A full table
Christmas on the farm revolves around family and close friends: Thinus’s adult daughters, Lindie Botha and her husband Wickus, and Lorraine and De Wet van Deventer with their little ones, who all ensure that the table beneath Langfontein’s shady trees is always sociable.
And then there’s the joy of having Billy, Marliza’s son, at home for the holidays; he lives in a home for mentally challenged adults during term time.
“Christmas with Billy is very special because he is always ecstatic about it,” says Marliza. “The moment the first Christmas decorations go up, he starts asking when Santa will arrive and that continues until one of our sons-in-law pulls on his Father Christmas outfit. As long as we live, we’ll have to have a Father Christmas for Billy,” she adds with a smile. >>
This year, Marliza set her festive table (opposite) under the white stinkwood in front of the old barn. It is bedecked with items from all over: linen napkins from French markets; plates from Checkers; herbs and flowers in jugs from Wonki Ware, Biggie Best and Pep Stores; a vinyl tablecloth from Babylonstoren and old crystal and silver ware. The Van Deventer family waits around the corner to start the celebrations: Lorraine, De Wet dressed up as Father Christmas and little Layla and her cousin Lika.
Where work is a pleasure
Whether it’s Christmas or not, Langfontein is anything but a place for loafing. It’s a working farm as well as a guest farm with three self-catering cottages. And everyone who comes here to take a break has to lend a hand. Just ask Wickus and De Wet...
“Last year on Christmas Eve, we left Pretoria in the early hours of the morning to try and get to the farm before dark,” says De Wet. “We were exhausted when we arrived. And just when I thought I’d be opening a beer, Thinus said: ‘Come, I need help. There’s rain on the way and the lucerne bales have to be loaded onto the truck...’.”
Businessman Thinus just shrugs his shoulders upon hearing this anecdote. He’s out and about on the farm long before sunrise and by the time the sun starts to peep over the Karoo hills, he’s already back for coffee and rusks with his family around the kitchen table.
“The farm is quiet and the rhythm and atmosphere is very different to the coast but it’s busy in other ways,” says Marliza. “We actually work jolly hard here but we are at last managing to achieve a better balance between work and play. We take time out to enjoy each other, the house, and the beauty that surrounds us.
“One is very isolated on a farm. Even in the holiday season, it’s just you and your family, contemplating the year that’s passed. There are no fireworks or hooters going off. Maybe a rooster crowing... We work and cook together. Here, you have to make do with what you have for meals and decorations. I keep things as simple as possible – cooking is all part of the enjoyment.
“I believe you should treasure the simple pleasures of life every day. And it’s much easier in a place like the Karoo. Here, the joy lies in your surroundings and your family and friends – there’s nothing to distract you.”
An unexpected oasis
Marliza wasn’t exactly thrilled when Thinus bought the farm in 2004. “I was quite happy with my urban existence in Pretoria, although we had talked about moving to George. When I heard that Thinus had made an offer on a Karoo farm, it felt like a death sentence...”
But when the Van den Bergs drove through the gate at Langfontein, this green oasis took her breath away. “The simplicity of the house was so beautiful, even though it needed extensive renovations. There were oak trees and a dam; it was such an unexpected oasis and so different from what I’d imagined the Karoo to be. That’s the magic of the place. After all, camdeboo is the Khoi word for green earth. It speaks volumes.”
The house was built in 1860, so it wasn’t exactly a place that could be fixed up with a 10-pound hammer and chalk paint. “It needed loads of work,” says Marliza. “All the woodwork, apart from the floors, was painted – from the interior doors and window frames to the skirting boards – and the ceilings had been varnished black. The rooms were dark and only some of them had small windows.
“I’ve watched the movie Under the Tuscan Sun quite a few times and identify strongly with Diane Lane’s character. We even had a local Polish builder, Conrad Kasperski of The Polish Way!
“It’s very special for us all to live in a house that has such a rich history. We love tradition. But, at the same time, it’s a responsibility to restore the house with the necessary respect. So many people have made memories here...” >>