LOCAL LIFE

In Hermanus and the greater Overstrand, a new kind of design consultancy is offering something refreshingly simple: honest, professional advice when you need it most. AskDAD is built around the familiar old adage (when in doubt, ask dad), but here the name carries an added meaning. 'DAD' stands for Design, Advice and Direction – three pillars that define the service.

The idea was born in 2017, driven by founder and architect Helen Henzen’s desire to help people navigate the often overwhelming world of property and construction. Although AskDAD officially launched only last year, the passion behind it has been decades in the making. 

Helen’s interest in design and architecture began at just eight years old, and over the years she has built extensive experience in the field. She and her husband, Dirk, made the Overstrand their permanent home in 2024, after having a home in Northcliff since 2022. Today, AskDAD works physically with clients in the Overstrand area and offers online consultations further afield.

Helen’s goal with AskDAD is straightforward: to offer honest, professional guidance and to help fill knowledge gaps from every possible angle, whether from the perspective of an individual homeowner, an engineer, a contractor or a property investor. Property decisions can be complex, and people often find themselves unsure of their next step. AskDAD steps into that space to provide clarity and direction.

Her services range from reviewing house plans, to visiting a property you are considering buying to ensure there is nothing structurally or legally amiss. That independent, experienced eye can make all the difference before a major financial commitment is made. She can also guide clients through processes such as planning, building, redesigning or zoning, helping them understand what comes next and who they need to speak to.

A key part of AskDAD’s vision is connection. Helen aims to build strong working relationships with engineers, architects, real estate agents and other industry professionals in order to recommend trusted, local experts to her clients. At the same time, those professionals are welcome to approach her for input or a second opinion. The philosophy is collaborative rather than competitive.

“We should all be more open to helping one another,” she says. “We all have a wealth of knowledge that can be shared. It is alright not to know something. People shouldn’t be afraid to ask and support each other.”

That mindset sits at the heart of AskDAD. It is not about replacing architects, engineers or contractors, but about offering design, advice and direction at any stage of a project. Whether someone is buying, building, renovating or simply exploring possibilities, Helen provides a steady, informed voice to help them move forward with confidence.

In a property environment where costs are high and regulations can be daunting, having access to experienced, independent guidance is invaluable. For Overstrand residents especially, AskDAD is becoming a trusted local resource – proof that sometimes the smartest next step is simply to ask.

Helen can be contacted on 082 560 7785 or visit www.ask-dad.co.za

Just fifteen minutes from Stanford, the three-storey limestone house overlooking the Klein River Lagoon – once known as the ‘Spookhuis’ – is now a part of something extraordinary. Originally built in 1892, it spent decades abandoned before being skillfully restored in the early 2000s using locally quarried limestone.

In October 2020, a group of like-minded friends purchased the property with a vision: to create a place where friends and family could gather, rooted in nature, community, and conservation. Two years later, Coot Club officially opened, offering immersive hospitality where guests are not only visitors, but partners in nurturing a delicate and beautiful ecosystem.

The name Coot Club comes from Arthur Ransome’s 1934 novel of the same name. In the story, children form a secret society to protect nesting birds along England’s waterways. Their mission: enjoy the wild while guarding it. That ethos of stewardship and shared responsibility defines Coot Club today – a reminder that belonging to a place also means caring for it.

Set on the banks of the Klein River Lagoon, Coot Club is surrounded by 465 hectares of private conservation land. The property is a member of the Walker Bay Fynbos Conservancy, a collective of 54 members who together manage over 26 000 hectares, working to protect one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.

The conservancy is overseen by warden Jeanne van Tonder, who works closely with Coot Club and other landowners to safeguard the unique biodiversity of the area.

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Klein River Cheese in Stanford celebrated its biggest success yet at the 2025 World Cheese Awards, winning 10 awards. The globally recognised event, held on 13 November at Festhalle, BernExpo, Switzerland, saw a record 5 244 entries. Klein River’s Babylonstoren Parmesan 24-months, crafted and aged on their farmstead, was a standout, earning the coveted Super Gold. Their other results were as follows:

Gold: Parmesan 12-months, Gruberg Mature 6-months

Silver: Spar Signature Selection Smoked Artisan Gouda, Gruberg Vintage 12-months

Bronze: Danbo, Havarti, Gruberg Young 3-months, Woolworths Oak Smoked Stanford, Cape Leopard (new)

The 37th edition of this world-renowned competition drew entrants from 46 countries, judged by 265 experts, including affineurs, graders, producers, retailers, writers and broadcasters. Judges assess appearance, aroma, texture, flavour, and mouthfeel in blind tastings to ensure fairness.

Klein River Cheese’s awards reflect their dedication to traditional, natural cheesemaking, using milk from pasture-raised Jersey cows and slow maturation on timber, guided by skilled affineurs. 

By Jenny Parsons 

Among the sweeping slopes of the Cape mountains where proteas catch the light, ericas add colour, and flowers scent the air, a quiet choreography unfolds each day. Butterflies drift between blooms, and then as dusk falls, moths take their turn. All are silent, purposeful and essential. These delicate insects, often overlooked next to bees or birds, are powerful agents of pollination, regeneration, and balance. In the fynbos, the smallest but most biodiverse floral kingdom on earth, they help sustain the very web of life that defines this landscape.

Butterflies and moths belong to the order Lepidoptera, meaning “scale-winged.” Each wing is covered in tiny scales that refract light into dazzling colours or subtle camouflage. There are approximately 4000 butterflies and 7000 moth species in South Africa. The fynbos is a hotspot where nature has shaped a complex evolutionary dance between flowers and their winged visitors. 

Butterflies and moths go through a few changes in their lifetime. Butterfly eggs become hungry caterpillars (larva) which eventually pupate (like putting themselves in sleeping bags) and transform into the magnificent adult butterfly which emerges and flutters off to start the life-cycle again. 

Butterflies and moths are not only pollinators but also play a role in nature’s food chain. Caterpillars are eaten by birds and butterflies are eaten by flycatchers, bats, geckos and even some carnivorous plants (Drosera species). To survive this constant threat, many species have evolved ingenious defences. 

The Garden Acraea stores toxins (cyanide) making them distasteful to birds. Other butterflies and moths rely on mimicry or “eye-spots” to confuse predators such as the Emperor Moth whose caterpillars can be seen on proteas (especially when they ‘prune’ the leucospermum species). Beauty in nature is rarely without purpose!

Pollination is one of the most vital services butterflies and moths perform. With their long, coiled proboscis, they can reach deep into tubular flowers, carrying pollen from one bloom to another. In the fynbos, where flowers are famously selective, these insects play irreplaceable roles. The Table Mountain Beauty (Aeropetes tulbaghia), for instance, is one of the few insects capable of pollinating the Red Disa. This orchid is found along cool mountain streams and would not survive without this butterfly. 

Nocturnal moths perform equally vital work. Hawk moths visit pale, night-scented flowers like Brunsvigia and Green Wood orchid. Their long tongues and night vision make them perfectly suited to these blooms.

Protecting butterflies and moths is vital as they are sentinels of change and are sensitive indicators of environmental health. Their survival depends on climate, plant availability, and clean habitats so shifts in their populations often reflect broader ecological changes. Monitoring butterflies and moths has become a valuable tool for understanding climate change, invasive alien plants, and altered fire cycles that are reshaping the Cape landscape. In the fynbos, researchers have observed mountain species retreating to higher altitudes as temperatures rise, while other species are expanding into new areas as rainfall patterns change.

Conservation organisations like the Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa are working to document and protect vulnerable species. Citizen scientists now play an active role through monitoring and observations. Avoiding pesticides, allowing caterpillars to pupate, planting both nectar and host plants are simple steps that can make a real difference. In doing so, we weave ourselves into the larger ecological story – one of coexistence, beauty, and renewal.