A breezy walk above the bay

On Sunday, after a good deal of to-ing and fro-ing and phoning and u-turning and unkind language about the toll road, we rendezvoused just below the path up to Chapmans Peak with Paul and Pauline.

As we hadn't bought a dedicated car-guard with us, we just had to abandon the cars to their fate, keep calm, and carry on up the steep stone steps.

Soon all thoughts of thieves and muggers were out of our heads as we rose above it all. An early Watsonia borbonica greeted us cheerily and pinkly (except us dogs can't see pink but will take the FL's word for it).

Up and up, with the Hout Bay and the Sentinel on the right.

Soon we were on the contour path at the top in the cool wind - tails up to that!

And also up were lots of Bloodroot flowers (Dilatris corymbosa).

The way to tell the difference between the identical-looking Dilatris corymbosa and D. pillansii is to look at the stamens. All Dilatris flowers have three stamens - one always shorter than the other two - and if the longer ones are as long as the tepals - it is D. corymbosa. If all three stamens are shorter than the tepals, it is D. pillansii. So it seems that this is D. corymbosa.

Biology lesson over, we also saw bright bunches of Oranjekalossies (Ixia dubia).

The boys waiting patiently for the girls to catch up.

Evidence of last year's fire is all over, with new flowers coming up under the burned protea bushes. These are spurious scroffs (Pseudoselago spuria). To be both pseudo AND spurious seems a bit harsh - especially as they are so lovely.  

Bright blue Aristea bakeri

and salmon-pink Karkarblom (Tritoniopsis antholyza).

Little old me scenting delicious scents

Teatime - the Alph, Pauline and Paul. But where are the Scots?

Laddie was looking for action in the fynbos,

and I was shooting the breeze and taking in the views across Hout Bay.

As we hadn't got our act together with cars earlier, we decided it was time to turn round and head back. Some eye candy: Edmondia pinifolia only opening as the sun reached them.

And some rock candy. Chocolate ripple. Yummm.

One of the few ericas that flower soon after a fire - the Fire Heath (Erica cerinthoides).

The Alph trying to chivvy me past all the smells and scents that tend to slow me down.

Not much water - but most welcome when we found some.

Something was bothering Lad ...

a pesky, blood-sucking horsefly with a rather gross proboscis - from the genus Philoliche.

But soon we were safely down and relieved to find our car in once piece. We said our farewells, and sailed through the toll on our way home. Near Constantia Village we spotted this posh German Pointer in a Kerryn-car and had a good shout at it. Eating, walking and barking - that's what makes life worth living for a little black Scot.

Blackburn rovers

We were rather confused this morning because we went to Silvermine Dam and came straight back again without getting out. (The Food Lady said it was to drop a car there but we were really bemused.) As it was Remembrance Sunday there were lots of stirring hymns on Fine Music Radio and the Food Lady said the scary word when they sung about 'the final sacrifice' so we were a bit unnerved too. Anyway, here we are back home again, looking bemused and unnerved and waiting for some action. As you can see, Harvey had come to visit.

Then Paul and Pauline came and took us all to Hout Bay in their car. We parked at East Fort after a long wait in a stop/go queue next to the Neverending Roadworks (and there were a few more scary words being said). We parked next to a car with a bumper sticker that the Food Lady approved of.

We walked past the ruins, and some Grewia occidentalis blossoms

and up onto the cool and misty mountain where we were going to climb up Blackburn Ravine.

Looking back to the Sentinel, with East Fort in the shadows.

It was appropriate, having Harvey here, that we saw many of these Ink Flowers (Harveya purpurea) because they are named after the Irish botanist, William Henry Harvey.

On and up we trod, past this thin and willowy ixia - probably Ixia flexuosa -

and lots of Spider Lilies (Wachendorfia - either paniculata or brachyandra).

The clouds were flying across the sky in the southeaster, but at least it was cool.

The Alph and the Lad and the Harv were setting quite a pace.

But the Food Lady kept stopping to look at the flowers - these are probably Lobelia pubescens.

The lads waiting for us - you can just see the Alph in the top left hand side of the photo, surveying the path below.

The path was quite steep and a bit snary - but if we walk with the Alph, he doesn't clap our leads on. You can just see Paul walking along the path under the massive cliff. 

A swirly twirly Karkaarblom (Tritoniopsis antholyza).

Time for tea, but we couldn't find the perfect teaspot. Here is Harvey urging Pauline and Paul on.

While the Food Lady and the Alph dithered about tea spots, stopping to admire some striking blooms of the Blue Sceptre (Aristea capitata), Paul took over and found the best spot

with good seats and table, some shade and even some back rests,

not to mention the view! Even Harvey was impressed and willed the Alph to take a photo to send to his mom and dad. We were almost at the top of Blackburn now.

After tea it was a quick stretch over the top, and then down the sandy path towards the Silvermine dam. There were lots of dung beetles to hunt - if only the FL wasn't such a spoilsport.

The cloudy southeastery sky made for some dramatic lighting effects. These are Cape Snow daisies (Syncarpha vestita).

A giant Pink Satyr orchid (Satyrium carneum) in the path. I was getting a wee bit warm by now.

Paul and Pauline and Harvey about to follow the Alph into the bush to the left. I was so pleased to get off this flinty road and on to a soft sandy track.

And the Food Lady was so pleased to encounter some lovely Edmondia sesamoides bushes.

By now I was getting really hot. Was I seeing things?

And a cat rock monster in the mist? Yikes. Luckily the Food Lady picked me up and carried me for a bit so I could get some cool southeaster air on my hot little body and brain.

And in no time we were back home and the humans were having bacon and eggs and gin and tonics while I stretched out under the table hoping for some scatterings. Lad and Harvey were out for the count too, cuddled up in the kool kennel.