September 2025

Spring awakening on a farm

We have, since our return to the Western Cape Province, written about beautiful camping spots and also the picturesque coastal village, Kalk Bay. But we think it’s time to show you how beautiful spring looks in the Cape Town area – and what better place than right here on the farm where we now live.

The farm, outside Durbanville, belongs to the sixth generation of the Louw family and they farm mainly with wheat, canola, cattle, and sheep.

The canola fields blaze with a vibrant yellow this time of year

The entrance to the farm has the brightest spring wildflowers on both sides of the road that always brings a smile when we come home after a visit to town.

The entrance to the farm has turned into a carpet of flowers

There are mostly yellow daisies

Some patches are covered with white daisies

Old farm implements are decorated with wildflowers

Everywhere on the farm are patches of wildflowers

While I was walking on the farm to take photos of all the flowers, Felix ran up to me.  I know more about dog behaviour patterns than about cats’ and have always thought that cats are not as affectionate as dogs, but Felix completely contradicted that thought. He simply cannot get enough of being petted. I had all my days trying to get him to stand still so I could take a photo of him before he ran up to the camera and pressed his nose against the lens.

I’ve spotted Felix, relaxing in the sun

And then he chased me to be petted

Near Felix’s humans’ garden, I saw two very well-known flowers. The arum lily and clivia are truly beautiful. The arum lily, which is native to Southern Africa is, despite its elegant appearance, incredibly hardy. Clivias bloom in rich orange, yellow, and red colours and there is an abundance of orange clivias on the farm – such a beautiful sight.

Arum lily

Clivias

I decided to walk further than our gardens to see what else I could find on the farm. When Millie, the wire-haired Dachshund, sees me walking somewhere on the farm, she always accompanies me. She explores every little bush and rock, and when I call her, she comes running at full speed towards me. It’s such great fun to have her as a walking companion.

The adorable Millie

Millie and I walked to one of the dams where I had seen wildflowers earlier. On the way there, I spotted a group of the sheep. It was comical how they all stood and stared at us.

Curious sheep

The distinct yellow canola fields in the distance

Wildflowers on the edge of the dam

It turned out that Millie had still some energy left in her, and I decided to walk to another dam to see what the wheat fields looked like.

Walking to my favourite dam on the farm

The wheat fields looked very healthy

The canola fields are just stunning

By this time, Millie was ready for her afternoon nap and I walked with her to her house. However, that was not the end of flowers and plants, because while I was walking through our garden, I noticed how beautiful everything looks at the moment.

I love this Foxtail Agave attenuate (also known as the Century Plant)

Euphorbia (or commonly known as Fire Sticks/Pencil Cactus)

Sweet, old-fashioned aster flowers

One of the most beautiful flowers in nature for me is the Rock Purslane. I have shown it on our blog before, but I only found out now from Angelique (the farmer’s mother) that this flower is also edible.

The pretty Rock Purslane

Here are a few more beautiful plants and flowers that grow in our garden:

Coleonema pulchellum (commonly known as the Confetti Bush)

Hibiscus flower and Daisy

Lavender bush (known to be a natural insect repellent)

Beautiful flower of the Aeonium Arboreum (succulent)

The man who maintains the gardens so beautifully is Polla. While I sometimes wash dishes, I can see Polla through the kitchen window where he works in our garden. It’s nice to see how proud he is of his work and that he enjoys what he does.

Polla, the man with green fingers (photo taken on a rainy day)

I want to deviate from flowers now and show something very interesting that I have been observing through our bedroom window the other day. A male Mask Weaver was busy building a nest in the pepper tree right in front of our bedroom window. I sat for quite some time on a bench in our room watching him as he constructs the nest with astonishing precision using tiny strips of grass.

Mask Weaver building a nest

Sometimes he’s outside the nest, and make sure that the grass strips are tight

And then he’s inside, pushing the nest bigger with his head

Let me conclude with the wonderful natural art of a sunrise. When the sun rises in the morning, it shines through our bedroom window and then through the bedroom door onto the wall of the corridor. For half an hour during the day, I then have a “sun portrait” on the wall. Isn’t nature wonderful?

Sunrise as seen from our bedroom window

A sun portrait on the wall

I hope you all enjoyed the scenic stroll on the farm. It’s a wonderful privilege to stay here, so close to nature. Next week I’ll tell you more about the fascinating side of sheep shearing (to read about that, click here).