The Cold November Rain

Piket-Bo-Berg, Henk Schoeman and, of course, Bowie

At some point in November, I’m usually reminded of Guns N’ Roses - November Rain¹, which is more apt in southern England than Namaqualand, especially after the clock change and sunset at 4 pm. My time here on the plaas is coming to an end, and I’ve started packing for the move to Piketberg.

This week is going to be very hot, which is less than ideal as I want to drop off some things in Piketberg and Bowie doesn’t like the heat. I decided on Wednesday, leaving at 6 am and take some sheets to cover the rear windows. The car is full, including the front passenger seat (Bowie gets the rear seat).

On Wednesday, we got up at 5 am for an early sunrise walk before getting on the road. Bowie usually sleeps in the car and it’s better if he’s and it tired from the walk and running around in the veld. He was still a bit hyperactive when we got back to the huisie, but settled down quickly once we started moving.

We were on the road by 6:30 and just after 8 am we stopped at De Kleine Schuur padstal, which is approximately 10 km south of Clanwilliam on the N7. I highly recommend a stop here; they’ve got lovely produce and food, it’s pet friendly and the crew are very friendly. The ‘spring’ is chemical-free and dogs are encouraged to drink from it, and there’s a mown field for taking your dog for a short walk. Bowie was also allowed inside (I asked), where he had an eagle eye for the feather dusters.²

I spent more time and money at the padstal, but I think that if we want such places with their local allure and produce, then we should support them. A platteland Woolworths, so to speak

The N7 is being repaired between Clanwilliam and Citrusdal, they’re putting down a new layer of tarmac. This meant two Stop & Go’s on the way down and three on the way back, which meant a few longish stops. Not great for Bowie on the drive back, I kept the car running with the air-conditioning on. When we stop, Bowie gets quite inquisitive and has a look around (look at those sleepy eyes); if safe, I’ll take him for a short walk.

Over the Piekenierskloof pass, where we got our first view of the golden wheatfields of the Swartland, through Eendekuil and then the Versfeld pass³, which has got an interesting history⁴⁵ linked to the development of the Piket-Bo-Berg⁶⁷ region. A beautiful pass that can be a bit scary, especially if you have a truck behind you going downhill. A wonderful drive, though, with some nice hairpin bends.⁸

The Versfeldpass, looking down onto the Swarland on the Piketberg side (left) and on the Piket-Bo-Berg side (right)

The cottage, which will be our new home as of January 2026, is about 25 km from Piketberg⁹, which means that my weekly shopping trip will be substantively shorter.¹⁰ The cottage is a bit smaller compared to our current abode, but we’ll adapt, Bowie and me. One can collect a lot of unused junk, which put in a storage space for the time being (I have a small collection of cameras from the film era).

We were met by A.S. and Toby, their Boxer, who has met Bowie previously. We kept both dogs on a leash for a few minutes and then we let them play. C.S. met us at the kitchen door and immediately took Bowie while A.S. showed me the cottage renovations that they are busy with. I was incredulous with the modifications they’ve made, as I was quite happy with the cottage as I’d seen it previously. Ja, nee!¹¹ Goeie mênse, sout van die aarde [good people, salt of the earth].

The Cottage, and view from the front door

We sat on the stoep with a koffie en beskuit, chatting about this and that. Baie plesierig! [very enjoyable]. We talked about our move, the Buchu plantation of A.S. and snakes. More about Buchu below. I’ll have to adapt our walks as this is fynbos region, with more snakes. I’m pleased, though, that A.S. and C.S. are open to ‘catch & release’, but I’ll need a refresher course and some tools before we go down that path.

Bowie and Toby were having a nice play though Toby, being a bit older, got moeg after a while, and Bowie then went on a discovery mission in the main house. We could hear him running up the wooden stairs. A.S. just laughed, a nice change.

I had a car to unpack and then I took Bowie for a short walk to the buchu ‘plantation’, where we got a nice view of the valley. This is a citrus and stone fruit farming region, with nectarines, plums, peaches and apricots now being harvested¹².

About one hectare of buchu is cultivated on the smallholding where I will be staying for the foreseeable future. Buchu is a fynbos species that is endemic to the Cape Floral Kingdom¹³ and was used as a medicinal plant by the Khoisan.¹⁴ About 750 tons are harvested annually with essential oils being the main end-product after processing of the leaves by steam distillation.¹⁵ Interestingly, in 1920 “Frank Versfeld plants the first commercial buchu fields on top of Piketberg mountain”. ¹⁶

There are two species of buchu are grown commercially, i.e. Agothosma betulina and Agothosma crenulata.¹⁷ Flowering occurs between June and November, with the flowers white to purplish pink. The seed pods split open (‘soos popcorn’, to quote A.S.) to disperse the seeds. In the pictures below, the green bags are used to collect the seeds from the plants.

If interested, you can grow your own buchu, especially if you live in the Mediterranean climate of the Western Cape. ¹⁸

I was kindly invited to a light lunch but declined as we still had a long drive back to the plaas. We got home just after 5 pm, having driven 530 km there and back. Bowie was stellar, only complaining once in Klawer when I fuelled up and quickly ran into the shop. He had a short toilet walk there, finding a few bones on the picnic site. On the plaas, I took Bowie for a sunrise walk, with the horse trying to follow us.

“Until recently, the Piketberg cannon stood in front of Piketberg High School, aimed East, in the direction of Porterville High School, its rival.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piketberg

The 4 am alarm wanted a lift onto the bed on Thursday morning. I had a koffie op die stoep with Bowie snuggled up on my lap when Oruna came trundling up the hill. No snacks, though the three of us had a gesêlsie. Once Oruna had wandered off, Bowie and I went for our sunrise walk.

’n Man van die woestyn left us today: Henk Schoeman.

A young man, wife, with two children. Sjoe, das knallt hart!

I was very fortunate to undertake a few safaris in Namibia with Henk¹⁹. His love for his family and Namibia was palpable. Henk had immense knowledge of Namibia, its people and culture, and could tell wonderful stories. Amongst others, he introduced me to the ‘klip mannetjies’ of the Kaokoland.²⁰

I wasn’t lus for a sunrise walk, but Bowie made me take him! He started yelping, which is an indication that something is wrong. Water, good; food, good; cuddles, good. No, he wanted to go for a walk, I figured out, and so we went for a short walk. He’s now happy and I feel a bit better as well. Slim hond!

Friday is usually dorp day, but it’s going to be too hot (38C) to leave Bowie in the care while I run into the supermarket. Also, we’re driving to Paarl on Saturday, coming back on Monday, so we can do some shopping then.

Bowie was quite active on our walk this morning. Sometimes he likes to play fetch first and then goes sniffing about, but this morning he was active form the start. Last night he also spent a lot of time running around the huisie sniffing. I don’t know what it is, I doubt it’s the horse.

Speaking of which, Oruna comes to the stoep a few times a day, though I no longer give her treats. Bowie and Oruna are very tolerant of each other and I think Bowie wants Oruna to play with him.

It’s turned into a chore’s day: cleaning the huisie and laundry. Also, I have another carful for Piketberg, which I’ll drop-off on the way back from Paarl on Monday. The things one accumulates over time! I came here with two carloads and will probably require four trips now. That said, Bowie wasn’t with me when I got here about 20 months ago.

Our sunset walk was through the dorpie, rather than the plaas, as I wanted to give us a change of scenery, maybe have a gesêlsie with one or two people. The only person I saw was tannie S., who enquired about my move, and we then had a chat about her circumstances. Other than that, a few dogs. As we walked up the hill towards the huisie, Bowie insisted on a well-earned cooldown in a small water trough.

It was a warm evening though with a cool breeze, so I sat on the stoep for a while. Bowie saw the horse and ran down the hill to ‘get’ him. I sat there talking to two animals, peaceful.

Saturday: The weather should be starting to cool down, so we’ll do our sunrise walk after a coffee and then drive to Vanrhynsdorp. The car is still squeaking a bit, so I’m staying away from gravel roads for now - my other shopping option would be Lutzville, which is 30 km gravel road.

This morning, Bowie wanted to chase the ball most of the walk until we turned around, when he started ‘patrolling’ up and down. Once we got back home, where the horse was chewing the garden plants, I put on Bowie’s harness, and we locked up before driving into town.

Today was going to be a quick turn-around (we were back by 11 am) with a stop at the supermarket, a padstal, some roadside roosterbrood with wors and the butchers. At the supermarket, I was tempted to get some summer-loving watermelon, but we’ll be away on Sunday and Monday. A few apples for the pad.

I don’t usually have breakfast but today was one of those treat days. A few months ago, I discovered Die Skoorsteentjie Padstal, which is a nicely restored dorpshuis in Vanrhynsdorp that has the feel of an old-style tuisnywerheid [‘cottage industry’] with too many nice goodies. Friendly staff, a down-to-earth kind of place. I got a Hasie [rabbit] omelette with mushrooms, spinach, onions and cheese while Bowie got a nice chunk of boerewors. He first destroyed the Styrofoam bakkie and then devoured the wors in double-quick time.

Back at the plaas, all was quiet. We settled down for a rustige afternoon and then went for a walk. A strong northerly wind is blowing; the kind of wind that makes me want to batten down the hatches. “Restless angry irascible. Is the wind.”²¹

On Sunday, we’ll be driving to Paarl for an ‘education’ meeting²² and discussion of ideas.

Addendum: An interesting blog by Wandile Sihlobo, ‘The Jealous Rain’²³, discusses AgriTourism in the Karoo.

1. Guns n’ Roses - November Rain [YouTube]

2. If you do stop at the De Kleine Schuur padstal with a pet, please keep them on a leash as the busy N7 runs past the padstal

3. Mildly confusing: On the tourist boards, it’s referred to as Versfeldspas

4. Versfeld Pass [Mountain Passes of South Africa]

5. Versfeld Pass [Wikipedia]

6. The History of Piket Bo Berg by John Paulus Eksteen Versfeld [yumpu.com]

7. Piketberg [Wikipedia]

8. One of the reasons that I bought a car with a manual gearbox is that I like to ‘drive’ such passes. Also, better control on dirt roads (in my opinion)

9. Piketberg (deutsch) [Wikipedia]

10. Currently, a drive to Vanrhynsdorp or Lutzville is 60 km, one way, and Vredendal, which is the big dorp with a mall, is 80 km

11. Ja, nee - adverb [Dictionary of South African English]

12. Harvesting [Stems Fruits]

13. Overview of the area and Cape Floral Kingdom [buchu association]

14. Top 5 Health Benefits of Buchu [Feelgood Health]

15. Industry overview - Buchu Association [buchu association]

16. History at a glance - Buchu Association [buchu association]

17. Plant description - Buchu Association [buchu association]

18. Tips for Growing Buchu in Your Garden [realitypathing.com]

19. Fly-In Safaris to Namibia’s Skeleton Coast [Skeleton Coast Safaris]

20. An intimate look at Kaokoland’s stone men [Republikein.com]

21. Silence is Extinct - Karin Schimke [Substack]

22. Back in Paarl again - Sabine Breit [Substack]

23. The Unforgiving Winters and Summers of the Beautiful Karoo Region of South Africa [Wandile Sihlobo on Substack]