Brownian motion

Paul developed the photos he took with his old Brownie camera on our walk up Pecks a few weekends ago. The Food Lady scanned them for the blog with her little desktop scanner, but the quality is not quite the same as the originals - and apologies Paul! But they give an idea of the originals - which are rather good.
This one shows Dawnie dog with the Food Lady and Pauline.

Pauline and the Foodlady.

Looking at Muizenberg Peak from Pecks Valley.

Tea time. All posed like an elegant Edwardian picnic. Tea time take two.

The bouncing food lady. Nola and the distinguished terriers - Maverick and Goose.

False Bay.

Paul - the FL apologizes for the loss of quality in her scans, but still, we think they are fantastic photos!

Japan's dogs

Our doggie hearts go out to all the dogs and people and other animals that are suffering because of the Japanese earthquake. This Bedlington terrier was in yesterday's Cape Times.

Cyclists in the fog

On our way to our walk we encountered some of the Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle tour riders with all their spectators on Edinburgh Drive (Devil's Peak in the background) in the early morning light and wondered how Lucy and Richard were doing. (We subsequently heard they did it in 3.43 hours - so well done you two!)

An appreciative Dawnie watching the cyclists.

There were cyclists everywhere, swishing down the motorway ...

and past Mostert's Mill.

We met Paul and Pauline and Jeanne and Tim (from England) at the gum trees on Tafelberg Road where we left a car and took the landrover to the lower cable station where we started our walk.

Looking down on the cars parked along Tafelberg Road and the foggy harbour. Those are not telephone lines but the cables from the cable car directly above us. Dougal and I were not a bit daunted by the endless steps that confronted us, and ran on ahead - eager to get to the dassies that we could smell. Table Mountain looming ahead. You can see the upper cable station and the cables. Walking up from the lower Cable-car station. No prizes for guessing who belongs to those shoes!

The cranes of the harbour sticking out of the fog. We wished the fog would come up Table Mountain and cool us down.

Pauline on the hot, dry and dusty contour path.

Dawnie following Tim along the Contour Path. You can clearly see the large blocks of sandstone rock that are formed by intersecting fractures (joints) that sometimes overhang the cliff and eventually cleave off and end up as boulders on the lower mountain slopes.

Pauline living dangerously under an overhanging block.

In Platteklip Gorge we found a decent little trickle to refresh ourselves, and Dawnie did her best to immerse her large and expanding frame. (She has put on weight since living chez Voget.)

Onwards and upwards.

"Devil's Peak" was our path - looking rather ominous and hot and fiery in that direction.

There were lots and lots of noisy people toiling up Platteklip gorge - including some elegant joggers.

Coming up to Silverstroom waterfall - with the old stone pines still standing guard. Unfortunately there was no water for us to dip in so the silverstroom was rather a deadlossstroom.

Another overhanging rock just past Silverstroom ravine with Cape Town harbour enveloped in fog.

Paul's sister from England, Jeanne, with the Alpha Male.

Tea-time and an opportunity for some serious photography for Paul. Tim was a bit disappointed in the birdlife, but that's the fynbos for you!

The foggy view of the Cape Town Stadium in Green Point where there was quite a bit of helicopter activity as it was the finish for the Argus Cycle Tour.

Dougal playing the Monarch of the Glen. (We kept getting enticing dassie scents but the FL was rather quick with the leads so we didn't get to have a good chase.)

There weren't many flowers for the foodlady to photograph, it being rather dry and dusty, but the Wabooms (Protea nitida) were starting to bloom. Ah-ha - another flower for the foodlady. Gnidia juniperifolia (or possibly G. simplex) which doesn't seem to have a common name other than the general Saffron Bush for all gnidias. I wonder if gnus like to gnibble on gnidias?

Red Heaths (Erica abietina subsp. abietina) line the path on the way down to the cars.
These ericas are endemic to the upper slopes and top of Table Mountain, but commonly occur on the 500 m contour on the Devils Peak slopes, which was about spot on where we saw them.

Love in the mist

Alice - still my absolute best (although I am getting a bit more controlled about showing my delight at seeing her as befits my great age of just about FIVE years old) - and Sue joined us for this perennial favourite walk from the Silvermine Dam, along the Steenberg Ridge, up to the Constantiaberg mast, down to the top of Blackburn Ravine and back to the dam for a dip. A lovely cool mist gave us some respite from the fierce heat of yesterday. The ericas are out in full bloom - giving the Food Lady many hours of puzzling over tomes and scrutinizing photos.One of them was the rather nondescript Erica muscosa (previously called Scyphogyne muscosa). More flamboyant was the Summer Snakeflower (Tritoniopsis triticea) that is mimicked by the Cluster Disa (Disa ferruginea) - see my previous post. Most colourful were these tiny but iridescent beetles on buchu (Diosma) flowers.

There were big, pink King Proteas (Protea cynaroides), and nectarless red Cluster Disas (Disa ferruginea),
and beautiful Blue Disas (Disa graminifolia). Some ants - that bite like crazy! were busily foraging around their nest. (Ants awaiting identification.)
Us and the Alpha waiting for the others to catch up. Looking back at the dam which seems to hang over a cliff! Sue and the Alpha setting off down the other side, with Blackburn Ravine below. I wonder what Sue is saying? "What am I doing here when I could be happily watching cricket at home?" (I hear we disgraced ourselves at cricket again - dragging defeat out of the tightly clenched jaws of victory once again.)Mist was swirling around Hout Bay far below.
Dougal feeling good having just seen off two large ridgebacks. He really thinks he is as big as they are. A harbinger of autumn - a newly opened Autumn Pipes (Gladiolus brevifolius). A King Protea suffering from Witches Broom - a kind of disease. No-one is really sure what causes this disease that sparks a "proliferation of buds" but it is thought that a bacteria transmitted by a banana-shaped, microscopic mite is responsible. And funnily enough, the Food Lady spotted this tiny (although by no means microscopic or banana-shaped - it was about 4 mm long) Red Velvet Mite legging it across the path. Omigosh I am itching already. Mesmerising: Paul's curly grass - Pentaschistis curvifolia if I remember correctly.
We all had a well-deserved swim. Here is Dawnie with the mist-enswirled Constantiaberg mast in the background.
The Alpha Male having a swim. You can just see his head above water.
Reading and taking cognisance of the sign. I see that spaniels are crossed out! But not scotties so Dougal is off where no spaniel dares to go. You can just see his tail for the dust. Dawnie found some admirers with bunny ears in the car park.
I think I am in love with a large Black Russian Terrier that we bumped into coming down the mountain. Sadly, I didn't get his number - or a photo. Sighhh.