Get comfy as your favorite cat, Raymond gives you a run down on all the happenings here at Khotso over the past few weeks.
Raymond here!
The great thing about being a cat is blending in. I hear all and see all without being noticed... well people still notice me, I am an incredibly handsome cat after all (please see below).
Spring has sprung at Khotso and we have been busy with guests, school groups, rides, and a wedding! This has, unfortunately, resulted in very busy staff members and means less attention for me, a very sad thing indeed.
The wonderful St Johns (https://www.stjohnsdsg.com/) students stayed at Khotso on their Uhambo journey and I couldn't help but admire their tenacity and determination, they were fantastic guests and they promised to return next year, with plenty of treats for me! Khotso also hosted Clifton School (https://www.cliftonschool.co.za/), Epworth (https://epworth.co.za/), and Durban High School (https://www.durbanhighschool.co.za/) throughout the past few months, I do believe that all the students had a fantastic time with us and I must say that I have few complaints. Horses were ridden, erosion control was implemented and laughs were had by all, except for perhaps the one-hundred-and-eighty DHS boys who were camping on one of the coldest, rainiest nights I've endured in a long time. We then woke up with a thick blanket of snow on the mountains, despite this the boys seemed to have had a great time.
I have had the pleasure of introducing myself to some of our international guests, many of whom have been visiting South Africa from Europe. Guests from Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and the UK have stayed here at Khotso embarking on rides on the farm and those with more time venturing into Lesotho on one of our amazing Horseback Expeditions. They seemed to really enjoy the atmosphere at the Lodge as well as the food and company, I must admit that it is hard to not enjoy things here at Khotso.
We have had a few exciting Lesotho Expeditions, none more so than the 7-Day Riding expedition hosted by the lovely Sanne, founder and owner of 'Hooves Around The World'. You can read more about their fantastic trip on her blog (https://www.hoovesaroundtheworld.com/blogs/horse-riding-holiday-in-the-mountains-of-lesotho-and-south-africa). Hooves is organising another 7-Day Lesotho ride from the 30th September to the 8th November, be sure to contact Sanne or Khotso to find out more about this epic expedition!
Now for the wedding...
For weeks the sound of hedge trimmers and raking have disturbed my daily rest not to mention sprinklers turning the gardens into a hazardous warzone for myself and my sister, Pebbles, however, all the hard work definitely paid off. The farm was looking beautiful for the wedding. The young couple had their ceremony next to the waterfall in the campsite and the reception in the field below the Lodge and my oh my, what a wedding it was! Guests must have danced well into the night as the music only stopped in the early hours of the morning. I wish the newlyweds all the best!
We are hoping that this could be the start of something, maybe a few more farm-style weddings? We also know a great photographer, Storm Storah, who took the photos at the wedding, I mean... look at this picture that was taken, by Storm, of the happy couple!
And not to mention the fantastic Emily Lockhart, the wedding planner extraordinaire who helped make the day so successful and special, if you need a wedding planner, she should be your go-to girl!
Well, that's an update on all that has been happening at Khotso, now we have started the preparations for the Festive Season, well everyone else has, I'm only a cat after all. They are all looking forward to a festive time, all I can say is please keep the noise down and bring me treats.
This is Raymond signing out.