This is not a bow despite the curly ends. It is a detestable TICK collar. But at least that means we are going to an INTERESTING PLACE.
Is this it then? Are we nearly there? Not quite.
At long last we arrived at Cedarcot! But I had no time to smell the flowers (white
Heliophila juncea) because
I had to start the hunt for my favourite walking bones to chew on - tortoises!
I checked in the caves and under the bushes and after a few minutes ...
SUCCESS!
But the spoil-sport humans took it away and we were hustled off on a walk to "take out minds off tortoises" and "tire us out". It was rather hot but the enticing tortoise smells kept us going at top speed through the grass and strangely named Ladies Hands flowers (
Cyanella hyacinthoides) and for a swim in the river.
Eventually we did get quite tired and were glad to settle down for a sundowner on the veranda.
although I did keep a leary eye out for tortoises nevertheless.
The next morning we went for a walk with the Alpha Male and the Foodlady, but soon the road got a bit steeper and the AM turned back to help his back stay better. You can just see him at the first turn in the road.
We carried on the a lovely mountain pool which was inhabited by a great, swimming gawk of a dog. We also had a dip while the Foodlady looked at some flowers.
There were lots of these Bloodroot flowers (
Dilatris ixioides).
This is us refreshed, tails up and in tortoise-hunting mode on the way home. (We found one and I managed about three gnaws before the spoilsport Foodlady intervened.) This is a type of
Arctotis daisy.
And these are two monkey beetles having a wrought in an
Erica inflata.
After all the excitement we were hot
and glad to get home to a nice cool cottage.
The humans are back from their Gauteng jaunt, and Alpha's back is much better but not quite. So with Dougal to protect us from muggers, we set out for the hotbed of mugging activity - Devil's Peak. It was quite windy, with a Southeaster tablecloth settling on the Table, and falling down Platteklip Gorge.
We were joined by Paul and Pauline, Richard, Lucy and Josie and Sue. This is me asking for instructions about which way to go - with Richard protecting Josie from the fierce wind.
Dougal ran ahead to look for muggers. (What do they look like I wonder - dassies on steroids?) Do you think this rock face is a mugger?
But all we saw was lots of flowers like this tiny scrophulariacious spiky plant - Manulea cheiranthus, 
and this Cat's Tail (Microdon dubius) which, of course, being a cat's tail, is also scrophulariacious.
We walked along the lower contour path, admiring the view back to Lions Head and over the city, 
and ahead we could see Twelve 'o Clock Hole - Dougal out there being the mugger spotter. Maybe there are muggers in the hole?
This is Oppelskop which was rather windy so the spoilsport Food Lady didn't let us go and explore the old Lookout Hut ruin because she thought it was a bit steep. You can see Robben Island in the distance - just beyond Oppelskop - and the coastline of the West Coast.
In fact, just as we thought we could smell dassies - maybe even mugger-dassies - on went the leads! This is Dougal trying to get over the edge to chase dassies.
This is Paul with his long lens walking through the Hymenolepis crithmoides bushes. 
Tea time at Saddle Rock - all trussed up against the wind.
On our way down the zigzag path, we saw this rare Red Protea (Protea grandiceps) which is almost extinct on Table Mountain. Tony Rebelo says these ones are planted.
I found a friend. I asked him if he'd seen any muggers and he said no, but he was looking forward to sinking his teeth into their heels. (That's what Australian Sheep Dogs do.)
The Food Lady had fun taking photos of flowers - like this Blue Sceptre (Aristea capitata) ...
and this little orchid Disa harveyana subsp. harveyana (thanks to Bill Liltved for the id.) that mimics a pelargonium to trick long-tongued flies like horseflies (that deserve to be tricked!) into pollinating them. They have no nectar so they rely on trickery and luckily horseflies are really stupid and easily fooled.
And after a quick bark at the gate to let the neighbourhood know I was home, I fell asleep in my favourite armchair. 
The humans were away last week - to visit our human brother and go to a wedding. Or so we were told. They stayed with David and Gordon who live close to this rather interesting looking place in Johannesburg. 
This is our human brother, Phil, with his girlfriend Kerryn and the Alpha Male and the Food Lady (on one leg!) going on a game drive in the 
But I discovered some disturbing photos - a strange dog ON THE BED! But apparently this is Luna, the noble Belgian Shepherd who lives with his humans David and Gordon in Johannesburg. 
But worse was to come - a CAT ON THE BED! With the Alpha who is meant to be allergic to the flea-bitten beasts! Shocking! This is Pagan the cat from 
This looks more decorous. This is Streak who we have 
At least this is more normal behaviour in a dog - Luna again on the way to her humans' farm near Dullstroom.
We were intrigued by these dung beetles on the Great Dog Highway making short work of what looks like chocolate ice-cream, (but its not really chocolate ice cream, its dog s-h-one-tee!)
But to sweeten the blog, rather look at this pretty Cape Anemone (Anemone 
We headed up 
There were lots of enticing, 
and Alice, 
A close up of Erica 
The endemic 
