Slogging up Signal School Steps

In anticipation of excessive overindulgence over the next few days (speaking for myself), our hiking group chose to do the walk from Jubilee Square in Simon's Town to the grave of Just Nuisance, famous naval hound who took care of sailors who needed help finding their way back on the train from Cape Town after some roistering! His naval career lasted from 1939-1944 and on crossing the bar, he was buried with full military honours and laid to rest overlooking Simon's Bay.
The walk is more of a strenuous climb, starting with the sudden steep uphill just past the lovely old buildings (some dating to 1899) on the Historic Mile and winding up (is there any other way in Simon's Town?) through the streets until you reach the infamous Signal School Steps. Here you pause and tilt your head back at a 45-degree angle and ask yourself what you are doing there.
Each of the 350-plus treads is about 30cm high or more and it's a case of heads down and put one foot in front of the other. There are younger people who pass us, some even carrying extra weights to really give themselves some exercise, but we are not envious of their youthful fitness - we are just able to breathe and can't waste the oxygen on thought. Many rest stops are taken to admire the sweeping views of the mountains and False Bay, and darkening clouds seem ready to fulfil the promise of a quick shower. A few drops begin to fall, but by the time we have hauled out the rain gear and donned it, it is over and already too hot for a jacket, but they were useful to sit on at tea time.
After a good rest and social chit-chat, it is time to face the descent - more daunting than the ascent - and in no time my legs are wobbling like the jelly that will be in tomorrow's trifle. Somehow downhill needs muscles I don't seem to have.
When we finally spill out onto the road again, it's left turn to the Admiral's Waterfall, just in case we haven't had enough exercise. As we approach yet another uphill section on a rough trail, good sense prevails and I decide to test out the gabions holding up the mountain slope under the shade of the gum trees. Others think this a splendid idea and we while  away a pleasant time as the others soldier on to the now trickling waterfall and back.
More downhill follows, and we eventually get back to the cars, well satisfied that the forthcoming feasts have been adequately compensated for!