Oppie Williston plaas

Bowie, G.C. and I arrived on the Williston plaas [farm] at about 5 pm on Friday evening, comfortably before sunset. The plaas is about 50 km by road northeast of Williston, in the middle of nowhere (Latitude: S 31°4'21.03204"; Longitude: E 21°17'55.39596"; Google maps). In German, some would say “Am Arsch der Welt.” I beg to differ, this is my kind of space, where you have to look for the beauty. On the Karoo Highlands Route road signs, it also says Karoo Skies, very apt.

The MeerKAT radio telescope is centred about 40 away as the crow flies. This means that is no phone signal though the farmsteads and villages do have WiFi, don't ask me how. It takes some getting used to; here you let people know where you're going, just in case they have to send out a search party.

I was a bit concerned about Bowie and the farm dogs, but they were friends in no time. Tintin, a Border Collie, and Kaptein Biscuit, a St Berhard puppy. Over the weekend, Bowie learnt about catching a frisky, though his dad is a bit k*k at throwing it.

The dogs had signalled our arrival and G&E came out to greet us, as people do in the platteland [rural areas]. We were invited into the kitchen, that's where friends kuier [social visit]. Plaasbrood [farm bread], and rooibos tea was consumed while we caught up with each other, a lekker gesêlsie. Homemade jam, plaasbotter [farm butter], tongue, anecdotes. Later, after a walk with Bowie, we had a lekker bobotie before we retired to bed.

On Saturday. we woke up to a mild morning, which was a pleasant surprise. These Karoo nights can get bitterly cold, and an icy breeze had been blowing the previous evening. As it turned out, we would have two wonderfully warm days on the plaas, topping out at about 20°C.

Everyone else was still sleeping, I took Bowie for a dawn walk. With a torch, it was still dark outside. We got back to the plaashuis [farmstead] in time to see the sun creeping over the koppie [hill]. I could hear a jackal in the distance and unusual birdsong, otherwise a magical silence

Everyone was up when we got back to the plaashuis and we had a nice breakfast. Not that anyone was hungry after the previous evening’s dinner, but a plaasbrood [farm bread] and home-made jams were staring at us.

Then some of us sat on the stoep, while the others walked through the garden or played with the dogs. Tintin was chasing a golf ball or frisbee, while Biscuit and Bowie were cuddling and chasing each other.

We then walked to the spookhuis [haunted house], a second now abandoned house near the farmstead. Payment receipts would indicate that someone still lived there until the 1980’s though the sparse furniture, books and dolls would indicate an older generation. An interesting, drop-down bathtub. A beautiful view, Bowie and I could live here!

It was the first time for G.C. as well as Bowie on this farm. Thus, a plaas toer [farm tour]. For Bowie, also the first time on a plaas bakkie [farm pickup truck]. There are three farms, Groot Meestersklip, Klein Meestersklip and Witaar next to each other that had at one time been owened by the oupa [grandfather]. Three children inherited a farm each, with one of the children selling their farm. Now there are two farms, Groot Meestersklip and Witaar linked by the third farm, Klein Meestersklip. In total about 11,000 hectares holding approximately 1,000 sheep. On this plaas, they work to a ratio of one sheep to 10 hectares.

The dogs were all excited, especially Tintin, who ran for side to side looking for sheep and barking at bushes that got too close. Bowie was learning and also cuddling with Biscuit, the two of them catching a snooze when we were on a long stretch of smooth road.

On the wide expanse of the Karoo, there are no maps and place names refer to something. Roespomp kamp [rusted pump sheep encampment], Kruitpomp kamp [kruit = chalk in this case], Bokplaat laagte (a type of rock formation), Sandkop [Sandy hill], Witaar huis [Witaar farmstead].

Another interesting farmstead at the Witaar plaas, with a beautiful old stove and windvane.

About 60 km and a few hours later, we were back at the main farmstead. A lekker plaas tour!

In the evening, a lekker snoek braai and then a stoepsit with the dogs, staring at the night sky. A braai is just so different from a bbq, there’s a big social element with everyone sitting around the fire, telling stories and off-colour jokes.

On Sunday morning, Bowie and I walked to the plaas dam. This was the third time on this plaas for me, and I have not seen any water in the dam previously. G.H. has now lived on the farm for nine years and this year was the first time that the dam overflowed. This region has been drought-stricken for a very long time.

The recent rains have had two effects. The veld is now green and in flower, and the lambs are fatter. The flowering plants are virtually all short and close to the ground, which probably protects them from the harsh sun and cold winds. I will write more about the fauna and flora from this Karoo trip in a different post.

The uitslagpersentasie for sheep sent to slaughter this year was 52%; under drought conditions it can drop to 46%. This is the butchered carcass weight divided by the sheep’s live weight and a high percentage indicates better conditioning.

Everyone was awake when we got back to the plaashuis. We were going to have a vlamwors breakfast in the kloof [gorge], a short walk away. First, though, the dogs had a game of frisbee, with Tintin catching and bowie stealing the frisbee. As we walked out of the farmyard, two horses approached.

We gathered some dried wood from the surrounding veld and enjoyed a coffee while the flames settled. Bowie found a nearby pool of water for a drink and cooldown. First, some wors and then caramelized marshmallow.

On the walk back to the plaashuis, a typical Karoo scene with sheep and a windpomp.

We all spent the afternoon doing our own thing, some watched the grandprix, other played with the dogs, others on their phones; every now-and-then, a conversation would start up. As G.H. said later: “We’ve known each other for so long, we could just be.”

Then we took all the dogs to the dam. As per usual, Bowie was the first dog in the water and the others soon followed. Tintin was initially a bit shy of the water, until a stick was thrown. Then he would jump in to collect the stick. Bowie would then try to steal the stick, running away with it. After a while, Biscuit also wanted a stick and then it was a tug-of-war between him and Bowie. The dogs had fun, and so did we!

We were seriously spoilt on this kuier with our friends and their hospitality. A vleisbraai [meat braai] with braai broodjies [braai toasties] and mielies [sweetcorn] in the evening. And more stories!

On Monday, we left the plaas with a happy and heavy heart. We’ll be back!