Hot dogs on St James Peak

 Waiting ...

Eventually we got going - meeting Thea and Pauline and Alice and Maddie at the bottom of Pecks. (The Alph was cycling again and Sue is having a whole-day birthday party.) Maddie had never met Laddie before, and just ignored him, even though he was getting all the attention.

It was quite hot and we were grateful for all the water that is still flowing in the little stream that runs down Pecks Valley.

We saw a pale Brown-bearded Sugarbush (Protea speciosa)

and some Green Sticky Heath (Erica urna-viridis) - a Peninsula endemic - with what looks like spider webs caught on the flowers.

Tea at last - near a King Protea (Protea cynaroides) growing in the rocks - a welcome break for a shady scottie nap.

But no naps for the PEST during tea. "Wait for me!" He likes to be near the Food Lady, unlike me. I don't care who I am near. And where are the two black dogs?

Emerging from the shade. Being dignified.

We carried on through the hot fynbos with the mountains across False Bay seeming to float in the sky. A few Watsonia tabularis (another Peninsula endemic) flowers poking up through the bushes.

White horses being whipped up on False Bay. A very welcome breeze! Cape Point in the very distance,

and to the left, the sun blazing down on Sunrise Beach and Zeekoevlei.

Shooting the breeze. (And checking for baboons.)

Thea and Pauline on St James Peak.  

A very hot Red Crassula (Crassula coccinea).

Maddie checking out the path far below. (And looking for lizards or dassies.)

Me checking the path we walked up - you can see it snaking its way up Pecks Valley. Quite a slog for a little hot Scot.

Another Peninsula endemic the Golden Spiderhead (Serruria villosa) flowering profusely.

Still such a long way to go!

Rose Slangbos (Metalsia rosea) is a rare plant that only occurs on the Cape Peninsula - on south-facing peaks on Table Mountain Sandstone. There were quite a few flowering here today - in fact, the Food Lady has never seen so many.

Down we went, and it was sooo hot

I had to keep stopping to let the wind cool my face.

But soon we were back at the cars and having a drink.

A Ridgeback wearing a hoodie barked at us from below

while his parents drank wine in the shade next to their vineyard and waved at us.

We were then deserted while the Alph and the Food Lady went to visit Honey and Sue to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Sue who is celebrating her 60th birthday! Wow. Congratulations on reaching such a milestone Sue. Wish I could have been there but we are planning a celebration at Daisy later on in the year in which we hope to participate.

They had a great time at the party - especially as there were lots of Sunday walkers there too - including Sophie-from-France who arrived with some delicious French cheese and saucisson. Then it was home for long, long sleeps. We were all quite exhausted (except maybe the PEST who keeps going on and on till we are all thoroughly annoyed with him.)

Fog on the Bay

Yay its Sunday and we are patiently waiting for our walkies in the back of the car. 

Pecks Valley today: with Pauline, Lucy and Richard and Josie, and Alice and Maddy. The Food Lady was very flattered that Josie very politely said hello to her. (So did all the humans say hello to her, but they are generally better at polite hellos than dogs.) 

Looking back on the thick fog that lay on the flats - with the Hottentot Hollands just sticking up in the far distance, and lots of prayers being said by a group at the top of the steps.

A rainwater puddle for a quick thirst-quencher in the early morning sunshine.

All the plants were covered with dewy droplets like this Erica urna-viridis

and this gorgeous King Protea (Protea cynaroides).

The fog starting to lift over Simon's Town and Fish Hoek and the air was wonderfully cool. 

Richard spotted a rather large black raptor in the distance - and the Food Lady got all excited thinking it might be a Black Eagle but turns out its a Jackal Buzzard.

We made a quick detour to the wonderful Eau-de-Vie of Nellie's Pool where Maddie swam, I had a wade, Dougal a drink, 

and Josie tried her best to avoid all contact with water. This is her leaping over the stream. I think she finds the place a bit spooky too.

And no wonder with all the eerie craggy rocks that tower over it, home to gremlins like this that wreak such havoc in the Food Lady's magazine.

On we pressed past Muizenberg Cave, which sounded like there was a party going on in it, 

 and eventually we found a good tea spot with great views over St James Peak and False Bay. Alice, Maddy, Lucy (with Josie lying low), me, the Alph, Doog, Richard and Pauline.

I do love a good view point! Especially when there is a cool breeze to shoot.

Dog Faces gone to seed?

After the lofty coolness on top we had to come down the hot Mole Track back to the cars. There was a lot of surfing activity going on in Muizenberg and the sea looked cool as cool could be. 

Hot shots

A hot day for a walk even though we started early. We left the Land Rover at Wolfkop parking and went in the boot of Sue's car to the start of the walk at St James. Sue had brought a Norwegian mathematician called Jorinde too, and Thea was waiting for us at St James. Here we all are dawdling on Boyes Drive. This grasshopper was rather too hot to move - I think it was seeing stripes.
A patch of the Kalk Bay hillside had recently burned - making it seem even hotter.
Not much else about - just a feather.
But we were soon back in the fynbos - these are Tooth-leaved Powderpuff (Pseudoselago serrata) flowers.
Me sitting in Joridne's and Sue's shadow - every little piece of shade was most welcome.
A pretty little Pelargonium longifolium braving the heat - growing in a rocky crevice.
I wished I could fit into a shady crevice. All I could do was grab what little shade I could find. This is our obligatory stop under Sam-the-lavatorydoor's Mimetes tree on the Mimetes Valley path.
A hot Peninsula Silkypuff (Diastella divaricata), a miniature protea.
It was quite tricky walking under Thea's umbrella,
but I did so welcome the shade.
We made it to Nellie's Pool with its life-affirming eau de vie and I had a swim. I had not bargained on getting in so deep, but it did cool me down a bit. There were some nice trees to have tea under, and Dougal managed to get some mouse-hunting in too.
A little erica, possibly Erica obliqua, was also enjoying the shade next to the deep, cool eau de vie in Nellie's Pool.
Then the whole world arrived ...
and his dog! This Airedale was very well camouflaged against the sandy soil here.
The long hot road home.
A fiery Lampranthus
Dried heads of old everlasting daisies were puffing out white seeds in the hot breeze.
More hot road back to the parking place,
but at last we were back at the cars, and after a drink we drove back to fetch the cars at St James.Then we were home in plenty of time to watch the tennis that went on, and on, and on and on and on, and ...