Cool and cloudy in Silvermine

We had to queue to get into Silvermine this morning - even though it was not quite 7.30.

Pauline joined us,

as well as Thea and Tessa. It wasn't nearly as hot as last week, in fact it was cloudy with a delicious cool breeze. Welcome respite after all the fierce heat and fires.

Looking back over Fish Hoek mountain which had a huge fire on Thursday that engulfed our human grandmother, Alice and Maddie and Estea and Irene's houses in smoke and soot. There was lots of talk about arsonists and a "department of dirty tricks".

This whole area burned in the March 2015 fire, but it has all grown back - filled with flowers and fynbos. These are Roella triflora flowers with the common name of Black-eye Bell.

And Roella amplexicaulis.

Lots of Paul's curly grass - (we think its Pentameris curvifolia) with ends that look like musical notes. Makes us feel like singing...

The Alph heading towards tea.

Some Agapanthus africanus plants on the rocks.

Our troop on the rocks - the Alph, me, Tessa, Pauline and Thea - for tea.

A distant view of Hangklip, floating.

Lad and Tessa were being silly,

so I decided to leave and do some solitary exploring - hoping to find something delicious.

Just as well I did, because things got quite wild and woolly.

Then all of a sudden they thought they saw an arsonist coming up the path, intent on laying an incendiary device.

Luckily no fires today, and we carried on through the long grass,

with clouds rolling in from the north.

Tessa keeping us safe from arsonists.

On the way down to the dam we saw some Senecio purpureus.

Meandering home after a lovely swim - not fair - lots of people just setting out for the dam, and we don't feel like going home yet.

SANParks still have done NOTHING about repairing the river walk after the fire in March last year,

and NOTHING about the severe erosion on the path. The Food Lady is very disappointed in them, and you don't want that believe you me. She gets disappointed in me when I eat bergie pate and it makes me quite uncomfortable. But not uncomfortable enough to stop eating it when I can.