We met at the scene of our Land Rover break-in from a few years back - the bottom of Echo Valley on Boyes Drive. To greet us was lots of broken car window glass in the road ... and Sue and Honey, and Florian-from-Germany, and Paul and Pauline, and Alice and Maddy.(Sadly my BIG buddy Claude had gone home.)
At Weary Willy's pool, Sue decided that she could go no further and she and Honey turned back. The Alf went back with her to see that she got down safely - and he also wanted fetch the house keys that he thought he had left in full view of the affirmative shoppers that cruise Boyes Drive. So we all soldiered and bouldered on up and up and up to the very top of Cave Peak.
Some people with large things on their backs passed us while we were waiting for the Alf to come back. They said they were also going bouldering.
Eventually the Alf caught up with us again - this is us waiting to give him a hero's welcome (Scottie-style - which is very restrained.)
Tea out on a limb overlooking Fish Hoek - Trappies Kop far below. Maddy, Alice, Pauline, Florian, me, Paul and the Alf.
Pauline and Florian looking into one of the deep dark caves on Cave Peak that I had to go on a lead to avoid falling into.
A stroll along the top of Cave Peak with Simons Town in the far distance.
A harbinger of cooler weather - Autumn Pipes (Gladiolus brevifolius).
Soon we were at the top of Echo Valley, looking out towards Hangklip on the far side of False Bay. According to one of the Wednesday Walking Gels, you can fit Mauritius into False Bay.
Cocktail Ants on a flowerhead of the Coastal Kiepersol (Cussonia thyrsiflora).
Disappearing into the deep dark Amazon Forest. Interestingly there was not one April Fool flower in there. We wondered if they only came up in Spes Bona Forest next door.
A pesky lizard - far out of Scottie reach. How I would like to snap him in two and swallow him in two short swallows.
Black Girdled Lizard (Cordylus niger).
On the way down Echo Valley we started encountering these large erica bushes that look a bit like small pine trees. They are Tree Ericas (Erica tristis)
and this is a closer view of their flowers which all have a little vuvuzelas sticking out of them. We think it should be called the Vuvuzela Erica. (Apparently the vuvuzela is a stigma that is designed for wind pollination - and it needs to be quite big to catch passing pollen in the air.)
A pretty Diosma or buchu for the Food Lady to smell and feel happy.
More flowers to make you happy - possibly Oxalis versicolor.
Checking for rodent activity - or maybe just fairies.
A nonchalant little Scottie for little girls in pink to admire.
A fluffy Coastal Camphor (Tarchonanthus littoralis). Sniggers from me n Doog - what does it remind us of? A Maltese Poodle perhaps?
Another piney kind of shrub growing in the stream bed - the Vleikolkol (Berzelia lanuginosa). Soon we were back and the car in one piece.
but what horrible fate awaited me?
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