It has been such a strange summer. The farm is still firmly in the grip of drought and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. With the growing season almost over we are getting very worried about what lies ahead for the winter. We were so hopeful that the drought had been broken when it rained in January, but that wasn’t to be. Thunderstorms have been extremely scattered and uneven and it hasn’t rained for a few weeks now. At Vastrap we’ve had a total of 60mm (about 2 inches) of rain since December, a dire situation given that this is supposed to be our wet season!! The grass turned green for a brief moment, but it’s already tinged brown again and grazed to the ground in most places. The crops that we did manage to plant are barely making it and some parts of the farm have run out of water completely. Our dams, normally full with water at this time of year are almost empty, a huge concern for our cattle as we move towards winter.
Amidst all this I have had my hands full with Livia and Myles. They are such a joy and growing by the day. The drought has dampened my enthusiasm for blogging as there has been very little to report in the garden and around the farm. It’s simply too depressing to take photos. We still go on lovely walks though and yesterday morning we set off early with the dogs down to the valley. Livia is very energetic and loves to walk rather than being pushed in her pram, but it’s quite a long way on a rocky road to I take the pram anyway. I usually carry Myles so that he can have a little sleep while we walk. The dogs love these outings and Duma, our 1 year old boerboel, is really developing into a beautiful specimen. He is huge and still has the enthusiasm of a puppy so Livia tries to steer well clear of him when she walks!
There is not much we can do about the drought except hope and pray that the rain will come soon. In the meantime, we can just be grateful for our beautiful, healthy children and the special times we are able to spend together as a family.
Vastrap Farm 