All the best for the festive season.
We are "enjoying", very hot weather here in South Africa at the moment with Uppington in the North, topping 40c, which is too hot for most. Here on the Garden route we have a mostly very pleasant 25-28c.
Last week we mixed some business with a lot of pleasure and went camping in Robertson. Robertson is situated in the heart of the Cape Winelands. Temperatures, did hit 35c one day and the wind was pretty strong but it was a great few days on the Brede River.
We managed to escaped before the Christmas camping rush, when family's will camp for up to a month and with Christmas lights around their tents.
The farms and the land in the wine region, look fantastic and the grape and fruit yields are good with the weather being "just right" this year.
We dropped some leather goods off to our farmer pal Marais Brink, Marais who grows grapes, Apricots and peaches. He is currently busy harvesting Apricots and in the New Year peaches. The grapes got to the Ashton Cooperative in the SA Autumn and the fruit to the local cannery. Marais raised R80,000 this year at his annual, charity, wine auction in Port Elizabeth. This year the money went to Cheshire Homes in South Africa.
We had lunch at the Van Loveren Winery between Robertson and Bonnievale, we had fantastic food and wine and the premises and ambience terrific. We bought two bottles of their first class good vintage "Christina" wine for Christmas, at about £8.00 a bottle but you can buy good wine direct from winery's from £1.50 a bottle.
Knysna our home town, is gridlocked with Joburgers and water usage is restricted but we usually get by.
Our Ostrich feather company, is now closed for the Festive season and reopens mid January however the Farmers keep buy 365 day dealing with live stock. This seasons chicks are hatching and looking good and there is a positive mood in the Ostrich industry with very good quality feathers predicted.
"Have a great Festive season and Happy New Year to all".
Go well
Alistair Ross