Well! May has proven to be a surprising month in the Cape! As the days have shortened and the nights cooled, (our 6am awakening and school-run now completely in the dark), I expected cold, wet weather to set in. To the contrary! We've enjoyed gorgeous mild days, warmer ocean temperatures, and apart from one particularly gusty trail day, some amazing beach trails in sublime weather.
The horses are donning their fluffy winter coats, and now strongly resemble a herd of fuzzy highland ponies! Love seeing them adapt so effortlessly to their new home.
Trail sightings have included dolphins, a beautiful sting ray, a very large puffadder and a couple of shy early arriving whales. Birdlife is especially prolific at present, and I really enjoy our meander through the dunes, seeing all the frantic avian activity in preparation for the winter.
As always, we've enjoyed the company of diverse clientele from every corner of the globe, and it is so rewarding being able to introduce this stunning area to fresh faces. May has seen birthday rides, sunset rides, first ever rides, a host of seasoned and novice riders, and many laughs and wonderful new experiences.
A huge highlight for us was having the pleasure of shooting a beach trail video with Lloyd Koppel, local drone photographer extraordinaire, and having ideal conditions on the day. Much fun had by us, and an absolutely awesome video as a result. Hugely grateful to Lloyd for such a superb effort. The ULTIMATE bucket list tick! See our video here.
Another highlight was the completion of the renovation of one of our holiday cottages, allowing guests to stay over in comfort and experience our tranquil horse farm life for themselves. With the other cottage also nearly finished, we can now look forward to having our guests with us for a little longer than the duration of one trail!
As I write, the first good rains of the season have fallen, and the fynbos is already exploding into verdant greens, with the earliest of the flowers starting to bloom. As someone who has always dreaded Winter, I find myself excited by the prospect of the incredible floral display the Overberg has to offer at this time of year, and look forward to trails through the fynbos, the return of our magnificent Southern Right Whales when we ride along the coast, and a welcoming log fire with a glass of locally produced red wine at the end of another magnificent day on the Cape Wild Coast.
