Ivor Markman
After newly married Glen Pringle came to Lower Clifton to her new husband's farm in 1965, they moved in with Colin's mother and immediately started building a home for themselves across the road.
All that had when they started building was a cabbage patch.
Glen came from a farming background, her mother was a passionate gardener, and so she started gardening from day one.
She says it's part of the 'things-to-do' on an isolated farm and you never feel lonely in a garden.
Whenever you're feeling blue you put on your gloves and before you know it, it's lunchtime.
"I grow conifers because I came from Dordrecht, a very cold area.
"Conifers do very well there so I started with them and although they are out of fashion, they don't take a lot of water and the colours are stunning in winter.
Glen loves her roses and propagates them herself.
"I buy a new rose every year and I propagate from there.
"One will take my fancy and I propagate from there. I haven't a big variety but have got masses of rose bushes.
"A year ago I bought the Bedford Jubilee rose, it was about six inches high and had about three leaves, so I nurtured it until August and then I thought well it can't stay in a bag, I'd better plant it.
"It is stunning and I will definitely propagate from it," she said.
Glen grows their own vegetables and says she is inclined to be more of a scientific farmer/ gardener than an artistic gardener.
"I'm not very artistic but I like to experiment and grow things, see what does well, see what doesn't do well.
"I love the experimental side and propagating and growing seedlings," she said.
The Pringles have always managed to keep the kudu out but one year, because it was so dry and they were desperate, they broke the fence in different places.
"Colin worked very hard, putting up extra strands up to strengthen the fence and eventually we kept them out, but they were in for about a week and they munched mainly the high growing roses, prunices and any young leaves.
Lower Clifton
WAITING FOR THE BLOOMS: Glen Pringle strolls through the garden at Lower Clifton in the upper portions of the Baviaans River Valley waiting for the plants to display their flowers. Because of its higher altitude, the garden tends to bloom later than the warmer farms around Bedford.
ALREADY IN BLOOM: Colin Pringle examines the white roses in a warmer part of the garden at Lower Clifton.
BLOOMING PRETTY: Glen Pringle with some of the roses in her garden. Kudu in the area get into the garden and eat the colourful blooms.
BAVIAANS RIVER VALLEY SNOWFALL: Lower Clifton was covered with a dense layer of snow in the winter of 2007.
FLOWERING TIME: Glen with a specimen of an English Iris.
In 2007 the roses were magnificent, the leaves were big and lush because of the snow.
The shrubs Glen prunes hardly grow when it gets very cold.
"Because it had been so cold the roses that weren't taken by the kudu haven't very many flowers on them simply because it was too cold.
It snows about every three to four years. It gets heavier further up the valley.
Sometimes the snow blocks the pass to Tarkastad.
"It snowed in July 2007 and was about a foot around the house.
"We like it to snow because it's very good for our underground water and our trees," said Glen.
One of the major problems in the Baviaans River Valley is the lack of water, with an average rainfall of about 18 inches per year.
"It's hot in summer and very cold in winter so it's quite a tricky climate, but it's a healthy climate," said Glen.
"We hardly use chemicals. In fact, this year I've made a concerted effort to go organic.
"I've mulched a lot and this year I haven't used any sprays or poisons at all.
Glen places all the used tea bags into the compost as well as all the clippings, veggies, and the eggshells.
One of the reasons why Glen loves to garden is because the men go out every day where it's hot and dry.
"They come back into an oasis. It must be very uplifting for them.
Physically I work a lot in the garden and I have one man, Tinini Tumani, who works full time. He does both the vegetable garden and the flower garden."
"We farm with sheep, cattle and goats and indigenous game.
"Our farm is 2,300 hectares and stretches into the hills," she said.
Glen simply loves the peace and walks every day up the kloof and back - about seven kilometres.
"There's a lot of bird life here and I feel very much in touch with nature.
"It's a lovely place to bring up children and the grandchildren love coming here," said Glen.
Text & Photographs: Copyright Ivor Markman 2013.