Under a starry sky

Just spent a few days in the Klein Karoo above De Doorns at Leeuwenboschfontein Guest Farm, at the Southern Star Party. I must have been to about 8 of these by now and it is always a great pleasure to reconnect with other amateur astronomers who are so willing to share their knowledge, and particularly their telescopes! The weather always plays up at these events, which require clear skies at night and no light pollution, and the way to get around this is to arrive two days early and do your stargazing before the official nights. This worked out perfectly as the Thursday and Friday viewing was spectacular and greatly enhanced by mild temperatures (hot in the day).  Last year we had snow and had to wear all the clothes we took with us, plus blankets to keep us from freezing in the early morning hours - not easy to get great enjoyment of a hobby in such conditions.
During the day we would relax under the trees, snooze in the afternoon to build up our sleep reserves and listen to lectures on various astronomical subjects. I gave a talk that was a little different to the norm (as usual), and it was gratifying that it was so well received. It was the original idea I had for my e-book (available on Amazon) 'An Invitation to Think' by Pamela Mary Cooper (there is a book with a similar name not related to mine).
There can be few places as quiet as the Karoo, where the only sound is the soughing of the wind through the trees in the afternoon, and when that fades there is always an awesome sunset, with the kopjes tinged golden pink as the last rays are cast upon them.  Cape Buntings, wagtails and weavers flit around and peck for crumbs cast by campers, and frogs serenade in the night from the nearby dam. I'm already looking forward to going back in 6 months' time.

A windy day on the mountain

It is now officially Spring, and with it has come the Cape Doctor to clear away the smog that has been blanketing Cape Town for a while. With it comes the new season's pollen and other allergens, and sneezing, watering eyes and a pocket full of tissues are our new companions on hikes. Yesterday we started out from the Rhodes Memorial car park in a chilly breeze with cloud cover over Peak and found it a relief to be cool as this very popular trail has a steep climb up to the jeep track and is one of our most daunting. Our intrepid leader took pity on us and led us up an easier route, saving the worst for last as a downhill scramble.
Much of the time we were in Afro-montane forest - the last remnants of once abundant forest - and there were not many flowers to see, but when we did, they were very beautiful and a delight to the eye. The ericas that are common to these slopes made a gorgeous splash of pink and the yellow pincushions grew in copses of old trees that have escaped the veld fires of the Peninsula (another reason why the forest is still in existence).
The contour path is an easy walk once you get there, and was quite crowded at times as so many people love this trail which was first established in the late 1800s. Our destination was 1st Waterfall, a very pretty cascade down a deep ravine and one of the few streams that was evident yesterday. We could do with a lot more rain, but it looks as though a dry summer is on the way. Silver trees grow prolifically on these slopes and it was good to see so many saplings in the undergrowth. The waterfall looks promising as a habitat for the Disa uniflora, and maybe we will go looking for them in January/February.
Gaps in the trees gave us breathtaking views of the Peninsula from Langebaan in the north all the way to Cape Point in the far south, and the wind blew away the smog to let us enjoy the magnificence of our surroundings to full extent. We are so privileged to have this wilderness right in the middle of a city.
On the way down, experienced the full force of the strong southeaster as it howled over the ridge at Plum Pudding Hill, blowing dust into our eyes, hats off our heads and much laughter as we were buffeted this way and that. Proof that weather conditions can change instantly on the Table Mountain chain. We went down a gravelly path that has been severely eroded by mountain biking and if there had been any dampness, we would probably have slid down on our rear ends with very little foot purchase, but we reached the bottom without incident and were rewarded with cold beers on the terrace at Rhodes Memorial to celebrate another memorable hike in this beautiful land of ours.

A beach clean-up

The plastic! Oh, the plastic! I have never seen so much plastic in various stages of disintegration (not decomposition) on this beach. Our hike to the Kakapo wreck on Long Beach saw us clutching plastic bags (of course) to put plastic in wherever we could find it. In the old days, a walk on the beach meant picking up pretty shells and odd bits of interesting driftwood, but now all we see is the detritus of human consumption of junk food. Sweet wrappers, sucker sticks, chip packets, straws, wrappers from individually wrapped peppermints, Styrofoam containers shattered into tiny pieces to float the ocean currents at will - it was impossible to pick up every tiny piece, but the most important bits are those that can restrict an animal or bird i.e. plastic rings, and there were plenty of those. None of us should ever discard a plastic ring without cutting it first.
The clean-up was initiated by one of our group who suggested that we should incorporate it in the walk, and she eventually revealed that she had an ulterior motive - not that any of us needed persuading and the clean-up was carried out with great enthusiasm - and that was to honour the memory of one of her colleagues who tragically was on the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed earlier this year with no survivors. Here is her story:

"A little about Sarah Auffret:

Her official title was Environmental Agent for AECO ( Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators)   She was leading efforts to drastically cut back on single-use plastics on the Arctic expedition cruise vessels. (There are many)  as well as leading the Clean Seas effort in the Arctic.  She did similar work in Japan.   Sarah worked our ship G Expedition as Expedition Leader, lecturer and Zodiac driver.  She was also Base Leader a few years ago, at Port Lockroy, the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust Antarctic Station.   She was just a wonderful young woman, quietly spoken with the best smile.  She was on board the Ethiopian Airline Boeing that crashed on 10 March 2019.  No one survived."
We can only hope that our effort today would have met with her approval.
The walk itself was a delight - blustery wind coming in from the northwest, with low cloud and mist appearing and vanishing again to allow the sun to bathe us in spring warmth before coming back to remind us that winter is not yet done. The sea was crystal clear and varying  shades of turquoise, with African Black Oystercatchers chasing each other up and down the shoreline, gulls and swift terns and plenty of cormorants keeping an eye out for a meal. The drama created by the clouds enveloping Chapman's Peak and the surrounds of Hout Bay always make for spectacular scenery and we took plenty of photos for you to enjoy!

Trappies Kop contour

We hiked around Trappies Kop in the other direction today. Last time we took the contour path anticlockwise, returning over the saddle from Kalk Bay, but it was decided to do it the other way for a bit of variety. The initial steep climb up to the saddle on this windless, searingly sunny day was hard going, with many stops for breath along the way, and copious amounts of perspiration falling from our brows. The sun seems to have a greater intensity than ever before, and while a hat is a necessity to prevent a sunburnt nose, the extra heat is quite uncomfortable. So it was with great relief that we crested the saddle and caught the first gentle zephyr from a light southeaster. It was all downhill from there, and we enjoyed our rest break on a grassy slope overlooking the always picturesque Kalk Bay harbour, with views of the distant mountains and a few boats in between.
From there we joined the contour path that runs around Trappies Kop as it follows the firebreak. It is narrow and falls away sharply in places, so that the vertiginously challenged had to lean towards the mountainside to maintain balance. A few rocky patches to scramble over kept us on our toes, but for the most part it was a very pleasant walk, with lovely views across Fish Hoek bay and even a few spouts and a wallow from a couple of humpback whales. There were abundant purple and yellow daisies, a few pincushions and beautiful blue flowers that must still be identified. No matter what their names are, the only important thing is that we should appreciate the beauty of our floral kingdom and stop to admire each special bloom as often as possible. Such a privilege to have all this within easy reach.

This beauteous land

There could have been no better place to be this morning than strolling across the hills of Cape Point Nature Reserve - a gentle breeze at our backs and a glittering False Bay to our left as we set off from the Visitor Centre for Rooikrans and the whale watching lookout point. The pleasant, sandy trail meanders along the spine of this remote end of the Cape Peninsula, with little in the way of uphill or downhill to distract you from the splendid views up and down the rugged coastline. Yesterday's rain made for easy walking on firm, damp sand, and the early spring growth on the leucadendrons was a splash of soft pale green on the masses of bushes that flourish on the plateau. Everywhere I looked there was a tiny flower heralding the new season, bravely offering its petals to be admired, but sadly overlooked by many who don't think to look down at Nature's lesser marvels. Our fynbos is mostly so tiny that the only way to really appreciate it is to take photos that can be enlarged on a screen to take in its exquisite beauty.
The yellow pincushions were everywhere, bold and brazen as they attracted our attention and especially that of the Cape Sugarbird, Orange-breasted Sunbirds and Southern Double-collared Sunbirds that flitted from tree to tree - easy to photograph, but only if you have remembered to insert the memory card in the heavy camera you are lugging with you. I had to make do with my cellphone and mostly mental imagery to capture the awesome beauty of today's hike and thankfully technology doesn't always let me down.
We saw two humpback whales wallowing in the shallows of Buffels Bay, but Murphy must have been walking with us and no Southern Rights were seen, even from the whale watching viewpoint, but that didn't lessen the pleasantness of the morning in any way. It is a gentle although fairly long walk to the point, and a coffee break was very welcome, with the added bonus of a pair of friendly Cape Buntings who almost ate breadcrumbs from our hands.
As we headed towards the road that snakes down to Cape Point, where we would be crossing over to descend on the Atlantic side of the Reserve, there was a distinct change in the vegetation and the climate - low-lying, hardy shrubs able to resist the cold and salty sea air coming from the west, with a chill left over from the passing cold front. Leaving the calm waters of False Bay and overlooking the impressive shore break and numerous reefs that surround the Cape of Good Hope, it was as though we had passed through a doorway into a different place. There is something about a rough sea and aquamarine waves that is as captivating as watching the flames of a fire - and the salt air invigorates after a long walk, particularly when Platboom (our destination) is in sight and probably only an hour away!
This hike has to rank as one of the best (visually and general fitness level required) that I have been on and it is highly recommended for everyone.

Appealing Alphen Trail

A ramble up the Alphen Trail offers the option of a sunny or a shady walk, depending on which side of the Diep River you choose to walk. There are many bridges across this currently babbling brook, but we chose to walk across a log at one stage - sounds brave, but in fact it had a flattish top surface and was wide enough for Robin Hood and Friar Tuck to wrestle on, so not much chance of falling in!
Most of us have switched to shorts for the summer season, but I read the weather wrong and turned up in long pants and hiking boots (thinking it would be muddy!) and in no time I was feeling the heat and wondering whether I could roll up my pants legs. However, the trail is undemanding and the discomfort level was low, so I concentrated on enjoying the lush pastures and towering giant oaks, stone pines and poplars that make this such a delightful space in the middle of suburbia.
Many birds called from the canopy, but the only one I managed to photograph was an Egyptian goose perched high above on a pine branch, and even then I only got a view of its rear end! We passed a binoculared lady who was slightly peeved at our presence (you are disturbing my birds) and trust that they returned to keep her happy - this is a birdwatcher's paradise if you have the patience to sit for a long time looking in the trees.
Horseriders and dogwalkers share this trail and you have to watch the path quite closely if you don't want to pick up some baggage on the way, but it's such a pleasure to be out in the fresh air and enjoy the trail with multiple activities - fortunately no bicycles allowed there (can give you quite a fright when they appear out of nowhere on other trails and you have to leap into the shrubbery).
We covered a distance of nearly 8km without noticing it, and with many short stops to enjoy the flowers and a coffee break under the shade of a fragrant jasmine hedge, it satisfied our need for exercise and enjoyment at the same time.
(Thanks to Brian Moore for the photos - mine were abysmal)

False summer

The adiabatic downdrafts (posh words for a berg wind) yesterday brought a windless, unseasonally hot day to Cape Town, causing us to shed as much clothing as possible and head out to the beaches and other open spaces to take advantage of the moment before another cold front arrives. We went off to Kirstenbosch again, determined to get maximum value for money having joined the Botanical Society. There were times, as I toiled up the verdant lawns, that I amazed myself. Walking up steep paths, carrying a bag full of binoculars, books and water bottles on a scorching day in pursuit of birds and other wildlife, and to see what new flowers were blooming since the week before.
We found the Spotted Eagle Owl high up on the left-hand side of the gardens, doing some serious stretching, and were lucky enough to capture this shot which shows owls in a whole new light - huge wingspan and lanky legs usually tucked into a neat little owl shape.

  I find the rare and endangered species of greatest interest, and bewail the fact that Man's idea of progress is to destroy habitats and cover them with concrete. Interestingly, some of the species are most threatened by hikers who trample plants - this is something I have experienced first-hand, as not everyone who goes out into the mountains is interested in what lies at their feet! The Marsh Rose is battling for survival due to excessive flower picking, and the mimetes stokoeii is down to a handful of specimens. The history of this mimetes makes for fascinating reading in the book, TP Stokoe, the man, the myths, the flowers by Peter Slingsby and Amida Johns.

 A very pleasant morning was marred by the sight of an Egyptian Goose standing in the road at the entrance to Kirstenbosch, gazing helplessly at its mate which had just been knocked down by a motorist.  Such a sad moment.