It sure has been hard work getting our property back on track after being away for three weeks.
We decided to take a long awaited trip to South Africa in December to visit family and friends. It had been 4 years since we were last there, thanks to the dreadful year of 2020.
We started our trip off with a luxury stay in Johannesburg. Unfortunately we were so jet lagged that we did not get to fully enjoy all the amenities our hotel offered. We were also pressed for time, as it was merely a stop over point to rest before heading to location number 1 in Hoedspruit to visit some family.
While there, we were treated to a game drive and saw some of the amazing wildlife that our old country is home to. While Australia has some great wildlife; some dangerous, and some on the weird and wonderful side, Africa truly takes the cake in my book.
After Hoedspruit we headed down to the east coast, Kwa Zulu Natal (KZN), our home province. Seeing family and friends was of course the highlight. 4 years is too long! We spent these days spending quality family time, having great meals, catching up with long time friends and just relaxing.
Our beautiful fur kids were left in care and we missed them terribly. I missed my garden too. There is something to be said about being in nature and working with your hands. By the time the three weeks were up, I was ready to go home. Africa has our hearts, but Australia is home.
We were hit once again by jet lag and this time harder than before! I guess that’s what 36 hrs of travel time will do to you… I was sick for a day and was exhausted for three days after. The humidity that awaited us, was not something I was prepared for! I am not sure that this is something I will ever get used to. We monitor our temperature and humidity levels and the stats always surprise me, that the garden simply had to wait.
We came home to some glorious rain, after having suffered a drought for months, it was most welcoming. Before we left, we had installed and set up irrigation, so that our veggie garden, fruit trees and shade house were taken care of while we were away. Sven set up the irrigation system on timers that is controlled through WiFi, so that we could monitor and control from afar. This was the best decision! We also monitored the weather apps, so that if necessary we could pause the watering should we get some rain. This was necessary in our last week.
What we came home to was a surprise! Our tanks are full to the point that they overflow when it rains! It has been so long since we thought of overfull tanks as a problem. The joy we felt at the sight of full water tanks was short lived though once we realised the amount of work ahead of us! The grass was so long that it has taken us a week to mow and we are still not quite there yet. It continues to rain on and off, which makes mowing a little tricky. We don’t have the strongest ride on, so it struggles when the grass is long, thick and wet!
Weeds have taken over our lawn and my veggie garden was unrecognisable. My heart sank at the thought of all the work I put into our garden prior to us going away, being destroyed, and produce lost.
Boy was I wrong! While the grass and weeds were out of control, and the thought and fear of snakes was at the fore front of my mind, the garden was thriving! Overgrown, but thriving! I have managed to pick quite a bit of produce, with minimal loss and damage. I have been able to give some to neighbours and friends.
I am beyond happy! We still have a lot to do to get the garden back to where we were headed, and I still have some plans for 2024 that I would like realised. If there is one thing this experience has taught me, is that sometimes a little sunshine, rain and ‘neglect’ is what a garden needs. As a beginner gardener I tend to over fuss and interfere, stopping nature from doing what it does best. Sometimes less, really is more.
Happy gardening
xxx