Up the garden path again ...

This morning we met at the Brooklands ghost village carpark for a short walk to the dam and back.

Pauline was waiting for us, and Sue and Honey arrived with Richard who is flying home back to Lucy later today.

The rock monsters and ghost villages here are rather creepy,

but not the tortoise smells and other delightful things to investigate,

like this little Sandkalossie (Lachenalia rubida or L. punctata according to Graham Duncan)

and lots of Fire Heaths (Erica cerinthoides) coming up in the recently burned area. Tails up!

The Food Lady led us all up another of her garden paths and soon we were lost in amongst large scary totem animals

so we got the hell out of there and retraced our steps. Just look at that Meerkat looming ahead.

Even this strange little grasshopper thing wanted out of there and hitched a ride on Richard's shoe.

Soon we were back on a proper road,

with a few distractions like these glowing Red Pypies (Gladiolus priorii),

until we reached the dam which is looking rather low again. Click here for comparisons.

Sue had brought from bubbles to celebrate the fact that Kate's thesis has been accepted and she is almost officially a PhD. Richard acted as Her Majesty's porter service and video cameraman and filmed us all celebrating Kate's achievement. The dogs, on the other hand, received a teeeeeny tiny bit of biltong. Mingy!

Here I am scrounging for something to take the edge off my hunger pangs.

We were serenaded by honking hissing Egyptian Geese who wanted to join in the general convivality.

The first proper walk the spaniels came on - Thomas the Cool and Aiden the Voice. They have to stay on leads as they haven't learned their names and never come when they are called.

Wait up!

Two black dogs leaving the dam. The spaniels almost count as black dogs but they are strictly speaking blue as in "blue roan" cocker spaniels.) Mighty posh.

Some pretty Dog Faces (Trichocephalus stipularis) were out.

And pretty soon we were past all the delicious smells, and loomy snary monsters and back at the ghost village.

Honey wasn't happy to share her car with offerings from the Food Lady, but Sue persuaded her that all was safe despite what the pee-mail on them might say.

When we got home, we suddenly heard a familiar voice at the gate,

and LOOK who came home to reclaim her kidnapped spaniels! We were all overjoyed (especially the idiot Lad). But all was strangely quiet after they all left.