Bird noises and roses on Table Mountain

So what's the delay?

We EVENTUALLY got the humans out of bed and up the mountain - meeting Paul and Pauline, Kate and John (who belongs to Paula from Germany) at Cecilia Carpark. John is stranded in Cape Town having had a spot of bother with thieving Hout Bay locals and his passport. But we were very happy to see some more of him.

Our destination: the top of Table Mountain via Cecilia Ridge.

Paul surveying the hazy view. It was a lovely cool morning - just perfect for little black Scotties like me.

Kate photographing some Watsonia borbonica flowers.

Tea at Breakfast Rock: Kate, the Alph, me, Paul's leg, John and Pauline. Lots of yummy snacks.

Some Ixia polystachya growing in the long grass. Its common name is Corn Kalossie or Corn Lily.

John scrambling up the Ridge - Muizenberg and False Bay in the distance.

The Brown-bearded Protea (Protea speciosa),

and some pretty Spear-leaf Conebushes (Leucadendron spissifolium).

The King of the Castle.

All of us at the top.

We went to fill up our waterbottles at the overseers hut and saw lots of beautiful pink roses cascading over the Great Dog Highway near the hut. The good winter rains must have inspired all this blooming.

Then it was a slog all the way down the Great Dog Highway. Not my favourite - its quite tough on the pads, but as there were so many enticing smells, other dogs and distracting bird noises, I hardly noticed.

Paul spotted this Black Girdled Lizard (Cordylus niger) basking in the warm sunshine along the path.

A helping hand going down the steps.

Looking back through this Erica versicolor (not in its natural habitat) to where we had walked up the ridge. Right in the middle you can see our tea spot.

This dandelion seedhead was not in its right habitat either, but they have really made themselves at home in Cecilia forest.

Kate spotted some Cape Batis birds making quite a noise in the tops of the trees - it made us Scots go crazy because they sounded like squirrels.

Back down in Cecilia Park we met another Scottie and his Australian friend.

Then we were left at home while they all met up at Thea and Hendrik's house for their gee and tee fix. Pauline saying cheers, and Hendrik opening the bubbles ...

And to think that we were also invited, but the Food Lady thought that I would chase the cat and Laddie would pee on everything in Thea and Hendrik's lovely house. Such a spoilsport.

A lone black dog on the mountain

Today it was just me. No other black dogs, or dogs of any hue to accompany us. But our big human brother was with us - he has come back to live in Cape Town and is staying with us for a while. It is so lovely to have him! Graham Duncans little  Lachenalia orchiodes var. glauca were out in full force.

 Which way?

We went up, while these two Westies were coming down. We exchanged some Highland sniffs, briefly.

 Phil taking panoramic views with his fancy phone.

 A bounce in my step - and the smell of baboon in the air (or in my head).

Tea spot at Breakfast Rock on Cecilia Ridge. Sorry, can't look now - checking for dassies.

 In amongst the white Erica calycina that we often notice here at Breakfast Rock.

 Phil was way ahead.

 More panoramic shots - with the wind fluttering Phil's jacket noisily.

Then we were on top - right up at the De Villiers Dam. We took a short detour so Phil could get a view over Orange Kloof - then the Alph slipped and hurt his knee - luckily not too badly.

 Restio of the week: awaiting id. (Not the Food Lady's strong point).

 A view over False Bay with the very full De Villiers Dam and a Psoralea in the foreground.

 Down the Great Dog Highway we trudged, but not many dogs did we see

although the City of Cape Town had organized a disco for us up there. (The Food Lady didn't appear to be very excited by it though and said a few unkind words.)

 Some pretty everlastings. We have identified these before, but can't remember just yet ...

 I could smell baboons and dassies - and tried to go exploring and chasing, but kept on being called back before I could get up any speed.

 We walked next to the river in the deep dark forest - and at first I thought there were hundreds of caterpillars draped in the trees and on the forest floor but they are catkins the food lady said. Not sure what tree catkins are but they do look a bit like cats tails.

 Oxalis incarnata- common in forests and shady spots.

 And a stately Arum on the other side.

 Helping the Food Lady with these little geraniums. Mmmm. What would you say?

Back home with the Pest. I don't normally allow him so close, but I was quite tired so I just had to put up with him.

Tea in the rain

No rain was forecast on Windfinder.com so Alice, Maddie, Paul, Pauline, Sue, Leanne from Prince Edward Island - and lately from Robben Island - and us four set off into the Great Green forest of Cecilia - all bright-eyed and bushy tailed.
Some exotic blossoms (Malus domestica?) were also fooled into thinking that spring just might be in the air ...
Dougal is not interested in flowers or spring, and was chasing goblins and little forest mice,
and avoiding lurgies and water sprites in the rushy rivers.
But then it started to rain but we were quite sheltered in the forest.
Every surface was covered in moss and ferns and everywhere was dripping wet.
Leanne leaping across the Rooikat mountain stream.
Inside the crown of a Forest Tree Fern (Cyathea capensis) is this "maiden hair fern"-like growth that distinguishes it from the Common Tree Fern (Cyathea dregei). (This is when its good to have Alice with us!)
As we emerged from the deep dark woods, we saw a rainbow through the blossoms of the Sweet Pea/Keurtjie trees (Podalyria calyptrata)
that got brighter and brighter. Just look at that gorgeous Afrotemperate Forest! They say that all this CO2 in the atmosphere is like steroids for forests and our Cape Peninsula forests are doing rather well.
Sue and Leanne decided enough rain was enough, and wisely left us to carry on up Cecilia Ridge without them.
Alice spotted this pure white version of the normally purple Spiky Purple Gorse Muraltia heisteria on the way up.
We got to the Great Dog Highway on top in an icy cold wind and we didn't see any dogs - and hardly any humans either. We were hoping to sneak into the Overseer's Hut for tea but there were people in it and a SANParks car or two up there (one nearly ran us down - I don't think it saw us in the mist and rain) so we just carried on down the road and eventually got out of the wind.
Alice and Maddie looking cheerful.
Anyone for tea?
Paul was too cold to stop for tea so he carried on down, and we settled down to tea in the rain.
with this sign to mark the spot.
Tea over, we carried on down through the drippy grass,
keeping an eye out for things that lurk in the mist.
The Alph and Pauline looming up.
I needed a little help coming down the ladder.
A beautiful old Peninsula Conebush (Leucadendron strobilinum). These Peninsula endemics grow on the margins of forests and in other relatively fire-safe habitats that burn infrequently.
A visitor - Erica versicolor - not a Peninsula native.
Dougal having to re-cross the rushy Rooikat river with its river monsters like this Taniwha which seems to have mistaken rainy Cape Town for the rainy places of its homeland of the long white cloud, Aoteoroa.
Good smells that needed investigating, and a very wet Pauline.
And, yay, some dogs to say hi to at last!
Featherhead Phylica (Phylica pubescens var. pubescens) coming up in the newly cleared veld above the carpark at Cecilia.
We were pleased to see Paul safe and sound in the car park - luckily he had not been led astray by the Food Lady's instructions about non-existent benches. Now - home to dry, warm and cosy beds!