My Textiles Talk

    Liberty

         This image is not just a random AI pattern. I created it to invite the onlooker a layered emotional and spiritual connection. This is most powerful and most telling of what is inside us humans.  Looking closer is meant to be small discoveries that connects you to a story of yourself.

 

        I listen with my eyes. Here is how - look closer at the textile above. See if the image you are looking at, is making mental notes you can hear. I search for deeper meaning in the world my brain processes visually, so I look deeper and lean in more to see if I can pick up on the thought pattern behind the obvious images. There is often a message that your head or heart is going to discover. My inner self pauses. So, I look again. Yes, the brain has learned to flip quickly and find the other picture hidden in plain sight, but that is not this.

        

        Look again. Become aware that I, the maker of this content, has intent. I want the onlooker to engage in exploring what captured my gaze. I intend it for your good as the Source is only good. Now note what captures your attention. I desire to portray goodness, inspiration, newness, life giving moments of Life. I want you to receive something profound, that was only meant to be found by you. A message written in the very meaning of the images, waiting for you to discover it.

        I create truth and not deceit. I seek to share in life giving enjoyment, not double minded ambiguity. I want to create in spiritual light, not in the futility of naval gazing self. I want to bless ever-present Holy Spirit, who sees all and hears all. Who can see what is in my heart when I create, and hear the conversation in your heart when you look at the textile.

        Okay so lines, colors and images have a worldview rooted somewhere. Layers of meanings leads to whispers of discoveries. If you are looking for it you can start to trace it. Patterns repeat. Once your heart responds and speak to your soul, it connects in that place where interchange is possible. The place of inner communication between your spirit and soul. Between platonic and profound. The same place of freedom of will to draw from. For an image -map, read below.

        In turn I want to give you the onlooker, something so delicate, so unique, so substantial yet totally untouched once you have received it. A spiritual truth not tainted by my very human interference. Something so profound, it was only meant for you when I made it. A gift from the Holy Spirit in visual form to you. Holy Spirit is with you, and both of you are looking at the same image, He interacts when you ask Him what He is saying and what He wants you to hear.  

        Now that’s why I say my Textiles Talk. And you are invited to start a new conversation with all that is within you. It’s actually all about you and Him and the moment paused by looking deeper.

        I just happen to be the fortunate maker of new patterns, using recognizable images and its deeper spiritual meanings, to create a pause of tell a story that is unfolding in and over time. These elements in itself are timeless yet confounded by the here and now, capturing meaning as it reveals its intrinsic messages to you by the Holy Spirit. Kairos time is here and now but revelation in a moment by the Holy Spirit is Rhema time. A living textile because He inhabits the praises of His people.

        Thank you for allowing me to enrich you. It is what this is all about.

         Image - Map

       

Image	Your own interpretation	My intent	Spirit / Word	Other associations  i.e. Music, history, dreams
Birds/Fowl		Swallow/Sparrow Dove   Constant reminder that God is near and God cares   El Roi, the God who sees me in my suffering, Genesis 16	And God said, “… Let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created … every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Gen 1:20–22)
Pattern		Circles   The use of the circle in Scripture invites reflection on God's omnipresence and omnipotence. It serves as a reminder of His eternal nature and the completeness of His plans. The circle's symbolism encourages believers to trust in God's perfect design and His sovereign control over the universe and in our lives	Psalms 19:6 AMP (Amplified Bible)   The sun’s rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.   Zechariah 2:5 AMP (Amplified Bible)   For I,’ declares the LORD, ‘will be a wall of fire around her [protecting her from enemies], and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”
Nature		Blossoms = New beginnings, spiritual growth, divine favor, renewal Leaves = growth	Isaiah 35:1-2  "The wilderness and the land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. It will bloom abundantly and even rejoice with joy and singing."
Numbers		7 = spiritual perfection; completion 2 = double portion 4 = creative works in the earth 8 = new day; salvation; regeneration	Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand; and meted out heaven with a span; and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Isaiah 40:12
Colors		Yellow = anointing; joy Orange = Fire of God Purple = Kingship Blue = over-comer	13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” 17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.” Genesis 9:13-17
Time & season		SA Spring Hebrew Calendar – Cheshvan	Isaiah 66:22–23, “For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the LORD, “So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the LORD.
Name		Liberty	In 2 Corinthians 3:17 "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty"

 

   

R & R in May and June 2026

     

The farm is so beautiful after the intermittent rains that started early March. Light showers of pure mercy and grace, bringing forth new life and HOPE. It smells like heaven! We received our portion of life-giving provision from God's heart with humble thankfulness, shofar blasts and tears mingled with relief.

    The landscape will never be the same again after the ongoing drought of 10 years. We asked God for a miracle to break His judgment, and let this cup run over, as He is faithful to complete the good work He started in us. Our latter rain came much later than the groot karoo's down pours, but it was right on time for a green Pesag on Speekhout!

    This April it was 9 years ago that we arrived with our first loads at the front gate. It was sleeting and bitterly cold. The day after that we received 2 lots of family friends for a festive long weekend of wining and dining. We all camped out on matrasses in the empty farm house, fires roaring, glasses filled. Pesag was very far from our hearts and remained far from us for the following 6 years. Then June 3 years ago Revival started.

    I could write and write and tell and fall over my own feet to show the magnificence of a God who has patterned His own story in our human's story, tracing it and seeing it in the unfolding layers of Pesag. Clarity, perspective, understanding, healing, revelation, hope, strength, courage, PEACE, the knowing we are children of Father God. We are Messianic gentiles and together with Messianic Jews were are the Bride of  Jesus Christ, the very Yeshua HaMashiach. I am a gentile who has been grafted into the original cultivated olive tree by faith. My inheritance from my Father is Hebraic, and how I praise Him for that! He chose for me while I was dead in my sin. He made the pattern for me to find and to follow so that i can keep in step with Him as HE is moving the world to fulfill the scriptures as it is written. 

    

Which brings me to May and June this year. We won't be taking bookings unless they are God sent. Meaning if God has given you direction to come here specifically for His purposes. It is time to spend with God.

    

    Beautiful hidden months in the Baviaanskloof. Green, temperate weather, slower days, fire, stews and steaming soups. And this time we are taking time to re-align ourselves and get our calling in line with God's time lines on the earth, trusting the Holy Spirit to orden our footsteps in paths of righteousness for His Name sake. Quietly being prepared, following the way and the manner of our Kingsman Redeemer, to be at the right place at the right time as God points His finger at the moon, the stars, the planets and the nations, when He chooses to.

2026 Rates same as 2025

For us goodwill is a tangible act, something like a desire to good to others, to see other people prosper and to celebrate their good fortune by something we do. Sometimes it is to help others to achieve goodness for themselves. Or to be genuinely interested in another's welfare that impact their lives away from ours. It is a good thing to contribute to other people's happiness! 

Goodwill is sometimes born out of necessity, something that happens to our hearts when we are humbled in life, when we get to see the picture from the other person's perspective. It is a decision to benefit others even going out of your way for them. We are not always able to, we do what we can when we can.

So we decided to keep our rates the same as last year, at least until the end June 2026! 

It is our hope that you can benefit and that it brings you much joy! 

Where there is water there is life

In farming-tourism nature dictates and we had to learn to adjust, adapt, bend, change, re-focus, all to keep what we have planted and cultivated, foremost alive and then to try and maintain what there is. As the dry weeks tick over, we do it all over again, with more intent and and eventually every day. Plus the learning curve of loss. Hopefully we survive this day better.

Over the 9 years since we bought here, it just rained less and less, the gaps in between longer and the rain showers shorter. We started looking at the desert countries to see what they have been doing for all their lives, and discovered ingenious marvels like the Iranian qanats. To make an oasis of our self-catering farm stays, is the answer on how to welcome our guests and their dogs, when they get away to the mountains. Mark planted trees from the very beginning and the gardens are now shaded, the canopies and thicket keeps the buildings cool, releases amazing aromas, and refreshes the soul to rest deeply in the Hands that made the mountains and all that is on it.

We still have enough water to keep all the splash pool filled, all the gardens watered and to irrigate the pecan field. Our own garden still has green lawns, and our veg garden enough onkruid to feed the ducks and chickens. The cement dam is a tell tale because we cannot keep it filled for those deep dunks anymore, there simply is no surplus. The earth dam is also very low but still not dried up. It still takes the most beautiful vista pics. Not one guest was ever stranded with no water in the taps to shower or to use freely during our very busy December holiday season. But the drought is visible in the camped fields that are plainly bare, dry and void of green life. The exposed and baked ground ranges in color from orange, pink, grey, to yellow depending on what time of the day it is.     

I am all for Living Water, the story of us coming to our little farm. Without Living Water, I am parched and washed out for life, then mere survival become pointless. So for us, to find deeper meaning in our time on the farm, we want to do good to others tangibly. And this by giving a financial benefit when venturing to the kloof.

Please read the pages of the Tree House, The Klein Karoo Cottage and Klipspringer Cabin, as well as the Kudu Bush Camp for their rates

Stars in my eyes

   

 In my case the penny was really slow to drop. It was all a rush to get packing, and to get moving, and get to the farm so we could get going to fix everything. And so it was, on arrival we started to clean and fix everything. As soon as we opened our eyes, we couldn't wait to get going! And on a farm the work is never done, especially this one.

    A couple of months in an my sister who lived in Pretoria then, came to visit. She fell head over heals in love with the farm! The majestic mountains, the clean air, the fresh water, the tranquility of nature sounds, sitting by the fire under the starry skies, the birds, the veld, the bush, the promise of peace.

    It all worked its charm on her as it did with us when we visited the farm those very first 4 days, and promptly made an offer to buy it. We were smitten as she was for the very same reasons. I don't know what we thought at the time, in fact most probably something like " aaaa we can do this!"

    It turns out that these are the same gifts we share with guests, gifts no human hand can fabricate. Sacred and created by a Master Crafter who calls people to His mountains. There are even more birds calls now, more wildlife, more cultivated nature blending in with the veld, supporting re-growth of natural habitat. Simply because there are a ton of more trees, more plants, more grass, more animal manure, and more life giving water relayed than before. Ag and don't forget the rains in the ongoing drought.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Insert the 'fix everything' part. Then a couple of years later, my sister sent the pictures she took on that first visit, that the double blink happened for me. Oi wey. What the hell did we think? I cried on the spot. When I look at those memories, I can't believe that we fell for that level of ugly, dirty, and paid for that broken-backwards. But I also can't remember looking at it then and thinking yuk, hou verby! But now, after redemption and restoration, now after revival, now after victory after victory, now it makes all sense. We didn't know how then, but now we can see.

Many MANY times i said, better we didn't know then what we know now, otherwise we would never have come here. However, then June 2023 came...

The kingdom of heaven is like something precious buried in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field.

Again the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a dealer in search of fine and precious pearls, who, on finding a single pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it.

    Without this faith-reality, I would still be holding true to better we didn't know. I would still be watering the garden with a G&T in both hands. Planting trees and gardens in an ongoing drought with not enough hands and water at the best of mornings. But after June 2023 I slowly started to understand that we risked everything and nearly lost everything, but then found something far more valuable than the farm itself. Mark and I found the single greatest pearl in the dust of the dry veld on our knees. We became a man who sold and bought all he had, to gain the most precious pearl of the greatest price...

  

    

Thank you God, you made sure that we showed up for the appointment You made with us on our wedding day on 7 May 2001. That day, You brought Speekhout Farm into our future, and here we are! We made it with our hands in Yours!!!

 

Time to do life

    Speekhout farm - the previously dirty&under dog that became the Father's lounger where He can sit as honored guest👐

    It took 8 years for God's vision to reform our hearts and this farm. Under the same tree that we made an offer to purchase the Pandora's box, is where God came to honor us with His victory. God was so excited for us to start re-building and cleaning the farm, and of course He had total fore-knowledge. It was us that was slow to realise we actually bought the field so that we could find the hidden treasure! So ja, this is our story, from miry clay to feet upon the Rock: it is either your stumbling stone or it is your Chief Cornerstone. This is our Revival farm, the place God chose to bring us low so that we could be Revived.  For all man in his natural state, the choice is simple, allow God to be found by you or become more abased. Eyes wide open yet sees nothing. Today I set before you life & death......choose Life!

    Our friend, a salted boer from Bronkhorstspruit told us that his father taught them, the moment you put something behind a gate, you have to feed it and then IT becomes YOUR baas. That's the privilege of the experienced. Maar nee, when we still had plenty of woema, we just had to first try it for ourselves. So we open and close those gates every single time to keep this sort of thing in and that sort out. Speekhout farm's reception is at our Fratorria's front gate (Italian for homestead) and is by far the most interesting place on the farm! I always look forward to meeting guests there because the most amazing people find their way here. And without exaggeration, we really get the best guests. And I can't agree more that good fences makes good neighbors.

A rainbow without rain

    It takes time to be with God. We need more time with God. It's busy on the farm, even busier when its dry. Precious Life Giving Water keeps everything alive. The two towers: waterworks and sunlight, they determine the sum of water pipes over distances, either with solar or electric pumps, or gravity fed relays. It rules everything, it governs life and time on the farm. One thing to walk and pray, another to be still and be quiet. We just want to be ourselves here with God, without the tasks required to keep everything going that we have set-up along the way. There is a line in life. At this point, we want nothing else than God's will for this farm and our lives on this farm.

    We want the best for our guests and now is always the best time to visit the Baviaanskloof. There are full moon nights, and starry dark moon nights, the mountains are His and He is always ready to receive people.

Jesus - What can I do for you?

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

“On your way,” said Jesus. “Your faith has saved and healed you.” 

In that very instant he recovered his sight and followed Jesus down the road.

Mark 10:51-52 The Message

    

Spring Specials

 2024 September, October, November

Travelers often ask when is the best time to visit the Baviaanskloof?

Of course it is an open ended question. As with tree planting - the best time to plant a tree is today!

    Weather wise, these 3 up and coming spring months (similar to autumn before the serious cold sets in), are the most temperate of months for us. The days are balmy and warm enough to not wear that extra layer yet the evenings are still cool enough to get the kindling going for a warm fire outside and indoors. Its great to have had a longer sleep because now the sun is already rising earlier and one gets up when there is light!

    From the very beginning, we have loved to share our little farm with travelers who get out to the majestic quietude of the mountains and bird song in the crisp morning air. 

The Speekhout spring special is -15% on the total accommodation cost of any 2 night booking for two or more people at any one of our 3 self-catering farm stays during Sep / Oct / Nov '24

Mark and I came to visit the farm in September 2016 and stayed in the Klein Karoo Cottage for 4 nights, and proceeded to buy the farm in October, the sale concluded in November. We then moved here ourselves in April 2017. Ja we did. In hindsight, we never farmed before, knew nobody here, have never been in the hospitality industry or knew any of the cultural groups living in this closed community.

                 So why was God so excited to send us here?

Well, it turned out that Speekhout is our revival farm! In the end it took 7 years for our own REVIVAL to take flame. With so much to give God thanks for, we love to celebrate the Lord's Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) during the spring of our lives and the beginning of a new season.....

 

I simply love the smell of Jasmin. It smells of Newness of Life and the promise of the best that is yet to come! 

Please ask for the spring special specifically upon enquiry thank you. Paulien 072 202 5752 whatsapp only