Day 4 at the daisies

During the night, a strong wind gusted in from the east, rattling the corrugated iron roof alarmingly. I expected it to peel off and fly away across the veld at any moment, but Mother said she wasn’t worried because it wasn’t our roof. Not quite the point. However, daybreak came with all intact, with the promise of a sunny and warmer day, although too blustery to stand outside without having to lean into the wind.

We set off after breakfast to the buzzing metropolis of Kamieskroon where we found a butchery/store and bought meat for dinner. A local with a walking stick tucked under his arm was hovering around the till and every time he turned, he would whack us with the stick. That was the extent of the excitement in Kamieskroon. Last night I had an unfortunate incident with a pot of braised cabbage and we needed bicarb to unstick the centimetre of carbon from the inside of the pot, so a call at the local supermarket was also needed. There were only 5 people in the shop on a payday Saturday, so you can picture the scene outside – virtually no one in sight – a pleasure to shop there, unlike the chaos in Springbok. Hopefully tonight’s cooking will proceed without incident.

The flowers were starting to open when we reached the Skilpad Nature Reserve just west of Kamieskroon, but the wind was so strong that the fields were ripples of orange rather than carpets. It was nigh impossible to get out of the car, and everything was soon covered in a fine film of dust, not helped by the buses and 4x4s that sped by, obviously on a schedule and not wanting to stop at the side of the road to watch a gymnogene hunting. The rippling effect was in a way even more attractive than a mass display, and we were fortunate to see a pair of springbok close up as they crossed the field in front of us. Although there were millions of flowers which opened as the day progressed and the temperature rose to 22 degrees, the springbok were the only fauna to be seen. Not even a lizard or tortoise crossed the road, and seeing a branch covered in a seething mass of hairy caterpillars was not a highlight of my day.

Among the orange daisies and grielums were masses of purple vygies in tight bud, which were beginning to open and should be in full bloom within a week or two and will make an incredible display. Smaller flowers such as the babiana, laperousia, homeria and herrea, as well as carpets of tiny blue felicia were scattered generously across the fields. Although walking among the flowers is no longer allowed, there are trails and small paths specifically laid out for hikers and those brave enough to battle against the wind. The highest part of the reserve, an outcrop called Dak van Namakwaland, affords views of the sea in the distance and a panoramic view into the hinterland.

All in all, a magnificent display, well worth the long drive from Cape Town for anyone who hasn’t yet seen the flowers. Tomorrow we are off to Nieuwoudtville to see the bulbs.