Part III - Highveld Mushrooms in Bryanston, South Africa

November 19, we got up at 7:00 and had breakfast. We packed up and checked out from the Holiday Inn, Sandton.
By 9:00 Chris Richardson picked us up. We are going to visit his and Colin Jacobson's Highveld Mushrooms farm.
David Blyth, the farm manager gave us a tour.

Here I proudly show off their excellent quality mushrooms.

On  the road to Highveld Mushrooms, seeing the road signs: Pretoria - Olifantsfontein and Pelindaba

And now closer to Highveld Mushrooms.

You can see the mountains in the distance.

At Highveld Mushrooms click link for also finding mouthwatering recipes!

We first got a farm tour by manager David Blyth.

Around 11:00 I met with Elizabeth, the Zulu harvest manager and I did give a harvest demonstration for all.

Yes, I did work all afternoon with these girls and I did leave Elizabeth a written note with hints and tips for implementing. She was so happy with that and hugged me and said: 'I will tell my Mama all about you!'

Yes, we have seen some tribal women in South Africa making their faces WHITE, as seen in this picture to the left towards top rows.

Showing off Higveld's product.

Open Brown Mushrooms or Oop Bruin Sampioene in Afrikaans.

Highveld Mushroom produce in their cold storage.

A very warm letter from Highveld Mushrooms director, Colin Jacobson after he received some photographs and a copy of my article for the Courier Herald (see link below about My South Africa Publication...)

The above mentioned South African farm manager, David Blyth, did actually visit us in Dublin, Georgia on August 10, 1986!
 Here in this photo is husband Pieter, David Blyth from Highveld Mushrooms, South Africa and Jim Yeatman from, Pennsylvania.

David Blyth to the left, me in the center and Jim Yeatman from Organic Mushrooms to the right.
SMALL WORLD...

In Maastricht, The Netherlands (the capital of my Province) we met again with the next generation of Highveld Mushrooms people, in May of 2000 at the International Mushroom Science Congress
Guess this must be Chris Richardson's son Ross...

Thanks for your visit and stay tuned for Part IV

Related links:

modern mushroom growing 2020 harvesting | post about our newest publication

Part II - Pretoria and Sandton City, South Africa | previous post by me
Part I - Johannesburg, South Africa | previous post by me
My South Africa Publication Around Husband Pieter's Lectures at Congress | previous post by me

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Part II - Pretoria and Sandton City, South Africa

Pretoria, Gauteng Provence in South Africa

Union Building in Pretoria with Jacaranda trees in bloom...

This was on an airmail letter sheet.

Pretoria has some 70,000 Jacaranda trees and is called Jacaranda City!

It is also the Administrative Capital of South Africa

On November 18, we both woke up at 3:00 on our first morning at the Holiday Inn, Sandton... 

Time difference and the unusual long day of 42 hours without a bed, was the culprit.

We got up by 8:00 and had breakfast.

For my Dutch or Afrikaans speaking readers I will quote here the funny language we found in our hotel, for emergency exit safety procedures:

U is hier      Onthou
1. Bly kalm
2. Volg die ontsnaproetes aangetoon op die diagram tensy andere instruksies oor die interkom gegee word.
3. Gehoorsaam asseblief onverwyld brandbeamptes se instruksies.
4. Stap vinnig, moenie hardloop nie.
5. Gaan onmiddellik na die versamelpunt en wag op verdere instruksies.
6. Vertel 'n brandbeambte onmiddellik as u weet van iemand wat vasgekeer of beseer is.

Moenie:
1. Paniekerig raak nie.
2. Hardloop nie.
3. Brandbeamptes, brandweermanne, ambulansmanne, die polisie, ens in hul werk hinder nie.
4. Enige deel van die gebou weer binnegaan nie.
5.Wegdwaal van versamelpunte af voor of nadat die naamlys gelees is nie.

The view from Holiday Inn hotel in Sandton.
Again a Jacaranda tree to the right.

In the distance, left from center, you see the tallest man-made structure with an elevator in the African continent!

Hillbrow Tower in Joburg from wikipedia.

Looking at our new surroundings, as seen from hotel in Sandton.

Another sunny day in Sandton, South Africa

Jacaranda trees lining the streets near our hotel in Sandton.
We also got to see the South African Weaver Bird's Nest; they just hang in the trees!

What a lovely sight those Jacaranda blossoms!
A true nature lovers' paradise...

Walking in Sandton, South Africa.

Grand Bazaar and its open market.

Here I walk with the wife of one of our hosts.

Always fun to stroll over such markets and getting a sense of the local spices and aromas.

We went shopping later in the immense large shopping center in Sandton City.

For Pieter I did find a Lanvin shirt for only US $ 32 as the SA Rand was one to one to the Dutch Guilder at that time and the US $ was R 2.62.

By 14:00 we got back to our hotel, took a bath and lazied for half an hour.

Used my travel iron, after Pieter first had taken apart the wall plug and loosened the wires... But he got it working! We had 4 different travel plug converters but nothing did fit!

By 19:15 we got picked up by our host for dinner at his home.

Lovely home and delicious dinner. Back in our hotel by 0:30.

Thanks for your visit and stay tuned for Part III

Related links:
Part I - Johannesburg, South  Africa | previous post by me
My South Africa Publication Around Husband Pieter's Lectures at Congress | previous post by me

Part I - Johannesburg, South Africa

As always, our life has been oh so hectic! Pieter had a busy day at his office and on Thursday, November 14, 1985 he got off in the afternoon. That meant not being free but working hard in the garden. Unfortunately a wooden log fell on his foot; it hurt! He did attend a supper at a Lake House and after that I had to go with him to the hospital. X-rays got made and luckily nothing was broken. Packed with ice and his foot elevated onto a pillow, he made it through the night with some Tylenol 3, from the hospital. 

On Friday, November 15 at 18:10 we departed from Atlanta airport for Johannesburg, South Africa. 
A long journey on a 747 with Sabena Airlines, via Boston to Brussels, Belgium...
We got onto the airport train and in 15 minutes we reached the Sheraton Hotel in Brussels north, where we tried to use our pre-paid voucher for November 28. If we only could shower and find a bed to stretch out.
But NOPE - nothing! Very poor customer service...

Johannesburg

Saturday, November 16, we landed in Brussels at 10:00 and only at 16:35 on our way in a 747 to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo where we landed at 1:00 in the morning, after good 8 hours flying time.

Sunday, November 17, we landed at 6:00 in the morning in Johannesburg after another 3.5 hours in the air.

Approaching Johannesburg...

Johannesburg - postcard

JOHANNESBURG "The Hub of GOLD"
The railway station and high-rise buildings of the centre of the sprawling metropolis - with symbolic distant mine dumps of "The Golden City."

By 7:15 we were through customs and we had retrieved our suitcases. 

A very long journey without a BED! We had been 42 hours on the road since we left our home in Dublin, GA!

Colin Jacobson did pick us up and dropped us off at the Holiday Inn in Sandton.
On the way we did pass a huge Termitomyces, a termite mount. Pieter would have loved to stop and make a photo...

We took a bath and went to bed for about 2 hours... BIG MISTAKE!

It took a lot of cold water splashes for WAKING UP...

Our host Colin, came to pick us up by 12:30 for a barbecue and for meeting the other speakers for the Congress.

The barbecue was held in the private garden of one of our hosts.
I was in HEAVEN - JACARANDA HEAVEN THAT IS!
Seldom I'd seen such beautiful lanes of blooming Jacarandas, when driving to our hotel.
One lilac splendor and even the roads got covered by the fallen off blossoms.
Here I proudly stand next to these beautiful Jacarandas!

A sheep was being roasted...

Such a lovely garden for having an outdoor barbecue event in late spring, yes the southern hemisphere has opposite seasons.

While the sheep roasted to perfection, we mingled and got to know the group.

Such a lovely spot for entertaining!

We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon and even went home with another couple for a coffee.
They erroneously dropped us off at the Sandton Sun hotel, instead of at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Sandton, so we took a taxi and were in our room by 20:15 and FINALLY went to bed for a real night sleep! 

Thanks for your visit and stay tuned for Part II

Related link:

My South Africa Publication Around Husband Pieter's Lectures at Congress | previous post by me