For the long weekend of Women's Day (6-9 August) we drove up to Riversong through the vineyards and snow-capped mountains,
past some really colourful fields of the Common Sunshine Conebush (
Leucadendron salignum) which comes in many different colours:
ivory and red,
bright yellow and just plain shiny red!
All the lakes were full. You can see sneeu on Sneeukop (2070 m) too.
Stop messing about and lets just hurry up and get there!
We met up with Sue, Paul and Helen at Riversong and were soon drinking tea on the veranda of Cedarcot admiring the snow on the Suurvlakte (on the left) complete with pink-tipped Tinus de Jong mountains on the right.
Despite the chilly weather, there were lots of spring flowers. This is me and Paul - with our cottage on the extreme left of the photo.
That evening the braai was lit and the fillet soon sizzling - but we only got the smidgeist of smidgens.
Two snug snotties in rugs.
On Sunday we set out for the Tadpole Pools. Blue sky and a vapour trail - "schweet" as our human brothers would say.
Flowers for the food lady: this is an Ixia - probably a white form of the Bloukalossie (
Ixia rapunculoides),
and a spider eating a fly on a daisy. This daisy has the FL flummoxed.
There were lots of these pretty Blou Afrikaners (
Gladiolus carinatus) and many, many other flowers that will just have to remain on the computer for the time being!
We walked through this forest of Vleikolkol (
Berzelia lanuginosa) to the Tadpole Pools
where I launched myself in. It was quite cold but I tried to look as nonchalant as possible for as long as possible.
Home again and having lunch in the lovely warm sun. You can see us under the table hoping for for a few tidbits from last night's fillet, and the Alph, Helen, Paul and Sue.
An after lunch nap on the lounger was called for.
The next day we went on a longer walk up to the Jacuzzi pool. This is me keeping a look out for baboons.
Tea time - the Alph, Sue, Helen and Paul. I am at the Alph's feet and Dougal was deep in the bushes chasing Four-striped Mice.
Sue doing a spot of mountain climbing. You can see Rotsvas farm and all the way down the valley to Middleberg Pass.
Onwards and upwards ...
to the top. You can just see the Jacuzzi pool below and to the right.
I found a tortoise on the way back, but as usual, somehow the FL knew what I had found (it could have something to do with my wild barking on discovering such a tasty bone) and dragged me away.
We were quite weary but very happy Scotties.
The rest of the day we spent relaxing and snoozing
until it was time to make the fire for the braai.
Dougal and I are nowhere to be seen as we were on our bed fast asleep.
On Tuesday morning we strolled down to the river. Here is Dougal taking time off from ratting to smell the flowers. (He seemed to be feeling a bit unwell but recovered when the FL took an enormous thorn out of his groin!)
Me in the spring flowers. These are all species of
Oxalis.
A stop-over on the knoll.
Dougal was keen to cross the river, but none of us fancied falling into that icy water,
and I wanted to do a bit of agama-hunting in the rocks. I nearly got to the top of Fried Rock but in the end my short legs let me down. All too soon it was time to go home to Dawnie and the Little Kittie.
past some really colourful fields of the Common Sunshine Conebush (Leucadendron salignum) which comes in many different colours:
to the top. You can just see the Jacuzzi pool below and to the right.
I found a tortoise on the way back, but as usual, somehow the FL knew what I had found (it could have something to do with my wild barking on discovering such a tasty bone) and dragged me away.
We were quite weary but very happy Scotties.
Dougal was keen to cross the river, but none of us fancied falling into that icy water,
and I wanted to do a bit of agama-hunting in the rocks. I nearly got to the top of Fried Rock but in the end my short legs let me down. All too soon it was time to go home to Dawnie and the Little Kittie.
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