Riel dancers and cedar trees

Dear Coco

On Saturday, after we left you so early in the morning, we drove out to Clanwilliam, over the Pakhuis Pass and down a very bumpy road to Heuningvlei to help plant some endangered Clanwilliam Cedars (Widdringtonia cedarbergensis). All the local schoolchildren and visiting kids were busy planting seeds when we arrived.

Several of the Heunginvlei dogs were there too,

enjoying a tummy-tickle in the watery morning sunshine.

We all set out into the mountains with bakkie loads of people and cedar trees,

and planted trees in inaccessible places. These trees have been grown and cared for by an upmarket hotel called Bushmanskloof Wilderness Reserve and Wellness Retreat and they host the day in conjunction with CapeNature and local schools.

Before lunch we were treated to a lovely dance by the Under 12 members of a local dance group called the Nuwe Graskoue Trappers.

Here is an excerpt from the under 12s dance.

Then after a delicious lunch provided by Bushmanskloof, the champion dancers from the Nuwe Graskoue Trappers entertained the guests. (There is more about them on UTube. The head chef at Bushmanskloof, Floris Smith, trains these SA dance champs.)

They were such fun that lots of people and kids joined in the afternoon's dusty dancing,

but some of us preferred to watch.

Soon it was time to hit the bumpy road

back to Pakhuis Pass.

We were booked into a rather ordinary farm cottage at Kleinfontein Farm where we chilled with their two lithe and friendly dogs we called Bonnie and Blythe,

then went for a walk in the rocky Cederberg scenery with them,

exploring the dassie-rich rocks in front of our little cottage which you can see under the green roof.

It is very dry at the moment, with no real rain yet, but lots of these teeny tiny stone-plants (probably Conophytum minusculum subsp. minisculum) were flowering in amongst the lichen.

After an early night (there was loadshedding out here too can you believe it! so we just got into bed and read our books) we set off early on Sunday morning. This is a view of Table Mountain from Malmesbury. As always, it was good to get home to you, the Lad and the Boston Terrorist - and Kerryn and Phil and the most delicious Sunday roast - thanks Kerryn!.

lots of love from the Food Lady