Morning hills, from the stoep of the house at Patasfontein.
I'm protecting my ears from lions?...we saw giant paw prints in the dust of the road. Talk about dry mouth.
Drinks at the pans.
Marijke and her dad, Paul, our hosts.
Hen and Chicken.
(and whiskey).
Nothing between Mama and the lions but a....gate. Leaving Marijke and Patatsfontein.
The dirt road to Touwsrivier. I believe I peed in the middle of it, behind the truck. Nowhere else to hide!
The Matroosberg in the distance...
Leaving Ceres, the Ceres Valley below- home to much export fruit...
The pass before Citrusdal. More fruit.
Arriving at Clanwilliam, the dam over 100% full and letting enough water out to keep the Olifants River in fast flow.
Smitties, our freezing little cottage at Clanwilliam, where we were steered by the overbooked Clanwilliam Hotel, which ain't what it used to be. Not even close. Veddy, veddy sad. No more of the best breakfasts, anywhere.
Above, the view from the Lodge at the Goegap Nature Reserve outside Springbok.
Below, by way of explanation, I've stolen a bit from a letter to a Canadian...
The Sneeuberg of Kamieskroon in its cold morning mist, heralding Cold Weather.
On our way to Leliefontein. The Road To Leliefontein shall forever stand as a moral caution: NEVER give up on that which is desired...the way may be rough, etc....
The crown of Kamieskroon.
Kamieskroon from the north.
Thanks to Colla Swart, we looked at some rock islands in the fields, at a time when many flowers were still too cold to be awake. I love moss. This stone has not rolled for a while. Sorry.
Lichen, a testament to the pristine air we were breathing, smelling of different flowers and plants as the day grew warmer.
Above: Antus holus
I saw these in a farflung spread in packed dry clay beside the dirt road on the way to Skilpad - I would say Moraea fugax but the interior markings are more diffuse. I suppose a variation?
Ornithogalum, yes, but is it polyphyllum?
The smallest flower in the world?
Pelargonium incrassatum - we first spotted these as splashes of hot pink from the freeway, at speed. They are stunning. I loved this one growing in its own rock garden.
Ah, South Africa summed up rather neatly. Acacia.
Like the ones growing in my mom's garden, but bigger, to her disgust. Anchusa capensis, about 4 feet tall.
Wow.
The outside of the wow. Gazanias. G. krebsiana. On the road to Skilpad.
Skilpad farm taking no prisoners...or...?
My mom and some biltong scones at the coffee shop at Skilpad.
We rounded a corner in the Namaqualand Park and I spotted, in a field of daisies, this cream pelargonium, one of many - my favourite of all. Pelargonium triste ("sad" - probably because it is insignificant, especially compared with one like P. incrassatum, behind - whose flowers I want to, yes, lick). It is night-scented, another feature that drew me to it originally, apart from the name, and I studied it as a child when we first moved to the Cape. I was a plant geek and wanted to know everything about pelargoniums...alas I've forgotten most of it.
Namaqualand Park again, before the Dutch tourists arrived. No wonder they dominated the spice trade...Invade the field! Invade the field!
Ursinia calenduliflora, aka Orange Daisies - same field as the pelargoniums...
Herrea blanda - big fat vygies, on the farm Skilpad. Porcupines had been digging in the field - apparently they love the tubers...
Hmmm. Windmills. Again on the farm Skilpad, right before the Namaqualand Park.
