Up to the mast

Today, being a public holiday called Human Rights Day (but actually the day to commemorate the sad massacre of Sharpville on 21 March 1960), the four of us decided to go on a great expedition up to the Constantiaberg Mast. It was quite warm with a hint of cloud on the mountain. We started at the parking place at the Silvermine Dam, found the secret path to the Silvermine Crags, and followed that up to the ridge. There were lots of Bulbine favosa flowers on the path. Then we carried on along the ridge, past some interesting flowers for the Food Lady like this Takluisbos (Senecio pubigerus). We searched but found no takluise in there,
so we thought this Argiope spider must have eaten them all. Note its zigzag "stabilimentum" which is characteristic of this genus.
Watch out little grasshopper! (On Phylica dioica.)
Far in the distance, on top of Constantiaberg, was our target - the mast. The tip of the mast is the highest point on Table Mountain.
But first we had rivers to cross,
and roads to negotiate - in the shadow of the giant elephant with his beady eye on us. We two are sticking together for safety.
The mist rolled in from the cold Atlantic with some welcome cool air.
Almost at the top, we stopped to admire the view looking back over the ridge where we had walked along - above the Silvermine crags. You can just see the dam on the other side of the ridge.
Another road to negotiate to the top. Be careful of the mountain bikes that swish and whoosssshhhh past!
And at last, the mast is in barking distance.
Dougal laughing at his own joke at tea.
But where am I?
Peekaboo! I was just hiding in the shade.
This tall daisy has a species name that would be good to have down the triple word score in Scrabble - Othonna quinquedentata. But then, I don't think that Latin is allowed. But just in case one day they allow it, it means "with five teeth". (Othonna is from the Greek for linen or cloth.)
A close up of the flowers of the Triple Word Score Daisy (Othonna quinquedentata).
On the route down, there were many Altydbossies or Common Diamond-eyes (Staavia radiata) in flower.
It was a long, but beautiful path down towards Blackburn Ravine. You can see Chapmans Peak in the background.
Spot the bagworm on this Phylica imberbis. A bagworm or bagmoth is the larva of a moth. This one could be from the Psychidae family.
The spoilsport humans wouldn't let me go and check out the dassie activity on the cliff near the lookout bench - and we turned sharp left and kept going ...
all the way back to the car park. We were hot hot hot dogs.

Tongues hanging out

Dougal and I were allowed to join the Wednesday walk if we promised to keep up and not make dassie-hunting detours over the cliff or mouse-hunting diversions into the fynbos. We walked up from Price Drive to the beacon at Vlakkenberg. Here is Doog on top. As you can see - it was quite hot. The bright Red Crassula (Crassula coccinnea - coccineus means bright red in Latin and crassus means thick and fleshy) is starting to flower on the mountain and there were lots of Table Mountain Pride butterflies fluttering around. Time to look for Red Disas ...
This is another crassula, a more pale and interesting one, called Crassula flava. (And while we have the book open, flavus means yellow in Latin. ) Dougal just couldn't resist one foray into the fynbos after his imaginary mice. (Canis-Scotti idiotico?)

Coming down the mountain again, my tongue hanging out. It was hot for a Scot. (Canis-Scotti calidus perhaps?)

Amanda shows us the way down.

On the way down there were lots of pelargoniums with the posh name of Pelargonium pinnatum. (Pinnatum comes from the Latin word for feather but the leaves don't really look like a feather, but maybe its because they are arranged opposite each other on an axis. Or maybe the edges are feathery. Who knows! These taxonomists must have been rather odd bodds.)

These are the leaves of Pelargonium pinnatum. Feathery? Yes? No? Ya-nee.

(And there are NO Latin words for Yes or No so we are the richer for this extraordinary privilege!)

To the Constantiaberg mast

After the last disastrous Wednesday walk when we were hot and slow, the Food Lady threatened to ban us from Wednesday walks, but as today was cool, she relented and let us come, although DawnDog stayed at home. I made a new friend, Lucky, who is a spaniel-border collie. We went a slightly different way up to the mast today - along the Steenberg Ridge that joins the normal path after a little way. There were lots of flowers to sneak pictures of like this everlasting (Helichrysum fruticans) ...
and some Camphor-scented Pelargoniums (Pelargonium betulinum).

We passed the Elephants Eye cave on our way up to the mast.

A lovely white Ninepin Heath (Erica mammosa) just starting to flower. They are pollinated by Orange-breasted Sunbirds. Me being the Monarch of the Fynbos.

It was cool and cloudy up near the mast,

and the view over Hout Bay and Noordhoek on the other side came and went in the clouds. This rather scruffy plant is a Rough Ragwort (Senecio rigidus). And near the car park were lots of dandelions - all are aliens and clones of each other - like something out of the sci-fi books that my human brothers used to read.

A floriferous charge up Chapmans Peak

Us dogs were invited to walk up Chapman's Peak with the Wednesday walking girls. It was a very lovely day to begin with - nothing falling down in a puff of dust - and lots of flowers for the Food Lady to photograph like these ericas (Erica viscaria we think)... and this Adenandra uniflora growing along the steep steps.

We made it to the top and it was starting to get quite warm. We still have our winter coats on and it was a bit uncomfortable but luckily there was still lots of water up there for cooling off. At the top we had some dog biscuits and admired Long Beach far below.

Here is Dougal with the beacon just above.

Then it was down, down, down all the way home...

with views for the humans to ooh and aah over, and more flowers - pink ericas, and sandpypies (Gladiolus gracilis) and Fire Heaths (Erica cerinthoides). OK that's enough! (The Food Lady can go on a bit with her flowers!)

I was a little hot and bothered on the way down, and got sick of the Food Lady whistling and shouting at me to keep up.

At the bottom there were lots of these Green Satyr Orchids, Satyrium odorum growing in the shade next to a little stream, and I was pleased to be able to sit in the water and cool down while the humans chatted a bit.

Lucy two

On Wednesday we were allowed on the walk in Cecilia Forest. Litchi was there, and Belle the sausage dog and Kiara the Doberman who ignores me, and I met a new friend - a Maltese called Lucy. She is good fun.
Lots of flowers but not much time to photograph them with the fast-walking gels. This is a pale blue form of Geissorhiza aspera the blue satinflower.

There were also lots of these huge spikes of yellow flowers called Wachendorfia thyrsiflora growing along the road. This is Robbie and Lucy. You can just see Litchi behind Robbie. Litchi got lost for a short time, but at least it wasn't me getting lost this time!