Capturing the Winter Sun

Driving home on Friday fine dustings of winter were evident, lying white on the higher mountains with the Matroosberg the whitest of them all. Most of the vineyards are completely bare and brown adding to the monochromatic landscape of winter.

Arriving home was a treat. Keith is home for a couple of weeks tending to some maintenance issues. I stepped into a warm light filled house and was offered sherry or whisky after I unpacked. It was strange not to go through the different stages of arrival, switching on lights, heaters, geazers and gas and then starting supper.

But with a glass of a good peat whisky  I quickly relaxed into the luxury of a cosy chesterfield.

Summer colours in winter

The weekend weather was magical with the brightest days and cold sunshine that does not seem able to heat up the day. Keith spent a lot of time following the sun with the solar lamps that we use during load shedding. With Grid Watch keeping us up to date with the latest load shedding schedule we could plan our suppers and lunches around it.

Tuna Carpaccio with Spaghetti al Negro de Sepia

Spaghetti al Negro de Sepia

I found some interesting food at the markets and shops in Cape Town and was eager to try them out. I made smoked tuna Carpaccio with spaghetti al negro de sepia drenched in ginger, lime, soy sauce and micro basil served with a mixed tomato salad. We enjoyed a bottle of Quando Mourverde rosé which complimented the flavours.

Quando Mourverde Rose

I am not a rosé drinker but I like Mourverde and I love the colour of this wine. It is as if the essence of the red Karoo soil that the Mourverde vines grow in is echoed in the wine.

Mixed Tomato salad with micro Basil

We enjoyed the wine and it is definitely worth a place in our cellar.

Orange Cauliflower with micro Rocket

Over the weekend I made an orange cauliflower and micro rocket salad with a ginger and clementine vinaigrette and more tomato salad with micro basil. I really enjoy the micro leaf salads and I am exploring the possibility of growing my own. I first need to investigate why the seeds are so expensive.

Keith’s efforts to capture the sun paid off and we could enjoy our supper by captured sunlight with good conversation in the silence of load shedding.

The Last of the Winter Roses

The cold wet evenings seem to linger till just before sunset and the rosaruim spends most of the day  in the shade this late into winter. The roses look cold and they should be heading for a good sleep but there are still bushes producing flowers.

They have about two weeks left before pruning when the garden changes completely and one wonders how it is possible that the bare sticks will again blossom in a magnificent spring display.

The colours of the roses that flower in winter seem to be more intense and I love the blue ones especially.

Restoring Cape Vernacular Architecture – The Main house

With the building structures rescued by the initial renovations we started researching. The history   of the buildings were not documented and the endless days spent in archives, the deeds and surveys and mapping offices, started.

The history of the irrigation canal and of Christopher Rigg’s plan for the valley were well documented but the earlier history of the area was only captured in geographical names. Farm names like Boesmanspad, Boesmansdrift and Boesmansrivier, were a reminder of the earlier inhabitants of this valley and the path they followed from the Langeberg mountains through the Breede river towards the Riviersonderend mountains where, as legend would have it, they went to collect the tin required for their arrow points. Olifantskrans, Wolwekloof en Wildepaardekloof were a reminder of the abundant wildlife that roamed the valley.

We were very keen to have a pure restoration of the original building and were planning to remove the sixties addition completely. When Keith went to have the plans approved by the municipality, he was advised to apply for a demolition permit for all structures instead of a building permit. An added motivation was that he would save his money by applying for the demolition permit which was cheaper than having plans passed.

Opening the original door and window on the original front

Sash windows and stable door restored

We soon learned that the town would have preferred for the building to be removed completely as it was seen as a neglected eyesore.  With very few historical buildings left in the town and surrounding areas we had to explore the Swellendam building style because the property fell within the jurisdiction of the Swellendam cornetecy.

We discovered an original T-shape vernacular house built circa 1824 on the farm Bosjemansdrift that was part of the original farm. We were told that it was built by Mr Beukman the “veewagter” of a Mr Morkel from Stellenbosch, the then owner of the farm.

When we overlaid the original diagram of the quitrent grant on a Google aerial photo we discovered that the complex of buildings in the centre of the diagram, dated 1843, corresponded with the position of our buildings.

Restoring the gable on the original front of the house

The original front restored

Over a period of time we collected sash windows and doors from the area that was for sale to eventually install them in the building. We were informed by old photographs we found on the loft that the house used to have sash windows and collected ones of corresponding dimensions. We wanted the restoration to be authentic.

Replacing the 60's steel frame windows with sash windows

Adding the pediment and ropemolding

When we started the restoration on the main house and removed the steel frame windows we discovered the remnants of a casement window frame and yellow wood lintel. We then realised that the house was even older than we had originally thought.  We realised that the restoration on which we had embarked was in fact to the second phase appearance in the history of the building. It was evident that to restore it to the first phase appearance would create a very interesting museum but not a home suitable for contemporary living while the added financial burden to achieve that would have been prohibitive.

Making the new "soldertrap"

With the discovery of the older history we realised that the building is too important as a record of its period to change any of the interior core of it. We decided to retain the sixties addition for the incorporation of the bathrooms and laundry and other appliances and to leave the core as authentic as possible.

Restoring the gable on the "new front" and preparing for thatching

Roofing specialist consultant, Len Raymond applied methodology and a structural design that would have been used to construct the original thatched roof so as to ensure the correct period appearance of the building.

The restored facade today

The restored original front today

We published the detailed history of the house and its restoration to try and secure the future of the building and its record for future generations. We believe education is important for people to make informed decisions.

The house from the rosarium today

The house from the parking terrace

We realise we are only caretakers of a cultural landscape and enjoy living in this vernacular house and garden as holistically as possible.

The house in 1991

The same view today

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Restoring Cape Vernacular Architecture – The Cottage

Rescuing Beauty 1 – The Property

Restoring Cape Vernacular Architecture – The Cottage

When researching the history of the property we were lucky enough to befriend previous inhabitants and owners of the property that could give us an oral history that we would not have found elsewhere.

The sister of the last owner, who was then already in her 90’s, told us how the cottage was used as accommodation with the stables for the animals next door.

From aerial photographs taken in the early 1940’s, we could see that the cottage was originally a much longer building and we discovered parts of the floor plan under the two bottom beds in the vegetable garden. We could not reconstruct the full length of the building as it would now extend into a sold off section of the property.

Thatching

Keith plastering the hearth.

We also discovered the remnants of a poespas (stones that were laid higgledy piggeldy) floor of a kraal in front of the cottage.

Freshly plastered

Freshly whitewashed

Most of the cottage had to be rebuilt because of weather damage. We found a brick maker in the foothills of the mountain behind Robertson that could still make unbaked sundried bricks. In this way we could restore the buildings with authentic materials where required. All the plasterwork was done with a mix of 2.1.8 that is 2 parts Lime, 1 part Cement and 8 parts Sand. This is the correct mixture to repair historical plaster on old buildings. Modern cement based plaster mixes tends to destroy the historical brickwork because it does not allow the clay unbaked bricks to breathe.

Restored front

Restored back 

Back of cottage seen from the vegetable garden.

We kept as much of the original walls as possible and decided to restore the living section of the building as a cottage. 

First view of the cottage in 1991

The same view today

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Restoring Cape Vernacular Architecture – The Main house

Rescuing Beauty 1 – The Property

Rescuing Beauty 2 – The Cottage

The cottage was in desperate need of rescuing and needed our attention first. After a heavy rainstorm we discovered that one of the cottage walls was on the brink of collapse. The cottage had lost its pitched roof sometime in its life when converted from living space to a garage.

Front of Cottage before restoration

Back of Cottage before restoration

When the pitched roof was removed the corrugated iron was placed on the level ceiling beams. With no proper slope for the water to run off the roof it leaked into the walls eating away at the mud bricks. This left the walls with only the plaster standing with mud dust at the bottom.

Front  of Cottage after initial renovation

Back of Cottage after initial renovation

We realised that the buildings needed to be saved and made secure until we could start the actual restoration.  The first emergency renovation secured the buildings and allowed us some time to research the building style of the Swellendam district (under whose jurisdiction the property fell) to inform us of the approach we would need to take with the restoration of the building.

The Home of Industry

With winter properly settled in and the production from the garden reduced to citrus, carrots, beetroot , Swiss Chard and rocket, all the preserves, marmalades and chutneys which I made during the year are a blessing adding enchantment to the winter meals. The winter lunches and suppers are a culmination of all the seasons.

Limoncello

Marmalade

Citrus Cordials

Apricot Chutney

The preserved fruit and vegetables add flavour and variety to the winter meals. It is as if the fruit and vegetables that taste light and fresh in summer have a more serious and intense flavour in their preserved state. The spring, summer and autumn fruit and vegetables compliment the cold winter days with their intense flavours in their preserved form.

Green Beans

Brinjals

Sun Dried Tomatoes

Basil Pesto

Every time I walk past the laden “spenskas” in the kitchen, a feeling of intense pleasure and achievement washes over me and I think of it as a home of industry.

Quince Chutney

Korrelkonfyt (Hanepoot Grape Jam)

Pickled Onions

Kaapse Jongens (Hanepoot grapes in Brandy)

Remembering the old picture in the Victorian kitchen saying “Rules to be observed by this family” obviously to make sure that the family follows the proper ways and do not fall victim to idleness and indolence. 

Some of the Rules

I always liked the sound of “the home of industry” above the picture of the happy family on the left of the rules compared to the picture of the struggling family under “the home of idleness” on the right side.

Apparently this happens when you drink without listening to piano music

“The result of perseverance” is also a preferred state to the “consequence of indolence”!  I always thought the consequence of indolence was to be knocked unconscious with a big stick and left in a ditch and I prefer to sit around drinking and listening to piano music.  

A Well Stocked "Spenskas"

That is how I came to persevere in the preservation of fruit and vegetables.