Like a nymph, Carina Stander appears from among the trees in the Tsitsikamma, where she and her family live. Barefoot, wearing a plain white dress... her hair long and dark brown with splashes of colour. She glides down the garden path, which she, her husband and two sons laid themselves, to the gate in the white picket fence. Smiling broadly, she throws her arms wide open, tilts her head and warmly exclaims: “Welcome to our world!”
It’s a land of magic, of fables and fantasy, that she’s created with her husband, Gerrit van Niekerk, and their two sons, 14-year-old Aden and 10-year old Ilan. In the garden, monkeys cavort and turacos call to each other in the trees, and every now and then one of their two cats, Mooiloop and Avontier (meaning “night tiger”, according to Aden) make an appearance. The garden is a profusion of flowers and foliage, with paths, sculptures, cosy nooks, treehouses, hammocks and a “foefie slide”.
The interior of the double-storey log home is equally fantastical: bright colours, art everywhere, arum lilies and other flowers popping out of pots and vases on the windowsills. Orchids in full bloom. And everywhere, mementoes of people and places: near the front door is a model boat that the boys chose in Mauritius; in the cinema room there’s Carina’s grandmother’s couch, the bell from her father’s herdleader, a door handle from Zanzibar, a bird sculpture from the Amazon…
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Spring 2021-Ausgabe von go! Platteland.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Spring 2021-Ausgabe von go! Platteland.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
The art of small talk
In the city, a glib smile suffices when it comes to interaction with any stranger that crosses her path. Yet a visit to Struisbaai taught Elizabeth Wasserman that small talk is no small matter
From food scraps to compost in a jiffy: We test the iCompost
If turning kitchen waste into compost could be done at the touch of a button, more people would take it up, and much less waste would end up in landfills. That’s what Himkaar Singh, the man behind the innovative iCompost, believes. Platteland was keen to put this innovative appliance to the test
Find wisdom in the forest: It all starts with soil
A tree is an investment in any garden, even though patience is required to pluck the (figurative) fruit. When you plant several trees together to create your own forest, the reward is much greater. They offer shade, they support life… and they improve your soil. We spent time reflecting in our white karee“forest”– and learnt a lot
Ohrigstad's tiny big farmer
Agriculture courses through the veins of the Els family, who have been farming in the Ohrigstad valley in Limpopo since the 1930s. And they are getting younger and younger: Grandfather Jan Els was 36 when he set out, father Dewald 27… and littleWaldo got behind the wheel of massive machines at the age of 6!
The head hen who lays the golden eggs
The Country Chic is a delightful specialty store in the Swartland where small farmer and entrepreneur Suzanne Smit sells the organic free-range chicken eggs and poultry meat she produces – straight from her farm to the shelves of her own store
On mountains and moments
On a trip in the southern Drakensberg, a torrential downpour and a field of prickly thistles got acclaimed photographer Obie Oberholzer thinking about the power of perspective
Ballad of the butter farmer
High up in the Italian Alps, Maria van Zyl learnt to make the tastiest butter in South Africa. Then she started a clever “subscription farming business” delivering dairy products to households in the Cape on a weekly basis, which is how she could afford to buy the first five cows for her micro-dairy. Meet the (bio)dynamic small-scale farmer with big plans
Spring on a stick
Expand your braai repertoire by serving a side dish of flavourful spring-vegetable kebabs cooked to perfection over the coals.
A puzzle of nostalgia
Ride a fat bike through the town where you grew up - an abiding landmark in your life - and behold the picture that reveals itself.
Let's braai!
Celebrate Heritage Day on 24 September with this braai menu, which Platteland put together from Martelize Brink's recently published second cookbook, Oor die Kole.