Beachcombing

Last week on Heritage Day we went away for a long weekend. Harvey came too as his parents are still abroad. "When are we getting there?"

And where did we go? I will give you this clue ...

Yip - Daisy cottage! Its all newly painted and spiffy, but something was wrong ... where is the Daisy sign?

We immediately ran into a giant land snails (Achatina) doing a contortionist act in the fynbos.

Our favourite place for rodent hunting, Rooi Drom.

Look at me scurrying around after those pesky rodents.

And Lad too.

Harvey was more interested in the retriever on pebble beach.

The Food Lady found a new orchid she had never seen before - Satyrium emarcidum - the satyr orchid with withered tips.

A very noisy Karoo Prinia.

Walkies on the limestone dunes, a bit harsh on the pads.

Yikes - the ants here are enormous. Tony Rebelo on iSpot says its an Unshaven Sugar Ant from the Camponotus genus.

Checking for anything that moves.

Checking for anything I can eat.

 Seen something! Last dog there is a lame dude.

The boys were rather painful and too full of nonsense for me.

 

Sheees!

Even the Oyster Catchers went to sleep watching those idiots.

Flocks of terns - probably mostly Common Terns.

Delicious things to eat in these pebbles. Fish biltong and stinky kelp.

The path full of daisies - Senecio elegans.

Harvey hooked up with his buddy again.

Large orchids growing in front of Daisy - taller than us dogs - even Harvey with the long legs.

They are Satyrium carneum orchids. (Satyriums are characterised by those two little "satyr horns" on either side of their flowers.)

The Alph hard at work putting the sign up again.

The Food Lady hard at work making the cottage pretty.

Us hard at work re-charging our batteries.

And while we were sleeping,

this Cape Spurfowl walked right past the open door!

Enough sleeping - time for a walk. Lad taking the lead ...

I found a crab on the beach but it wasn't stinky enough for me.

Watching birds from the cover of some buchu bushes.

An Orange-breasted Sunbird in a sea of orange Single-flowered Tassel Heath (Erica coccinea subsp. uniflora) bushes that really really love growing here.

On Saturday, Laddie was in trouble for escaping and running down to the beach, then more trouble when he and Harvey went next door to play with the neighbouring kids, so the Alph's fuse was short. If we ran ahead, he told us to "SIT!"

Harvey was the only one who obeyed.

The long slog home along the limestone road ...

Then all too soon it was time to say goodbye to Daisy - looking cosy in the daisy bushes with her sign up and smart coat of paint.

Goodbye Suiderstrand,

and goodbye to our friend on pebble beach who looked sad to see us leave.

But we don't mind being home again - its quite comfy - especially when the Food Lady wants to finish a book.