18 February 2013

Sun and Shade

On Sunday we set out from Cecilia Car Park early in the morning as it was going to be a HOT HOT HOT day. Sue and Honey came, as well as Paul and Pauline, and Alice and Maddy. The forested paths reminded the Food Lady of a quote from Kipling's Puck of Pook's Hill:  "The trees closing overhead made long tunnels through which the sunshine worked in blobs and patches." 
There was a little bit of discussion about the route, and in the end Alice, Maddy, the Food Lady and us two Scots decided to go the hot way round and all meet up at the waterfall. It was quite a pull up but we were in good spirits. This is the view over Kirstenbosch looking north east over the Tygerberg and the distant mountains. 
Alice and some King Proteas (Protea cynaroides) colour-coordinating in the hot fynbos.
Just spectacular!
Alice remarked on this rather yellow Erica abietina subsp. abietina which is normally bright red.
We soon reached the cool dark waterfall where the others were waiting for us to bring the tea. We were a bit nervous as there seemed to be quite a lot of whispering and dripping and strange goings on in those mossy drippy falls.
Out we shot, like the proverbial bats out of hell, and into the sunshine - the little people don't really like the hot sun.
Come on you lot! There are things under that bridge.
A back-lit Common Sugarbush (Protea repens),
and looking rather hot and bedraggled, a Red Disa (Disa uniflora) clinging onto the rocks above the path.
Soon we were back in the cool river near the Car Park. What a pleasure! 
This is Asparagus scandens which grows in the shady forests of Table Mountain.

No comments:

Post a Comment