Views not to be mist

This morning, with the mist thick on Devil's Peak, we set out from the misty gims with Paul and Pauline and some overseas visitors of theirs who had come all the way down Africa from Dar es Salaam: Pauline's cousin Ron, his wife Kate and their friend Peter, from Australia.

Peter was hoping to see some gorillas in the mist, but I don't think we get them here. We get baboons (which I love to chase!) but I have never seen any gorillas. That would be fun. But wait! What's that black animal looming? Oh - just a dog. Ho hum. I will leave it to the eager Lad to do the honours.

Some hopeful Common Sunshine (Leucodendron salignum) flowers. Sorry chaps. No sun today.

Lots of drippy, webby purple Butterfly Bush (Muraltia heisteria) all along the contour path to Oppelskop.

And more spiderwebby stuff in these bushes.

The Berry Heath (Erica baccans) was also out in flower all along the path up to Oppelskop and back. This is a peninsula endemic - and occurs nowhere else in the whole wide world. 

Lots of wattles had popped up to say hi to the Australian visitors.

In perfect Scottie walking weather we soon came to the snary (for the Food Lady) ledge with its enticing dassie smells. On with the leads

and leading the way went the Alf and the Lad.

It was so misty that we couldn't even see the halfway down. But good smells wafted up.

The others soon caught up - here comes Pauline -

then we had to jostle with the rest of Cape Town to find a corner of breakfast Rock to shelter behind so we could have tea and Paul could get his stove lit and the water boiled.

Then before they froze (not us - we were in our element, even with our short haircuts) we marched back down the zigzags,  

past these glistening prickly Travellers Joy (Cliffortia of sorts) bushes in flower,

with little glimpses of mist views.

Waiting at the bottom of the zigzags with the Alph. 

And a group photo under the gims: Peter, Kate, the Alph, Paul, us two Scots, Pauline and Ron.

Then we popped in to see Harvey and our human brother and Kerryn for more tea,

and a game of watch me chew the toy.

I was more interested in trying out one of Harvey's many beds.

Phil and Kerryn were about to hit the high spots for lunch, so we said our fond farewells, and Laddie had to give his best little friend a kiss goodbye,

then we drove home into a rainbow to bacon and eggs, gin and tonics - and a snack of some fabulously expensive Hills Science Metabolic Diet for me and some equally fancy stuff for the Lad. It's a dogs life!