WILDCLIFF HIKING AND TRUSTEES MEETING MAY 2008

Wildcliff May 2008.
Weekend Friday 9th to Sunday 11th May 2008.
Ian and Jenny were in Jhb for work and Ian was able to spend the weekend at Wildcliff while Jenny planned a whole week there. We had decided to join them and collect them at the George airport at 19.45 on Friday afternoon. I had a particularly busy Friday as I had been in East London for the week and we were changing our Computer system at work. I had a whole lot of training stuff to complete and distribute as well as preparing for a group of Head Office people arriving on the following Monday. I had to borrow Gerald’s trailer and as I had take the tow bar off for the Bike rack. I had to refit that, drop Ally at her friend for a Party, Fill up with Petrol that had recently gone up to R9.30 per Liter, visit the DSTV people and we finally managed to get on the road after 4pm.
The drive to George was interrupted by two long stops at road works. Firstly near to Gamtoos and then at Storms River where there are some major changes taking place. A funny (South African) thing happened when we stopped at the first road works: there was a lady stopped in the car next to ours. She had a dog on her lap who was clearly interested in all the goings on. Then we had Digby with us who was excited to see one of his kind. We struck up a conversation with these people who were on their way to Jeffries for the weekend.
We had planned to buy our provisions for the weekend at Plett Pick and Pay but with these delays and our late start it was getting tight so we phoned in to see what time they closed. Watching the car clock and with only a minute or so to spare we screeched to a stop in front of the shop at 19.00 and I rushed in while Barbara waited in the car. We had made a list but I was in such a rush there was no time for looking at the list. I grabbed a trolley and zoomed up and down the aisles trying to remember what we needed. When I had a trolley full I rolled up at the tills to find them closed and the cashiers packed up to go home. I pleaded our case and told them I did not need change as I would pay with a card. They relented and we had provisions for the weekend.
We then drove on to meet Ian and Jenny. We had phoned so they knew we would be late. After picking them up we had an easy ride to Heidelberg where we filled up with petrol and drove very slowly up to Wildcliff. It had been good to be in the car together as it gave us some time to chat. The road is not at all good once you turn off the Gysmans Hoek road and we had the trailer to contend with as well.
That evening we arrived at Talari at about 11pm. It was a real treat to see the lights on at Talari as well as at the Heron house. Brett and Emily had gone to a great deal of trouble to make our arrival as warm as possible with cleaning the house and making beds. After unpacking had a glass of wine and a snack, finally getting to bed at about 1am.
I have purchased a TV and Decoder that I had arranged to have set up at Talari. The real problem will be if Baboons get hold of the dish. I may have to have a cage set up that can be closed when we leave Talari. It will be on the basic Annual charge of R210.00 for the SABC and ETV channels. On this system there are also some news and sport channels plus a number of radio channels. If you have a DSTV at home you should be able to bring your smart card and use it on this decoder.
Saturday Morning 10 May 2008.
Ian and Jenny had been up in the night as all the travel had made them quite restless. After sunrise we had a relaxed morning. We did some unpacking and sorting out. Mike the builder and Wayne the Metal man were there to talk out building operations. Brett, Emily and Nial came to greet us. Coffee & Biscuits in the kitchen is a wonderful way to start a Wildcliff day.
Jenny, Barbara & I drove to the nearby village and were fortunate to again meet up with Hendrik Steeneberg who we had met last year. Unfortunately he has been offered a cushy job nearer to Riversdale where he collects his monthly pension and so will not be part of the local community. He told us that he is mainly a sheep and cattle tender and that this is his specialty. Hendrik described how his family had lived and farmed in the area for generations. He recommended a woodcutter called Freek Meyer who he described as “’n baaie vris man”. He says that Freek is multi skilled and has a code 10 driver’s licence, can do Bou Werk and who is able to handle a chain saw. He promised to send Freek to us on the Monday. (As it turned out Freek never came on Monday).
Jenny made us a delicious and wholesome pasta lunch and we then set out for a walk. I really don’t know why we were so rushed when we left PE but Barbara had left her walking shoes at home and so could not come with us. We were expecting Roger and Gael and so took the short Tortoise Head route. This is a trail that starts from the Oak Tree meadow and the aqua duct. It follows straight uphill through the wattle forest and winds along the East bank of the Wilderkranz Kloof. It then moves upwards until you reach a rock that juts out and really looks like a Tortoise head. Jenny had taken a route from above. At that time Roger and Gael arrived and with a bit of shouting they looked up to see us. At this stage the trail then makes its way back down to the meadow and then back up to Talari.
That afternoon Ian showed us another trail that he had discovered. Brett, Emily and Nial had cleared a pathway from above Talari following a distinct route to the Rainfrog Dam. They did not join us as they felt that they should prepare for their presentations later that evening. We followed the track to the dam and then headed in a Westerly direction through a field of Protea and then up the hill to the pathway that had been cleared for the water pipe that feeds Rainfrog Dam.
I had brought along some apples and we feasted on these before following the pathway to the main Fynbos road. Ian gathered some Protea, Jenny picked a pretty Fuchsia from one of many that we saw along the road. Gael pointed out some Rinosterbos/ Rinosterveld. Gael takes a plastic packet and collects plants for later identification. She showed us a number of interesting plant sorts. Gael and Roger are wonderful walking companions as they have a wide knowledge of plant life as well as a huge Latin dictionary.
As we walked down through the Pine Forest I was really upset to see how many small Wattle were emerging on the road despite the fact that we had always pulled out every little sapling that we saw. When I enquired from Roger about the Kweek on the road Roger confirmed that it was Kweek and could be used to stabilize the pond. We headed back down to Talari as it was getting late and we still had a meeting and the presentations to do before supper.
We put on some chicken to roast. Fortunately we still had some wine in the pantry & Roger had brought some beers. Bob, Wilma and Toerien joined us for supper. Everybody had made a contribution to the meal and we had a really fun evening.

Wildcliff May 2008. Minutes of a Trustee Meeting.
Present:
Ian & Jenny
Roger and Gael.
Brett, Emily & Nial.
Peter & Barbara.

Ian opened the meeting and welcomed the group. In particular Ian thanked Emily for all her contributions and hard work that she has put into Wildcliff. Emily has, for a number of reasons, decided to leave Wildcliff for America where her home is. Ian had made a number of notes to discuss so these minutes should be read together with Ian notes.

Priorities:
Conservation of the natural environment
The conservatory status of Wildcliff is being worked on.

Eradication of alien species (Black Wattle).
Working for Water has not yet responded.
Tom Ambrose (082 978 1971),
Freek Meyer. Local man.
Derek Malan: Dept Forestry and Water Affairs in Bellville: 021 950 7100
maland2@dwaf.gov.za
dam@dwaf.gov.za
Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry: 021 464 1500
Tom Cuthill. Independent contractor.
Jan: Future not certain as he has unrealistic expectations about moving the wood to his home.

Research: Logs, Baboon observation work done by Pascal, Janet Naude visit (lists now available on the web), Flora initial study due in August. Erica expert; Ross.
Pascal had an ongoing work presentation on the two troops of baboons that is now all on the web and interest was shown by people at Cape Town University.
There have been applications by more people to study baboons.
The list of Fauna continues to expand.
Ecology study of the biodiversity.

Education: a lot of response to the Website.
Emily: Education will be aided by the finalisation of the White House.
There are plans for an interpretive trail with Tree Tags. Emily has prepared some Text and some Illustrations.
Clubs such as Birding clubs have shown interest.
Emily has some posters of Frogs and snakes.

Infrastructure: Houses, water, road, Electricity, telephones, Internet.
There is a local Fire Group that we should continue to contact and to build relationships.
The water system with a 12mm pipe system is being investigated.

Trails:
A number of trails were discussed:
Tortoise Head Trail: Oak Tree Meadow; Cross Aqua duct; Northerly Direction; Looking down to the left is Wilderkranz; past Aloes, Up in an Easterly Direction. See the Tortoise Head Rock and then over the top where you can see Talari and then back down to Talari.

Wilderkranz: Oak Tree Meadow; Aqua duct; Past the pipe and stay on left hand side of the stream all the way to the Cave Rock Pool. And beyond?

Plattekloof Trail: Up Fynbos Road; Right along the Jeep Track towards Kallie Engelbrecht’s Farm with Power Lines on your right. Down towards the Cattle Pastures and then left into Plattekloof; all the way up Plattekloof to Peterkloof. Left up Peterkloof and all the way up working your way back to Fynbos Road and then back down to Talari.
Fynbos Road up to Ena’s Falls and back.

Waterfall Trail: From Ena’s Falls down the Wilderkranz Kloof exiting either above bum slide pools or before the next waterfall. Or working your way down as far as possible towards Talari.

Rain Frog Dam: up behind Talari; follow the pipe and find Rain frog dam; head West and over the Protea fields until you see the Dinosaur/Whale head. Head up in a northerly direction until you reach the cleared pipeline area. Along this trail to Fynbos Road and back down to Talari.

Research Presentations:
Nial gave us a very interesting talk and computer presentation on the snakes and lizards that he has been observing. He divided his area into a number of sections and then spent a definite number of hours in each section walking around looking for snakes. He has catalogued all of this information into understandable format and presented us with his findings so far. The main snake is the Slug eater but he also found some other snakes including one Puff adder. He showed us how it was unlikely that he would find any snakes in the pine/wattle forests.

Brett and Emily gave us an equally interesting and well thought out presentation of the planned Alien Eradication program. They demarcated a number of areas and prioritised these. They then presented a number of ideas on how the areas should be tackled. Emily has a number of ideas regarding identification of trees, interpretive posters and signage for roads and trails. There is so much to be done in the area of eradication and trails that having a plan that is mapped out with give us a base for the future.

Both Nial and Brett & Emily’s presentations are or will be available for study on the Wildcliff Web.


Sunday 11.05.2008. (Mothers Day)

Barbara & I slept very well in our bed. It is two single beds pushed together to make a King-sized bed and gives us a huge amount of space. I had bought two rechargeable lamps and used one as a reading lamp. It gives off a soft light and is ideal as a bedside lamp. It was a perfect day again. The wind blows at this time of year but did not bother us this time. The real problem is that it blows trees down and causes doors and windows to slam.

We saw Nial doing his snake search. He has a long stick with a butterfly net on the end. He uses the stick to overturn branches, rocks and pieces of metal that lie around the fields. We joined him just below the pond and he soon showed us a scorpion as well as a Puff Adder that he had discovered. There are huge quantities of old fencing and metal sheets that need to be moved off the fields.

We decided to walk the Wilderkranz trail. As we walk along any field we continually are pulling saplings of the wattle and while I think that there should be some areas that we have cleared it seems to be a never ending job. I had the Lopper with me and much to Roger’s disgust cut away overhanging branches to make some kind of a pathway. We never reached the Cave Rock Pool as every tree and shrub was being examined and identified. Amoung others Gael pointed out Wild Pear, Stinkwood and Cheese wood. I was also able to point out the small red plant that I thought was in insect eating plant but Roger tells me that it is a Root Fungus. It uses its foul smell to attract “pollinators” and not prey as I had thought.

On the return Ian decided to look for a “high route” past a certain section. After going upwards for a while we realised that there was no easy route and climbed back down. Emily had been in front and was now in a steep rocky section. The soil is loose and there are not many hand holds or roots to grab to steady a descent. I am nervous of heights at the best of times and I think that Emily was also struggling at this stage. Finally we made our way back to the stream and followed the rest of the party back to Talari.

Roger pointed out a small bunch of Arum Lilly seedlings which I gathered as they were loose. We also collected a number of Aloe plants that Baboons had loosened as they come scrambling down the hillside. We took these to the Pond where Brett dug a hole for the largest of the lot and I stuck the rest into wet soil along the side of the pond. Gael said that they need good drainage and I will probably replant them the next time I am there. I also took half of the Lilly seedlings and planted them on the Island. The two logs that we had positioned last time we were there serve as a stable enough bridge.

Hennie from the Co-op came to talk to Ian about the pipes and water system that he could provide. After a shower a delicious salad that Jenny had made, we packed up and left for George and then home. With Gerald’s trailer in tow we made our way very slowly back to the main road and then on the N2 were able to pick up speed. Ian had looked at his watch and it was 14.15 as we hit the N2.

Our first stop was in Albertina where we bought some gekerfde biltong and then on to George where we dropped Ian in time that he could catch an earlier flight to Jhb where he was due to spend the week. We were quite fortunate with the road works at Storms River and avoided the Gamtoos stop by taking the old road. As we approached PE the petrol warning light came on but I know from previous experience that I still have between 30 to 50 kays left in the tank. We arrived at Michael’s house at 19.30 where we collected Ally and at home at 20.00.

Lessons Learned;
Future Visits to Wildcliff:
Short term visitors should take own Linen, Blankets, Cleaning material and provisions.

Employment of subcontractors
We will have two categories of paid persons on Wildcliff:
1. Volunteers who for one or other reason may receive a “cost of living” allowance or a stipend. This will not be the norm as volunteers are individuals who see this as an opportunity to give without compensation.
2. Individual or corporate subcontractors who are given specific contracts of work. Here there is the understanding that there is no master/servant relationship. No notice of termination of the contract is required other than that stated in the contract itself. It may be necessary to draw up a standard contract for individual contractors where conditions are set out in simple terms.

Sunday 18 May 2008.05.
This morning we were able to go to church for the first time in ages. We seem to have been so busy that we have missed recently. Straight after church we went to the Biathle at UPE sports stadium. It was a chilly morning. Ally & I did a few warm up laps and were soon ready for our event. It was a busy day as there was a gathering of Christian Scientists there as well. They were having a baptism in the pool where we were swimming. Ally went off first and was in quite a strong competition. She ran well but was not able to catch the front runners. She had a good swim and caught one of the girls in front of her. Then it was my turn. There were just 4 of us masters: Steven, Kevin, Rene & Myself. The warm up had helped and I managed to stay with Rene for the run but she was faster in the swim and I was not able to catch her in the second run. At the end Ally & I were awarded certificates as this had been the EP champs. Because there were so few in the Masters section I was awarded a Medal.
From Biathle we went to Builders warehouse. O the way Michael phoned to say that our Geyser was leaking. Fortunately it was not in the house. The leak was overflow onto the scullery roof and Michael was able to turn off the water to stop the flow. Ally bought herself a Snowball: Crushed Ice with flavouring. At Builders warehouse we bought paint and the necessary for painting the outside wall of our house. We arrived at home at about 3 or 4pm and I moved the computer and study to what had been a bedroom but we had now tiled and was now to be our study.

It is back to Hockey season, Drama season, Swimming winter training, Tennis, Piano, Hip Hop, Link, band practice and trying to fit in a bit of school work in between for Ally. We seem to rush her from bed in the morning to Band practice to school and then trying to fit in the afternoon activities sometimes ending at 20.30 if there are Drama Rehearsals for the Jungle book play that she is taking part in. The Wednesday Hockey matches have been quite fun. They started off against Herbert Hurd where they played on a sloping field. It was their first match and they lost. But since then they have played Summerwood, Westering, Sunridge and Harvest and have beaten them convincingly. The next big match will be against Collegiate who always have a very strong team. Ally is in the Clarendon first team together with: Cloe the goal keeper, Shannon, Lara O and S, Brittanny, Nicci, Kaylee, Kyla and others.

I went to watch Grey play Dale on Saturday 31st. Barbara had left for Cape town with Suzanne. She had gone for a visit as well as to try out the Corsa Bakkie that we had purchased. By all accounts it went very well and did not struggle on the hills at all. Driving from PE to George is very slow. There is construction on the road and slow sections from Kurland right through to George. From there it becomes an easy drive. The Dale match was a bit of a wash out for me as it started raining and I decided to miss the main game which Grey won by 16 to 3.