Let's do this again...

I am ready to try this blogging thing again after a long absence.. Life tends to run away with me and I get so involved in new projects and new ideas that the days fly past and soon another year (or two) has gone. I always thought that life would slow down as I got older. Wow, was I wrong!

An update is in order with the new beginnings.

Umsinsi Cottage is up and running and has proven to be an absolute winner. It is very popular with families, colleagues on a working trip and groups of friends wanting to chill.

Spring is just beginning and the first of the new shoots on the lawn are just starting.The wall around the property is complete and so is the new parking area.

The new reception area is complete with a lovely veranda and the garden is looking lovely. 

We had to build lots of retaining walls and install drains to cope with the water when we have our summer thunderstorms. It all seems to be working well so hopefully this will will cut down on the mud in the pool we had to deal with in the past.

The retaining walls are a wonderful way to showcase some of our indigenous flowers.

So there we have it. We are ready to welcome back out regulars and our new guests now that we are on Level 2 of the lockdown. Hopefully our international borders will reopen soon and we can welcome guests from all over the world again.

Expansion

One of the difficulties of urban living is the need to co-exist with others. This can be very difficult sometimes, especially if there is music (bad) and partying (loud) involved. Add to that a weed infested yard and you have the makings of neighbours from hell.

So we had a chat with the landlord next door and offered to buy the property should they be in the mood to sell.

Lo and behold! A couple of months later we received the phone call. "We want to sell. Are you interested??"  Hell yes!!!! We had to scramble to get the cash together as no-one will give two sixty somethings a bond, but we did it. 

The property has a two and a three bed-roomed cottage on it. 

So for a year now we have been weeding, tiling, weeding, painting, weeding, planting, weeding, building....and weeding. Finally, the property is starting to take shape.

 The first item on the agenda was to get rid of all the alien vegetation. The stumps of the Syringas are still visible. It took a whole year to ensure that this scourge was properly dead. This area in front of the two-bedroom cottage will eventually be the entertainment area.

The wall goes all the way around the property. We are still busy finishing parts of the wall. On the left are three different Leonotis leonorus plants. We have the common orange in the middle.

 On the left is the smaller specimen with a lovely gold colour, and the white one on the right.

The two bedroom cottage is called Umsinsi Cottage, named after the beautiful coral trees growing in the garden.