Kurma

The house that is my 'home away from home' for the next ten days is warm and snug, despite the near-freezing overnight temperatures outside. I'm settling in well, and rested better than I have done for the last few weeks. Travelling can be SO tiring and disorienting, so a good night's rest is quite important.

This building is roofed with a South African grass called Cape Thatch. Apparently during the hot summer the breathing quality of this material can maintain a daytime temperature many degrees lower that non-breathing products. Wetting the roof yields an even more effective 'evaporative cool' effect.

In these cold winter nights African Thatch has greater insulation properties, keeping the warm air inside. It looks attractive, it's environmentally friendly and it's harvested from a renewable resource.

Here is a view from inside the kitchen, with Gladys the maid preparing breakfast as the winter sun blazes through the windows. The high ceilings give a fresh, airy spaciousness.