Lifestyle

Dirk and Edith applied for a 10-unit development on a portion of their farm in the upper Van Reenen's Pass area of KZN.

The Vaal River used to be one of Abre' J Steyn's favourite fishing spots as a young boy. Back then it was a pristine river brimming with life. But like the Oliphants River, one of the most heavily polluted rivers on the continent, the Vaal is on a slippery downward slope, with mining as its biggest problem.

Jonno, My husband and I will be retiring from public service in five years, but we want to start building our dream home now.

Strawbale building has gathered much interest from Farmer's Weekly readers. Abre J Steyn answers a few more questions on the technology, and envisions a database through which readers can share their insights.

We had a surprise visit from a couple my wife and I befriended some 40 years ago. Trevor and Margaret found an old copy of Farmer's Weekly with my picture in it and ferreted me out.

I got a call from Dallas (not the city in the US) to have a look at his house in Durban that needs upgrading. The house is located in one of the original suburbs of Durban, where in the early days some 45 years ago, I was senior property salesperson for a well-know estate agency.

Many obsolete camera components are still very usable with some modification. And once the modification bug re-emerges, one bite is all it takes to get your creative juices flowing again, writes Abré J Steyn.

I got a call from a prospective farmer in the battlefields area of KZN, to come and see three derelict old farm houses on three adjacent farms in the area. Erich was to establish a new farming venture on one of these farms; and required a home for the manager to be.

I recently received a call from a regular Farmer's Weekly reader and acquaintance who likes the way I improvise on cutting building costs.

Hi Jonno, I've decided to demolish the small cottage close to my house and rebuild one further down the property with a maximum size of 80m².

If a piece of equipment is to work better, you have to modify it. But once you start modifying, it's difficult to stop, writes Abré J Steyn.

Dear Jonno, I am looking to put up a small house on my brother-in-law's farm outside Lusaka.