14 December 2012

Spittlebugs and Mauses

Full of bounce and beans this morning! We met Paul, Alice and Maddie, Sue, and Kate and Leanne from Canada and tackled the hot and relentless slog up Farmer Peck's steps.
At the top we were enveloped in swirls of deliciously cool mist. Drifts of Cape Snow (Syncarpha vestita) just coming in to bloom.
Spittle bugs hiding from the sun (and birds?) inside their spittle balls. The "spit" is produced by Malpighian tubules and secreted through the anus according to iSpot.
A really bright orange Table Mountain Watsonia (Watsonia tabularis) with Paul in the background leading the way.
Pink sugar-frosted  Dilatris flowers,
Misty skies and more Cape Snow.
Being companionable in the fynbos.
These Dilatris flowers really glow,
as do these Mesembs - possibly Lampranthus falciformis.
Cape Snow has tiny pink flowers surrounded by large white papery bracts.
Wasblommettjiebossie (Aspalathus hispida subsp. hispida).
Dougal was back on form and up to his tricks hunting for mice in the fynbos.
A cheering Maus, which is what the mice do when Dougal moves out of their territory. (This is Maus from Katrin Coetzer's tiny children's book Maus und Monster. See her wonderful website at http://www.katrin.co.za/.)
More papery bracts underneath Ursinia paleacea.
And more mist swirling in from the sea as we walked back down past St James Peak.
Substitute tea photo. (The Food Lady was so busy enjoying the Toblerone and delicious Sue Biscuits and Paul Dates that she completely forgot about my blog and the obligatory tea shot!) The Alph, Paul, Maddy, Kate, Alice, Leanne and Sue.
Me being helpless. I can't possibly jump down from such a high step! Well, I was HOT.
Luckily we were almost down.

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