Up the airy mountain

Last rainy Saturday morning we left for the Cederberg full of expectation for some good tortoise hunting. There were rainbows over the farmlands but as we were stuck on the floor of the Honda, there was precious little we could see. So we were happy to be allowed out to explore the Rietdakkie Farmstall even though it was spitting with rain. We don't mind ice cold rain. We are bred to endure such weather! But the Food Lady was complaining a bit about the lack of Vitamin D over the past few weeks, so the Alph bought some rooster koeks to cheer her up. (They were rather stodgy bread rolls with cheese and jam in the middle. Nothing to do with crowing roosters.) Dougal was eyeing the brooms as he absolutely HATES brooms and likes to shred them to little slivers. We managed to distract him though before he embarrassed us. It poured with rain and blew all night long, but Sunday morning looked quite hopeful. The best part of the Cederberg is being allowed to sleep in the same room as the humans - as long as we don't lick and scratch.
We were really keen to get out now that it had stopped raining and check the place out for tortoises, but the humans were equally keen to stay under the duvet. Come on! Hurry up!
There was a sprinkling of snow on the highest peaks,
and EVENTUALLY we set out on the puddley road. Just look at me with a spring in my step!
This is one of many cats that live on Riversong. They are bold and brazen and didn't run away when I tried to chase them which is most disconcerting to a Scottie.
We carried on to the Tadpole Pools where we bumped into Jack the Black Labrador who lives with all the cats at Louis and Era's house. He was happy to see us but didn't stay as he was on a serious walk with some of his humans.
There were waterfalls cascading off every cliff - like these ones on Geelberg.
The Grey-leaf Sugarbush (Protea laurifolia) was starting to flower.
As were these pretty pink everlastings -which the Food Lady thinks are probably Edmondia sesamoides.
Then - BIG excitement! Baboon smells and evidence - but despite several intensive investigations and frantic searching, not one did we even see!
We were so busy hunting for baboons that we didn't have time to catch fairies but when we got home, the Food Lady put some fairy bog roll in the bathroom. Probably too cold for fairies, but all the same, I found a nicely elevated rock, settled down and waited for tortoises, or lizards, or dassies, or ANYTHING to venture out.
All too soon it was back in the car and homeward bound. Snow on the peak that we can never remember if it is Sneeukop or Sneeuberg as there seems to be several Sneeukops and Sneeubergs around here. Whatever, it is the highest peak in the Kouebokkeveld area.
A bit of excitement when we went over the low bridge into the Slangkop Valley - scary snary! We have never seen the river so high.

Raindrops keep falling on my head

Its STILL raining - the third wet Sunday in a row. There were several other mad dogs and Englishmen - and a small boy - already ahead of us, but Sue was the only one of our regular group crazy enough to join us on a walk
up to the waterfall.
Stopping for a breather, we were bombarded with raindrops and strange creatures in rain bubbles that appeared on the camera lens.
The streams were flowing really strongly, and YIKES, there is that horrible lurgie that Dougal keeps seeing! Even the Alph seems to have seen it.
No wonder Dougal is nervous about crossing the rushy streams!
Everywhere was drippy,
and the fynbos and forest was alive with creatures to chase.
Hope there are no lurgies in here, but Dougal is across safely. Me next.
Fairies can cross at the top.
More fairy bubbles in the waterfall.
Looking back into a misty Cecilia Ravine. I just KNOW there is a bunch of squirrels or gnomes and pixies, or caracal cats down there and it was very unsporting of the Food Lady to put my lead on to stop me going to investigate.
These Sunshine Conebushes (Leucadendron salignum) were glowing in the gloom.
A Green Protea (Protea coronata).
Fairy toadstools growing on the side of a rock.
A drippy Table Mountain Hairy Heath Erica hirtiflora var. hirtiflora). Looking a bit Middle Earthy with yellowwoods, Tree Ferns and mossy rocks. Almost home and dry - just the last bridge to cross - Sue and the Alph with me and Dougal.
Blisterleaf (Knowltonia vesicatoria subsp. vesicatoria) growing near the Cecilia carpark,
and a Fynbos Fairy on what appears to be Moraea flaccida - the One-leafed Tulp or Groottulp.

Now, lets hope that next Sunday is dry.

Mad dogs and an Englishman

Today we (The Alph, FL, Dougal and me) set out in the rain with Paul and Pauline,
and Alice and Maddie, along the track to check on the Marsh Pagodas. The more sensible of the walkers stayed in bed again.
The facilities have been upgraded here we were pleased to see.
A little Babiana - possibly the Winter Babiana (B. villosula) - was braving the rain,
and the rare March Pagodas (Mimetes hirtus) were starting to flower in the boggy area they seem to love.
Come on, stop looking at the flowers and hurry up. There are lots of rodents to flush out of the bushes.
The King Protea, always beautiful!
Dougal trying to persuade me into the soggy fynbos to hunt for mice. No thanks! Not today. Its just too wet.
The only other person we encountered in the rain was an Englishman (complete with St George Cross beanie) and three bedraggled mad dogs. I tried hard to make friends with them.
The rushy river reminded the Food Lady of the poem about fairies* that goes
"They live on crispy pancakes
Of yellow tide-foam;
Some in the reeds
Of the black mountain lake,
With frogs for their watch-dogs,
All night awake"
And here is one of the blighters in a Bicolour Currant-rhus (Searsia tomentosa). Needless to say, I was too wet to think of chasing fairies today and very pleased to get into the car and go home to a nice warm fire.
And in case anyone is interested, Searsia belong to the mango family, Anacardiaceae, along with the Marula, African Wild Plum (Harpephyllum caffrum), Cape Rockwood (Heeria) and the BAD invasive Brazilian Pepper and the Pepper Tree. They are all dioecious too - i.e. male and female trees are seperate.

The Fairies by William Allingham

Gargoyles and guacamole

An early start up the Steenberg with the sun just coming out over the Cape Flats. Pauline was back today which was exciting. Her foot is much better. Paul and Alice and Maddie also came. What utter bliss life is for a little black scottie! Some yellow bulbs were flowering - the Apricot Tulp (Moraea ochroleuca) - as we started walking up the hill - a harbinger of spring even if it was a delightfully (for a scottie) stinky harbinger. Moraea ochroleuca is sapromyiophilous (pollinated by carrion flies) which explains it stinkyness.
It was quite chilly but the sun was trying to come out.
We had tea in a rather inhospitable spot for a scot who doesn't really enjoy bundu-bashing through the fynbos which is why I am not in the photo. But Dougal would risk anything for a bit of Karen's Kitchen rusk. In the photo are Alice, Maddie behind the rock, the Alph, Paul, Dougal and Pauline.
Jeeez what the hell is that? Creeps me out.
Dougal trying to look terrifying and gargoylish to scare me. A fine one to talk, oh he who is freaked out by a bit of harmless thunder!
Yikes. What are those eerie looking dogs? Real or imaginary? The guardian hounds of the Muizenberg trig beacon?
A quick peek over the edge looking down on Muizenberg beach. More snary rock monsters looking over too.
Then Alice and Maddie and the Alph took off down the mountain as if the hounds of hell were after them, and we had to try and keep up.
No sign of any hounds or gargoyles. But the Alph didn't hear me and continued hurtling down.
It was quite warm by now as we struggled down the stony footpath.
And this, we discovered, was the reason for the headlong rush down the mountainside - a lunch date in the vineyards with Philip, Simon and Omie-Domes. Phil arrived just as we got back. It was lovely to see him even though we weren't invited to the lunch at Noble Hill Wine Estate.
Spicy prawn wraps and guacamole for the Food Lady.
The wine-tasting room on the estate.
The next morning we went for a walk on Fish Hoek beach with Phil and Omie-Domes and all the spaniels And some other dogs seemed to tag along too.