A before-lunch walk and an after lunch snooze.

No, this isn't Greece ...

It's Harvey's house in Cape Town. Lucky Harvey to have cats to chase and shout at (as long as they are not Neo-cats). Today we fetched Harvey, Kerryn and Phil for a before-lunch walk up to Oppelskop.

This is Harvey and me shooting up the mountain. Tails up (if you have one!) and full steam ahead.

Lad looking back to make sure the Food Lady doesn't get left behind

photographing flowers. These are possibly early-flowering Lampranthus falciformis.

Phil and the Phood Lady. Her phoot now completely better.

Very soon we were up on Oppelskop.

And what a view! This photo is from Kerryn.

Harvey chased away the swooping croaking ravens

so that we could have a peaceful cup of tea and some Turkish nougat,

while I kept guard for baboons

and Laddie checked for visiting dogs.

We could see Robben Island clearly.

Harvey looking for Robben Island.

Moving on, we passed some coffee-scented Bergmelkbos (Gomphocarpus cancellatus),

and came to the really steep, snary ledge (we know its snary when the Food Lady claps us in leads!) which is really exciting

because it is filled with dassie smells

and alluring little caves and rocky clefts.

Soon we were on the Saddle of Devils Peak which was running with a myriad of little streams - just perfect for cooling my tum and paws.

Winter-flowering Black-bearded (we have something in common then!) Sugarbushes (Protea lepidocarpedendron) which are endemic to Table Mountain and the Kogelberg.

This Black-bearded Scottie had a spring in her step this fresh and sunny morning and managed the long steps down without much help. Yay for me.

We then went back to Harvey's elegant house for lunch.

While the humans sipped wine and Weiss beer, we checked out the locals

who seemed to be holding a very energetic wash day on one of the old District Six roads that leads past Harvey's house. It was quite entertaining to see the looks on some posh tourists and passers by.

Venison shoulder and truffle-flavoured cauli-mash for the humans, and kibble for us.

Awwww - give us a taste of venison. Pleeeeez.

Phil had just returned from a business-trip to Cannes with some delicious goodies for the Food Lady and Alph.

All too much for the Harvester who just fell asleep in the sun.

Walkies on the edge

Today we walked with Paul and Pauline again - seems ages since we saw them. We set off in the shade up the zigzags and then veered left towards Oppelskop.

It was a lovely cool autumn morning.

The Food Lady is borrowing Kerryn's mom, Sue's camera so things are looking up a bit ...

This is a Bergtontelbos (Gomphcarpus cancellatus) being eaten by an African Monarch (Danaus chrysippus) caterpillar.

Suddenly we emerged into the sun - the Lad's ridiculous tail well up.

Tea on the precipice at the Oppelskop ruin. Pauline, Paul, Me, the Lad's ears and the Alph - and the shadowy presence of the Food Lady on the Alph's back.

Pauline coming round the corner and back into the deep dark shade.

This is just my kind of walk because I love heights and balancing on the edge - and there are some pretty scary edges here - hence the lead!

A big, bold and beautiful Guernsey Lily (Nerine sarniensis) growing high on the cliff.

All pervasive was the sweet scent of Box Phylica (Phylica buxifolia) which even the humans could smell well. (Although the humans love the fragrance, we actually prefer the scent of fire-starting-bergie poo - which is in no shortage around the lower slopes of the mountain.)

This is always a good path for ericas - like this Red Erica (Erica abietina subsp. abietina) which is endemic to Table Mountain.

We reached the saddle of Devil's Peak and were keen to carry on up as there was plenty of dog activity up here - possibly because so much of Table Mountain has been closed to walkers after the big fires last month. But the Food Lady said it was time to turn back as it was starting to get a bit hot.

On the way back we saw this Waboom (Protea nitida) with a dead flower, a bud and a flower in full bloom - all on the same bush. The fynbos is really rather strange!

The hot slog home.

Then lunch with Phil and Kerryn who bought Harvey back to spend the week. Lad will be happy. You can see me under the table.

Poor old Lad had a bit of a tummy upset that afternoon - but he has fully recovered now.

Views not to be mist

This morning, with the mist thick on Devil's Peak, we set out from the misty gims with Paul and Pauline and some overseas visitors of theirs who had come all the way down Africa from Dar es Salaam: Pauline's cousin Ron, his wife Kate and their friend Peter, from Australia.

Peter was hoping to see some gorillas in the mist, but I don't think we get them here. We get baboons (which I love to chase!) but I have never seen any gorillas. That would be fun. But wait! What's that black animal looming? Oh - just a dog. Ho hum. I will leave it to the eager Lad to do the honours.

Some hopeful Common Sunshine (Leucodendron salignum) flowers. Sorry chaps. No sun today.

Lots of drippy, webby purple Butterfly Bush (Muraltia heisteria) all along the contour path to Oppelskop.

And more spiderwebby stuff in these bushes.

The Berry Heath (Erica baccans) was also out in flower all along the path up to Oppelskop and back. This is a peninsula endemic - and occurs nowhere else in the whole wide world. 

Lots of wattles had popped up to say hi to the Australian visitors.

In perfect Scottie walking weather we soon came to the snary (for the Food Lady) ledge with its enticing dassie smells. On with the leads

and leading the way went the Alf and the Lad.

It was so misty that we couldn't even see the halfway down. But good smells wafted up.

The others soon caught up - here comes Pauline -

then we had to jostle with the rest of Cape Town to find a corner of breakfast Rock to shelter behind so we could have tea and Paul could get his stove lit and the water boiled.

Then before they froze (not us - we were in our element, even with our short haircuts) we marched back down the zigzags,  

past these glistening prickly Travellers Joy (Cliffortia of sorts) bushes in flower,

with little glimpses of mist views.

Waiting at the bottom of the zigzags with the Alph. 

And a group photo under the gims: Peter, Kate, the Alph, Paul, us two Scots, Pauline and Ron.

Then we popped in to see Harvey and our human brother and Kerryn for more tea,

and a game of watch me chew the toy.

I was more interested in trying out one of Harvey's many beds.

Phil and Kerryn were about to hit the high spots for lunch, so we said our fond farewells, and Laddie had to give his best little friend a kiss goodbye,

then we drove home into a rainbow to bacon and eggs, gin and tonics - and a snack of some fabulously expensive Hills Science Metabolic Diet for me and some equally fancy stuff for the Lad. It's a dogs life!