Christmas baubles and evening-bobartias

At long last SANParks heaved themselves off their large rear ends and opened up Silvermine West after the fire many months ago. We decided to go on our favourite evening circuit from the gate and, even though it was hot, I was allowed to come. I still took my time ...

A hot red fire flower - Tritoniopsis antholyza - just loving the burned veld.

Paul thought this burned protea bush stump looked like me - especially the grizzled muzzle. Hmmmm.

The Haggis (the Alph's new name for the Food Lady) was excited to see these Sword Rush-lilies (Bobartia gladiata) in flower as they only flower in the late afternoon and we normally walk in the morning.

The perfect Christmas bauble bush: Asparagus capensis. 

Me and Pauline with hundreds of Table Mountain Watsonias (Watsonia tabularis).

Me and Pauline in the Summer Pipes (Thereianthus bracteolatus) - all flowering happily in the aftermath of the fire.

More Christmas baubles - the flowerheads of  the Tontelblaar (Hermas villosa).

A blackened and burned Tree Pagoda (Mimetes fimbrifolius) demonstrating its amazing fire-adaptive trick of being able to re-sprout from buds under its thick bark on branches near the top. Read more about these remarkable peninsula endemics here. Table Mountain Watsonias (also Peninsula endemics) all around.

This time its me and not a protea stump. I found a cave under the tea-spot rock that was just perfect for a hot zwarte schot.

Afternoon tea with the Lad, me in my cave under the rock, Pauline, the Alph and Paul.

There were lots of Heliophila flowers in amongst the grasses and restios,

and another evening-flowering bobartia - probably Bobartia filiformis.

And, like the game that the Polder Scots play in the frozen north, can you spot the zwarte schot on her way home in the gloaming?

Merry Christmas everyone

Oh no Food Lady you can't do this to us.

At least Harvey knew how to deal with it.

Happy Christmas to our human brother Simon, and So-hyoung, in Korea

having a Christmas Eve dinner in Daegu.

We were left with some tasty morsels in the back yard while they all went to a fabulous Christmas Eve dinner at Rupert and Paddy's humans. Clare managed the décor,

Arti kicked off the festivities with Jingle Bells,

and Katinka guarded the presents. (One of the reasons we were not permitted to attend!)

Back home, the Food Lady put up our stockings before bed,

and the next morning we had to put on our bandanas for a modelling session. Harvey is such a poser!

But he redeemed himself by helping me remove my bandana.

More gift opening - before Harvey and his humans left for lots of other Christmas stuff,

and we were taken for a lovely stroll on Fish Hoek beach

where we met up with Lonsie before going to visit our human grandmother for lunch and more presents.

I was famished at this stage so used my best beseeching expression on the Food Lady

who then let us tuck into one of our presents - some dog droewors from our spaniel cousins, 

who were watching all the antics from a safe place.

Laddie and Lonsie - so happy together - with Arti and Gabe reading their Tintin books from Jane.

That afternoon the Alph put up the volley ball net,

while the Food Lady checked the computer for photos of our human cousins in Sunderland  - Vincent and Marie- Anne

and big beautiful crazy Jethro.

On Boxing Day morning we went for a walk in the Greenbelt, and nearly got run over by a family fun run.

Back home and ready for a party - Honey was the first to arrive,

followed by lots of friends and family

all bearing delicious food and drink.

which they then proceeded to devour.

Hey! What about me!

And me!

Arti jumped into the pool and became a Loch Ness Monster. Aaaarghhh.

Then I became a Loch Ness monster too.

Even Laddie was impressed - and a bit taken aback!

Harvey took himself off for a nap in the sun.

Soon the volleyball started up,

and Harvey woke up and joined in, but had to be removed from the field before he collapsed from heat exhaustion.

After a cooling down period, he and our human brother and Laddie had their own game.

At the end of the day there were tired boys and more presents,

some relevant to us,

but unless they were edible, I was basically uninterested even though the Food Lady was very happy with them.