the back of the mountain we saw our first Duiker of the day.
12:40 Near the base of the mountain round the back we saw 5 x Kudu cows, a 2 year old bull, a 3 year bull and a calf
13:30 Near the plateau at the show lodge we saw 4 more Giraffes. 3 Bulls and one cow that looks to be pregnant
15:00 We headed to the Ryefield to check up on things. The usual Impalas were there, 3 Blesbok and 4 x Warthogs.
15:30 We headed to Ethuleni School to go pick up the builder and bring him back. All the windows in the classroom were fixed for the new frames to be put in. We have ordered some frames and doors and it will be put in as soon as they arrive.
16:00 We headed home and saw 5 x Warthogs at the 2 ponds near the main gate.
16:15 Near the house at the ponds we saw the 6 Zebras and a small group of Impalas
15/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 24*C Min Temp : 11*C
07:30 We saw a black stork on an electricity pole just outside the house early morning. Did the report
08:30 Went to have a look at the Ryefield.
08:40 The usual Impalas, 3 x Blesbok, a warthog and about 20+ Spurwinged Geese (Plectropterus gambensis)
09:00 Headed over the mountain to the back to get a tree out of the road that was blown over because of the wind.
09:15 On the right hand side of the mountain top we saw the 15 Blesbok that is usually there. They look good and some of the females look pregnant
10:00 We got the tree out of the road
10:15 At the back of the mountain near the N3 border fence 1 x Duiker
10:35 Back of the mountain we saw another Duiker
10:40 We saw a slender mongoose, red in the face from the aloe flowers running across the road and falling asleep on a rock in the sun. We spent about 30 min trying to get a photo off it, but it was too far and when we went closer it took off
12:00 Headed back home
13:00 Organised with Gail for the practice bibs for Ethuleni School
13:45 2 x Warthogs near the road as well as the 6 Zebra's, close to big stream
13:50 We went to Geluk for a look around and near the entrance saw 3 x Kudu's. 1 x young bull, a cow and a calf
14:15 Geluk - Weenen border - 2 Kudu cows and a calf, on the other side of the fence we saw 3 more cows and a bull. It was mostly burned down in this area
15:00 We headed up the mountain at Geluk for a look.
15:50 On our way back from the mountain near the entrance we saw 2 more Kudu bulls and 6 cows
16:00 At the entrance to Geluk there were 3 x Warthogs. 2 piglets and a sow
16:30 Headed back home
16/08/2007
Weather : Sunny + windy
Max Temp : 20*C
Min Temp : 09*C
08:30 Did yesterday's report
09:20 Went round to the back of the mountain to fix the fence. It was damaged by some Kudu trying to get through.
09:40 At the back of the mountain near the border fence at the N3 we saw a Duiker female
09:50 Not too far from the first Duiker at the back we saw 2 more. Too far to identify sexes
10:40 We were done with fixing the fence
10:50 We saw a single mountain Reedbuck running across the road
10:55 At the back by the rocky valley we saw 2 x Dassies
11:05 Open Field by the Tugela near the house there was a small group of Impala's
11:30 At the pond near the house a Hammerkop
11:35 On the road towards the main gate 6 x Zebra's
11:55 On Geluk a Gymnogene in a tree. We were trying a new road there. We will have to go back and clean it up a bit, and make sure it is good for the AFTW vehicle to go through
12:30 At the dam at the foot of the mountain a group of Impala's (6 female, 1 male)
13:00 Washed the AFTW vehicle
14:25 Ryefield had 114 Impala's on today. 3 Groups (39), (40), and bachelors (35). There were also 3 x Blesbok and 8 Warthogs.
13:00 I took a walk up towards the mountain in search of the Giraffes
13:30 Found 5 of them. 3 Adults and 2 calves. It was the first and 3rd calf. I could not see the rest of the Giraffes. They might be split up because they were not together the last time we saw them.
14:00 Took a walk down the big stream towards the main road but did not unfortunately see anything. I did identify some serval tracks
15:00 Headed home
16:00 We went to Vetrek to check the progress on the road. They have finished it to the border of Geluk/Vertrek.
17:00 Headed back home
17/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 24*C Min Temp : 08*C
07:30 Did yesterday's report. Also filled up the vehicle and saw a Grey Heron in the tree by the house. Almost at the same spot we saw the black Stork
08:15 On the Ryefield the usual groups of Impala. The bachelors and another group. The third group was on their way down to the field
08:55 We went to the dam near the base of the mountain to pick up some rolled wire the game guards collected and took it back to the workshop.
09:00 We took a drive towards the mountain to check on the giraffes. We were unable to find them though
09:15 6 x Zebras on our way to the top of the mountain
09:25 On top of the mountain in the middle we saw 5 x Kudu's
09:35 Right hand side on mountain top the 15 Blesbok. All were looking good.
09:45 Left hand side on mountain top we spotted 3 x nice big Kudu bulls enjoying the sun
09:55 On our way back down the mountain near the base of the mountain on the right hand side we saw the same 6 zebra's from earlier (1 x foal) and on the left hand side we saw 6 more zebra's (1 x foal).
10:00 We headed up to the show lodge to go look for the giraffes again but we could not see them. On our way there we saw a small group of Impala (24 + ram)
10:20 We had a meeting with Charles.
11:30 We went to Geluk to clear a new road for the vehicle. We could not go up all the way, the road needs some fixing and will be seen to in the future
14:00 We were done with the road and saw a Duiker on our way back as well as a small group of Impalas near the entrance to Geluk. When we drove back to Elworthy, on the burned side on Geluk we saw more than 50 Guineafowl
14:30 Went home and did some paperwork
15:00 We went to Vertrek to have a look around.
16:15 We had a look around there and found Blue Wildebeest tracks and a latrine site. We could see it clearly because of the fire. Mike also said he had seen them in the area before (9 of them) Charles and Mike also saw 4 x Kudu cows.
17:00 We headed back home.
Monday, 20 August 2007
Weekly Report 13th - 17th August 2007
13/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 27*C Min Temp : 09*C
07:30 Did the reports and emails
08:00 We headed up the mountain to go check if everything was still fine up there. Blesbok were relaxed and fine (15)
10:10 We saw 2 x Giraffes on the way back down from the mountain (mum and calf).
10:15 We saw another 7 x Giraffes not far from the cow and calf and we were lucky enough to see the newborn calf and its mom. It looks to be female which brings the number of calves born on UmPhafa to 4 and all female.
11:00 We went to Ladysmith to fix a puncture on the left back wheel of the AFTW vehicle. A drill bit was stuck in the tyre and went straight through
13:00 On our way back from Ladysmith at the 2 ponds near the main gate we were very fortunate to see 2 x Grey Herons on the pond
14:30 We headed to Vertrek to check on the progress of the new road. There is about 100m left to go.
15:20 We also went to Geluk to check up on things there after the fires.
15:45 We did see 2 x Grey Duikers on Geluk
16:45 There was a group of 20 Impalas on Geluk as well
16:20 We saw 3 x Kudu cows and 2 of them are pregnant on Geluk
16:45 On the Ryefield we saw 95 Impalas and it looked as if most of them are pregnant. We also saw 3 x Blesbok Rams
17:00 We headed home
14/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 26*C Min Temp : 12*C
07:30 Did the report and got things ready to head to Ladysmith and then the school to start with the repairs
08:30 Headed off into Ladysmith for the building material.
10:50 We saw 7 x Waterbuck near the donga in a clearing near the base of the mountain.
11:30 We went looking for the Giraffes and found some of them on the way to the mountain.
12:00 We spotted 5 x Giraffes, 3 calves and the youngest calf's mother (one without horns) and another adult. It was the 1st, 3rd and 4th born calves we saw here
12:05 Near base of the mountain we saw 2 x Kudu cows
12:10 We found the 2nd oldest calf a little further up. She was on her own and we could not see any adults around She looked healthy as well
12:35 About halfway down the back of the mountain we saw our first Duiker of the day.
12:40 Near the base of the mountain round the back we saw 5 x Kudu cows, a 2 year old bull, a 3 year bull and a calf
13:30 Near the plateau at the show lodge we saw 4 more Giraffes. 3 Bulls and one cow that looks to be pregnant
15:00 We headed to the Ryefield to check up on things. The usual Impalas were there, 3 Blesbok and 4 x Warthogs.
15:30 We headed to Ethuleni School to go pick up the builder and bring him back. All the windows in the classroom were fixed for the new frames to be put in. We have ordered some frames and doors and it will be put in as soon as they arrive.
16:00 We headed home and saw 5 x Warthogs at the 2 ponds near the main gate.
16:15 Near the house at the ponds we saw the 6 Zebras and a small group of Impalas
15/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 24*C Min Temp : 11*C
07:30 We saw a black stork on an electricity pole just outside the house early morning. Did the report
08:30 Went to have a look at the Ryefield.
08:40 The usual Impalas, 3 x Blesbok, a warthog and about 20+ Spurwinged Geese (Plectropterus gambensis)
09:00 Headed over the mountain to the back to get a tree out of the road that was blown over because of the wind.
09:15 On the right hand side of the mountain top we saw the 15 Blesbok that is usually there. They look good and some of the females look pregnant
10:00 We got the tree out of the road
10:15 At the back of the mountain near the N3 border fence 1 x Duiker
10:35 Back of the mountain we saw another Duiker
10:40 We saw a slender mongoose, red in the face from the aloe flowers running across the road and falling asleep on a rock in the sun. We spent about 30 min trying to get a photo off it, but it was too far and when we went closer it took off
12:00 Headed back home
13:00 Organised with Gail for the practice bibs for Ethuleni School
13:45 2 x Warthogs near the road as well as the 6 Zebra's, close to big stream
13:50 We went to Geluk for a look around and near the entrance saw 3 x Kudu's. 1 x young bull, a cow and a calf
14:15 Geluk - Weenen border - 2 Kudu cows and a calf, on the other side of the fence we saw 3 more cows and a bull. It was mostly burned down in this area
15:00 We headed up the mountain at Geluk for a look.
15:50 On our way back from the mountain near the entrance we saw 2 more Kudu bulls and 6 cows
16:00 At the entrance to Geluk there were 3 x Warthogs. 2 piglets and a sow
16:30 Headed back home
16/08/2007
Weather : Sunny + windy
Max Temp : 20*C
Min Temp : 09*C
08:30 Did yesterday's report
09:20 Went round to the back of the mountain to fix the fence. It was damaged by some Kudu trying to get through.
09:40 At the back of the mountain near the border fence at the N3 we saw a Duiker female
09:50 Not too far from the first Duiker at the back we saw 2 more. Too far to identify sexes
10:40 We were done with fixing the fence
10:50 We saw a single mountain Reedbuck running across the road
10:55 At the back by the rocky valley we saw 2 x Dassies
11:05 Open Field by the Tugela near the house there was a small group of Impala's
11:30 At the pond near the house a Hammerkop
11:35 On the road towards the main gate 6 x Zebra's
11:55 On Geluk a Gymnogene in a tree. We were trying a new road there. We will have to go back and clean it up a bit, and make sure it is good for the AFTW vehicle to go through
12:30 At the dam at the foot of the mountain a group of Impala's (6 female, 1 male)
13:00 Washed the AFTW vehicle
14:25 Ryefield had 114 Impala's on today. 3 Groups (39), (40), and bachelors (35). There were also 3 x Blesbok and 8 Warthogs.
13:00 I took a walk up towards the mountain in search of the Giraffes
13:30 Found 5 of them. 3 Adults and 2 calves. It was the first and 3rd calf. I could not see the rest of the Giraffes. They might be split up because they were not together the last time we saw them.
14:00 Took a walk down the big stream towards the main road but did not unfortunately see anything. I did identify some serval tracks
15:00 Headed home
16:00 We went to Vetrek to check the progress on the road. They have finished it to the border of Geluk/Vertrek.
17:00 Headed back home
17/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 24*C Min Temp : 08*C
07:30 Did yesterday's report. Also filled up the vehicle and saw a Grey Heron in the tree by the house. Almost at the same spot we saw the black Stork
08:15 On the Ryefield the usual groups of Impala. The bachelors and another group. The third group was on their way down to the field
08:55 We went to the dam near the base of the mountain to pick up some rolled wire the game guards collected and took it back to the workshop.
09:00 We took a drive towards the mountain to check on the giraffes. We were unable to find them though
09:15 6 x Zebras on our way to the top of the mountain
09:25 On top of the mountain in the middle we saw 5 x Kudu's
09:35 Right hand side on mountain top the 15 Blesbok. All were looking good.
09:45 Left hand side on mountain top we spotted 3 x nice big Kudu bulls enjoying the sun
09:55 On our way back down the mountain near the base of the mountain on the right hand side we saw the same 6 zebra's from earlier (1 x foal) and on the left hand side we saw 6 more zebra's (1 x foal).
10:00 We headed up to the show lodge to go look for the giraffes again but we could not see them. On our way there we saw a small group of Impala (24 + ram)
10:20 We had a meeting with Charles.
11:30 We went to Geluk to clear a new road for the vehicle. We could not go up all the way, the road needs some fixing and will be seen to in the future
14:00 We were done with the road and saw a Duiker on our way back as well as a small group of Impalas near the entrance to Geluk. When we drove back to Elworthy, on the burned side on Geluk we saw more than 50 Guineafowl
14:30 Went home and did some paperwork
15:00 We went to Vertrek to have a look around.
16:15 We had a look around there and found Blue Wildebeest tracks and a latrine site. We could see it clearly because of the fire. Mike also said he had seen them in the area before (9 of them) Charles and Mike also saw 4 x Kudu cows.
17:00 We headed back home.
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 27*C Min Temp : 09*C
07:30 Did the reports and emails
08:00 We headed up the mountain to go check if everything was still fine up there. Blesbok were relaxed and fine (15)
10:10 We saw 2 x Giraffes on the way back down from the mountain (mum and calf).
10:15 We saw another 7 x Giraffes not far from the cow and calf and we were lucky enough to see the newborn calf and its mom. It looks to be female which brings the number of calves born on UmPhafa to 4 and all female.
11:00 We went to Ladysmith to fix a puncture on the left back wheel of the AFTW vehicle. A drill bit was stuck in the tyre and went straight through
13:00 On our way back from Ladysmith at the 2 ponds near the main gate we were very fortunate to see 2 x Grey Herons on the pond
14:30 We headed to Vertrek to check on the progress of the new road. There is about 100m left to go.
15:20 We also went to Geluk to check up on things there after the fires.
15:45 We did see 2 x Grey Duikers on Geluk
16:45 There was a group of 20 Impalas on Geluk as well
16:20 We saw 3 x Kudu cows and 2 of them are pregnant on Geluk
16:45 On the Ryefield we saw 95 Impalas and it looked as if most of them are pregnant. We also saw 3 x Blesbok Rams
17:00 We headed home
14/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 26*C Min Temp : 12*C
07:30 Did the report and got things ready to head to Ladysmith and then the school to start with the repairs
08:30 Headed off into Ladysmith for the building material.
10:50 We saw 7 x Waterbuck near the donga in a clearing near the base of the mountain.
11:30 We went looking for the Giraffes and found some of them on the way to the mountain.
12:00 We spotted 5 x Giraffes, 3 calves and the youngest calf's mother (one without horns) and another adult. It was the 1st, 3rd and 4th born calves we saw here
12:05 Near base of the mountain we saw 2 x Kudu cows
12:10 We found the 2nd oldest calf a little further up. She was on her own and we could not see any adults around She looked healthy as well
12:35 About halfway down the back of the mountain we saw our first Duiker of the day.
12:40 Near the base of the mountain round the back we saw 5 x Kudu cows, a 2 year old bull, a 3 year bull and a calf
13:30 Near the plateau at the show lodge we saw 4 more Giraffes. 3 Bulls and one cow that looks to be pregnant
15:00 We headed to the Ryefield to check up on things. The usual Impalas were there, 3 Blesbok and 4 x Warthogs.
15:30 We headed to Ethuleni School to go pick up the builder and bring him back. All the windows in the classroom were fixed for the new frames to be put in. We have ordered some frames and doors and it will be put in as soon as they arrive.
16:00 We headed home and saw 5 x Warthogs at the 2 ponds near the main gate.
16:15 Near the house at the ponds we saw the 6 Zebras and a small group of Impalas
15/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 24*C Min Temp : 11*C
07:30 We saw a black stork on an electricity pole just outside the house early morning. Did the report
08:30 Went to have a look at the Ryefield.
08:40 The usual Impalas, 3 x Blesbok, a warthog and about 20+ Spurwinged Geese (Plectropterus gambensis)
09:00 Headed over the mountain to the back to get a tree out of the road that was blown over because of the wind.
09:15 On the right hand side of the mountain top we saw the 15 Blesbok that is usually there. They look good and some of the females look pregnant
10:00 We got the tree out of the road
10:15 At the back of the mountain near the N3 border fence 1 x Duiker
10:35 Back of the mountain we saw another Duiker
10:40 We saw a slender mongoose, red in the face from the aloe flowers running across the road and falling asleep on a rock in the sun. We spent about 30 min trying to get a photo off it, but it was too far and when we went closer it took off
12:00 Headed back home
13:00 Organised with Gail for the practice bibs for Ethuleni School
13:45 2 x Warthogs near the road as well as the 6 Zebra's, close to big stream
13:50 We went to Geluk for a look around and near the entrance saw 3 x Kudu's. 1 x young bull, a cow and a calf
14:15 Geluk - Weenen border - 2 Kudu cows and a calf, on the other side of the fence we saw 3 more cows and a bull. It was mostly burned down in this area
15:00 We headed up the mountain at Geluk for a look.
15:50 On our way back from the mountain near the entrance we saw 2 more Kudu bulls and 6 cows
16:00 At the entrance to Geluk there were 3 x Warthogs. 2 piglets and a sow
16:30 Headed back home
16/08/2007
Weather : Sunny + windy
Max Temp : 20*C
Min Temp : 09*C
08:30 Did yesterday's report
09:20 Went round to the back of the mountain to fix the fence. It was damaged by some Kudu trying to get through.
09:40 At the back of the mountain near the border fence at the N3 we saw a Duiker female
09:50 Not too far from the first Duiker at the back we saw 2 more. Too far to identify sexes
10:40 We were done with fixing the fence
10:50 We saw a single mountain Reedbuck running across the road
10:55 At the back by the rocky valley we saw 2 x Dassies
11:05 Open Field by the Tugela near the house there was a small group of Impala's
11:30 At the pond near the house a Hammerkop
11:35 On the road towards the main gate 6 x Zebra's
11:55 On Geluk a Gymnogene in a tree. We were trying a new road there. We will have to go back and clean it up a bit, and make sure it is good for the AFTW vehicle to go through
12:30 At the dam at the foot of the mountain a group of Impala's (6 female, 1 male)
13:00 Washed the AFTW vehicle
14:25 Ryefield had 114 Impala's on today. 3 Groups (39), (40), and bachelors (35). There were also 3 x Blesbok and 8 Warthogs.
13:00 I took a walk up towards the mountain in search of the Giraffes
13:30 Found 5 of them. 3 Adults and 2 calves. It was the first and 3rd calf. I could not see the rest of the Giraffes. They might be split up because they were not together the last time we saw them.
14:00 Took a walk down the big stream towards the main road but did not unfortunately see anything. I did identify some serval tracks
15:00 Headed home
16:00 We went to Vetrek to check the progress on the road. They have finished it to the border of Geluk/Vertrek.
17:00 Headed back home
17/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 24*C Min Temp : 08*C
07:30 Did yesterday's report. Also filled up the vehicle and saw a Grey Heron in the tree by the house. Almost at the same spot we saw the black Stork
08:15 On the Ryefield the usual groups of Impala. The bachelors and another group. The third group was on their way down to the field
08:55 We went to the dam near the base of the mountain to pick up some rolled wire the game guards collected and took it back to the workshop.
09:00 We took a drive towards the mountain to check on the giraffes. We were unable to find them though
09:15 6 x Zebras on our way to the top of the mountain
09:25 On top of the mountain in the middle we saw 5 x Kudu's
09:35 Right hand side on mountain top the 15 Blesbok. All were looking good.
09:45 Left hand side on mountain top we spotted 3 x nice big Kudu bulls enjoying the sun
09:55 On our way back down the mountain near the base of the mountain on the right hand side we saw the same 6 zebra's from earlier (1 x foal) and on the left hand side we saw 6 more zebra's (1 x foal).
10:00 We headed up to the show lodge to go look for the giraffes again but we could not see them. On our way there we saw a small group of Impala (24 + ram)
10:20 We had a meeting with Charles.
11:30 We went to Geluk to clear a new road for the vehicle. We could not go up all the way, the road needs some fixing and will be seen to in the future
14:00 We were done with the road and saw a Duiker on our way back as well as a small group of Impalas near the entrance to Geluk. When we drove back to Elworthy, on the burned side on Geluk we saw more than 50 Guineafowl
14:30 Went home and did some paperwork
15:00 We went to Vertrek to have a look around.
16:15 We had a look around there and found Blue Wildebeest tracks and a latrine site. We could see it clearly because of the fire. Mike also said he had seen them in the area before (9 of them) Charles and Mike also saw 4 x Kudu cows.
17:00 We headed back home.
Weekly Report 6th - 8th August 2007
06/08/2007
07:30 The fire seemed to have started again and the cause unknown. We fought fires throughout the day and started back burning on Weenen Safari to stop the fires reaching Elworthy. We were busy fighting fire when a male and female Giraffe from Weenen Safari's got cornered and headed straight for the fence. The male giraffe tried to run through the fence and got its head stuck in the fence. We had to cut it loose and it ended up on Elworthy. It looked fine and no injuries could be seen. We stopped at about 16:45
07/08/2007
07:30 The day was spent checking up on the burn sites and we tried herding the male Giraffe back to Weenen. We were unable to do this however. We checked the Ryefield and started the pump for the centre pivot. We saw a female Waterbuck at the foot of the mountain on our way back to farm house. We also went to Vertrek and Geluk to see the fire damage. The road on Vertrek is almost finished now.
08/08/2007
Mike and the workers managed to get the male Giraffe back through to Weenen Safari's and all the fires seem under control and put out
07:30 The fire seemed to have started again and the cause unknown. We fought fires throughout the day and started back burning on Weenen Safari to stop the fires reaching Elworthy. We were busy fighting fire when a male and female Giraffe from Weenen Safari's got cornered and headed straight for the fence. The male giraffe tried to run through the fence and got its head stuck in the fence. We had to cut it loose and it ended up on Elworthy. It looked fine and no injuries could be seen. We stopped at about 16:45
07/08/2007
07:30 The day was spent checking up on the burn sites and we tried herding the male Giraffe back to Weenen. We were unable to do this however. We checked the Ryefield and started the pump for the centre pivot. We saw a female Waterbuck at the foot of the mountain on our way back to farm house. We also went to Vertrek and Geluk to see the fire damage. The road on Vertrek is almost finished now.
08/08/2007
Mike and the workers managed to get the male Giraffe back through to Weenen Safari's and all the fires seem under control and put out
Weekly Report 30th July - 4th August 2007
30/07/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 20*C Min Temp : 04*C
08:15 We headed up the mountain to drop Roz off for some tracking
08:15 There was a young Kudu Bull about halfway up the mountain
08:40 On top of the mountain we spotted 12 x Zebra's in the middle.
08:45 On the far right hand side on our way to the right side of the mountain we saw a Martial eagle in a tree
09:00 We dropped Roz by the Natural spring near the border fence for tracking
09:05 There were 15 x Blesbok near the border fence on the other side. They looked a lot more relaxed today and we were able to get a bit closer than usual
09:10 1 x Duiker and a Mountain Reedbuck near the other natural spring.
09:25 About three quarters down on our way down the mountain we saw 3 x Zebra near the road
09:45 Did the reports and emails
10:50 On our way up the lodge we saw a small group of 10 Impala one a year old ram
11:00 On the Plateau near the lodge we saw the 6 Zebras (3 foals, 2mares, 1stallion) They were calm as well as we got out of the vehicle to go look for the Giraffes
11:05 Looking down from the plateau towards the mountain we saw a group of 4 more Zebras and another one of 3 near the slope
11:30 On the road towards the back from the lodge we saw a Kudu Bull
11:45 4 x Dassies round the back of the mountain near the dam.
11:55 4 x Mountain Reedbuck near the N3 round the back of the mountain
12:00 2nd Dam round the back of the mountain we saw 5 x Cows, a 2 year old Bull and a calf. There is no water in the dam anymore
12:20 On the road back towards the top of the mountain there was a tree fallen over into the road because of the strong winds. It took us some time to try to move it out of the road for the vehicle to pass.
12:40 We picked up Roz and Michael from the top of the mountain
13:15 At the ponds near the house there was a group of Impala's with a ram
14:00 We took Roz to the Ryefield for observation. 6 x Zebras, 2 x Blesbok, 7 x Warthog and the usual Impalas
15:00 We took Roz to town for some grocery shopping
17:30 On the Ryefield we were very fortunate to see 5 x Waterbuck. It looked like the released ones as 2 of them looked like the 2 young ones released.
31/07/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 21*C Min Temp : 05*C
07:30 Did report
08:30 Took Roz to Geluk, to Mike's Lodge for some tracking. Saw some Impala bachelors by the stream
08:40 The Impala's were moving down towards the Ryefield.
08:55 At the 2 ponds we saw 4 x Warthog boars grazing. They ran off as soon as we stopped
09:20 Female Duiker on the way to the lodge
09:30 We got to Mike's lodge and only saw 2 x Egyptian geese on the water.
09:50 On our way back we saw another Duiker. This time a male
11:00 We went to pick up Roz again
11:30 5 x Warthogs on our way back from the lodge
11:40 1 x Kudu cow near the road on Geluk
11:45 A little further along we saw 2 x Impala rams near the road
12:00 At the 2 ponds near the gate we saw the same 4 warthog boars and sat there a while watching them
12:05 As we drove along there were 3 more Warthogs just opposite the Ryefield on the other side of the road
13:30 We headed into Ladysmith for some things
16:00 When we came back it looked as if the neighbour had started some firebreaks. The fire did not spread into UmPhafa so we went looking for the Giraffes.
17:00 Went back home without finding them
23:30 We saw a red glow on the mountain and it seemed that the fire spread over the top. We rushed up the mountain, but the fire had not spread over the border
01:00 We went back home
01/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 23*C Min Temp : 05*C
08:00 Took Roz to Vertrek for some tracking.
08:15 On the Ryefield this morning we saw 2 x Blesbok and the usual Impalas
08:20 We headed up the mountain to check on the fire and help Mike with it
08:45 Up on top of the mountain a secretary bird was taking advantage of the field fire and was feeding in the grass
10:30 We had a short meeting with Charles and received a quote on the building material for the school. We will start with the repairs as soon as possible
11:00 We went to fetch Roz on Vertrek
12:00 We headed back up to the top of the mountain to check on the fire. On our way up we saw 11 Giraffes as well as 3 kudu cows a 2year old bull and a calf
14:00 We spent the day keeping an eye on the fires
16:00 At the pond near the house we saw a warthog family of 5
16:10 On the Ryefield the usual Impala's, Blue cranes and some warthogs
16:15 3 x Warthogs at the 2 ponds near the main gate.
16:20 We headed to Geluk to give a hand with the fires
17:30 We took Michael and Mandla home to Colenso as Mike and staff was still busy with the fires
02/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 24*C Min Temp : 07*C
07:30 We took Roz to the back of the mountain to the dams for tracking
07:50 On our way there on the plateau near the lodge we saw 7 Giraffes browsing
08:25 Round the back of the mountain near the N3 we saw 3 x Duikers
08:55 4 x Mountain reedbuck on top of the mountain in the middle area
09:00 Saw the Blesbok on the top right hand side of the mountain. The fires was out and not a threat to Elworthy any longer
09:30 We saw a Jackal buzzard in a tree on top
10:50 On our way down the mountain we saw a 2 year old kudu bull, a calf and a cow.
11:00 We went to pick up Roz round the back
11:20 6 x Mountain Reedbuck by the road near the Tugela on our way back
11:50 We headed off to Vertrek to check on the fires there. Mike had everything under control there. The road was about 850m further than last Wednesday.
13:50 Headed up the mountain again for a check up on the fire. On our way we saw 4 x Kudu cows
14:45 We went to the Ryefield to check who which animals were on it for Roz to observe. 2 x Blesbok. the Impala's and 11 Warthogs
16:00 We took Roz to the Ryefield. We came across 6 Zebra's ( 3 foals, 2 mares, 1 stallion) They were heading towards the Ryefield but we did not see them down later on.
17:00 Took Michael and Mandla home as Mike was still busy with the fires on Vertrek
03/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 25*C Min Temp : 09*C
08:00 Went to drop Roz off at the back of Vertrek. On our way there near the pond at the house we saw the Giraffe and spent about 45min with them. Near them there were also 6 x Zebra. We then headed over towards the lodge and took that road round to the back
08:50 On our way towards the back near the dip we saw a young Kudu Bull
09:15 Dropped Roz off
09:50 Did the last 2 day's reports
11:00 Went back to pick up Roz and the rest. On our way back we saw that there was a big field fire on Geluk and we went to have a look. The mountain and back of Geluk was on fire.
13:30 We went to Ladysmith for some things and when we got back the fire was mostly under control
17:30 There were some female Waterbuck on their way to the Ryefield
23:00 The fire started up again and we gave Mike a hand. Got it out at about 00:45
04/08/2007
Weather : Cloudy
Max Temp : 19*C Min Temp : 05*C
10:00 We took Roz to Durban airport
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 20*C Min Temp : 04*C
08:15 We headed up the mountain to drop Roz off for some tracking
08:15 There was a young Kudu Bull about halfway up the mountain
08:40 On top of the mountain we spotted 12 x Zebra's in the middle.
08:45 On the far right hand side on our way to the right side of the mountain we saw a Martial eagle in a tree
09:00 We dropped Roz by the Natural spring near the border fence for tracking
09:05 There were 15 x Blesbok near the border fence on the other side. They looked a lot more relaxed today and we were able to get a bit closer than usual
09:10 1 x Duiker and a Mountain Reedbuck near the other natural spring.
09:25 About three quarters down on our way down the mountain we saw 3 x Zebra near the road
09:45 Did the reports and emails
10:50 On our way up the lodge we saw a small group of 10 Impala one a year old ram
11:00 On the Plateau near the lodge we saw the 6 Zebras (3 foals, 2mares, 1stallion) They were calm as well as we got out of the vehicle to go look for the Giraffes
11:05 Looking down from the plateau towards the mountain we saw a group of 4 more Zebras and another one of 3 near the slope
11:30 On the road towards the back from the lodge we saw a Kudu Bull
11:45 4 x Dassies round the back of the mountain near the dam.
11:55 4 x Mountain Reedbuck near the N3 round the back of the mountain
12:00 2nd Dam round the back of the mountain we saw 5 x Cows, a 2 year old Bull and a calf. There is no water in the dam anymore
12:20 On the road back towards the top of the mountain there was a tree fallen over into the road because of the strong winds. It took us some time to try to move it out of the road for the vehicle to pass.
12:40 We picked up Roz and Michael from the top of the mountain
13:15 At the ponds near the house there was a group of Impala's with a ram
14:00 We took Roz to the Ryefield for observation. 6 x Zebras, 2 x Blesbok, 7 x Warthog and the usual Impalas
15:00 We took Roz to town for some grocery shopping
17:30 On the Ryefield we were very fortunate to see 5 x Waterbuck. It looked like the released ones as 2 of them looked like the 2 young ones released.
31/07/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 21*C Min Temp : 05*C
07:30 Did report
08:30 Took Roz to Geluk, to Mike's Lodge for some tracking. Saw some Impala bachelors by the stream
08:40 The Impala's were moving down towards the Ryefield.
08:55 At the 2 ponds we saw 4 x Warthog boars grazing. They ran off as soon as we stopped
09:20 Female Duiker on the way to the lodge
09:30 We got to Mike's lodge and only saw 2 x Egyptian geese on the water.
09:50 On our way back we saw another Duiker. This time a male
11:00 We went to pick up Roz again
11:30 5 x Warthogs on our way back from the lodge
11:40 1 x Kudu cow near the road on Geluk
11:45 A little further along we saw 2 x Impala rams near the road
12:00 At the 2 ponds near the gate we saw the same 4 warthog boars and sat there a while watching them
12:05 As we drove along there were 3 more Warthogs just opposite the Ryefield on the other side of the road
13:30 We headed into Ladysmith for some things
16:00 When we came back it looked as if the neighbour had started some firebreaks. The fire did not spread into UmPhafa so we went looking for the Giraffes.
17:00 Went back home without finding them
23:30 We saw a red glow on the mountain and it seemed that the fire spread over the top. We rushed up the mountain, but the fire had not spread over the border
01:00 We went back home
01/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 23*C Min Temp : 05*C
08:00 Took Roz to Vertrek for some tracking.
08:15 On the Ryefield this morning we saw 2 x Blesbok and the usual Impalas
08:20 We headed up the mountain to check on the fire and help Mike with it
08:45 Up on top of the mountain a secretary bird was taking advantage of the field fire and was feeding in the grass
10:30 We had a short meeting with Charles and received a quote on the building material for the school. We will start with the repairs as soon as possible
11:00 We went to fetch Roz on Vertrek
12:00 We headed back up to the top of the mountain to check on the fire. On our way up we saw 11 Giraffes as well as 3 kudu cows a 2year old bull and a calf
14:00 We spent the day keeping an eye on the fires
16:00 At the pond near the house we saw a warthog family of 5
16:10 On the Ryefield the usual Impala's, Blue cranes and some warthogs
16:15 3 x Warthogs at the 2 ponds near the main gate.
16:20 We headed to Geluk to give a hand with the fires
17:30 We took Michael and Mandla home to Colenso as Mike and staff was still busy with the fires
02/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 24*C Min Temp : 07*C
07:30 We took Roz to the back of the mountain to the dams for tracking
07:50 On our way there on the plateau near the lodge we saw 7 Giraffes browsing
08:25 Round the back of the mountain near the N3 we saw 3 x Duikers
08:55 4 x Mountain reedbuck on top of the mountain in the middle area
09:00 Saw the Blesbok on the top right hand side of the mountain. The fires was out and not a threat to Elworthy any longer
09:30 We saw a Jackal buzzard in a tree on top
10:50 On our way down the mountain we saw a 2 year old kudu bull, a calf and a cow.
11:00 We went to pick up Roz round the back
11:20 6 x Mountain Reedbuck by the road near the Tugela on our way back
11:50 We headed off to Vertrek to check on the fires there. Mike had everything under control there. The road was about 850m further than last Wednesday.
13:50 Headed up the mountain again for a check up on the fire. On our way we saw 4 x Kudu cows
14:45 We went to the Ryefield to check who which animals were on it for Roz to observe. 2 x Blesbok. the Impala's and 11 Warthogs
16:00 We took Roz to the Ryefield. We came across 6 Zebra's ( 3 foals, 2 mares, 1 stallion) They were heading towards the Ryefield but we did not see them down later on.
17:00 Took Michael and Mandla home as Mike was still busy with the fires on Vertrek
03/08/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 25*C Min Temp : 09*C
08:00 Went to drop Roz off at the back of Vertrek. On our way there near the pond at the house we saw the Giraffe and spent about 45min with them. Near them there were also 6 x Zebra. We then headed over towards the lodge and took that road round to the back
08:50 On our way towards the back near the dip we saw a young Kudu Bull
09:15 Dropped Roz off
09:50 Did the last 2 day's reports
11:00 Went back to pick up Roz and the rest. On our way back we saw that there was a big field fire on Geluk and we went to have a look. The mountain and back of Geluk was on fire.
13:30 We went to Ladysmith for some things and when we got back the fire was mostly under control
17:30 There were some female Waterbuck on their way to the Ryefield
23:00 The fire started up again and we gave Mike a hand. Got it out at about 00:45
04/08/2007
Weather : Cloudy
Max Temp : 19*C Min Temp : 05*C
10:00 We took Roz to Durban airport
Friday, 3 August 2007
Weekly Report 23rd - 27th July 2007
23/07/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 27*C Min Temp : 05*C
07:30 Did the report and sent it off
09:20 We took Roz to the dam near the base of the mountain where she did some tracks
09:45 Checked the progress of the lodge and looked for the giraffes
10:00 We headed round the back of the mountain to make sure that we did not miss the old Kudu bull, but it seems to be the dead one we found in the donga round the back.
10:05 Halfway between the lodge and the big dip we saw a porcupine running across the road.
10:25 Back of mountain near the N3 we saw a male Duiker
10:30 Back of mountain near the first dam we saw another male Duiker
10:35 Back of the mountain we saw another 2 x Duikers (female) as well as 5 x Mountain Reedbuck grazing on the new growth from the firebreaks
11:00 Base of mountain on our way to the top there were 4 x Kudu cows laying in the grass under the trees
11:20 We went to take a look at the carcass of the dead Kudu Bull. It was not touched except for a bit around the thigh
11:30 Top of the mountain on left hand side of the top we saw 9 x Blesbok. They are usually on the other side of the mountain.
13:00 On the Ryefield we saw 12 x Warthogs, 4 x Blesbok and the usual Impala's and Blue Cranes
13:05 At the 2 ponds near the main gate there were 6 x Zebra's. The stallion, 2 mares and 3 foals (recently released ones)
13:25 We went to check on the road progress at Cloustons. They are about 80m further since last Wednesday.
14:00 We went home and sorted out some photos.
15:15 We took Roz to the Ryefield for some observations
17:10 On our way from the Ryefield near the pond at the house we saw the 6 Zebra's again and a group of impala as well
24/07/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 25*C Min Temp : 09*C
07:30 Near Donga on the way to dam we saw 6 x Hartebeest
07:55 At the dam near the house we saw a Spoonbill feeding
08:10 We headed up towards the Lodge to see if we could spot the Giraffes, but we could only find one near the base of the mountain close to the dam
08:20 Near the Lodge toward the back we saw a young Kudu Bull.
08:45 Across from the field near the house there was a female duiker hiding in the grass
08:50 Near the ponds at the house we saw 3 x Warthogs
09:00 At the pond - Giant kingfisher and the reed Cormorant
09:30 Took Roz to the dry riverbed (Big stream) where she did some tracks
09:45 Worked on the video footage and photos most of the day / Looked for the Giraffes
14:00 Took Roz to the Ryefield to do some observation
16:00 Pick Roz up and went to find the dried casts of the prints she took.
17:00 Went home.
25/07/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 27*C Min Temp : 15*C
07:30 Took Roz to Vertrek for some tracking along the River and border fence of Vertrek
08:00 Did report and readied everything for Mr and Mrs T
11:00 Went to pick Roz up from Vertrek
13:00 We went down to the Ryefield so Roz could do some observation. Hannes went with Ed to check on the progress of the road on Vertrek
15:00 Mr T arrived round about this time on UmPhafa.
26/07/2007
Weather : Cloudy morning
Max Temp : 22*C Min Temp : 13*C
06:00 Took Mr T and the family for an early morning drive. Spotted eagle owl on way from lodge as well as some Impala and 6 x Zebra in the early dawn. Saw some Impala on the Ryefield. Near the river in a tree we saw a Longcrested Eagle. 3 x Warthogs ran across the road just behind us. We went towards the mountain to see if we could spot the Black-backed Jackals, but we were unlucky.
08:45 - 13:00 We headed off to Ethuleni School to hand out the letters. It was a great trip. The children danced for us and little Ollie joined in after a while. They also sang us some songs. After the dancing we handed out the letters and took down the children’s names. They responded to the letters with much enthusiasm and replied immediately. Kevin and Hannes headed to Ladysmith and decided to treat the children with some sweets which they really enjoyed. I was reminded to just say thank you to Stanway School and Action for the Wild for all their efforts.
14:00 Sorted out the letters and did yesterday's report
15:00 Took the family on a game drive again. Headed over the hill from the lodge and saw a Kudu cow near there. Close to the big dip on the side of the mountain we saw a lone Giraffe. We could not see the others
16:30 We headed up the mountain to show everyone the top of the mountain. We saw 15 x Blesbok on top of the mountain. It was very windy up there. We headed back down and got back at about 18:00.
27/07/2007
Weather : Extremely windy
Max Temp : 23*C Min Temp : 16*C
07:30 Report for yesterday and worked on some of the footage from the school
09:00 Had a meeting with Mr and Mrs T
11:20 Took Roz to the River for some tracking
11:30 Took Mr T and the family on a game drive. The wind was terrible and we did not see much. We saw only 1 giraffe when we use the binoculars.
It was taking shelter from the wind near the slope of the mountain. We did however see a group of first 6 x Hartebeest and about 5 min later 2 more on our way up to the mountain.
16:00 We went on another game drive with Mr T and the family and took Roz with us this time. We took the road leading to the back of the mountain from the lodge. We saw a Marsh Harrier having some real difficulty with the wind. It kept having to land because of the strong winds. We headed down to the Ryefield. On our way there we saw about 2 groups of Impalas. There were only a couple of Impalas on the Ryefield and some Zebras. We saw a Common Reedbuck male near the road by the field. At about 17:50 we saw another common Reedbuck just at the turnoff to the lodge.
There were huge field fires near Winterton area and close to Ladysmith. Millions of Rands worth of field was destroyed and quite a lot of cattle died. Some people lost their lives and some were seriously injured. Many farmhouses and huts burned down and more than 2million hectares were destroyed. We were very fortunate. We could see the blaze from UmPhafa and there was smoke over the N3. Luckily for us the wind was blowing away from us.
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 27*C Min Temp : 05*C
07:30 Did the report and sent it off
09:20 We took Roz to the dam near the base of the mountain where she did some tracks
09:45 Checked the progress of the lodge and looked for the giraffes
10:00 We headed round the back of the mountain to make sure that we did not miss the old Kudu bull, but it seems to be the dead one we found in the donga round the back.
10:05 Halfway between the lodge and the big dip we saw a porcupine running across the road.
10:25 Back of mountain near the N3 we saw a male Duiker
10:30 Back of mountain near the first dam we saw another male Duiker
10:35 Back of the mountain we saw another 2 x Duikers (female) as well as 5 x Mountain Reedbuck grazing on the new growth from the firebreaks
11:00 Base of mountain on our way to the top there were 4 x Kudu cows laying in the grass under the trees
11:20 We went to take a look at the carcass of the dead Kudu Bull. It was not touched except for a bit around the thigh
11:30 Top of the mountain on left hand side of the top we saw 9 x Blesbok. They are usually on the other side of the mountain.
13:00 On the Ryefield we saw 12 x Warthogs, 4 x Blesbok and the usual Impala's and Blue Cranes
13:05 At the 2 ponds near the main gate there were 6 x Zebra's. The stallion, 2 mares and 3 foals (recently released ones)
13:25 We went to check on the road progress at Cloustons. They are about 80m further since last Wednesday.
14:00 We went home and sorted out some photos.
15:15 We took Roz to the Ryefield for some observations
17:10 On our way from the Ryefield near the pond at the house we saw the 6 Zebra's again and a group of impala as well
24/07/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 25*C Min Temp : 09*C
07:30 Near Donga on the way to dam we saw 6 x Hartebeest
07:55 At the dam near the house we saw a Spoonbill feeding
08:10 We headed up towards the Lodge to see if we could spot the Giraffes, but we could only find one near the base of the mountain close to the dam
08:20 Near the Lodge toward the back we saw a young Kudu Bull.
08:45 Across from the field near the house there was a female duiker hiding in the grass
08:50 Near the ponds at the house we saw 3 x Warthogs
09:00 At the pond - Giant kingfisher and the reed Cormorant
09:30 Took Roz to the dry riverbed (Big stream) where she did some tracks
09:45 Worked on the video footage and photos most of the day / Looked for the Giraffes
14:00 Took Roz to the Ryefield to do some observation
16:00 Pick Roz up and went to find the dried casts of the prints she took.
17:00 Went home.
25/07/2007
Weather : Sunny
Max Temp : 27*C Min Temp : 15*C
07:30 Took Roz to Vertrek for some tracking along the River and border fence of Vertrek
08:00 Did report and readied everything for Mr and Mrs T
11:00 Went to pick Roz up from Vertrek
13:00 We went down to the Ryefield so Roz could do some observation. Hannes went with Ed to check on the progress of the road on Vertrek
15:00 Mr T arrived round about this time on UmPhafa.
26/07/2007
Weather : Cloudy morning
Max Temp : 22*C Min Temp : 13*C
06:00 Took Mr T and the family for an early morning drive. Spotted eagle owl on way from lodge as well as some Impala and 6 x Zebra in the early dawn. Saw some Impala on the Ryefield. Near the river in a tree we saw a Longcrested Eagle. 3 x Warthogs ran across the road just behind us. We went towards the mountain to see if we could spot the Black-backed Jackals, but we were unlucky.
08:45 - 13:00 We headed off to Ethuleni School to hand out the letters. It was a great trip. The children danced for us and little Ollie joined in after a while. They also sang us some songs. After the dancing we handed out the letters and took down the children’s names. They responded to the letters with much enthusiasm and replied immediately. Kevin and Hannes headed to Ladysmith and decided to treat the children with some sweets which they really enjoyed. I was reminded to just say thank you to Stanway School and Action for the Wild for all their efforts.
14:00 Sorted out the letters and did yesterday's report
15:00 Took the family on a game drive again. Headed over the hill from the lodge and saw a Kudu cow near there. Close to the big dip on the side of the mountain we saw a lone Giraffe. We could not see the others
16:30 We headed up the mountain to show everyone the top of the mountain. We saw 15 x Blesbok on top of the mountain. It was very windy up there. We headed back down and got back at about 18:00.
27/07/2007
Weather : Extremely windy
Max Temp : 23*C Min Temp : 16*C
07:30 Report for yesterday and worked on some of the footage from the school
09:00 Had a meeting with Mr and Mrs T
11:20 Took Roz to the River for some tracking
11:30 Took Mr T and the family on a game drive. The wind was terrible and we did not see much. We saw only 1 giraffe when we use the binoculars.
It was taking shelter from the wind near the slope of the mountain. We did however see a group of first 6 x Hartebeest and about 5 min later 2 more on our way up to the mountain.
16:00 We went on another game drive with Mr T and the family and took Roz with us this time. We took the road leading to the back of the mountain from the lodge. We saw a Marsh Harrier having some real difficulty with the wind. It kept having to land because of the strong winds. We headed down to the Ryefield. On our way there we saw about 2 groups of Impalas. There were only a couple of Impalas on the Ryefield and some Zebras. We saw a Common Reedbuck male near the road by the field. At about 17:50 we saw another common Reedbuck just at the turnoff to the lodge.
There were huge field fires near Winterton area and close to Ladysmith. Millions of Rands worth of field was destroyed and quite a lot of cattle died. Some people lost their lives and some were seriously injured. Many farmhouses and huts burned down and more than 2million hectares were destroyed. We were very fortunate. We could see the blaze from UmPhafa and there was smoke over the N3. Luckily for us the wind was blowing away from us.
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