Bastille Day!

Here is a little something from our kitchen to add to your Bastille Day celebrations tomorrow.

Gouger recipe

1 cup flour

7 table spoon butter

Pinch salt

1 ¼  cup flour

1 cup egg

1 ¼ cup grated gruyere

-preheat oven to 210 deg

-melt butter in the water

-add the flour, salt

-mix to a paste

-add a bit of the egg at a time, beating and incorporating each time until the egg mix if finished and the paste is smooth and comes away from the edges as a ball

- add half the cheese to the mixture

- pipe coin sized balls onto a greased baking mat. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese

- bake roughly 20 min

-serve with a mousse or dipping sauce



Another great french treat.......Macaroons!!

....and pastries!

Our Tribute to Nelson Mandela

OUR TRIBUTE TO NELSON MANDELA

At a time when a whole nation, and indeed most of the world, awaits, hope against hope, for positive news of a Modern Day icon we at River Bend Lodge wish to pay our own tribute to Nelson Mandela.

And so, on behalf of all of us, I have been asked to write something which encapsulates a little bit of something that all of us feel and the debt of gratitude we owe the man.

If I were asked to use just one word which I thought was his lasting legacy it would be ‘Forgiveness’. He not only forgave….but in forgiving he averted a situation which could have lead to catastrophic loss of life, which in turn, would have created a lasting legacy of ‘unforgiveness’ much like we see in the Middle East today.

Experience, we are told, is how we learn. And if we learn anything from the experience of apartheid it should be how not to do things….how NOT to govern. Nelson Mandela came out of a 27 year imprisonment and the first thing he did was to Forgive, and by this action showed us all in no better manner than by his action….how we should behave. He stood by his famous words, uttered before he was imprisoned and quoted below.

"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for, and to see realised. But my Lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." The Rivonia Trial

And so, as we prepare for life in South Africa without our revered leader, let us dwell a while on two more of his many famous quotes. Let us reflect the legacy of Nelson Mandela and apply what he is saying here to make South Africa a better place, which is what he lived for and will die for. Let us, in the same spirit of humility and forgiveness, and by having experienced the ‘way we should not live’, apply ourselves to upholding and reflecting the great legacy which will be left to us as a nation and to make this nation great which the very epitome of his legacy.

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” - Long Walk to Freedom.

In applying experience, from this quote we learn how not to indoctrinate our children.

"Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another…"

Nelson Mandela, Inaugural Address, Pretoria 9 May 1994.

And from this quote….it is how not to govern!

We thank you for the enormous sacrifice you made and we will endeavour to reflect your legacy by our actions and our contribution to a better society and country….one which you would be proud to be the most influential contributor to.

Neel and Reena Patel...Honeymoon at River Bend Lodge

This is a Blog written by Neel Patel...he and his lovely wife Reena spent their Honeymoon at River Bend Lodge earlier this year.

Neel had this to say...and sent us all of these photographs he took while here! Thank you Neel and we hope to see you back, it was great meeting you guys!

"After an intense two weeks for our wedding ceremonies and an 18hr trip to PE, arriving at the Riverbend Lodge was beyond words. The stresses of life in London were put to bed as we entered the gates and began an incredible journey of luxury outback living, welcoming faces and a powerful insight into some of the wild animals of SA. Our guide Eve was incredible and her passion for wildlife was contagious, we learned so much from her. The lodge itself was fantastic, the food (exceptional!) and the people being the highlight. What stood out most was that the animals are all wild, there is little tourist aspect to a stay here as you are expected to travel the plains tracking the animals. With the help of Michael, I now know how to use my SLR which I wish I would have done sooner. Any guests who are thinking to stay at the Riverbend Lodge… DO IT!! To the team, we can only thank you for a magnificent experience. Neel & Reena"

Photographs courtesy of Neel Patel...to view a larger version Click on an Image

New Executive Head Chef at River Bend Lodge

Meet Kelly Liggett....our new Executive Head Chef at River Bend.

Kelly joined our team at River Bend earlier this year, and he has had Guests giving him some well deserved compliments and reviews ever since.

A man of few words (he prefers to let his food do the talking), Kelly joined us from The Cellars Hohenort in Constantia, Cape Town after having had previous experience internationally in the US of A and in London.

Kelly has spent considerable time revamping the Menu with considerable care and thought, stamping our Silver Thorns Restaurant with  his very own clean, contemporary fusion style of food preparation and presentation.

When asked who his biggest influences are, he quickly answers that the Chefs he admires most are Marco Pierre White and the Roux Brothers.

Guests at River Bend Lodge will find Kelly remarkably approachable and willing to discuss any personal request with you. His favourite areas of cooking....Game and Desserts!!

Raise Rhino poaching awareness

On the 4th April 2012 we posted a Blog which referred to the extensive poaching of Rhino's in Southern Africa.

Since then the numbers and statistics have become even worse...and 394 Rhino's have been poached already in 2013!!

The announcement that Rhino's are now considered extinct in Mozambique is something that has shocked us all.

To read more about this serious problem have a look at this Link:

www.uniteagainstpoaching.co.za

You can help spread the word as well....Share the image on this Link on Facebook, open the Link and click Like to register your Vote. This evocative image was taken by our resident photographer.

RAISE RHINO POACHING AWARENESS (Just Click on this...it will take you to the Image)

Some more of what we love at River Bend Lodge

We have said it before, and no doubt we will say it again, but one of the things which makes our Guides job such a pleasure is when the younger generation come and stay at River Bend with their parents....and bring with them their unbridled and boundless enthusiasm.

We experienced this again last week when the Hamiltons, from Franschhoek in the Western Cape came to stay. Nick and Anna Hamilton brought along their 3 boys, Jamie, Sam and Luc. Mikey Mouton, their Guide was amazed at their enthusiastic participation and interest in all he had to show them. Perhaps I am a little biased but I was also blown away by the passion of 11 year old Jamie's for Photography.

The boys returned excitedly from each drive with a list of animals that they saw, and Jamie has very kindly allowed me to share some of the Photographs he took whilst out on Drive...and one in the Lodge garden!

Luc, Jamie and Sam

Jamie....budding Photographer!

Here is a list of the animals seen by the boys...and Jamie's photographs of some of them.

Warthog, Lions, Elephants, Kudu, Ostrich, Waterbuck, Red Hartebeest, Zebra, Duiker, Baboons, Vervet Monkeys, Scrub Hare, Giraffe, Buffalo, Caracal, Porcupine, Spotted Genet et al

Enjoy the photographs...and well done Jamie. Thank you to all of the Hamiltons for coming to stay at River Bend Lodge and bringing your enthusiasm with you. Great to meet you, and, indeed, everyone who we had the pleasure of entertaining this past summer. We look forward to more of the same through the winter and next summer.

In my opinion any 11 year old beginner Photographer would have reason to be very proud of these Photographs.

We can tailor a Photography Course for whatever level of proficiency at River bend Lodge...and we take great pleasure in seeing improvement during Guests stay. We will soon feature some work from Ella Jackson (13) on our Blog.

Click on a photograph to view full size.

What the fuss was all about!!! The newborn Elephant calf.

On our Blog yesterday I wrote about the behaviour of part of the Elephant herd on Monday evening, and what we thought the reason for this behaviour was. I am pleased to say we guessed correctly. This is a short account of some time spent with some of the herd this afternoon.

At around 2 pm I noticed a herd of Buffalo wandering across an open area near the Lodge and, sensing a photo opportunity, I rushed out. Whilst watching the Buffalo I also noticed a small family group of about 15 Elephants on the plain to the west of the Lodge. There had to be a reason that this group was not with the main herd! Could it be that Monday's newborn calf still needed to be on less strenuous terrain......? I hoped ....maybe fortune would smile on me and I would get a clear shot of the calf where the grass was short enough and there weren't too many of the family group around. I've tried this before....many times, never with much success. The newborns are always sandwiched between the mother and one of her older calves.

Driving very slowly, I rounded a bend....and this was my first sighting!

Having a nap....!

For the next 20 minutes I stayed with the group as they grazed and wondered past the Lodge, while the current Guests came to the perimeter fence to take photographs themselves and get a closer look. All the while the Elephants grazed contentedly while I concentrated on getting a clear shot of the calf....my patience was rewarded, and here are some of the results.

Below is the Link to another Blog about an Elephant calf born in early March 2012.

http://riverbendaddo.blogspot.com/2012/03/elephant-calf-born-3rd-march-2012.html

(Click on an image to view a larger version. All photographs are the property of River Bend Lodge and may only be used with permission)