A splashy Sunday Silvermine circuit

When the rain stopped on Sunday, we ventured out for an afternoon shookie* in Silvermine. (Our normal Sunday walkies had been postponed till tomorrow due to the incessant rain.)

There was water everywhere - 

turning the roads into braided streams and raging rivers - 

just the perfect terrain for a Scot!

And for fynbos. Yet another King Protea (Protea cynaroides) for the Food Lady. These plants don't seem to obey any rules about when to flower, as they sporadically bloom throughout the year in different parts of the peninsula.

It is nearly a year since Dougal died, and although I still miss him terribly, this little whipper-snapper Laddie has taken over quite a few of his roles, even rodent hunting in the fynbos. Apart from his stupid barking and his goofiness, I sometimes think that something of Dougal's spirit has got into him.

Mmm, maybe he's a bit more friendly that Doogs was. A meeting at the crisscrossing streams.

The sunshine conebushes were looking very golden, 

and the rare Tree Pagoda (Mimetes fimbriifolius) very fiery.

The Food Lady shouted at me when I went to investigate the river - but I wouldn't have been so stupid as to get into THAT raging torrent. (Although she did remind me that she once had to jump into the stream in the Green Belt to rescue me and got her wellies full of riversand, but that was when I was young and impetuous and didn't understand about winter water.)  

Then home to barking at the neighbour's dogs and starting to think about which team to support for the World Cup ...

but on second thoughts, sleeping in front of the fire was the best option.

 

*Shookie is our portmanteau word for short walkie.

A Saturday stroll in Silvermine

Now what's happening? We had a walk this morning in the Constantia Greenbelt with the Foodlady so we are not sure why we are going out again in the evening - in our human brother's car too. #confused.

It was - walkies! #happy

Some Tritoniopsis flowers were out in the afternoon sun,

and some Velskoenblaar flowers (Haemanthus sanguineus). 

Lots and lots of Honey Heaths (Erica ericoides) along the trail. #happyFoodlady.

A Honey Heath with me and the Alph disappearing round the corner. #tailsup.

Beautiful views looking back to Fish Hoek and Simons Town.

Autumnal scene.

Ericas and Tritoniopsis in the evening glow.

Two happy Scots.

Umbrellas, spiders and things

Today Louise joined us on the walk - negotiating through the Argus Cycle Tour traffic from Obs to get here. Thea, Sue and Honey also came. It was quite warm - here they are removing jerseys - but not too hot or windy, which was good for the cyclists, Richard and Brett, Lucy and Richard, Pete and Ian and all the others peddling mightily below us. 

Thea and the Alph waiting for the flower watchers to catch up.

Louise and Sue swishing through the tall grass and restios - us scotties completely hidden in the undergrowth.

Back lit red Tritoniopsis and lots of ericas,

like this dainty erica which looks a bit like Erica nudiflora but the Food Lady is so confused about ericas that she has (almost) given up trying to identify them.

There were lots of Garden Orbweb Spiders (Argiope) with webs glistening. This one is probably the Common Banded species (Argiope australis) with characteristic zigzag stabilimentum. 

And this fat but agile Bark Spider (Caerostris)

left its web when we got too close and hot-footted it across its bridge-line on  black-tipped feet. This brought to mind the sumptuous words of Alexander Pope: 

"The spiders touch, how exquisitely fine! 

Feels at each thread, and lives along the line." (Essay on Man, I).

Up and up we wended, 

while me (on the lead because I was too enthusiastic about chasing smells and made the Food Lady shout and scream because she thought she had lost me for ever) and the Alph waited.

A tea spot on a carpet of vygies. Constantiaberg in the distance. The Alph, Sue, Thea, Honey and Louise under the red umbrella. Me and Doog were investigating baboon smells. 

There were lots and lots of Yellow Lobelia (Monopsis debilis) flowers growing on the path,

which eventually joined up with the main road to the dam much to Sue's relief as she was in a hurry to get back to the cars and the Food Lady had persuaded her not to turn back. Dougal checking under each bush for rodent activity.

A delicious swim in the dam followed. Tails up! 

Honey saying goodbye to Louise, and Sue saying goodbye to the Alph who was about to follow Thea's lead and plunge into the dam too. 

And this is just to remind the Food Lady that the walk back down the river to the lower carpark does NOT take 20 minutes but more like 40 minutes. I hope you weren't too late Sue! 

A Hoerikwaggo Hike without dogs

They all went hiking on the Hoerikwaggo Trail last week without us - along Long Beach,

and up Chapmans Peak (note the Great Danes!), 

right to the top where they saw - a scottie! Matilda.

Then on they went over Noordhoek Ridge (this is Emma who I have never met photographing some Moraea ochroleuca flowers)

 to the Silvermine Tented Camp where they spent the night. For more dogless photos, here is a link the FoodLady's Facebook page.

 The next morning they woke up to Wachendorfia thyrsiflora spikes and bird noises - without us!

And breakfast and relaxing in wonderful surroundings (although the Food Lady says the one operational loo was a bit stinky and skanky!)

Paul pretending to be Monet.

Watching caterpillar/bug interactions at the dam. 

 

 But this scary snary octopus (a Virgilia oroboides) sent them scuttling home to us (while the more energetic and less osteoporotic of the party hiked up to Elephants Eye Cave).

Feeling rather guilty, they took us for a walk in the greenbelt to the dappled sunlight of my favourite swimming place. (The Food Lady breaks into embarrassing poetry* mode -

"Glory be to God for dappled things -

For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;

For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;

Landscape plotted and pieced -

fold, fallow, and plough;

And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:

Praise him" )

Are you quite finished? Good! I tried to gatecrash a party that was in full swing,  

and had to be forcibly removed by the Alph. Oh well, all good things come to an end. We look forward to next Sunday ...

* Gerard Manley Hopkins - Pied Beauty