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.

Wild walkies

Dear Coco
This is rather a belated letter but we had no internet connection - not even a cellphone signal - where we were in the bush.

We started off with a night in the big bad city with Luna, David, Gordon and Streak. David and Gordon gave the Alph an early birthday gift - another Scottie called MacDoorstop. You will soon meet him.

We went for a walk in the park nearby with Luna, and bumped into some friends of David and Gordon who have this husky-cross dog that reminded us a bit of Hudge - and funnily enough he comes from Arniston where I think Hudge came from too. (We heard later on that Hudge had died - so very sad - our Wednesday walks just wont be the same without him.)

The weather in Johannesburg was lovely and warm, and it is green and beautiful. Look at all the cosmos flowering.

On Saturday we drove to the Kruger Park and met up with Phil and Kerryn in the tented camp at Punda Maria where we spent two very happy nights. Here are some of our visitors that you would have LOVED to chase Coco!

Kerryn made sure that we were first in the queue to get out in the morning.

On Monday we drove to our next destination - Bataleur Camp. En route we stopped for tea and banana bread (from Gordon) at Babalala.

It had just rained and this intriguing Bobbejaan Stert (Xerophyta retinervis) was flowering just near Bataleur camp. The plants can survive for months without water, and when it rains, within a day they start flowering and sending out new leaves.

We saw lots of amazing things - like impalas fighting,

and a leopard in the grass who thought it was invisible.

Kerryn and I couldn't wait to add our leopard to the chart of animal sightings.

Beautiful sunsets at the dam,

and beautiful people!

Stunning birds:  this is the Alph's photo of a Lilac-breasted Roller.

All too soon it was time to say good bye to Phil and Kerryn who went on to Olifants camp, and we drove up to Pafuri in the very north of the Kruger Park, where we met up with Louise and Richard, Sarah and Martin, and Lex for the next leg of the holiday - a walking trail. This was our tent for the next three nights. Ultra luxury in the bush!

We walked with Rhodes and Andrew - the trail leaders - through groves of baobabs,

and in an incredibly beautiful Fever Tree forest complete with elephants and buffalo, sawing leopards, nyala, and lots and lots of other animals and amazing birds.

And we paddled in the Limpopo and the Levuvhu Rivers. Louise had a quick dip with her clothes on and the Alph had a dip with his cozzy on - apparently crocs don't attack peeps in shallow water but I wasn't taking that chance! Besides I wasn't sure about where this river started and who had done what in it upstream.

A farewell photo of the trailers and the camp staff.

We drove back to Johannesburg for a night with Duncan and his two Irish Setters, Darcy and Gulliver. Here they are meeting MacDoorstop.

After a lovely early morning walk in the Johannesburg Botanic Gardens - you can see the Hillbrow Tower in the background - we hopped on the aeroplane,

and hurried home to you. (This is the photo that Phil sent us of your walk with him and Kerryn in Tokai Park while we were on our way home.)

It was lovely to get back to you and introduce you both to MacDoorstop. I hear you had a fantastic time with Leticia and Simamkele - and you certainly look rather plump Coco. Diets start tomorrow all round...

love from the Food Lady xx

Three black dogs on a burnt mountain

On Sunday we drove past the burned slopes of Kalk Bay to Fish Hoek where we met Alice and Maddie,

AND Sue and Honey. It was lovely to see them again. Honey still doesn't really like me though.

We walked towards Elsie's Peak from Ravine Steps, through the burned area from last November's fire that nearly burned Alice's house down.

It was hot and sandy, but things were beginning to grow back again.

All these leucadendrons are re-sprouting from the base.

There were lots of asparagus plants (maybe A. rubicundis) coming up in the burned areas - this one with its own crab spider.

Round the corner we could see over Glenciarn and all the way to Cape Point. Laddie doesn't appreciate the views like me though, just look at him diving into the fynbos after some imaginary rodent. What a clot.

This is Maddie's favourite look out point - so I joined her. 

And so did Honey - with a bit of persuasion from Sue and the photographing phood lady.

Then I saw the Easter Bunny popping up from behind the rocks!

Alice took us on the Path-Less-Trodden, past the False Heath (Audouinia capitata) which wasn't flowering yet,

and past some very fragrant Box Phylica (Phylica buxifolia),

and a small Sticky Heath (Erica viscaria subsp. viscaria) coming up in the middle of the path.

And growing and glowing on the edge of a rock was this Fynbos Aloe (Aloe succotrina).

A pair of Cape Rock Thrushes were hitching a ride on a rock monster.

Then it was tea-time overlooking Fish Hoek and False Bay. Laddie just couldn't sit still for a second and dived off into the bushes - leaving his tail in the photo.

He is just like Dougal and leaps and scuffles around in the fynbos all the time

just hoping to find a lizard to chase ...

After tea we set off down another Path-less-Trodden - me kicking up my heels.

It was rather steep!

Some edge-to-edge carpeting belonging to the fire-starting, porcupine-trapping vagrants that live up here.

Back down on the road - with the Shark Spotters under the umbrellas behind us.

On the way home we passed this family begging on the island in the middle of the busy road at the Ladies Mile-Spaanschemat intersection. The Food Lady is always sorry for the kids and hopes they don't get run over by a mad, speeding car.

And when we got home we found this huge grasshopper trying to get into the car. Well, we didn't see it or it would have been a very dead grasshopper!