When news of the lockdown came, and it became apparent that none of the guests at Cabine du Cap would be allowed to stay, it became quite obvious what we would be doing.

And so we drove to Cabine du Cap – just outside Montagu – with mere hours to spare before lockdown. Food would be fine as the SuperSpar in Montagu has most things, but booze? We threw in what boxes of wine could fit in the trailer and hoped for the best.

We’ve settled in nicely, along with the extended entourage, living a life very much off the grid. And when I say “off the grid” I’m talking about power and water – both of which are produced (and purified) on the property.

From that, you get high-speed Wi-Fi , streaming Netflix and Zoom online ballet lessons for the five-year-old.

Most days kickoff with a light seven-kilometre run on the estate, followed by a jump in the reservoir and a 20-minute meditation sesh. I use the ‘Waking Up’ app by Sam Harris, whilst the wife does yoga with the ‘Down Dog’ app. After an outdoor shower or bath, it’s on to breakfast, which varies from something light to a full fry-up at the boma.

We’ve converted the laundry into a classroom of sorts, so all the kids are down there until lunchtime – playing and drawing and building things.

The rest of the day is filled with online work, naps, hikes, bike rides and tinkering around the farm. We’re working on the new veggie patch at the moment, so there’s lots of fun to be had with water management and other practical challenges. Depending on the weather, we either do a sundowner walk with the kids, or we finish off with a drink on the grass next to the river.

River drinks turn into fireside drinks and that’s where the red wine comes into action. You’re in the Klein Karoo with nobody for miles and a fire raging in front of you. It’s pretty much a red wine advert.

I did a wine stock take after arriving at the farm and there was plenty of Protea Rosé and White.

Does it get more ‘summer’ than this? Sorry, this bottle may have been opened around before lunchtime. My bad.

I then calculated that, with the Protea Red I had on hand, my Rupert Optima stocks would allow for one bottle every second night.

Or, half a bottle every night. So I drink that (half) first, saving the second half for the next night, and then I switch to the Protea Shiraz or Merlot.

It remains unclear if my maths (or self-restraint) will hold up.

Ahh, well. Just trying to make the best of a tough situation, and I find a glass or two of quality red takes the edge off.

Today we’re building a treehouse. Check out the action on Instagram – @cabineducap and @cafeducap.

That’s it for now – check out some more pictures below, and stay safe, dear friends.