The Moffetts of Kirklington…

Vanessa Moffett had given me directions to their farm on the road to Gumtree. I assume that Gumtree was the name of the little railway siding which lies 3 kms up the S306, on the way to the their farm. I was told that I would have to ride about  6 kms down this gravel road, before turning onto the track that led to their home. Vanessa said the road was fine, but there was a little hesitation in her voice that told me she might not have ridden a 320 kg bike down it in recent times…. Coetzee Zietsman of “Woema!” said that there was a bit of thick sand, but that I should be “fine”…. The twinkle in his eyes and the little smile that formed on his lips was hard to decipher…. Was he pulling my leg…? This homegrown Clocolan boy has a mischievous look permanently plastered on his face, so you never can tell…. He and James Moffett were close friends and Coetzee had ridden his bike onto the farm before, so he should know what the score was…

I turned onto the gravel, and decided not to lower the pressure in my tyres, telling myself that it was only “6 km of dirt”… Part of the road was covered with loose gravel, and despite a few steep-ish sections, I made it to Gumtree without raising my heart rate by too much. I crossed the railway line, turned left and rode another 3 kms looking for the Kirklington sign on my right. I passed rows of maize on either side, standing tall and seemingly ready to harvest…

The track out to Kirklington...

Gravel road to Gumtree, and the Moffett farm...

The track out to the farm did not pose many problems, although there was a bit of thick sand in places, but with a short yank on the throttle, we sailed through with out a hiccup… I could see that this farm was well looked after, as the road was criss-crossed with drainage humps to prevent damage to the road surface caused by rain water run-off… All was going well, and looking ahead I could see a small dam on either side of a causeway, leading up to what was obviously a homestead, visible through the trees which lined the road… From the corner of my left eye, I saw a large white shape barreling out of the long grass on the side of the track… I had no time to react, besides shutting the throttle and getting my feet off the pegs in readiness for an emergency stop… A large white pig rushed across the track, narrowly missing my front wheel, before disappearing into the grass on my right… Had I been on the causeway, I might well have been taking a dip in the dam…

After negotiating a tricky little hairpin bend and a thick patch of sand that had the back wheel flinging stones and sand behind me, I idled up into a parking area where Vanessa came out to meet and greet me, and after marveling at the size of the bike, we walked through a beautifully laid out garden, with solid sandstone walkways and steps leading to various parts of the homestead. Vanessa pointed skyward and said “You’re up there in the cottage…!”

My Stone Cottage at Kirklington....

I lifted my head 45 degrees to my left, and there, perched up on a level area well above the house, was a stone cottage… It seemed nestled into the Sandstone bluff behind it, from where a flock of Rock Pigeons called to each other… A Guinea Fowl set off it’s grating “cherrrrrr” alarm call, from the long grass behind the cottage, as I lugged my gear up the steep stone stairway, and into a room straight out of one of those Western movies. I rushed outside to see if Clint Eastwood’s horse was still tied up somewhere, but he must have already left…. A large metal basin and a jug full of water was on a table near the window. A kettle and all the makings of coffee and tea had already been set out… I considered the fact that Vanessa had only agreed a few hours ago, to put me up for the night, and had gone to considerable trouble to get this little cottage ready for me… I was very grateful for this, as I know that a farmer’s wife’s life, is far from an idle one !!! Their three boys, Charles (13), Shamus (11) and Ross (7) are home-schooled by Vanessa, and mirror the laid back characters of their parents…

The Moffett Homestead, haven of Peace and Tranquility...

I took a quick dip in the rock lined pool behind the house to cool down and then went in search of the boys… I took them out to the bike and explained what I was doing and what all the bits and pieces were for… From the glint in their eyes, I think James can start saving up for a few bikes… Sorry, James…couldn’t help myself !!

Later that evening Jame’s parents, John and Jill, who live just down the track, came around for dinner to celebrate what I discovered was Jame’s 46 th birthday ! I felt honoured to have been invited to stay on this, a special day for the family… His parents were abuzz with excitement, as they had earlier in the day spotted a pair of Crowned Cranes, the first record of these birds on the farm… A bottle of Champagne and red wine was opened and we all shared in a toast to James… It was a great family scene, and a pang of regret for the family I had lost,  tore through me, as I watched the interaction between the Moffetts… A swift slug of Champers disguised my misty eyes, before we launched into our meal of Lamb chops and veggies, with gusto… I was famished, but was still the last to finish, as I answered a series of questions about my trip and the Clocolan fair… A fine Malva Pudding was brought forth by Vanessa, and I realised where she had been all afternoon….slaving in the kitchen…. A farmer’s wife’s work is never done !! Great meal, Vanessa, much appreciated !!

After James’s parents had left, and the boys had gone off to bed, we set about emptying the remnants of a bottle of scotch which he produced from a cabinet behind him, while we discussed the crops that James grew… I was astounded to discover that the farm had been planted with a herb known as Pelagonium. This is an ingredient used in cough mixture, and there are only three places in the world that this herb is planted for commercial purposes: one is in Mexico, another is in Kenya, and the other is right here in Gumtree, South Africa !! The plant only occurs naturally in the Western Cape, where it is harvested on a small scale. Only the roots of the plant are used, and these are crushed and the extract sent to Germany, where it finds it way into the final product… Amazing…!!!

Pelagonium Plant...

Pelagonium Roots...

The plants take three years to mature, before they are harvested.

This is not the only thing that James is kept busy with…he also has cattle and sheep to look after, (and the one pesky pig !) as well as other crops such as maize… Busy man, our Mr. Moffett !!

I went off to bed in my stone cottage, and before I fell asleep, I cut a copy of the DVD of my last trip up through Southern Africa, to give to the Moffett family as a memento from me…. Snuggled into the sleeping bag that had been provided for me, I feel into a deep sleep and woke to the sounds of the farm at 6.00am the next morning… I took a few photos and then packed the gear back onto the bike.

Washing up... I gave shaving a miss, as the water cooled considerably during the night...

Charles popped the DVD into their player, and we watched a few minutes from the first section while I made comments on where the various shots were taken, and Charles’s eyes got bigger and bigger…. You might have a little problem here, James !! Ha-ha !!

I wanted a photo of us together, and while Charles rushed off to get a tripod, we gathered on the veranda of this wonderful stone house… The three Jack Russell’s got into the action, and scrambled onto our laps… The only ones missing from the photo were the multitude of cats that wandered around the garden, reducing the population of mice in fine fashion…

We had a quick breakfast together, and with James promising to see me later at the Clocolan Fair, I made my way back along the dirt tracks and gravel roads, keeping a beady eye out for the pig…!! I found it safely behind a fence, cuddled up to the calf that it had adopted… Apparently, these two are firms friends and are always seen together… The fact that this is the last pig on the farm, has probably led to a serious identity crisis on the pig’s part… A reminder that animals are just as social by nature as we were, and without other pigs to confide in, this big sow had decided that the cows would have to do !!!

The Pig and the Calf... Safely behind a fence this time, and out of the way of visiting bikers...

The Moffetts of Kirklington... From Left to right: Charles, James and Vanessa, with Shamus and Ross on the lower step...

© GBWT 2010