Kenhardt (founded 1868) is a small town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. This little town is about 120 km from Upington, the largest town in the area.
On 27 December 1868, special magistrate Maximillian Jackson with a police contingent, was sent to act against the Griquas in the area. The Griqua's anti-colonial resistance had erupted into an open conflict. Jackson arrived in Kenhardt and set up camp under a giant camelthorn tree.
This has been for a long time the most remote settlement in the North-Western Cape. With time the town developed from under this tree, becoming a municipality in 1909. The Hartbees River, with its many sweet thorn trees, provides a green belt irrigated by the Rooiberg Dam. Kenhardt is famous for being at the heart of the Dorper sheep-farming area.
This region contains very little vegetation, primarily very low shrubs and yellow grass among a rocky desert kind of landscape. If you travel south from Kenhardt towards Brandvlei, you will pass through a huge landscape of nothingness for the next 200 km and more. During the seasons many birds flock to the pans, when they contain water, after some rainfall. Temperature above 40°C is not uncommon.
Conrad the Caterpillar thought he was really killer,
Couldn't wait to build a cocoon (original lyrics)
Couldn't wait to buy blue suede shoes (recent lyrics)
Spent all his days eatin' leaves in the shade
And stayed when the night set, too.
Conrad the Caterpillar knew life would be a thriller
Soon as the threads was spun
Wouldn't stop to play in the Caterpillar Games
Till his own webbing game was done.
He said, "No, no, I got no time to play,
Got a thousand little legs that don't get me too far in a day,
I'm leaving, looks like I can't stay."
That little pillar he found him a willow
Spun in with a craftsmans weave
Wound so tightly to protect him from the light
And all shapes of water that drop from the leaves
Conrad the Caterpillar knew he would be a chiller
And he wound it tighter some more
Wound it so wide and the ends of his legs got sore.
He said, "No, now I can't feel my feet
Just when I thought it was time to take a stroll on down the street
I'm leaving, looks like I can't leave
What do you know?
What's all this moving around with inside me?
What kind of 'piller could touch the world of a miller
Chopping trees to build a new store
Nobody sees a lonely bump on the tree
Except a lump who's crying for more
Conrad the Caterpillar knew life would be a chiller as he wound it tighter some more
Anybody stands in the caterpillar's place is moving in a standing run
He said, "No brother, I just need some room to fly,
I spent all of my days just trying to keep dry
Oh I'd take a waterfall or a drop from my eye
I can't see nothin' from here anyway, I might as well make room and try
Might as well try
Oh no, I just need a little room to play
Got a thousand little wings and I'm gonna use them all today