Importance of Giving Back to the Community

No matter how tough you think your life is there’s always someone who has to face challenges that are even tougher than yours.

And it goes in many different directions. Not only basic things like making money, getting food, or having a place to rest at night, but also the possibility of taking part in some entrepreneurial projects or getting a proper education.

‘We make a Living by what we get, but we make a Life by what we give’ – Winston Churchill

Long ago, when we were all little, young and just a child, the best things were to play outside. Look into each hole and inspect all the various insects. Without knowing, that the inspection of the little insects stimulated your brain every second. What did this teach us? If the prickly pear thorns have stung you once, you will never touch it again.

If there is a rock in the road and you bump your toe, you will think twice when walking along the same path to look out for the rock in the road.

Every little child deserves to learn from their mistakes. Building up world knowledge is power. Every child has this idea what they want to be when they grow up. Let’s teach them their idea!

Sometimes the right of teaching refrains from us, sometimes there is an open path for teaching, but it is not grabbed with two hands. In the end, it’s awesome to know there are so many different opportunities in life to choose from and the best one is the one you choose!

Karreekloof chose the open road and are going to grab it with both hands. For us, education is very important especially for every child who cannot wait to go to school in the morning. Just so that he or she can learn something new every day.

For Karreekloof, the word “community” plays a major role, and to return is not much demanded.

 

Corporate social responsibility

Ever wondered what social responsibility means for a company and the success they strive after?  Here are a couple of interesting facts.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR)

One of the most important business ethics quality for an organization to become successful.   The reputation of an organization is very important and implementing social responsibility can increase positive satisfaction results towards stakeholders and customers.

Different organizations have framed different definitions – although there is considerable common ground between them. CSR is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society.

A business’s CSR can encompass a wide variety of tactics, from giving away a portion of a company’s proceeds to charity, to implementing “greener” business operations.

There are a few categories of social responsibility that many of today’s businesses are practicing:

  1. Environmental efforts: One primary focus of corporate social responsibility is the environment.
  2. Philanthropy: Businesses also practice social responsibility by donating to national and local charities.
  3. Ethical labor practices: By treating employees fairly and ethically, companies can also demonstrate their corporate social responsibility.
  4. Volunteering: Attending volunteer events says a lot about a company’s sincerity. By doing good deeds without expecting anything in return.

 Examples of corporate social responsibility

Shoes, another notable example of a company with CSR at its core, donates one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair a customer purchases.  How about donating money to an individual, for example, every ten plastic bags/bottles or cans that are being picked up.

 Practicing what you preach

Undertaking socially responsible initiatives is truly a win-win situation. Not only will your company appeal to socially conscious consumers and employees, but you’ll also make a real difference in the world.   “Engage your employees [and consumers] in giving back. Let them feel like they have a voice.”

 

Springbok Carpaccio with Rooibos Balsamic Reduction

So, you love making food and would like to show off your cooking prowess to your friends and family.

Carpaccio is a simple dish, which allows the bold flavors of quality ingredients to shine. It’s fabulous as a starter or light lunch and is relatively quick and easy to make. Carpaccio is actually shavings of raw meat, and it is said that the slices should be so ultra-thin that one should almost be able to almost see the plate through them. The result is delicate morsels, which have a vibrant flavor and almost melt in one’s mouth.

Ingredients:

For the Rooibos Balsamic Reduction:

1L Balsamic vinegar

8 Rooibos tea bags

2 sticks of cinnamon

4 T brown sugar (my original recipe included honey, but it’s flavor didn’t cut through the stronger flavor of the vinegar, so I replaced it with some brown sugar)

For the Melba toast:

1 Ciabatta loaf (if you can find a loaf that is a day or two old use it, it will be easier to slice)

For the Carpaccio:

200gm Springbok sirloin (I originally thought to use the fillet, but my butcher told me that a Springbok fillet would be way too small for the job)

Good quality olive oil

Salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

a few shavings of Gruyere cheese

a handful of Rocket leaves

a handful or ripe Rosa tomatoes

3-4 T of Rooibos Balsamic Reduction

a few slices of Melba Toast

Method:

For the Rooibos Balsamic Reduction:

Follow the same technique I used for the

Garlic & Oregano Balsamic Reduction

You will need:

  • 500ml Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
  • about 10 or so cloves of garlic
  • a couple of branches of oregano

just replace the ingredients with the ones listed above.

For the Melba toast:

Preheat the oven to 180° C.

Slice the Ciabatta as thin as you can.

Place the slices on a baking tray and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, turning them over after 10 minutes.  Keep an eye on these babies, you want a light golden color, no burnt spots.

Let them cool on a wire rack if possible and store in an airtight container.

For the Carpaccio:

Remove the sirloin from the packaging, place on a cutting board and pat dry with some kitchen towel.

Wipe your work surface with a damp cloth (to make the clingfilm stick) and roll out about 30 cm’s of clingfilm away from you.  Do not tear off the clingfilm just yet, leave the roll on the counter as is, we are going to fold it back over in a minute.

Drizzle a tiny bit of good olive oil on the clingfilm.  Don’t overdo it or you will have a hard time later trying to get the slices to stay put.

Slice the meat into thin slices and place on the clingfilm.  The thickness here will determine how big the slices of carpaccio will be once rolled out, so try a few different sizes until you are happy with them once rolled out.

Roll the clingfilm back over the slices and tear off when you reached the other end.  Work out the air trapped in the film by patting it down from the middle outwards.

Gently roll the slices of meat with a rolling pin until they are nice and thin. Don’t go TOO thin or they’ll break, just be patient and give it a go you’ll soon get the hang of it.

If you find that the meat jumps around under the rolling pin when you try to roll it, use less olive oil on your Be gentle and take your time, roll the slices both horizontally and vertically.

If you would like to serve Carpaccio at a dinner party, I’d advise you to do everything up to this point in advance.  You can place the rolled sheets in the fridge and just unwrap, season and serve when the guests arrive. Just make sure that you seal the edges of the clingfilm so that no air can get it before putting it in the fridge.

The next crucial part is seasoning.  Raw meat without proper seasoning is really not very appetizing at all.  You also want to avoid handling these delicate slices too much, so to season both sides without having to turn them over, I first put a generous amount of salt and pepper on a flat plate, then place the slices on top of that.

Lightly season the top side as well and then we are ready to plate. You will need to adjust the seasoning to your liking, so make a few “tasters” first and then adjust as necessary.

Enjoy!

Attempts to overcome the effects of drought

Can history about local inventions ever be forgotten and lost? In our daily lives where parts of our country are suffering from major droughts, there were already early attempts to overcome the effects of drought in the Northern Cape.

Revd. Peter Wright and his colleague and friend Revd. Isaac Hughes were both practical and enterprising men who had been sent to this country from Lancashire as artisan missionaries in the early 1820’s and had subsequently been ordained.

In the surviving letters and reports of these good men illustrate that in order to teach their people Christianity, they considered that an essential duty was to aid them in the path of civilization by improving living conditions, ensuring so far as was possible that their fields produced good crops and that cattle, sheep, and goats could find good grazing.

Lacking proper tools, equipment, and material, the missionaries undertook an experiment as far back as 1832. When they constructed a pump of 6 inches bore, the barrel cast of lead, and, as they had no boring tools, their pipes were made from logs of wood sawn down the middle, hollowed out and bound together again with iron hoops.  Although not entirely successful as the pipes were not thoroughly watered tight, sufficient water was lifted from the Orange River to irrigate a small area of arable land.

Between 1833 and 1835 Mr. Wright had to travel twice to Cape Town and back, a wagon journey of more than three months each way.  He made purchases of iron pipes, tools, and pumps for transportation by wagon to Griquatown.

Andries Waterboer whose full co-operation the missionaries enjoyed, was keenly interested in a scheme devised by Wright and Hughes.  In February 1836 he and Hughes undertook a survey of the Vaal and Orange rivers in their vicinity to locate a suitable site.

Read’s Drift some 30 miles south of Griquatown on the Orange River was selected and on March 15th work on the project “to lead water out for agricultural purposes” was commenced.  Read’s Drift is across the Orange River on the “Old Mission Road to the North” almost due south of Griquatown.  Named after the Revd. James Read (Snr.) of the London Missionary Society, one of the first missionaries at Kuruman.  Afterwards at Kat River.

Mr. Wright transferred himself to Philippolis where his presence was badly needed owing to the inefficiency of the resident missionary, Gottlieb Schreiner. After two years of most admirable work, Revd. Peter Wright died in the 1843 typhus epidemic.

The flourishing town of Douglas has to-day grown up around what was the mission.  Revd. Isaac Hughes, after laboring for 45 years among the Griquas, died in June 1870 and appropriately, lies buried on the farm ‘Backhouse’ at Douglas.

Notes:

  • The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers.
  • Inch: A unit of linear measure equal to one-twelfth of a foot (2.54 cm). 1 inch = 2,54 cm
  • A mile is an English unit length of linear measure equal to 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards

How To Save Money For Travel

Want to travel the world for a while? Or just take an epic vacation? You don’t need to be rich, but you’ll need to get creative about saving money for travel.

Become Financially Responsible

Saving up enough money for travel, or anything for that matter is tough on the soul and demands sacrifice, which is why so few people succeed. The right mindset is everything!

Track Your Spending

Tracking expenses is an important part of learning where you can cut back, or even eliminate your spending.

Budget Ruthlessly

There are two types of budgeting: The first is budgeting your trip. The second is budgeting your life.

Reduce Unnecessary Spending

Life is messy and the best-laid plans have a habit of fraying at the edges or falling apart completely.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page”

 

Budget your travel

Plan and budget your travel itinerary to perfection!

It’s not everyone’s ability to just pack up and go on holiday. Some people have to start saving long before they can go on their big adventure.

Many people just choose a place and go on holiday, others work according to plan and follow it step by step.The question is, do you work with a budget or is it easy enough not to worry about it?

What is a budget?  Events with financial implications must be planned and continuous control must be exercised to ensure that actual activities match the planned activities.

Stay cost effective, budget.  A well-planned adventure with the right budget might be your answer to all your questions.

For those who can afford to travel life is easy, most people have a budget set out for their travel plans.

The best thing about a trip is when you get back home, relax and think of all the marvelous travel memories and how everything was planned to perfection. The importance of a perfectly planned trip is that you should enjoy every moment.

Make all the things you do, memorable moments, make your journey a reality. Be adventurous, try everything and remember the extraordinary memories. Eat everything, taste everything, but make sure of everything you drink!

“Once you tackle [fear of failure] and block that idea, and you know it’s okay to actually make a mistake or to fail at something, you get back up and try it again. “Kendrick Lamar, Hip-Hop Artist”

Bon, voyage!

South African Christmas recipes

Kettle braai turkey with cashew nut stuffing

This recipe serves 12 people.

Ingredients

5 kg turkey

Liver and heart of a turkey

500 g pork sausage meat

4 slices of bacon

1 small tub of chicken livers

2 onions

2 eggs

2 to 4 thick slices of brown bread for crumbs

Butter and olive oil

600 g cashew nuts

1 sweet potato

Salt and black pepper, lemon juice, chopped parsley

Brandy (optional)

Crumb the bread and place in mixing bowl. Fry onions, bacon, liver, turkey heart, 400 g of cashews and sausage meat in butter and a dash of olive oil. Bake sweet potatoes and remove skin. Add the sweet potatoes to the mix, mince and add the juices from the frying pan. Keep some of the cashews for later.

Combine the mixture and bread crumbs and add two dessertspoons of parsley, salt and pepper to taste, a few drops of fresh lemon juice and the whole cashews. Add two glugs of brandy. Bind the mixture with two eggs and stuff the neck-end of the turkey. Sew the neck skin closed (use cotton or unwaxed dental floss, or skewers). Stuff the rest of the mixture into the abdominal cavity.

Rub the turkey with olive oil and place four to six slices of bacon on the breast side. Wrap in tinfoil. Make an indirect fire in your kettle braai and place the turkey breast-side up over a drip tray. Cooking time varies with the size of the bird — roast for 20 minutes per half-kilo.

Open foil for the last 30 minutes so that the bird browns nicely. When the bird’s juices run clear (stick a fork into the thigh to test), it’s done.

 

Why South Africa is the most beautiful country in the world

It is full of beauty, both natural and man-made. Cape Town as a whole encompasses both of these, with the amazing oceans and views as well as the gorgeous architecture and culture.

Our coastal drives are above the rest. Chapman’s Peak and the Garden Route are a sight to behold, one that every South African need to see at least once in their lifetime.

Our diverse ecosystems and wildlife. Much of our wildlife can be seen in our national parks, which protect them and aid in maintaining their ecosystems. Not only is South Africa home to the Big Five and number of endangered animals. Such as the African Wild Dog and the Pangolin, but we also have a superb variety of marine life as well. Where else in the world could you view a whale from the shore and an elephant grazing with its herd?

Our diverse floral kingdom. Even though there is a number of alien plant species in South Africa, there are also numerous indigenous plant species. Our plant kingdom is diverse and home to incredible flowers, such as the King Protea.

Our unique mountains and what they hold. Our most famous mountain is Table Mountain, named as one of the new 7 wonders of nature, but there’s more. The Drakensberg holds its own beauty, such as the Amphitheatre, and the Swartberg displays technicolored sandstone cliffs and houses the Kango Caves, one of the most astonishing cave systems in the world. Our country is full of history and a lot of it has come from the earth, where we have found fossils and minerals that expand our knowledge.

We are one of the world’s most colorful countries. In Spring, there are thousands of different types of flowers that bloom, transforming the harshest environments, such as Namaqualand into beautiful, natural gardens.

Our sunsets are truly spectacular. No matter where you are in South Africa, our skies share the same beautiful hues and colors of sunset, reminding us that we are in Africa and that our country is beautiful.

 

Nature and it’s attractions

The love for living systems “biophilia” makes the simplicity of the word nature sound like a gift, it will open any moment.

Attraction to the wildlife comes from inner excitement, wanting to experience and to see more. The chasing of cars, trucks, and smoke from buildings that fill the blue sky will make you want to breathe clean air. Stare at the extreme starry night and live life’s adventures to the fullest. Hoping that one day all adventures can be written in a diary for grandchildren to be found so they can keep nature alive.

Karreekloof offers the inner beauty of the Karoo, breathtaking scenery from sunrise to sunset. A star night that lets you get lost in another world and forgetting about the problems of yesterday and today. Breathe with the feeling of relief and relax for a while.

For the adventure-loving people who is crazy about water, the Orange River’s kayak rides can only be worthwhile or even take a trip down memory lane with white water river rafting.

Historical history from Magersfontein to Prieska will let your whole body fill up with goosebumps. Indulge your lifestyle for a moment, understand nature, experience it and you’ll never regret it one day. For that more social kind of feeling and tranquility of spirit, a boat on the river will work wonders, good company and the simplicity of the day as the host.

Come and feel the power of nature, admire the birds, smell the different flavors of plant life and let the animal kingdom entertain you.

Now comes the challenge, grab your bag, put both feet outside your front door, get in your car and experience all these unforgettable feelings.

“If you truly love nature, you’ll find beauty everywhere” – Van Gogh –

A Karoo road trip is one of the best ways to travel the vast expanse

THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO DO A KAROO ROAD TRIP

Route 62, the world’s longest wine route that winds through the Klein Karoo, or the upper Karoo sparsely populated plains southwest of Kimberley.

“Its particular rare mix of rugged mountains, vast open spaces, idiosyncratic little towns, star-studded skies devoid of light pollution, sheep farms, and back of beyond windmills make it road trip country like nowhere else in the world.”

No matter what Karoo road trip you choose, here are a series of great places to stop

Kimberley

The surprisingly interesting town and site of South Africa’s Big Hole, Kimberley might have begun as a diamond rush town but today its wide streets are lined with Victorian mansions, museums, galleries, gardens, battlefields and ghost routes aplenty.

Victoria West

Its name might hale from the Victorian era, but the only thing Victorian about the town today is its charming architecture, which survived both the effects of a disastrous flood in 1871 and the deluge of wagons en route between Cape Town and the diamond rush town of Hopetown, during the late 1880s. Today it’s a typical Karoo dorpie with plenty of accommodation and good antique shops.

The Karoo, a area of little rainfall, blue and cloudless skies, and extreme temperatures may have acted as a barrier to the interior from Cape Town for early settlers, but today it has come out of isolation to become a major tourist attraction – its immense spaces, incredible mountains, idiosyncratic towns and promise of escape the reason for its popularity.