Our Guest Cottage

The farm guest cottage - the clouds behind her are where Kilimanjaro lies (on a clear day, that is !)

Dibble, Zonde, Josie & Mbwenya thoroughly enjoyed their walk. Here they are sniffing something beside a field of wheat.

On Sunday my husband was working on and off for most of the day – he had been hoping to have the day off, but some crop disease problems kept him busy as he had to spray to try and curb the disease (which seems to be under control now, thank goodness).

Instead of moping around the house (Sunday’s are traditionally family days for us and I really look forward to having my husband at home !) my daughter and I took the dogs for a short walk to the farm guest cottage which I told you about last week. I wanted to take some photo’s of it for the blog ! So, here is a photo above of the guest cottage ……

A couple of years ago my husband decided that it would be nice to paint the outside of the farm house green. He ran it by me first, and I agreed - as long as it was a pale green though, I said. When the paint arrived, it was a dark sea green colour (awful !) so I refused to allow him to paint the house with it ! As a result, the guest cottage was painted with it instead. Thankfully, over the years the green colour has faded in the relentless African sun, and last year we put a coat of white paint over it. But the green still shines through a little as it really still needs a second coat, which I plan to get Nelson (painter/handyman) to do soon. Then the green will be gone forever !

The guest cottage lies on the far side of the farm workshops, not very far from our house and is a good walk to do on a Sunday as there are not too many staff around this area so I can take the dogs with me without too many problems, as long as I don’t go far. (To read about the strange reason why I can't easily walk on the farm, click here.)

Next time I’ll take some interior photo’s to put on the blog. We had a student here last year who is an excellent artist, and she did a stunning black & white elephant painting which takes up one entire wall of the dining room/lounge area, and is really quite unique.

A Walk On The Farm

Can you see part of our house through the field of green wheat and all the trees ?

As I mentioned in Monday’s post, we had some visitors on Sunday and after lunch we went for a nice long walk on the farm.

Now, living on a 3500 acre farm in such a remote, beautiful spot, you’d think I go for regular walks and take advantage of the beauty and wide open spaces, wouldn’t you ? But I don’t. The reasons why, might just surprise you …

In most places in remote parts of Africa, if you have a white skin, you are seen as something of a curiosity. Something to be stared at, laughed at, called out to, touched (especially your hair – they are fascinated by this). In some parts, they believe that if you touch a white man, you will be blessed and will have good luck in your life. (This is all by children, I might add.)

Many a time we have been traveling on remote roads and have had to stop for a roadside toilet/food/water/stretch- your-legs break, only to be surrounded, within minutes, by wide eyed children who seem to appear from nowhere, peering at us, laughing, calling out, watching. We have a friend who has been literally mobbed on his motorbike here, when stopping at a remote petrol station for fuel. Surrounded by a sea of people who closed in on him - in awe of the motorbike – wanting to touch it, and the white person on it. A pretty scary (but harmless) experience.

We have staff who live on our farm with their families. We also have people living on the border of our farm. As we have no fences here, we allow people to walk through parts of the farm to get where they need to go. Especially children passing to and from a local school, or fetching water (we have water supply points on the farm for the use of the local people).

When we first moved here, I would strap my daughter (who was then just a newborn baby) into a pouch and with the dogs at my heels, would set off on a walk. Only to be followed by children. First a couple, then a few more. Then even more. At one stage, I had around 12 following me, all shouting “Mzungu ! Mzungu !” (White man ! White man !) and the braver ones would cry “Good Morning, Teacher ! Good Morning Teacher !” and my worst “Mzungu, Mzungu, give us money !” or “Mzungu, Mzungu, give us pens !” (In some parts of Africa, the only white people they see are volunteer/aid workers or missionaries, who give them hand outs so in some places they only equate white people with …. free stuff !)

Of course, this would annoy the dogs who would then chase the kids. I could not hold 4 dogs on a leash, and carry my daughter ! The children would shriek, which would annoy the dogs even more. My daughter would start crying. It was terrible. So, I started walking at times of the day when there were less people around. But there are ALWAYS people around, so that didn’t help. I left the dogs at home. Which encouraged more people to follow me, as they had no fear of the dogs now. So I started taking Justin with me, to control the dogs. Then one day a child threw a stone at the dogs, the dogs chased the kids (3 of them) and as they ran off one tripped, the dogs jumped on him but luckily did not hurt him. That was the last walk I ever took here. It was just not worth it. Now I keep my walks short and stick to the farm workshop/main house/guest house areas.

So on Sunday, as there were 4 adults and 3 children (we had to leave the dogs at home) we had strength in numbers and luckily my husband was with us and no one would dare carry on like that with the “Meneger” (Manager) around. So it was a peaceful walk, and I managed to take some photo’s of the house from a different angle than I normally would.

I love exercise DVD’s, especially Leslie Sansone’s “Walk Away The Pounds” which is basically, indoor walking in front of your TV – sounds crazy, doesn’t it ?! Often, in the middle of one of these workouts I laugh and think to myself, these DVD’s are meant for people living in small spaces and high rise apartment buildings in big cities and I really do wonder what Leslie would say if she knew that she had an avid follower, who lived on a 3500 acre farm in the foothills of Kilimanjaro yet was unable to set foot outside her front door and just ..... WALK !!!!!!

A Tour of the Farm, followed by Afternoon Tea (& Chocolate Cake !)

Tea table & view out our over our garden

We got word earlier this week that hubby’s boss would be bringing 4 clients out to the farm today. We grow seed beans for export to Europe, and these are 4 of the company’s French clients. They came out for a tour of the farm (stopping to look at and walk through the bean fields) followed by afternoon tea at the house. Luckily it wasn’t raining and the skies were a lovely African blue, and the garden was looking fresh and neat as Hemmed had just mowed the lawn and watered all the flower beds for me this morning.

The clients just arrived in Tanzania on the KLM flight last night (via Amsterdam – KLM fly daily to Tanzania from Amsterdam and this is the flight we usually use when we go to the UK on holiday. Ahhhh … holiday. Just typing that word makes me feel like going on another one soon.) But anyway, back to the tea …..

First time visitors to Africa (as some of these clients today were) are always struck by the sheer vastness and wide open spaces we have here, and as we have a really nice view from the veranda of the house, I always like to serve refreshments there (rather than from, say, underneath a tree at the bottom of the garden) - especially for first time visitors to the farm. The view from here stretches out over rolling hills and valleys as far as the eye can see, with Mt Meru to the left (and Kilimanjaro behind us, a little to the right) and is really breathtaking. (I wish I could photograph it to show you, but photo’s just don’t do it any justice !)

So, for the actual ‘refreshments’, I served a big pot of Tanzanian tea and another of delicious Tanzanian filter coffee and baked a chocolate cake to go with it. It went down a treat and after an enjoyable hour or so chatting on the veranda (it’s always nice to meet new people and hear news from their part of the world) they all left just before the sun set on yet another African day ……

Kilimanjaro In Early Morning Light

Kilimanjaro's western side viewed from our farm in early morning light this week

This photo of Mt. Kilimanjaro was taken early one morning this week, on our way to school. “Kili” as she is affectionately called here is usually clearly visible in the early mornings, and sometimes in the early evenings (or on a clear, moonlit night) too. For the remainder of the day she is usually completely covered in cloud. Sometimes you wouldn’t even know there was a mountain there – we’ve had guests on the farm who’ve stayed for several days, and never caught a glimpse of her. (She can be a shy old lady at times !)

This is the view we have of her Western side from the side/back of our garden/workshop area. (We often wonder why our house was not built to face her, as we only have a view of Mt. Meru from the front of the house ?) You can see in the photo, the wooden fence and farm fields beyond, which run into the Kilimanjaro forest which borders the farm (the forest is not visible in the photo – other than the misty band of blue/grey – due to poor light).

I must admit that it is pretty incredible at times, standing in the tropical heat of the African bush to look up and see a snow covered peak towering up in front of you – but then I suppose that sums Africa up in many ways – a continent of contrasts.

Farm Roads

A section of the road after it had dried out ( photo taken on our way back from school yesterday)

Muddy roads. Thick, gooey mud, causing the Landcruiser to slip this way and that. The momentary panic as I feel the vehicle is about to tip over (“Impossible” says my ever optimistic husband, reading my thoughts “It will never happen” …. “Umpf” I think …. because that’s another thing you learn, living in Africa … to “Never say never”). We continue to slide. My husband turns the steering wheel this way and that, quickly, with an almost fluttering movement to right the vehicle and avoid being dragged in to a gully which will mean we will get stuck. Indefinitely.

I close my eyes and pray. Trying to act bravely in front of my daughter. Trying not to let my fear show. The road suddenly drops below us and we are going down … down …. and now we have to drive through a deep gully, filled with muddy cocoa coloured water … it sloshes half way up the wheels and sprays out to either side of us as we pass through it … safely, the vehicle crawls up to the other side.

I catch my breath, relieved - but before I can let the air out of my lungs, we are suddenly slipping .... slipping again …. and the vehicle is pulled, violently, so that we are now sprawled at a horizontal angle across the road and my husband madly spins the steering wheel to the right, willing the vehicle to face the proper way again. It does, and now we have to keep our speed constant – we cannot stop, we cannot slow down for fear of sinking axle deep in to the mud.

We finally reach the firmer, stonier main dirt road … ah, much better. After continuing for some time, we see the start of the tar road in the distance and my daughter and I begin our familiar ‘countdown to tar’ shouting …. 10 ….. 9 …. 8 …. 7 ….. 6 ….. 5 …… 4 …… 3 …. 2 …..1 - YAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now the road is smooth enough for her to have a nap in comfort.

Just another school run.

I’ll take it over rush hour traffic though. Anyday.

Yes …. That IS A Volcano In My Back Yard !

The top of Mt Meru just peeps out above the clouds in this early morning photo

This is a photograph of Mount Meru taken early one morning this week, from the farm workshop area which is just behind our house/back yard. Mt Meru last erupted in 1910 *gulp*

Mt Meru is on the one side of our farm, and Mt Kilimanjaro is to the other. Mt Meru rises to 4566 metres in height (14980 feet) and is the 5th highest mountain in Africa (and the 2nd highest in Tanzania). Kilimanjaro, as a comparison, is 5895 metres in height (19340 feet).

You can climb Mt Meru, although she is not as well known as Kilimanjaro and I have heard that she is more challenging in places and a more enjoyable climb as not as many people try to climb her as they do Kilimanjaro.

Many subsistence farmers live on her slopes and grow coffee, fruit and vegetables and she is also home to a wide variety of plant and animal life.

(Oh, and just in case you were wondering, no I have no intention of ever trying to climb her ! But you are more than welcome to if you like, in fact if you do, you can walk the extra distance at her base to reach our farm and I will be ready waiting for you with a nice cold drink and a good meal, and you can tell me what it was like and show me the photo’s. Okay ?!)

Farm History - Part II

The flat roofed section to the right was added on as a guest bedroom some time after the original farmhouse was built

Following on from my post yesterday about the history of our farm (which you can read here), I wanted to share with you what I discovered upon reading the Title Deeds -:

The first title deed is dated 26/11/1938. In 1961 (Tanzania’s year of independence) one of the first of several mortgages of 30 000/= (around U$24 today) was taken out on the farm with “The Land Bank of Tanzania”.

In 1958 a “Certificate of Occupancy” was issued to a “Gustaf Fredric Victor Kleen” (I cannot make the surname out as the document is old and faded … it looks like “Kleen” but I cannot be certain). This certificate was issued for 99 years, backdated to 1948.

There was a change of ownership in 1967 to a Leslie Anthony Steere who was listed as the “legal personal representative” of Major Hakon Giste, deceased.

In 1968 the farm was transferred to the current owners, a Dutch family who live in Holland and who also own the seed company which my husband works for.

(I mention all these names and dates in the hope that sometime, somewhere, someone who is related to any one of these people or who has more information about that period which they would like to share, may pick them up on a Google search or similar and get in touch with me ?)

Anyway, back to my “investigations” -:

I spoke to someone who had stayed on this farm in the 1960’s for a weekend. He said that at that stage there was either a Norwegian or Scandinavian family living here. I find that interesting because I have often wondered WHY this farm was one of the very few that the owners were not forced to abandon once colonial rule here came to an end. Perhaps because the owners were not British, or German ? Perhaps because they were supporting and helping the ‘powers that be’ in some way ? I guess we’ll never really know ….

The one thing I have been able to confirm, is the fact that since 1938 up until the present day, this farm has only ever had 3 owners. I do not know what people lived here prior to 1938 when I imagine it was not yet a private farm ?

Now, back to the surname “Hakon” (Major Hakon Giste). I think from what I have discovered, that the surname “Hakon” originates from Scandinavia. (Which would tie in with the Scandinavian link.) According to my source, many well-respected members of the army were given land (i.e. these farms) after the war as a thank you for their service. (I wonder if Major Hakon Giste was one of these ?).

I also heard a story that a farm near us (and well known to us) was given to a well respected RAF pilot who later, when he was forced to leave at the end of colonial rule, allegedly ended up ‘bumming’ it in the streets of a nearby town, and died of malnutrition several years later because he had no money to get back home again. (Or possibly, he had just fallen hopelessly in love with Africa, and couldn’t bear to leave it, as so many people do ?)

I wonder what life was like on these farms all those years ago. I wonder who lived here, what hardships they suffered. I wonder what wildlife roamed …. leopards coming down from the mountain, I have heard …. wild cats breeding with domestic cats to create the mixed breed we have here today …. hunters …. I wonder which tribes roamed this land and claimed it as their own prior to 1938 …. I look up each day at Mt. Kilimanjaro, who in 1889 was climbed, and summited, by the first known person … what did he see, when he looked down on this land from atop her snowy summit over 100 years ago, I wonder ?

I wonder ……… what secrets Kilimanjaro could tell me about this farm - if only she could speak ?

Farm History - Part I

The farmhouse was built by a Catholic priest for the current owners of the farm, who acquired the land in 1968

I love finding out the history of places both at home & when I travel (much to my husband’s delight – he could think of nothing worse than being dragged around an old musty museum or historic home, especially when we are on holiday – ha !). I am constantly amazed when I am in England for example, of all the history there. I mean, it is everywhere around you. You can eat in, sleep in and photograph buildings that are hundreds of years old – and everything is neat, protected, maintained, sign posted - untouched.

But East African history is a little different – years ago, my husband was on his way to a very remote part of Tanzania and stumbled across a huge, ancient, German fort - in the middle of nowhere ! Very few people even know about it – even fewer have visited it. It was untouched and as far as I know, still is.

The local African people (especially those in remote, rural areas) can be very superstitious and as a result, many old buildings and homes here stand pretty much as they did years and years ago, with no vandalism or inhabitants.

There are many old farms and empty farmhouses around where we live and I have explored a beautiful old stone house on a neighboring farm – empty and left just as it was 40 years ago or more ? (I will write more about it an include photographs in a future post ….)

It is difficult to find out the history of specific places here, especially the lesser known buildings/areas because the older generation of Tanzanians are dying out and sadly, as many here are illiterate, stories passed down orally have not been written down. I know someone who has lived in East Africa all his life, who knows a lot about it’s history and who has talked about what life was like growing up here as a child and beyond. His stories are fascinating and I once said to him – you should write a book, you should record all this because when you go one day, your memories will die with you, and all that history will be lost. “Do you know what, Lynda ?” he said to me “Not many people are actually interested, which is why I will never do it.” I found that to be quite sad, but true.

Tanzania was part of Germany from the 1880’s to 1919 (“German East Africa”) and was a British mandate (“Tanganyika”) from 1919 to 1961 when Julius Nyerere became the Prime Minister as she gained her independence in 1961.

When we moved to this farm in 2005, I was interested to find out it’s history. I did this by talking to the current owner of the farm , studying the Title Deeds and talking to anyone I could who had lived in Tanzania before/during the 1960’s (and was still alive !) What I have managed to find out is patchy, and I am not sure how much of it is “fact” and I have only been able to trace it’s history back to 1938. What I have found out is fascinating but also leaves me wanting to know more …

As this is quite a long post, I thought that I would split it into 2 parts, so tomorrow will see the 2nd part of “Farm History” and what I discovered when I read the Title Deeds. (Note - You can now read Part II over here)

Another Magnificent African Sunset

Hues of pink, red, purple and lilac - took my breath away !

I just wanted to share with you, our beautiful sunset this evening – as viewed from our front veranda. I was hurriedly feeding the dogs, getting my daughter in for her bath, closing curtains, thinking about supper … when I looked up and saw the sun slowly sinking in the sky. I quickly grabbed my camera and ran outside – you know how at that time of the day the light just suddenly ‘goes’ if you’re not quick enough ?

Of course the photo doesn’t really do the magnificent sunset much justice, you really had to be here to appreciate the full beauty of it …. the different hues of pinks, reds, lilac’s and purple in the sky were truly beautiful.

When I look out over this view of hills and valleys, it always looks so surreal to me. It is so perfect, it is almost false – if that makes any sense ! The rising hills with their different shades of blue and grey remind me of the stage backdrops used in the theatre. No two sunsets are ever the same.

If you had to travel towards those hills, you would pass a huge soda lake with even more magnificent views as you went. If you went beyond that, you would reach Kenya. But that is the “back way” to Kenya and not many people travel there.

So, as the sun has set on yet another day here in Africa, I’ll say goodnight to you all … and I hope that you enjoyed the sunset in your part of the world today, too …

The Long Road To Freedom ...

The road to town is paved with .... mud, mud and even more mud !

Well … not quite !

This is our main farm road – actually, the road which eventually brings you directly to our house. This photo was taken in the rainy season, hence all the water (my car has become stuck in this very section of the road before – but that’s another story !)

Anyway, we are off for a weekend of freedom (ha !) to the “big city”. We have been invited to a birthday party/dinner tonight in town, and will be staying over with friends who have 3 children who will be babysat tonight along with our daughter. I’ve only ever left her once before (with this same baby sitter) as the other times she’s been left have been when I’ve been visiting my parents in South Africa, and they have looked after her (whilst I’ve gone clothes shopping!) So I’m pretty nervous about leaving her for a few hours - but am sure she’ll be just fine !

Then tomorrow we have a combined wedding blessing ceremony/Christening/Wedding Anniversary lunch in a lovely spot about half an out outside the city. We have been invited by the couple who first employed us in Tanzania over 10 years ago. We really do owe them as they were willing to give us a chance here when not many other people would, as we did not have enough experience at that stage, as hotel managers. They gave us a job as Camp Manager’s for a luxury tented safari camp in the Tarangire National Park and the rest, as they say, is history ….

So I’ll be back after the weekend with all the news and hopefully some exciting reports back on what food we ate (the birthday dinner tonight is being hosted at a local restaurant). I am hoping to also meet up with an old Chef who used to work for me years ago as I think he will be doing some of the catering for tomorrow’s lunch.

‘Til then …..

An African Sunset

Sunset over Mt. Meru, from my veranda

I count myself lucky - very lucky - to be living in such a beautiful part of this world.

When I look out my windows, I have Africa's highest mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro, to one side and Africa's 5th highest peak, Mt. Meru, to the other. I vowed when we moved here, to never ever take this for granted - but sometimes, I admit, I do. Some days I am too busy, or stressed, or otherwise occupied to look up and see the beauty around me. But I know it's always there ....

Surprisingly, Kilimanjaro does not look that high. She is a freestanding mountain, perhaps that's why. She is permanently capped in snow (which, sadly, is rapidly diminishing as the years go by) and her shape - with the snow on the top - always reminds me of a huge Christmas pudding covered in brandy butter .... yum !

This photo was taken at sunset yesterday, from my veranda.

Tomorrow I'll be posting a really easy recipe for scones which can be made up in a matter of minutes !