Sunrise

Red sky at night, Shepherd’s delight,

Red sky in the morning, Shepherd’s warning.

Two Unusual Sightings on the Contour Path in Fernkloof

Yesterday’s walk along the contour path above Hermanus Heights and Northcliff revealed two unusual sightings. The first was a Sentinel Rock Thrush at the intersection of the Contour path and Elephant walk – I have previously never seen one at such a low elevation – and Cliff Lilies on the Contour path above the Cemetery – I have previously never seen these at such a high elevation!

After the Fire

The golf course burn took place over two days and there were no mishaps other than the very sad fatalities amongst the small animals such as tortoises, lizards, insects and chameleons. It was fascinating to see how many golf balls were revealed, all very burnt. There were hundreds of them, sometimes lying almost on top of each other!!

Burn on the Golf Course

An ecological ‘fuel reduction’ burn was initiated this morning in the wetlands adjacent to the 15th fairway of the Hermanus Golf Course. Prior to the burn a sustained effort by numerous nature lovers attempted to rescue Chameleons and Tortoises from the area to be burnt. A fair number of both species was recovered and will be returned to the area, once the fire danger is passed. A number of other species was also recovered, including rodents, snakes and lizards. Botanists will be looking forward to the new, post-fire plant growth, which may include some interesting Orchid varieties!

The photographs were taken from my veranda which overlooks the 15th fairway.

Lily Season

This year we have had a wonderful display of lilies in our garden, mainly March Lilies (Amaryllis belladonna) as well as some indoor varieties and, of course, whilst walking on the Cliff Path, we have seen the endemic Cliff Lilies.

An Aborted Walk in Vogelgat

On Sunday we set out for a walk in Vogelgat Reserve with David, Tanja and Keagan. As we approached Lex’s Gulley, it started raining and we were getting very cold and wet in the stiff breeze, so decided to turn back. By the time we reached the intersection to Quark, the weather had cleared and we proceeded to the bottom of the Zig-Zag, where we had our breakfast prior to returning to the car.

Despite the stops and starts we still had a good outing and enjoyed the peace and beauty of the mountains.

Red

On our walk on Klipspringer and down the front of Kanonkop this morning we were impressed by the number of red flowers competing with each other for the favours of pollinators. There were many Tritoniopsis triticea and also many Erica plukenetii, making for some very bright spots on the mountain!

Hermanus at it’s Best

This morning we went for a walk along Hermanus’ famous Cliff Path. What a beautiful place this is to live! There was not a breath of wind and the sea was completely flat. Some people were out sea-kayaking and we envied them. The water was crystal clear and the Cliff Lilies were in bloom. We could not have asked for more!

A Family Reunion at Aloe Ridge

After months and months of lockdown, we managed to have a proper family reunion this weekend at the well-appointed Breede river resort, Aloe Ridge, where we rented four chalets, each with two large comfortable en-suite bedrooms and a pool. Fourteen Hazells had no problems fitting in and we could even all get together in any of the chalets without having to augment the seating arrangements

The food was fantastic and we all drank too much good wine, but nobody suffered too much and we were able to recreate the fabulous family vibe that we have all been missing so much! It was wonderful, and, of course, we celebrated both my birthday on Saturday and Renee’s which was on Wednesday. The boys went fishing and managed, as usual, to catch a good haul, all of which were returned to the river. Keagan even caught one barbel with his bare hands!! …and, luckily, we did not see any of the crocodiles that had escaped into the river some way upstream near Bonnievale!

We are very thankful that we have such a wonderful and supportive family, all of whom really enjoy each other’s company, and we can’t wait for the next opportunity to meet up again!