Fly Screens

Sometimes one goes on a break and out of the blue realizes what one takes for given at home. I hadn’t been on a farm stay in the Magaliesberg for a minute before I was appreciating the fly screens on the windows and doors at home. It’s not that we have a severe fly problem at home nowadays. We put the fly screens in years ago when we were farming with pigs, calves and chickens and we have reaped the bug-free benefits even though we gave up farming.

I was reminded of the potential fly subject when I got the booking confirmation from the farm where we were going to reside. I shrugged it off because I was so excited about the chance of staying on an operational farm. Justifiably excited, I may say, because I enjoyed everything about my stay aside from the flies!Having been warned that this was a working farm with the attendant bugs, my mother jam-packed in fly swatters that had been gathering dust from lack of use at home. No insecticide because it gives me asthma. Was I thankful for her foresightedness!

The swatters were practically the first items unpacked and when we departed we left one behind for the next visitors. Without those swatters I would have been driven to despair and left early (without a refund, as the booking confirmation had warned!) The problem was that it was hot and we had the doors and windows wide open for air flow. The cottage was next to the cattle overnight kraal and had a delightful view of the horse paddock, where sheep also grazed from time to time. Clearly the dung was too much to collect and provided a breeding ground for flies. At meal times and bedtime we closed all windows and doors, killed the flies and then prepared and ate our food. We didn’t dare cook meat even once! When we said Grace for our first dinner back at home I was led into temptation and thanked the Lord for fly screens that enabled us to enjoy the food for which we were so grateful. And Mother said “Amen’ rather loudly!