Imagine retiring to live out your dream in the country working harder than you ever did before - and loving it! Nothing inspires quite like a hard-to-believe story. This incredible little garden has been carved out of (or rather in to) the mountainside, by an approaching 80 couple. The tiny oasis is nothing short of inspirational! The African sun beats down mercilessly. Water is scarce. Rain more so. The terrain is rugged, rocky and one keeps expecting a Voortrekker ox-wagon to rumble into sight.
Our delightful distant friends built their retirement dream home to offer a sanctuary for people who come for counselling. They are a remarkable couple with a passion for people - especially the hurting. Like a beacon of hope their beautiful home stands against the rugged mountainside. An oasis for so many reasons. Their beautiful vegetable garden and tiny orchard, nestled among boulders and shale, bear testament to thriving against the odds.
Giraffe, kudu and ostrich forage around their boundary. The garden is secured against both the harsh elements as well as the very destructive baboon.
Among the wonderful herbs, bolting kale and tiny vegetable seedlings, a delicate orchid blooms. Everywhere life thrives. Colours and scents beckon. Stop. Rest. Be refreshed.
Deep holes have been pounded into the shale. Grey water is syphoned onto saplings. Avocado. Lemon. Pomegranate. Apricot. Olive trees. Truly; those that plant trees; plant for the future.
We sip herbal iced tea in the cool enclosure. We discuss our 100 year old Sourdough starter. We listen to children laughing and the men standing at the fire, debating the seasons planting and the lack of rain. Looking at the neat and flourishing little oasis I am in awe of how a couple with over 7 decades of maturity, work in this challenging conditions. Off-grid. Solar. Rain tanks. Seed saving. At their age. They invest in a garden and in lives that they may never truly know the impact thereof. What an inspiration old age is!
May this garden in the wilderness built and nurtured by an elderly couple inspire others on The One and Only Garden Challenge
