Rolandale, Swellendam

Cape Town 6.21 AM & 7.39 PM Bloemfontein 5.56 AM & 7.02 PM Johannesburg 5.52 AM & 6.51 PM Durban 5.36 AM & 6.44 PM

DISCOVER THE GALAXIES

Sky Guide Africa South – 2020, compiled by the Astronomical Society of South Africa, is on shelves now. This handy guide is a must for any astronomer, whether you’re a pro or a beginner. It contains the upcoming year’s celestial events, as well as charts, glossaries and useful websites to help you with your nightly stargazing.

R145 at

takealot.com

The Overberg is not short on farm stalls, but Rolandale stands out – quite literally, it’s bright yellow.

Photographer Shelley Christians and I pull over on our way back to Swellendam after having visited the nearby village of Suurbraak. It’s a late spring afternoon and the sky is vast. We’re beckoned indoors by a sign that reads: Roosterkoek.

Right. You have my attention. Rolandale is a farm stall, but the residents of Swellendam also come here for a family lunch or a quiet meal out of town. It’s next to the N2, so you wouldn’t expect to find much tranquillity here, but somehow the passing cars don’t register as you gaze at the green lawn that sprawls away from the road, scattered with jungle gyms, wooden boats and slides for the kids to play on while you sit at a wooden table under the trees.

Freshly squeezed orange juice costs

R20 and filter coffee is only R12. As Capetonians, Shelley and I are shocked by these reasonable prices and we immediately buy a bag of their mediumroast coffee blend for good measure (R77). Koeksisters are R40 for a dozen, and the menu features crowd-pleasers like burgers (R40 – R45), chicken nuggets and chips (R35), pies (R25) and roosterkoek with various fillings, like egg and bacon (R40) and Nutella (R30). A sizeable side order of hot chips will set you back R30.

A television in the corner plays the most relevant sports fixture of the day, and the shelves are filled with ornately packaged teas, preserves, jewellery and crockery of all shapes and sizes.

On one soap wrapper is a picture of a cow: “Moo’se lekker seep,” it reads. I show it to Shelley and we both have a chuckle. Where? About 8 km east of Swellendam, next to the N2.

Opening times: Daily from 8 am to 5 pm.

Contact: 028 512 3383