It’s been a busy couple of weeks and I feel like I am getting more into living here, doing normal stuff like visiting friends, grocery shopping, exercise class etc. I always say, wherever you are, there you are! All the routines set in and life takes on a certain rhythm, wherever you are.

Yes, locations are very different but the sameness of everyday life sets in. It takes a little while, and it’s been 4 months since I got here and almost 2 months in my own place, where it really began to feel doable. Despite the overarching issues of lack of freedom that I feel. I really miss just being able to go wherever and whenever I want to go. And whether I can overcome that, I don’t know!

In the meantime, I will continue on with my weekly adventures and let things and events fall where they may.

This is the second part of the weekend up in Howick with Evie and Roland.

It was hard to top Saturday’s meander visiting the brewery out in the country and the cafe that serves coffee with a side of pot.

Evie had promised me a gin distillery, so off we went. And I was completely blown away. Netherwood Farm literally took my breath away, I can’t remember ever being so enthralled with a location.

First of all, the location. Sited on the top of a hill, the land and pastures roll away to the Drakensberg foothills, way in the distance. The entire front of the building is glass, so even on cold, winter days (yes, they even get snow) the view would be spectacular.

I understand that the operation started out with the small Blueberry cafe, but it has gradually expanded to include another restaurant, the Fork n Cleaver, a farm to fork steakhouse and the brewery. (No distillery - yet.) Somehow, everything works together.

So even though they aren’t a distillery, they have something that is really popular in this country, which I’m not too keen on. Gin and tonic on tap. It just seems sacrilegious to me! And the tutti frutti ones are very popular. It’s a shame to cover up the flavors of some of the absolutely wonderful gins this country is producing now. More of that soon in my distillery blog.

But it was early on a Sunday, so the gin and blueberry tonic I had, and the gin and pomegranate that Evie and Roland chose, went down well. And they are very pretty!

The farm raises and breeds Angus cattle but right in front of the building is a large herd of Nguni cattle, the traditional Zulu cattle, with enormous horns! They are beautiful creatures, with coats so glossy they look like they have been groomed. And they are very used to being admired and photographed, coming right to the fences to pose! Their watering trough is right in front of the row of toilets, where you can sit on the throne and watch them through (so I was told) one-way glass!

We didn’t do lunch there as Evie had other plans for us. We went to a quaint little place called Cafe Bloom for what they call the Harvest Table lunch, which was delicious. Everything was gluten-free, which doesn’t matter to me but is important for Evie, and all homemade. It’s so popular that you have to get there by noon when the food is presented on the “harvest table,” or you won’t find anything left, as it’s a real smorgasbord.

Do you believe in coincidences?

On our way home, Evie wanted to show me a lovely old church and a gravestone that has an owl carved into it (she’s a history buff and owl fan) so we stopped. St John’s, beautiful, corrugated iron and beautifully maintained church was built in 1885. We wandered around, saw the owl which is getting very weathered and checked out the gravestones going back to the 1800s.

There was only one newish grave with a wooden cross, simply with broken rocks piled onto the grave. I looked at the name on the cross and did a double-take. It’s the last name of Zoze’s first husband and Jenni and Carol’s dad. So, you know, I had to take a picture and send it to Jenni, who has become the family historian, asking if any relation?

Later that evening, I got an email from her with an attachment - it showed that her father was adopted! Something no one knew!

How bizarre that we would stop at a - to me - random church and see that grave? Of course, Jenni was floored as I am sure Carol and Zoze are as well! I guess we were meant to stop there.

Sometimes the Universe has plans for us that we don’t have a clue about!