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Writer's pictureNeville Lance

A BUSY TIME IN BATHURST, EC.

The end of March / Early April is always a busy time for Bathurst. Things invariably kick off with the Bathurst Agricultural Show, with just a couple of weeks before the Bathurst Book Fair hits the headlines. Easter, funnily enough, seems to be a traditionally quiet weekend that slots itself into and around these other two happenings.

After the disaster that was Covid which saw two years without an Agricultural Show, last year unfortunately saw its return with a weekend of "wet" ........... very, very "wet" ................ but happily, this year saw a 'perfect weather weekend' that pulled in more than 8000 visitors through the gates, generating some good revenue for the show's needy coffers after the slow, (or non-existent), previous few years. Happily, some of the stalls were able to brag about doing turnover that seriously updated their historical records, and this all bodes well for next year which should, as a result, attract a bumper number of exhibitors.


As alway the Bathurst Agricultural Museum were well prepared for the Agricultural Show with the majority of their outdoor antique machines sporting new coats of paint, and with their stand at the show walking away with quite a few important prizes and honorable mentions. It never ceases to amaze me just what the two or three old geezers that literally do everything at the Museum are forever able to put together for the show, and for their own exhibits right through the year. It certainly deserves a visit if you are ever in the area.



The approaching weekend of the 29/30 April sees this year's Bathurst Bookfair, and if you happen to be in anyway involved with books, be it their selling, publishing, printing or simply reading, make every effort to get to Bathurst one way or another .............. it's going to be a blast!


The beautiful autumn weather and plentiful rains that we have experienced over the past couple of months mean that not only those gardens that are taken care of, but the entire Ndlambe countryside, are looking absolutely beautiful.


Our garden has been a riot of color the entire summer, but autumn seems to bring out the best in some of the plants, and I have taken the opportunity to photograph a few of the flowers and spend a bit of time playing with HDR - which always helps to give the images that 'extra dimension', and make the flowers look that little bit more exciting than they otherwise would ............... so I am attaching a few of the HDR pics here to give you an idea of this aspect of photography.


Until next time.



















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lornalance2
Apr 12, 2023

Hi Neville, What an interesting post. It really looks as if Bathurst is up and running. Long may it last. I'm keeping well and am off to see the girls in Cape Town next week, only for five days, but better than not seeing them for a whole year. Did you know that Gay and Mike are now living in

C.T.? Do hope you and Pat are keeping well and happy. Lots of love to you both. Lorn xxx

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Neville Lance
Neville Lance
Apr 12, 2023
Replying to

So happy to hear from you Lorna - we do speak - and think of - you often ............ must make a plan to call you more often. I heard this morning on the news that last year 128000 people migrated to Cape Town from up country, so it seems it must have been a good move for Gay and Mike ........... with Trish there as well maybe you should also make the move. We do miss CT terribly - not the traffic - but everything else. Lots of love from both of us and have a good trip down.

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Basil Weinrich
Basil Weinrich
Apr 11, 2023

Hey Nev glad to hear there is some life back in the town. I am off to Upington and Augrabies falls tomorrow. Tried to get into the kalagadi without any luck. Will try and book a camp once I am up there. Hope you and the good wife are all okay.

Cheers for now.

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Neville Lance
Neville Lance
Apr 12, 2023
Replying to

Hey Bas - ENJOY! I believe Kgalagadi is a nightmare to get into these days - have you tried making a booking for the Botswana side ..... Polentswa or Rooiputs ............ real bush camping and away from the thronging crowds. Be sure to do the 4x4 trail at Augrabies - all the way down to Echo Bend (if I remember correctly), it makes a huge difference to your stay there. Just a tip - if you do any of the hikes make sure to wear a hat with a gauze drop down over the face and head - the midges can drive you quite mad and those that get into your mouth provide enough protein for a week. Take car…

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