Manager’s Report January 2016

by | Feb 28, 2016 | Manager's Reports | 0 comments

Wild photo of the month by Rogier, Melissa en Tuur Nieuwendijk, Mortsel, Antwerp, Belgium

Wild photo of the month by Rogier, Melissa en Tuur Nieuwendijk, Mortsel, Antwerp, Belgium

Like I always say… Time flies when you’re having fun! It feels like just a few days ago that we had our New Year’s dinner and we are already going into the second month of 2016.

Spotted bush snake by Morné Fouché

Spotted bush snake by Morné Fouché

At the lodge, we are buzzing as always. January was a very hot month overall and the rain we received was indeed a huge relief. We never expected after the drought we’ve experienced that after having less than 40mm of rain, the Manyeleti River would flow. So, here comes the “never say never” part. On the 25th we had 34mm of rain. This is normally not nearly enough, but on the morning of the 26th we were greeted by the sounds of flowing water. Yes, indeed the Manyeleti River was flowing! I assume that the catchment areas had a bit more rain than we did, as this is where the water actually comes from. Nevertheless, the water level was not very high and by the afternoon it had almost completely cleared up. We still have some puddles of water in the river and the bush is quickly transforming, being ever so grateful for any amount of water… One can almost hear the grass growing after the rain! Another sound we can not miss after the rain is the frog choir, which is very active every evening. Toads and frogs off all different shapes, sizes and colours bundle together and they make the most interesting sounds. Guests are often amazed by the powerful sounds and some even think we are playing sound recordings! Right after the rain, we had hundreds of bullfrogs all around camp. I even met one on the pathway one evening and he happily posed for a picture. What an interesting, friendly looking face!

Birmingham male lion by Neil Coetzer

Birmingham male lion by Neil Coetzer

Our maintenance team was also up and down on the roads and airstrip this month. Hendrik and his team gave the roads some special attention, filling up all the areas where erosion took place. After the roads, they also levelled out the airstrip and compressed all the loose sand which washed over the airstrip after the rain. Our airstrip is now once again ready for guest arriving on flights from surrounding airports.

Last month, I mentioned that our annual star grading again took place during December. This month, I am proud to announce that our grading has been approved and we are still a proudly 4 star lodge! We will soon receive our new plaque, which will shine bright at our front door.

Trapcam photo

Trapcam photo

Our trapcam found a lovely spot again at Rampan. With the extremely hot days elephants frequently visit the waterholes in search of a fresh drink, or just a spray of water to cool down. They often go right into the water to enjoy a mud bath. We got some good close-up shots this month. I sometimes wonder if the animals know that they are being watched, because they seem to be on their best behaviour…

We celebrated only one birthday at the lodge this month. David celebrated his birthday on the 15th. David is one of our trusty gardeners, always keeping our gardens in tip-top shape and the outside areas of the lodge clean and tidy. To all our readers who celebrated their birthdays during January, we hope you also had a fantastic day, filled with happiness and laughter.

Our recipe for the month is a mouth watering one! Head Chef Jacques bakes the most amazing Bacon and Blue Cheese bread for our morning buffet service. If you are a bread lover, this will be heaven on earth, served with butter and preserves! If you prefer a basic country loaf, just give the bacon and blue cheese a skip.

Bacon and Blue Cheese French Country Loaf

Bacon and Blue Cheese French Country Loaf

Bacon and Blue Cheese French Country Loaf

Ingredients

450g Cake flour
30g Granulated sugar
15g Salt
7g Instant dry yeast
250ml Water
75g Blue Cheese
100g Bacon, chopped and fried
Flour to dust

Method

Mix the flour, sugar and yeast in a bowl.
Add the water.
Add the bacon and blue cheese.
Mix until soft, smooth and elastic.
Prove in a bowl, covered with plastic until double in size.
Weigh the dough out in 6 x 150g portions. Shape out in loafs, place on a greased tray and dust with flour.
Prove until double in size.
Bake at 240⁰C for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
Turn out to cool.

Serve and enjoy!

All the best till next month
Tersia Fouché

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