Letting go at Galileo Farm | Elgin

Out past a rickety wooden deck, there’s lawn recently licked by the drops of welcomed rain in the midst of a horrid drought.

There are apple orchids and manicured vineyards as far as the eye can see, a farmhouse in the distance and the intermittent hum of a plaas bakkie just a little too close to fool the mind into thinking you’re secluded from society.

A bird flies past and settles in the reeds, nuzzling his wings from the dewy damp.

The track “let her go” by Passenger is being covered acoustically by Jasmine Thompson in the background, it’s funny, “you only hate the sun when it starts to snow, only know you’ve been high when you’re feeling low.”

It’s as if she’s narrating this very moment, for me, anyway.

I’m at Galileo Farm on a little road just off the N2 in Elgin, apple country to those who may have had the pleasure of wandering these parts, honestly speaking, it’s my inaugural sleepover.

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It’s the first of two lonesome mornings here, the silence and solitude is welcomed whole heartedly I assure you– it’s one of THOSE well needed, spur of the moment, disconnected trips away.

There’s very “little to do” considering the marvelous lack of service connection nor Wireless Internet. I haven’t read an email nor tweeted a thing, my Instagram followers have no idea as to whether I’ve had a double espresso or loose leaf tea with my breakfast, oh how will they survive?!

I read the barely bound brown leather Guest book left on the lounge table at about 07h00 this morning.

It was quite chilly despite the clear skies. A bite in the air, as I bite into one of the organic apples I plucked nearby this very porch.

I opened all the glass doors anyway and donned an oversized cardigan and drown myself in it’s textile and the texts of previous travellers before me.

There’s something so comforting about that first haze of dust and armour of slowly aging paper as you open an old book.

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The pages are dated, there’s a mix of hand scribbled memoirs of family holidays with their dogs and stories of kids with their fishing poles catching fish and frogs.

On the 1st of August 2010, Christopher & Fiona from Cape Town penned “Beautiful location, caught a brown trout on the fly and will be back!”

Now, it would be mere chance if you were able to spot a few tad poles In the dam out front of our “Fish Eagle” cottage’s rickety wooden deck. “we only miss the rain, when it never shows” isn’t that how the song goes?

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It’s possibly the only thing im missing now, there’s naturally the stark water wells but also just behind my back is not one but two gloriously cabin styled fire(braai) places.

I day dream of sitting as I am with my rusks and rooibos tea with the crackle of a pile of old logs as they slowly smolder to coal.

All the while rain plummets on the roof, apple trees sway and you have to cuddle close to keep warm.

Oh, What it would be like here at Galileo in winter-just imagine!

“But dreams come slow and they go so fast”

Until then, Its just me, the trees and couple of rusks from tannie.

More About The Fish Eagle Cottage:

This chalet comes with a fully equipped kitchen, an inside/outside fireplace, and a cosy lounge area overlooking your own private dam. There are two separate bedrooms, both of which are ensuite, one with a shower and the other with a bath. Each bedroom sleeps two.

Dogs Are allowed.