After bush had given me a good talking to about me not using my available ground as it should be used, I have decided to give it a go, and have the land ploughed, so that Bush and self can start growing crops for the market. But before we could start, the black Wattle trees had to be removed, a job that fell to Bush! Luckily!
Haarlem is a strange community, very close knit, and with a good knowledge of what is theirs. The huge dam that provides the village with water was built by the farmers in conjunction with the community, and as George municipality found out when they tried to take over the dam and provide other villages with water,  this people will not be trodden on. We were under the Eden district municipality for the past umpteen years, but then the Government decided to put us under the George municipality, just to find that all their conniving did not get them free usage of the dam's water.
There is a great shortage of water in the Eastern cape, as people are brought in continuously from the rural districts, and just put down everywhere, without anybody ever thinking of where jobs and housing, and specially water would come from. But the goverment says that to many coloured people have jobs in the Western cape, so it has to be corrected. As there were no black people on this coastline until the early 1900's, it is so unfair, as the coloured people are descendants of the Bushmen and 'Strandlopers', who are endemic to this part of South Africa. This means that the already impoverished coloured people around here will have even less of a future to look forward to.
As I am now part of this community, I am entitled to irrigation water, so for me not to make use of it is silly, and as I would also provide work for a few people when it came to harvesting, I think it will be a good project. A lot of people are seasonal workers, and would be glad for a job to tide them over until the next season.
We have decided that I would give the land, pay for the tractor and the seeds, and everything needed, and Bush will do the planting, weeding, and look after the harvesting.
The tractor that will be doing the ploughing also belong to the Haarlem community, and you pay only a small fee to have your ploughing done.

I am quite sad, as in a few days it would be a year since Nina died, leaving her family in tatters! My little Emil who was only five weeks old when his mother died,has now grown into a very mischievous and busy little toddler, and it takes some doing to look after him. He again managed to escape from Berty, his nanny, crawled through the gate, and I found him running after Sheila's cows that was going home to be milked, shouting 'moo! moo!' Must say, I had a shock, as it is dangerous, as the cows could easily get annoyed, and trample him, or they could just be unaware of the little one, although Kevin, their keeper, was keeping an eye.
 I told Jan to have a good talk with Berty, and unplug the television, as she got so involved in what is on the tv, that she seemed to forget about her charge!