29 March 2012
A ’little’ and a ‘lot’ has happened at Nice by Nature this year. A’ little’ being the very quiet 2 months we had in January and February, almost had us in panic mode, but then realised most people and other businesses were in the same boat. A ‘lot’ meaning that we’ve had a great March and the balance of the year looks promising. Hopefully our recession is almost a thing of the past.
Our wedding Chapel itself is complete. It looks stunning. However we are now working on the reception areas and this is taking longer than we thought it would take. Could be that just as we think we’ve decided on something and the builders are standing by, picks and bricks in hand, we change our minds again. We have altered the plans 3 or 4 times and are still arguing at the moment. I assure you though when done, it is going to be one of the most beautiful wedding venues in Honeydew. We will start marketing it towards the end of the year, most especially for second weddings, and the smaller weddings that the other venues in the area are reluctant to accommodate. Watch this space!!!
We hosted a wonderful Country Craft Market here on Human Rights day, the 21st of March. We managed to secure 35 different stall holders / crafters, and the Sue, Mark and Max band, who kept the shoppers tapping their feet all afternoon. We provided a light lunch in the form of hotdogs, boerie rolls, prego rolls and a lamb curry and rice, which kept the shoppers hunger at bay. We served ice cold drinks, sweets, chocolates and crisps for the hordes of kiddies as well. The jumping castle and the sand art was a great hit. We had a variety of things on sale, from beautiful paintings, to mosaic work, to jewellery, to jams, chutneys and salsa’s, to braaiwood, to garden implements, to spices and beadwork toys and nik naks. Our two SPCA donkeys were put to work pulling the children around on the donkey cart. A chore they both enjoy. The kids had a ball, and we eventually had to retire the donkeys or they would have gone on until midnight. The weather was exceptional, a relief as the previous week had been wet and rainy. For a first time market, we were very happy with the results and have promised to do it again in August. Watch this space!!!
We have a new little springbok male to add to our menagerie. He is still very young so will not be breeding until next year. We also acquired a little female, but unfortunately she managed to get out and the jackals killed her. Life on the farm is tough. Roxy the nguni cow has left for another farm where she will be used for breeding. Of the 28 piglets that were born this year, only 2 didn’t find homes. These two are extremely naughty as they can’t yet be contained as they squeeze through the fences and so spend their days on the lawns. The guests love it. The tortoises will be thinking about hibernation soon, but at the moment are still enjoying the last of the warmth.
All in all, we are busy and enjoying the farm. I would like to wish you all a happy Easter and hopefully will see you again soon.
12 February 2012
Well we are now proud parents to 28 piglets. Oh my word they are everywhere. Such cute little creatures. Fortunately enough we have already found homes for about 14 of them, so still 14 to go. If you know of anybody looking for a piggie, just let us know.
Things are looking better at Nice by Nature. The last couple of days have been nice and busy. We are also already fully booked most Saturdays until March, and have a few conferences in the pipeline.
Our chapel has a lovely floor and boasts its 2 coats of paint. The thatch roof is darkening by the day and looks super. We have had quite a cleanup around the chapel so it doesn’t quite resemble a building site anymore. The electrics have been done so as usual it is now the finishing off that will take the longest to do. We are going to market our chapel for second weddings, maximum 50 guests.
The river is looking beautiful and has recently had 3 or 4 good clean outs. The rain has been unbelievable this year and the gardens are smiling. We do however have a huge battle with the weeds.
We have enlarged our bunny / guinea pig enclosure which means children are able to enter and pet the animals. The tortoise has laid 3 batches of eggs, but as this is not the first time we’re not holding our breaths however. Maybe this time we’ll get some hatchlings. Will keep you all posted.
Till next time,
Shelley
7 January 2012
Happy happy new year to all our past and future guests to Nice by Nature. We look forward to a busy year of meeting new people and fun times.
Life on the farm is wonderful . The gardens are looking stunning. The rains have been very good to us so far this season, and everything is coming up roses!!!
We have 6 pregnant mommy pigs at the moment dragging their bellies around on the ground. We are not sure as to when the babies are due, but certainly any moment now. They enjoy nothing more than relaxing their big tummies in a squishy muddy pool. Piglets are the most amazing babies and are such fun to observe. They have been so popular in the past with our guests that we’ve allowed Mr. Pig to do his job again. I think however after this batch, we’ll need to get him sorted. If you know of anybody wanting pot bellies, just let us know.
We had a very sad thing happen last month. Charls pride and joy, Blue Bull, had to be destroyed. He was a bottled fed Nguni bull and saw Charl as his mother. Unfortunately he had a very bad experience with the Eskom electricity box. He attacked Charls quad bike as well as Shelley’s Land Rover and couldn’t be restrained. Eventually the decision was made to put him down, something Charl still feels terrible about today. It was a very quick procedure fortunately and he didn’t suffer. We now have a deepfreeze full of boerewors, mince and a ton of biltong to work our way through. I think he would have been more upset if we’d given all the meat away. We also have his skin at the tanneries to remind us of him for years to come. RIP Blue Bull!!
The start to our new year has been very quiet. We are hoping that this will change shortly when life as we know it returns to normal . January is notoriously quiet, so we shouldn’t panic. We have taken this lull to spring clean all the rooms and wash all the carpets, re-do the stock room and generally had a huge clean-out in the kitchen. It’s amazing how much clutter accumulates through the year. The Salvation army will do well from us this year.
Our wedding chapel is also in limbo at the moment as all the builders were off for a while. We will be back on the project as from Monday 9th, and hopefully should have it all complete by the middle of next month. The final touches always seem to take the longest. We can’t wait to host our first out-of-the-ordinary river wedding!!! Please let all your friends and colleagues know about us if they are contemplating a smallish wedding (50 people max) next year.
As luck would have it, I haven’t even finished the news letter and mommy Schnitzel has been the first to produce 4 little piggies. The cutest things you’ve ever seen. Eyes open, and a mouth full of teeth on arrival. They are already walking around at the ripe old age of 12 hours. The others should follow in about 24 hours. Pigs are pregnant for 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days!!!
Looking forward to a better year as far as the economy goes this year, and hope everybody has a great one as well.
Until next time,
Shelley
23 November 2011
Wonderful news!!! We were awarded the service excellence award at the ROCCI prize giving evening on the 5th of November. We were very thrilled with this and now have another certificate to add to our gallery. Thanks to whoever nominated us, this means we are doing it right.
The rains arrived with a vengeance yesterday. We had about 70 millimetres in about 2 hours. Apart from the debris deposited all over the lawns and driveways and the odd tree that fell over, the gardens are smiling. I think our battle with summer weeds has just begun.
The chapel is progressing nicely. We are plastering inside whilst the rains are here and are constructing the verandah and steps outside. Thanks to the rain, we’ve discovered a few leaks in the roof which we can now attend to, rather than during our first wedding.
The river is flowing very strongly and has had a good clean out. Every so often this is necessary.
Our weekends from now until we close on the 18th of December are hectic. Our weekday bookings are looking good as well. It really is nice to be busy.
On Sunday we host our first baby Baptism. Looking forward to it. Hopefully it will not be our last.
Hope you like our brand new website. We are very thrilled with it. We are sure it is going to attract a lot of new business for us.
We take this opportunity to wish all our guests and friends well over the festive season. Hope to see you all again in 2012
01 November 2011
Things are happening so fast at Nice by Nature. We are currently in the process of building our small wedding chapel at the river. This should be ready for our first wedding early next year. We have decided not to step on any toes and will concentrate on hosting the smaller weddings (up to 50 guests). The competition for the larger weddings is already so great. This means the wedding will be really intimate and we will also be able to accommodate the guests who need to stay over. Watch this space!
The gardens are looking stunning. Isn’t nature wonderful? We have been irrigating for awhile now and our lawns are emerald green. The roses are all in full bloom and beautiful. The animals have all got that spring feeling and the tortoises have come out of hibernation.
We have had an awesome September and October after a very quiet June, July and August. Our Saturdays up to middle of December are almost all fully booked. We are getting enquiries daily for end of year functions, school re-unions, baby showers, bachelorette parties and special birthday parties. Phone us if you have a special occasion to celebrate. We will endeavour to make it a memorable one.
Our nomination for the ROCCI ‘Business of the Year’ in the category ‘Guesthouse 20 rooms and less’ came as a pleasant surprise. We are one of 95 finalists from 206 nominees. 8 of whom are in our category. The big prize giving evening is on the 5th November at SilverStar Casino. Hold Thumbs!
Keep an eye on our website for a bi weekly news update.
