Guests celebrating a family birthday took a walk to the right hand waterfall and were delighted to spot a minute and very rare mushroom
Green Wood Cup Fungi Chlorociboria auriginascens. So these little mushrooms have been hunted for 100’s of years. Treasured by the Turkish jewellery box makers for a single reason….
They stain the wood of the host tree the same colour as their pretty pileus.
The tree limbs exhibiting these mushrooms are felled as soon as the mushrooms appear so that the mycelium would not consume the wood to dust over consecutive flushes.
The green/blue wood was used as inlays in the jewelry boxes, and the colour has been retained in some very old examples still to this day.
The hues of the colour green are only found in the rarest of mushrooms. A fantastic find. All praise to God for his awesome creation 🍄
We hosted a beautiful family friend’s wedding on the 30th April. God blessed us with a magnificent day after an anxious week consulting weather apps predicting rain. The bride had prepared with white wellie boots, coat, umbrellas – but nothing was required. Congrats and may God bless you with His abundant grace Doug & Nats
We have plenty of photographs on our Facebook Page: Braco in the Karkloof.
A family have enthusiastically shared their experience of Twin Falls over the long weekend.
Evening Mary. What a wonderfully peaceful and restorative time we shared in the cottages your family has created. Arriving to find the horses grazing on the front lawn couldn’t have ben a better surprise for all the horse lovers amongst our group. Watson was also a delightful, unexpected highlight.
We set out to find the waterfalls shortly after arrival. Victor’s directions were perfect, but the wet weather and high volume of water had made the path dissapear towards the end so much so that we were unable to reach them on day one. I hope you dont mind that we used slashers and pangas to clear the nettle overgrowth and remove what we could of the plants that have covered the path to be rewarded by the most spectacular sight. The falling water is breathtakingly beautiful.
We will definitely be back to enjoy and explore again. Our party spanned a huge age gap. Our babe at 9 months to my dad at 79years. We sent the strong and youthful ahead to clear the path for the rest of us who ambled along at a slower pace admiring mushrooms, the beautiful array of indigenous flora and general peace and quiet. All of us made it to the right hand falls on Monday morning, my brother and his family stayed to clear a way to the left hand falls in the afternoon. We will have to return to see the other one!
“Just wanted to say thanks for a phenomenal stay at your farm over the weekend.
My husband and I absolutely loved it!! It is such a magical place you have.
We would very much like to book it again for next years Three Cranes race. The dates are not official yet, but it should fall on the same weekend as this year. In fact, we’d like to try and convince as many friends as we can to join us, and book both the cottages for that weekend. As soon as the dates are confirmed, I will let you know. “
Jess organised a Restorative Silent Nature Walk at a secret venue. Her secret revealed itself to be Twin Falls Farm! Together with her we were five like-minded people, of whom all except one I knew already – and the fifth, well, a friend of a friend is a friend already!
We started at the recently rebuilt homestead, which is now self-catering accommodation. I immediately envisaged spending some time there with my wife. Everything available in two, very spacious ‘cottages’ – but, above all, an exquisite setting nestled amidst forested hills at the end of a Karkloofvalley, and part of a Natural Heritage Site. And, to top it all, a crystal-clear stream in front of the cottages.
The Walk! Jess arranged that, once we crossed the stream, we would maintain Silence. There is something so liberating about practising silence, especially when in Nature. No distractions from social exchanges, even when with friends. Yet my experience suggests that silence actually promoted a deepening of our communication.
Indigenous forests and running water unlock something deep within. Our Silence allowed me to hear all those sounds in Nature that one seldom hears, particularly the bird calls. All my senses come alive, increasing my appreciation even of the humid air and the luxuriant undergrowth.
Traversing paths, rather than pushing one’s way through the undergrowth, enhances the quality of the experience. What gratitude I felt to those who laid out and now maintain these paths.
Restorative the walk certainly was! And a walk in such beauty and in the fresh air enhances one’s appetite for the picnic breakfast that we enjoyed on our return to the cottages.
Twin Falls is definitely worth a visit, and even more so a stay-over, so as to thoroughly imbibe its tranquillity and beauty.
Jessica Dreamtime took a small group walking in the forest. They visited both waterfalls and then spent time on their own. One of the group – Kate Brown wrote this: The best kept secret in KZN. A truly beautiful unspoilt area to commune with the diversity of nature. Absolutely fabulous and unforgettable.
What a wonderful way to celebrate Heritage Day. My grandparents moved into their home as a newly married couple in 1905. Over the weekend 160 people came to share the beauty of this farm. The indigenous mist belt forest, the krantz over which Grey Mare’s Tail falls, and the magnificent old trees planted over the years in the garden, provides a glorious setting.
The garden was at its best with camellias still flowering, azaleas, blossom and clivia providing beautiful colour and annuals lining the edge of beds. It is hard to select only a few photographs.
If you would like to visit Braco at any time and bring a picnic please just contact us.
There were a host of activities in the Karkloof with many people taking a long weekend with Heritage Day on Tuesday. Temperatures soared extremely high on Friday & Saturday then plummeted on the Monday & Tuesday.
Ellem and Chimes were both occupied with guests participating in the 100 miler. A couple who travelled from Namibia said on their departure – “we are ready to move in tomorrow.” What a lovely complement. The other family asked us to update our information to share that there is a stove in the kitchen.
So herewith a list of how the kitchens are equipped. You will find a stove, microwave, toaster, kettle, hot plate & fridge. There is also a portable braai and small Weber. You do need to bring your own charcoal. Ellem has crockery and cutlery for 10. Chimes for 4 people.
The bed configuration is 2 double beds in the en suite bedrooms in Chimes while Ellem has a double bed in the en-suite room with 2 singles in the additional 2 bedrooms.
