“Out of the frying pan & into the fire!” Well, that’s what a concerned David said to me, as he arrived outside my new home at Oak Grove Farm late last Friday night, amidst the choking smoke streaming down the valley towards the brand new Cape Dutch designed Rooibos House and the newly revamped Fynbos Cottage, Protea and Water Lily Studios which we are setting up as self-catering establishments.
The flames formed a 2km long, semi-circular arc around us, having come over the lip of the mountain from the Salmonsdam side and made steady work, with the aid of our local South Easter, of the Fynbos-covered hills. When the pine tress at the top of the forest went up, it was like the roar of an express train and I stood there, binoculars in hand, in awe and fascination. The phrase “the fascination of the abomination” came quickly to mind and the decision to evacuate my family of 3 cats, 2 rather large hounds and a friend’s Staffie, came shortly thereafter.
My partner was on a planned hike around Cape Point, all I needed to do was point the cell phone toward the pine forest for him to listen to the tremendous roar and he dashed back, like a true hero, escorted by none other than the proverbial “Van” himself! South African’s are wonderful, our friends as well as many of our new neighbours, rallied round offering support, particularly Natalie & Peter, who not only without hesitation put us and our animals up in a private cottage at White Water Lodge, out of the smoke and with a view of the flames pouring down towards the R326 and offered coffee at 1 in the morning, but they also joined us in firefighting the next day when the flames almost enveloped our neighbour’s house.
Sunday the wind switched and blew hard again and my pleas to the fire dept to help save our Oak trees had to go unheard, what with all the other properties further afield being threatened. My partner is happy to have found a novel use for “the dreaded aliens” - wattle fire swatters! “They work so well ‘coz they drink so much…” he quips. At least we managed to prevent the beautiful old Oak trees from being engulfed.
Superstition has it that renaming a farm can be bad luck, luckily we are not superstitious! Lost Paradise, as Oak Grove Farm was previously affectionately called, endured a rather hectic burn, however, it did shed some unwanted alien plants & debris and the Fynbos shall surely prevail. The natural spring, which was previously rather choked, is now an ash midden, but pulsating with double its previous flow – oh so delicious! More like Paradise reborn…
I say, “tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree!”
