Zigzagging

Today we met Kate, Paul and Pauline, and went up the zigzags from Tafelberg Road to the Saddle. The idea was to walk all the way up and over and down to Newlands Forest, where we had left the Land Rover.

There were hundreds of Berry Heath (Erica baccans) in flower,

making the views over the city rather spectacular.

A little lone lachenalia flowering in the middle of the path.

Beautiful flowers everywhere. The Food Lady is breaking in a new camera - and hasn't quite mastered the macro-technique. But here are some while Felicia fruticans,

and Brown-beard Sugarbush (Protea speciosa).  

More ericas up on the saddle, this time millions of white ones - probably the Honeycomb Heath (Erica calycina).

First pink watsonia of the season! With Lion's Head in the background.

We detoured to have tea at Pulpit Rock.

Kate had oranges, and cheese and nutty bread - mmmm.

Tea spot high above Cape Town - the Alph, Pauline, Kate, Paul in the front and me at the far right keeping a look out for baboons and dassies.

We then walked up and up and Laddie found the top of Newlands Ravine - "Come on you lot! I am dying to hunt Sambar Stags so hurry hurry!" he is saying.

But the Voice of Authority held him back while the others caught up.

Looking up at the gently zigging and sagging path down Newlands Ravine.

We descended into beautiful LOTR* forests,

and almost Bushveld like patches.

Keurbooms (Virgilia oroboides) lined the rocky route further down. Me checking for hobbits and haggises (which the Food Lady says is what she is but I know better) in the undergrowth.

The Alph waiting for slowpokes.

A LOTR tree.

Tummy cooling and thirst quenching in one of the numerous cold streams. Perfect for Scots.

Through the forest,

and across the river,

past ferocious hounds that had to be restrained, 

and benign hounds that just wanted to play. This is where we nearly lost Laddie to another pack. A few months ago I would have been overjoyed to have lost him, but he has improved a lot and I am quite fond of him now in a Scottie-ish kind of way.

There were lots and lots of cars on Tafelberg Road when we went back to fetch the cars that we had left there earlier. It took ages to get on our way. Luckily we were in the Land Rover with the Alph so we couldn't hear the Food Lady moan about all the cars. 

Then is was home to wait for Harvey and Georgie to come and play - and Kerryn and Sue with them - bringing roses, pavlovas, gifts from the frozen north and wine ...

Glad to have you back Kerryn. And Phil gets home tomorrow.

 

*And in case you are wondering, or haven't ever been to New Zealand, LOTR means Lord of the Rings.

Saddle up!

Sorry about the delay in posting this! The Food Lady spends all her time playing on the Internet and not paying attention to the Alpha Male or us, and has been neglecting her duties! But suffice to say that last Sunday we decided to go up Newlands Ravine, over the Saddle and down the other side to Tafelberg Road. We met up with Sue and Pauline under the gums on Tafelberg Road, and all drove to Newlands Forest in the Land Rover where we started the walk along the infamous Dog Poo Alley. We crossed a river,
and climbed up to the Contour Path,
past some bad invasive Australian Port Jackson trees (don't mention the word Acacia as the Food Lady gets cross because the sneaky Australians have stolen the name for their scraggy wattles) and some bad invasive Australian trees like this Pittosporum undulatum above,
until we got into the deep dark indigenous forest that all the lazy loons that shout for shade should come and experience so they can stop shouting and irritating the rest of us.
We trotted along trying to keep up with the Alph on the boardwalk
and over the scree slopes
until we came to this old and rusty sign telling us we were about to start up Newlands Ravine.
After a while we came out into the sunshine where we saw lots of flowers and birds, including lots of this Indigofera filiformis,
and some bracken fronds to make the Food Lady and the Alph think of their tramps through the forests of Aotearoa in the land of the All Blacks.
Dougal was hoping to see some squirrels (or a possum or two) in the trees, but there were none. Not even a baboon. The path went higher and got steeper - and the views were pretty good. You can see all the way to Hangklip. The Food Lady was excited to see an unusual erica she had never seen before: Erica triflora, as well as the more familiar Erica calycina. Nearly there - the two guys up ahead and ready to save us from any muggers!
Soon we were on the Saddle, and looking over the other side towards Robben Island.
There were lots and lots of ericas here - including anudder white one, Erica mammosa, the flowers of which are said to resemble cow's teats - hence the specific name.
The Alph went out on the spur of the moment to look at the view,
while Dougal looked for rodents, and Pauline looked at some pink Sissies (Brachysiphon fucatus) - a funny name (brachy=short, siphon=tube, and fucatus=artificially coloured) for a funny plant that only occurs on cool rocky sandstone slopes on the Cape Peninsula and nowhere else in the world. But Dougal can't appreciate stuff like that and was convinced Pauline had found a nest of mice.
I, on the other hand, appreciate more than just rodents, although I was hoping to come across some baboons to chase. Pauline, Sue and the Alpha Male sitting in the fynbos amongst another rare and endemic erica, the purple-red Erica abietina subsp. diabolis that only grows on Devil's Peak.
We started to make our way across the Saddle, and were relieved to find a plaque letting us know that we were on the right track. And bully for the idiotic Justin that carved his name on the plaque. I would like to sink my teeth into the back of his ankles!There were also drifts of this spectacular Cape Everlasting daisy (Syncarpha speciosissima) in amongst the white boulders on the Saddle. We had a cheese and biscuits break sitting next to a gurgling stream, checking out the view,before making our way down through the most spectacular spring flowers. You can just make out Pauline in this photo in amongst the erica bushes.
Looking into Platteklip Gorge with the Red Heath (Erica abietina subsp. abietina) in front. You can just see the upper Cable Station on the far right.
One of the butterfly bushes, most probably Polygala bracteolata.
After Breakfast Shelter, which Sue recognized, luckily or we might still be walking around Oppels Kop and the Scary Knife Edge path, we were back on familiar territory, and made our way down the Zig Zags to the cars.
This tiny little flower, Sebaea exacoides, growing on the path, was mentioned in the latest issue of Veld & Flora (September 2011) as having rather an unusual sex life, so the Food Lady thought it would be nice to include it here although we do try to keep things above board generally!
Almost down on Tafelberg Rd we were bombed by some Carpenter Bees buzzing bombastically in this Sweet Pea Bush (Podalyria calyptrata).
Sue then gave us a lift back to our Land Rover. We passed the mad scramble of tourists waiting to go up the Cable Car, and saw these funny Herero dolls stranded in the middle of the road. Lost in the city.
On the way home as we drove through Gardens, we looked back to where we had just been - the arrow marks the spot. (And no Paula, it is not halfway up the palm tree!) Quite a hike for us scots and for Sue who, just over a month ago, was undergoing major surgery! Take a bow Sue!