Hi everyone, 

Apologies that the blog hasn’t been updated in ages – we’re halfway through our first ski season up here in WildMountain country and have been sooooo busy with guests. We’re really chuffed with the amount of bookings that we’ve had – particularly as it’s our first six months in operation – but the response to all my marketing activity has been almost too good. We’ve been full to capacity for 3 weeks now which has made for incredibly long hours, but we did need the income given the amount that we have already invested into refurbishing Edgehill. The other guest house owners in the area seem amazed at how we’ve got so busy so quickly, but speaking to the guests about why they booked with us the general response seems to be “You were the only people that got back to us!”.. It seems as though everyone else is working on laid-back African time, whilst I still have some of the European work ethic. I’m not complaining though, I’ll enjoy the benefits before the others all catch on. Anyway, it makes all the evenings I spend responding to enquiries worthwhile.

So here’s a few tales from our first season so that you can see what we’re up to (and up against!). I think this is my longest blog entry of all time (sorry!) and even this is a summary. 

Ice and Mice

The first thing to say that it is freezing cold. I know I’ve said that before, but compared to now autumn was balmy. We’re hitting temperatures of minus 14ºC – with no central heating. Our guests upstairs have a log fire and a gas heater, but Phil and I are shivering in a basement room with French windows leading into the garden. It has a concrete floor and we have to leave the doors open so that Tinker can get out without waking the guests up, so it’s a bit like camping in an arctic climate. Brrrrrrrr. Last night I had 6 duvets piled on top of me, so it’s nice and warm in bed, but getting up at 6.30 am to make breakfasts for guests is never appealing. And that’s where the fun really starts. This week the water has been frozen every morning and even the gas bottles that we use for the cooker and hot water geyser have frozen. Try making cooked breakfasts for 10 people with no gas, no electricity and no hot water. And of course the milk, orange juice etc also freezes solid. It’s all a major challenge as the frozen gas means that it takes about half and hour to boil a kettle and 15 minutes to produce a piece of toast (and you only do one or the other)! My breakfast struggles were topped off this week when I opened the grill to see how my toast was coming along and a field mouse jumped out into my lap – just as a guest happened to be standing in the kitchen! I didn’t manage to muffle the screams in time, but the lady was very cool about it thank God. Poor little mousy must have thought he had found a heavenly place to hide from the cold – and there would be no danger of him cooking until the gas defrosted. 

Guest Comments

Despite the freezing weather and frustrating logistics everyone who has stayed here seems to have had a wonderful time, and we’ve already had our first rebooking which is a really positive sign. Our visitors have really entered into the spirit of adventure at being disconnected from civilisation for a few days and have been remarkably stoic about the lack of electricity, heating, water etc. They even seemed to prefer it when high winds took out our satellite TV. We have started a guest comments book and I’ve included a few snippets in here. This book is my pride and joy – Phil has the pleasure of seeing the tangible results of his building work, but my reward is the lovely messages that people have left. So here are some of my favourites: 

“THE BEST FARM TO BE AT” (By Cheree aged 11)

I started off feeling sick from the long drive but the minute I saw Kate’s friendly face I was full of joy, energetic and wright at home. Phil and Kate had a beautiful black dog named Tinka – she reminded me of my dog! (fun, energetic, loving and loveable). Kate on the other hand was friendly, hardworking and out going. She helped us across the cold cold river so we could see the Bushmens paintings. Phil was such a good cook that he taught me to appiciate ciken liver and mushrooms two things of wich I really hate. It was Kate’s Birthday on the 28^th (June) we got her a small gift but it’s the thought that counts. I really really really really really really love this farm and its animals and hikes. And I never ever ever ever want to leave this lovely farm. But I (sadly) have to go to school and miss my own animals. THIS WAS THE BEST FARM IN THE HOLE WIDE WORLD. I hope it never changes. PS: I am coming back!!!!” 

“Thank you both for our wonderful time here. You made us feel so welcome and at ease – we didn’t feel as though we were meeting you for the first time. Really hope that this place becomes all you want and dream it to be. Phil – keep on with the great food! We really hope that we’ll be back sometime soon (in the summer!)” 

“Dear Kate & Phil,
A stranger is just a friend you do not know” (quote Jim Reeves). This week we made friends at Edgehill. We felt at home because the two of you went out of your way to make us feel comfortable and welcome. What a beautiful area; we will be back to enjoy the rivers, mountains, birdlife. We did not have time for anything but to learn to ski at Tiffindell. With painful legs and big smiles we will hit the road tomorrow. We wish we could stay longer; but time does not wait in the city; you will be in our minds though. We experienced cold temperatures well beyond we thought was possible is SA and we will surely appreciate our luxuries back home – like running water on cold mornings. I never knew that gas could freeze – wow!! Thanks for an outstanding week; we will be back. Until we meet again….” 

Bar, Restaurant and Snuggly Lounge

Just before season we managed to complete the building of Edgehill’s bar and restaurant. This was an enormous project as it involved knocking down walls, replacing floors, ceilings and refitting the entire kitchen. Phil also built the bar counter and shelves with his own hands. I am so lucky to have such a handy man around. We managed to finish just in time for the first guests and our little pub has been a great success. Well, I should clarify that statement….. It has been a success in terms of popularity. In financial terms it is definitely the least profitable part of our business as Phil and I keep drinking the profits – but at lease it subsidises our habit! The bar has a graffiti wall for our customers to scribble on and again, we have had lovely comments to remember them by: 

“Great food, Great Company, Great Vibe…. What a Great place” 

“ We made friends – Warm hearts heat up cold bodies” 

“Great cuisine - Home from Home – Well done!” 

As you may be noticing by now, Phil’s cooking has received rave reviews from all our customers. We even had a little boy from Dublin come stay who said that Phil cooked the potatoes he had ever eaten – high praise indeed from an Irish lad! To produce any half-decent food up here is very difficult as supplies are basic and hard to get hold of. For example, last week there was not a tomato, onion or 2-ply toilet roll to be had in town. Luckily we have set up quite a neat barter system with our neighbours, swapping bacon for yoghurts and the like, depending on who has what.  Generally my evening role is limited to bar lady, waitress and washing up, but the other day Phil had to stay late in town and I had to produce a 3 course meal for 10 customers (with different meals for the kids). I think Phil was even more nervous than I was at the prospect of me taking over the kitchen for a night – I’ve spent too long relying on Mr Sainsbury producing my meals, so cooking from scratch is still a major challenge. To make it worse, one of the diners was a food critic who spends her life reviewing 5* hotels. Aaaaaagh! So you can imagine how delighted I was when one of the guests came up to me afterwards and asked me where I learned to cook and whether I had been to catering college!!! :-)

Bizarrely, despite all this fantastic food, Phil and I have both lost stacks of weight during season (about a stone for me). After spending all night in the kitchen, we just don’t feel like eating at the end of the night. In my case it’s a good thing as Phil’s cooking was beginning to show on my belly, but I’m trimmed right down to fighting weight now. I think I need to feed my man up a bit though as he’s getting run down and thinks he’s coming down with the lurgie. 

The other change we made to the house before the ski season was to change the lounge furniture. We took out the very beautiful, but rather stiff and formal antique furniture and have created a squidgy ensemble with lots of cushions and blankets (see photos). We tell all our guests that they are welcome to literally put their feet up, snuggle up under a blanket, toss the cushions around and even sleep in front of the fire if they so want. There are loads of games for kids to play (and of course Disney channel), so they’ve been having quite a party of their own whilst the grown-ups congregate at the bar. It’s been lovely when we’ve had a couple of families staying who have children of similar ages as plenty of friendships have been made and it gives the whole place a great atmosphere. 

Skiing in Africa

When Phil and I lived on the coast we never went to the beach, so I’m determined that I do actually get to ski now that we’re living in the mountains. The folks up here have tried to give Tiffindell Ski Resort a European feel and it’s a lively resort. Compared to skiing in Europe the skiing is a bit limited – more or less up and down the same slope all day, but it still feels quite special to be skiing in Africa and the views from the top of the mountain are spectacular (at 3,001 metres it’s the highest point in the Cape). Tiffindell has to use snow-making machines for most of the winter, so it’s quite odd to look down from a white wilderness to the arid mountains below (see photos). When I went the top slope wasn’t open, but it looks pretty challenging – a very decent red run by European standards. There are lots of plans to expand the resort and add new lifts, so the skiing should get better year by year. But as it stood the only real challenge I had was to ski the run faster and faster and faster (it is quite an ego boost to be one of the best skiers on the slopes! Cool Runnings here we come!!!) :-) I got to the point where I nearly wiped out a ski school and then decided I’d better call it a day before I came a cropper. So at that point we retired to the bar – and that’s where the day started to get really interesting.

The Apres-Ski is just as hard core as Europe – South Africans sure know how to party. Tiffindell have a challenge called the Polar Bear Club – to become an honorary member you have to strip off in the bar, run up the ski slope, roll down in the snow, run to the swimming pool, BREAK THE ICE (about 4 inches when I did it) and yup, you’ve guessed it, jump in before running back to the bar. All that to earn 2 shooters and a place on their Hall of Fame. I decided that it had to be done, but to be honest the nakedness scared me more than the ice, so I chose to take the challenge on at 7pm (stone cold sober) whilst the bar was empty. Stupidly I forgot that the run takes you straight past the restaurant where everyone stopped eating their dinner and came out to watch. Doh! Fortunately I had wimped out a bit and kept my knicks and sports bra on (advisable at my age)…. But still wasn’t keen on a hundred or so people staring at my white goose-pimpled flesh. Needless to say that I needed plenty of drinks afterwards to warm up, so the night got very messy from then on in. I vaguely remember Phil starting a water fight in the bar and my friend Carly being chased by a very persistent Swiss ski instructor we nicknamed ‘The Goat’. I don’t know what time we left, but we didn’t get back to the farm until 2.30am. I haven’t returned since…. We’re a little worried as to whether they want us back….. 

Tinker

Just before season we nearly lost our puppy, Tinker. She suddenly stopped eating and despite being given the all-clear by the vet in terms of disease, we simply couldn’t get her appetite up. For two weeks we had to feed her minced liver and Cup-A-Soups through a syringe and then we discovered the problem – she had eaten one of those string bags that goes around a roast. I’ll spare you the gory details, but let’s just say that we discovered the problem on it’s way out! Yuck! She perked up for a day or two and then stopped eating again. Because of the previous problem we feared intestinal damage, but this time it turned out she had Tick Bite Fever. We were extremely lucky to save her as it is vital that you catch this disease quickly and we missed the symptoms for a few days as we were confused by her prior illness. By this time she hadn’t eaten for 3 weeks, so her immune system must have been very low.  Fortunately though, she pulled through and has piled on weight thanks to all the restaurant left-overs. She’s recovered to her very busy, bouncy self and in fact she’s driving me mad as she likes to trot round all the bedrooms waking everyone up at 6.30am if I turn my back for a split second. But she’s a wonderful hit with all the children who stay here – and they help to keep her occupied for most of the day. Last week we took her to play in the snow for the first time and introduced her to the concept of snowball fights. She’s still puzzled as to why her new-found toys keep disintegrating! 

We’ve Got The Power!!

As if it wasn’t difficult enough to manage a house full of 12 guests, bear in mind that all this time we were coping without mains electricity. All the washing (sheets, blankets and all) have to be done as quickly as possible in the bath when the guests go out for the day. That is, when we have running water and when it’s not raining/snowing outside! My maid Agnes has been an absolute star and between us we have managed, but it has been very very hard work for us both. Phil did put his foot in it hugely the other day when he got back from a neighbour’s house and told me that she has no less than 5 maids, plus all mod cons, to manage a similar sized guest house. I’ve got the hands of an 80 year old washer-woman – chilblains and all. Connecting to mains electricity was one of the jobs that we had to complete under our lease agreement by 31^st July, so as if it wasn’t difficult enough, we have also had to juggle the rewiring of the house (and subsequent noise/mess/dust) with the guests. That’s the least of it – last week the wind blew down the temporary overhead cable which dropped onto the roof. Net result: 1 totally electrified house – it doesn’t bear thinking about what could have happened if a child had touched any of the metal strips holding up the prefab section of the house…. Or we had ventured into the shower….! Thank heavens Phil spotted that there was a problem very quickly and shut everything down for the night until the problem could be investigated. The rewiring mission is not something I ever want to go through again, but I’m very pleased to say that on Sunday night we finally got mains power! It’s an absolute pleasure, but very strange to be turning off lights at night instead of trekking out in the frost to the generator. It’s also eerily quiet at night without the engine chugging away in the background. This morning I went around the house filling paraffin lamps before it dawned on me that we don’t actually need them any more! Tomorrow Phil and I are going shopping with a long list of appliances. Top of my list is a toaster, kettle and washing machine (a tumble-dryer and dishwasher would also be very very welcome). Phil’s ‘must-haves’ include a microwave and deep fat fryer for the kitchen. Civilisation here we come….. 

Edgehill in Winter

OK, the weather might be bitterly cold, but the upside is the bleak wild mountain beauty of the farm in winter (see photos). We are surrounded by snow-capped mountains – shining white even in the middle of the night. Many of our guests (even the grown-ups) have never seen snow before, so they are thrilled to be out in the white stuff. Over the next month we even have families arriving from Zimbabwe and Hong Kong, specifically to see snow for the first time. I’ve had to give lessons on how to make snow angels and snowmen. The children are fascinated by things I take completely for granted – like an iced up puddle and spend hours inventing games (who can skim a puddle across the top, who can throw a bigger stone further to break the ice, pressing on the ice to make patterns under it…. And on and on. It’s such a pleasure to see kids playing creatively in such a natural environment – a world away from their city lives of computers, TV and playstations.  One of my jobs is to guide the family hikes and these always turn out to be an adventure.

One of our most popular walks is to see the ancient Bushman rock paintings on the other side of the river. That’s where the fun starts as the river is basically snow melt and therefore sub-zero. The only reason that it doesn’t freeze is because it is so fast flowing. The challenge is to try and cross the river without getting the guests cold and wet. Unfortunately this usually means that I have to plunge in thigh-deep to piggy back the children across as I daren’t carry them whilst trying to negotiate slippery stepping stones. My efforts are always much appreciated (and laughed at) over a warm Gluhwein later that night. As you will see from the photos my guests have been remarkably innovative in terms of other ways to cross the river, but nevertheless I always seem to end up wet. 

The families also enjoy interacting with the farm animals and I am so indulgent of the animal-mad children as they remind me so much of myself at their age. Phil thinks I’m nuts – the other day I was giving a pony ride to a small girl at 6.30am in heavy frost and before sunrise…. But she so wanted to see the cows being milked before she left….. (Actually I think the horse thought I was nuts too, judging by the look he gave me as I went to catch him in the dark!). Annie (our blind calf) is a star with the children and loves their cuddles – OK, she did stand on a last week, but as she couldn’t see the little girl she was excused! 

Carly`s Visit

One of the highlights of this year has been a 3 week visit from our friend Carly who is from the UK but who we met in Port St Johns. It`s a long story, but Carly came with us on our first visit to this lovely area and was with us when we hatched the plan to set up a guest house in the mountains. She went back to the UK last Christmas, so this was her return visit to us to make sure that we were putting our dreams into reality. I felt for her as she had left the British summer for sub-zero temperatures, but we did have fun. Whilst she was with us we christened the new bar, went on our day out to Tiffindell and enjoyed lots of walks in the snowy mountains. She was a tremendous help with our pre-season preparations..... well apart from the day that she was sick all over the bedroom a few hours before guests were due to check in! I was not amused, but mainly blamed Phil for his bad influence as barman. She`s safely back in the UK now, but we miss her loads.

Teamwork

So as you can see, the last few weeks have been hard work, somewhat stressful, but a lot of fun. Thank God Phil and I have learned to pull together as a team and we each have our roles to play. From the start Phil said “I’ll build the place, you get the guests and then look after them”. So far that side of things has worked well and played to our strengths. Similarly, he cooks whilst I waitress and wash up. I get up early in the mornings to do the breakfasts and he stays up late to switch off the generator when the last guest goes to bed (sometimes 5am!). I do the office work, he does the building maintenance like mending burst pipes and replacing gas cylinders. Oh, and he gets the job of digging/towing guests out of snow drifts as well. We are very proud of the fact that we have made it all come together with great teamwork. On top of his Edgehill commitments, Phil is also very busy with building work and has a queue of customers wanting wooden decks and jungle gyms. How he has managed to fit it all in on top of the Edgehill rewiring/building/cooking etc I really don’t know. But he’s been an absolute rock and I’m very very lucky to have him at my side.

Although some of the episodes described above are very ‘FawltyTowers’, we have worked our butts off to make sure that the guests aren’t even aware of half the difficulties. Like ducks on water we’re doing our best to seem effortlessly in control whilst the feet are paddling like mad!  

Speaking of paddling, we were planning to go away on holiday after season, but have now decided to spend the money on a kayak and set off on the river here for a few days, camping as we go. I can’t wait to just kick back and enjoy the place for a couple of weeks with no guests, no building and no paperwork in sight. But the last few weeks have been a complete adventure and with or without the blog I won’t ever forget this winter. Just think, next year we’ll have heaters and all the appliances we need to make life easy – what will I do with all that spare time?!