Not such tranquil cracks

Winter is on its way - at 7 am it is still daaaark.

But luckily, once we had negotiated the roadworks on Camps Bay Drive and arrived at Theresa Avenue safely, it was light. Paul and Pauline were there, as well as Thea, Katrin and Matthew, and joy of joys, Alice and Maddie.

There was fog coming in to the right of us,

and creeping up on our left,

but luckily it never engulfed us - just cooled the air most deliciously as we slogged up towards Corridor Ravine.

The Food Lady is back to using her cellphone so flower photos are rather restricted, but she snuck in an Erica coccinea (read Alice's article on it on the PlantZAfrica website).

We all remarked on the Easter Island heads teetering on the edge of the cliffs.

Nearly at the top of Corridor Ravine. The Food Lady nearly left me behind but I proved her wrong about my age and ability to leap up the mountain! In fact she was battling to keep up with me at this stage.

After a wrong turn up a path that we thought was the main path to the cracks but which we now think is a decoy path put there by people who want to keep the cracks a secret, we found the right path and slithered into the cracks and the yellowwood forests full of moss and filmy ferny cool stuff.

We came out the other side and found a good spot for tea. Here is me and the Alph keeping an eye on a helicopter rescue that was going on below us.

We had a great tea - with Thea's delicious sandwiches, peanut brittle, rusks, dates and prunes - as well as beano biscuits and some rusk crumbs for us.

A daring and scary rescue was going on below us - a helicopter was lifting a few peeps off the edge of the ridge in the centre of the photo - you can just see the blades looking like a white bird just to the left of centre. (It couldn't have been too bad as there is no mention of it on twitter.)

After all the food had been eaten and drinks drunk, and the helicopter had landed with its load and transferred the injured person to an ambulance, we packed up and resumed our walk. Here is Thea emerging from the cracks.

Not wanting to be led up the wrong path again, us scots were taking no chances - and we waited for Paul to consult his Lundy on the correct way down.

We hiked past the Saucy Dog at the top of Woody,

past the misty mountain huts and dams,

past a very confused Watsonia borbonica flowering totally out of season (its usual flowering time is from October to early January),

and all fell into a wonderfully cold and deep pool at the top of Kasteelspoort path so we could be cool for the long hike down. The Food Lady got really muddy when she had to pick me up and help me over big boulders.

Back home, while the idiot Lad and I rushed round the garden barking at the passing parade (just to rub it in that I am still young enough to come on walks), the humans drank gee & tees and ate leftover Korean dishes and opened some birthday gifts. (The Food Lady says thanks for the lovely scented candle Thea.)