Day 5 at the daisies

Last night we were halfway through supper when the lights went out at the cottage. Being the only inhabitants of the farm some 8km outside Kamieskroon, it was rather dark and lonely and we were soon on the phone to the owner, who told us the whole area was in darkness but the authorities would be working on it, as so many phone calls were coming in. Sure enough about two hours later, the electricity came back on. We took advantage of the total darkness to do a little stargazing and I can only say the view of the Milky Way was magnificent. There can be no better conditions for viewing.

Today the wind died down a little and was quite warm, so I took out the only summer clothes I had packed and dispensed with a jersey. Temperatures rose to 28 degrees in places, so I was grateful for having had a tiny bit of foresight. We had by now had enough of self-catering and would be eating out for the rest of the trip, starting with breakfast at the Kamieskroon Hotel. Mom and Dad have stayed here often over the years since Dad first began taking tourists up to the flowers in 1988 and are well known to the owner, so they enjoyed a bit of chit chat before we left for Nieuwoudtville to see the bulbs.

There were very few flowers on the way down to Vanrhynsdorp, as it may be a little early still, but there were occasional bursts of colour among the low shrubs, indicating that spring has still to arrive. We took the Van Rhyn’s Pass up the escarpment to the Hantam plateau (this was the last pass to be built by Thomas Bain) and had spectacular views of the Knersvlakte below. The hills of Namaqualand gave way to a fairly level plain and soon we reached the area just outside Nieuwoudtville where the flowers are at their best. Today it was yellow and orange daisies, dotted with blue, red and white in other varieties and a walk in the veld allowed us to see the tinier bulbs which don’t give mass displays. It really was breathtaking.

The last picture is of the glacial striations in the rocks from a time when this area formed part of Gondwanaland before continental drift had split the landmasses. Fascinating stuff!

On the way back in the late afternoon, driving along the dirt road, of course we hit a rock by driving too close to the verge and I just knew it was bad news. Sure enough, a puncture. The very reason I had come on the trip – to fix such an eventuality. Naturally, the spare tyre was under three suitcases, two camera cases, a cooler box and four smaller containers, plus an assortment of blankets, hats, naartjies, tripod and first aid kit. I had barely started to lug this lot out when a car pulled up and asked if we needed help. Obviously I said that would be a marvellous idea, and a very able-bodied gentleman helped to unclip the spare, remove the jack from its mounting (I had no idea how to do that) and change the tyre. There is no doubt I would never have managed it alone, as I just didn’t have the strength. So much for being there to look after Mom and Dad!

We were able to offer them advice on where to stay and fortunately they found accommodation, so at least we had something to give back. We were soon ensconced at a very nice guest house, which will be providing dinner later and breakfast tomorrow. There are electric blankets on the beds, although the temperature at the moment doesn’t feel as though we will need them, and every other convenience.

So all’s well that ends well. We will have to buy a new tyre though.