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| A stunning meal at Arthur's Rest, Cath's farm |
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
Day Two - Potchestroom to Coligny (heard of it?)
We arrived in Potchefstroom at precisely 17h00 yesterday with 128.5 km on the clock. After taking photos in front of the ‘Welcome to Potch’ sign we carried on to the Keg to meet up with our hosts Cath Raynham and her Polish friend Kasha for the night. We packed the bikes into the van and set off in the pink twilight in three cars heading for the farm about 30 kms outside Potch in the Viljoenskroon area. We turned off the tar road onto a short dirt track with two farm gates and then had to navigate our way through a very healthy-looking flock of goats.
We had a wonderful stopover at Cath’s family farm ‘Arthur’s Rest’ with a meal prepared with much care – pasta and mince, a vegetarian lasagne and a green salad with oodles of soft feta cheese. All washed down with Boschendal la Bouquet (or Castle!). The apple and cranberry pie was not quite ready by the end of the meal so we had it for breakfast instead with lots of cream. Stunningly delicious! The farm house as we discovered this morning is surrounded on three sides by the Renoster River. The farm is named after Cath’s grandfather Arthur Culverwell who was mayor of Viljoenskroon in his day. In front of the farmhouse are the vestiges of a bowling green where decades ago elegant ladies and gentlemen used to play bowls – the ladies in long white gloves! Croquet was also on offer if the visitors did not have the inclination to play bowls. Cath’s uncle farms goats, cows and mealies there and a pump house pumps water from the Renoster River to Parys. The water must be the softest water I have ever felt and showering was extra luxurious and soapy.
Pieter went to bed at 20h00, Shaun and Roland crashed a little later. I sat talking to Cath and Kasha until 21h30. Kasha is a special needs teacher in London visiting Cath during her two week Easter break and we had great fun chatting about our schools, the children we teach and the methodologies we use. After much mirth and light-hearted banter, I retired for the night feeling satisfied that we had accomplished our first day of cycling safely and that the cyclists had done auSOMEly! During the night I heard the soft mooing of cows and later the not so comfortable sound of jackals howling nearby. Lynxes are sometimes found on the farm but because they steal the kids (baby goats that is!), they are caught and relocated to other farms.
On the whole yesterday was without incident although it is hairy riding on narrow roads with cars whizzing by at a number of both legal and illegal speeds. We keep reminding ourselves that this is not a race and that we can stop when we need to as we do for wee breaks in the bush or a quick meal at a Wimpy. At every stop Pieter can be seen mixing his very complicated diet of supplements, an array that is quite staggering!
We saw one accident on the way (Shaun kicked a truck out of his way!) and lots of evidence of autumn with the cosmos starting to take over the veld. We have just been passed by a tractor and a trailer – a first for both Roland (the driver of the Honda CRV in which I am a passenger) and I who are used to going a little faster than 20 kph in a 120 km zone!!
We are on our way to Coligny via Ventersdorp and then on to our self-catering accommodation Rus Mar just outside Lichtenburg. We will have time to have a longer rest period today.
Yesterday we were mentioned on John Robby’s show on 702 as well as on 3Talk with Noeleen. Yahooooo!
We had a wonderful stopover at Cath’s family farm ‘Arthur’s Rest’ with a meal prepared with much care – pasta and mince, a vegetarian lasagne and a green salad with oodles of soft feta cheese. All washed down with Boschendal la Bouquet (or Castle!). The apple and cranberry pie was not quite ready by the end of the meal so we had it for breakfast instead with lots of cream. Stunningly delicious! The farm house as we discovered this morning is surrounded on three sides by the Renoster River. The farm is named after Cath’s grandfather Arthur Culverwell who was mayor of Viljoenskroon in his day. In front of the farmhouse are the vestiges of a bowling green where decades ago elegant ladies and gentlemen used to play bowls – the ladies in long white gloves! Croquet was also on offer if the visitors did not have the inclination to play bowls. Cath’s uncle farms goats, cows and mealies there and a pump house pumps water from the Renoster River to Parys. The water must be the softest water I have ever felt and showering was extra luxurious and soapy.
Pieter went to bed at 20h00, Shaun and Roland crashed a little later. I sat talking to Cath and Kasha until 21h30. Kasha is a special needs teacher in London visiting Cath during her two week Easter break and we had great fun chatting about our schools, the children we teach and the methodologies we use. After much mirth and light-hearted banter, I retired for the night feeling satisfied that we had accomplished our first day of cycling safely and that the cyclists had done auSOMEly! During the night I heard the soft mooing of cows and later the not so comfortable sound of jackals howling nearby. Lynxes are sometimes found on the farm but because they steal the kids (baby goats that is!), they are caught and relocated to other farms.
On the whole yesterday was without incident although it is hairy riding on narrow roads with cars whizzing by at a number of both legal and illegal speeds. We keep reminding ourselves that this is not a race and that we can stop when we need to as we do for wee breaks in the bush or a quick meal at a Wimpy. At every stop Pieter can be seen mixing his very complicated diet of supplements, an array that is quite staggering!
We saw one accident on the way (Shaun kicked a truck out of his way!) and lots of evidence of autumn with the cosmos starting to take over the veld. We have just been passed by a tractor and a trailer – a first for both Roland (the driver of the Honda CRV in which I am a passenger) and I who are used to going a little faster than 20 kph in a 120 km zone!!
We are on our way to Coligny via Ventersdorp and then on to our self-catering accommodation Rus Mar just outside Lichtenburg. We will have time to have a longer rest period today.
Yesterday we were mentioned on John Robby’s show on 702 as well as on 3Talk with Noeleen. Yahooooo!
Monday, 2 April 2012
2 April 2012 World Autism Awareness Day
And we are off with a bang!
About 40 staff, parents and friends arrived at The Key School this morning, braving the unseasonal chilliness of an early autumn to say farewell to our two intrepid cyclists at the start of their 2 265 km journey to Cape Town. Rachel Tambo our new patron (accompanied by her husband Dali Tambo) said a few beautiful words in farewell. As a cyclist in her own right, she described what it is like riding on roads with car whizzing past at 120 km, that one feels them going past and that it is skrikky to say the least. Thanks so much Rachel, you added an unexpected warmth to the farewell and I really appreciate your support in our venture .
James Killops, one of our pupils, had a few words to say too, saying that The Key School is the best school in the whole wide world (as if we didn't know that already!).
There were few dry eyes as we departed down Rhodes Avenue and then over horrendous speed bumps in Gale Road :)
I write as we are driving with five macho Think Bike marshalls on ausome motorcycles escorting us out of Johannesburg, dodging traffic, hugging narrow and uneven shoulders and being ushered through robots (even the red ones that are working!).
The cyclists are looking good. We did 12 kms before stopping at a Saverite store in Florida to fill up a trolley with R600 worth of sponsored food. We bought some fresh food for breakfast tomorrow morning - bacon and eggs of course! Tonight we stop off at a teacher's farm near Potchefstroom where we will be spoilt with a braai for supper.
I am in the Honda CRV sponsored by Honda West Rand being driven by Roland Murphy, Shaun's dad.
Good luck Shaun and Pieter and thank you to Leigh and Rene for giving up your husband and fiance respectively for nearly a month to cycle for autism!!
About 40 staff, parents and friends arrived at The Key School this morning, braving the unseasonal chilliness of an early autumn to say farewell to our two intrepid cyclists at the start of their 2 265 km journey to Cape Town. Rachel Tambo our new patron (accompanied by her husband Dali Tambo) said a few beautiful words in farewell. As a cyclist in her own right, she described what it is like riding on roads with car whizzing past at 120 km, that one feels them going past and that it is skrikky to say the least. Thanks so much Rachel, you added an unexpected warmth to the farewell and I really appreciate your support in our venture .
James Killops, one of our pupils, had a few words to say too, saying that The Key School is the best school in the whole wide world (as if we didn't know that already!).
There were few dry eyes as we departed down Rhodes Avenue and then over horrendous speed bumps in Gale Road :)
I write as we are driving with five macho Think Bike marshalls on ausome motorcycles escorting us out of Johannesburg, dodging traffic, hugging narrow and uneven shoulders and being ushered through robots (even the red ones that are working!).
The cyclists are looking good. We did 12 kms before stopping at a Saverite store in Florida to fill up a trolley with R600 worth of sponsored food. We bought some fresh food for breakfast tomorrow morning - bacon and eggs of course! Tonight we stop off at a teacher's farm near Potchefstroom where we will be spoilt with a braai for supper.
I am in the Honda CRV sponsored by Honda West Rand being driven by Roland Murphy, Shaun's dad.
Good luck Shaun and Pieter and thank you to Leigh and Rene for giving up your husband and fiance respectively for nearly a month to cycle for autism!!
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