Eden on the Bay ~ Watery Wednesday

Good Morning Friends. I will be out of town for a couple of days so will be quiet for a while. To give your eyes a rest from all the flower pics I have decided to dig out a couple of shots that I took at Eden On the Bay recently and to, dare to  join, Watery Wednesday! Click here

I say dare because I have been over there to admire the amazing photography and have come away with long sighs of absolute pleasure and delight!

So then, here is some of my meagre offerings. I have to just tell you that I am a total novice and know diddly squat about photography apart from putting on the camera, aiming and shooting! I keep telling myself I really need to sit down with the now electronic manual that came along with the camera and read it and learn! What ever happened to those little manuals you can take into the veld with you should you want to fiddle with the camera and want a quick reference???? Most annoying...

But I guess necessity is the mother of invention and sooner or later I will be forced to learn more and improve. So any critique will be most welcome from your side. I have to also point out that none of these pictures have been enhanced or edited... so fire away!! I appreciate your input immensely.

Also joining in with Outdoor Wedenesday at A Southern Daydreamer here

I will be back for Our World Tuesday with some more flowers!!!

I also hope to get out to Hermanus and stalk a couple of Whales with my Canon.

Other posts in the making is about my neighbourhood and the wine farm that I look out onto.

So live the Cape Town vibe, folks

Be well

Veronica

xxx

Kindly leave your comments, thoughts and critique below in the comment box. looking forward to your comments to keep me company on my travels.....

Darling ~ Wild Flower Reserves

Good morning friends. The spring wild flower season continues here with various towns hosting their own wild flower shows. On Friday I took to the road to visit the town of Darling. I decided to take the R27 again and then turned off onto the gravel road know as the Darling Hills Road. The sign post on the R27 does not state Darling Hills Road but merely indicates the flower route to Darling. Do not take the Atlantis turn off but carry on the R27, and take care as it is not clearly visible when travelling from the Cape Town side, but that is the Grotto Bay turn off towards the sea, in the back ground!

The road is fairly good and if I can do it in my little car with tiny wheels then you should be fine. My little Renault's wheels are so small that my car is called Noddy! Anyway, not 30 metres down the road after turning off I came across a jewel next to the road...

Take a closer look at the Cancer Bush or Sutherlandia Frutescens.

It is very striking and I love the colour and the leaves.

Luckily, I had the road all to myself as Noddy was brought to a halt every few hundred metres so I could jump out and snap away!!

The fragrance was heavenly...

Blue Cranes

 

The road meanders through the farms and the fields are a feast to behold. In some places the road got a bit rough and I prayed that Noddy's wheels would stay on and that I would not get a puncture. Honestly, to remove the spare wheel, which is on some fancy pulley system, you need a degree in Engineering and a loada patience!

 

The sheep were freshly shorn...

And, the insects were feasting on my open flesh and I had to find an aloe pronto for the itch!. Which I did...

Please note the sign behind the aloe, which thankfully was next to the road, as the sign warns that it is private property and threatens you with extinction should you ignore the warning! Anyway, I broke off a piece of the aloe and doused the stings with the gel to stop the itch!

Fortunately the road became smooth again and there were so many things to stop and admire....

Brilliant in the sunshine...

The cattle were ...um...active...

The fields ablaze with colour...

Arum lilies as far as the eye can see....

There's Noddy , patiently awaiting my return from climbing over a fence to get some pictures!

Well, there was no sign this time , so I took a chance!

At the end of the road I found the sign that declared it to be the...

I turned left towards the town of Darling to find the flower reserves..

That's it folks!

Next, I will share my finds in the Flower Reserves as well as a visit to Duckets Orchids which was de lovely!

I had made it to the tar road with all the wheels still on Noddy and was relieved to say the least!

Relieved but very happy with the two hours I has whiled away on this short stretch of road...

I headed towards the town but my heart sank when I saw no less than 10 large tour buses whizz past in the same direction as I was just about to go!

I guess I couldn't expect to have it all to myself, now could I?

Live the Cape Town Vibe !

Veronica

Joining Mary for Mosaic Monday at Dear Little Red House here

I will be linking this post to Our World Tuesday here. Please visit us over there to experience our world through the eyes of very talented bloggers.

as well as

Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer here

all images are my own

Thanks for stopping by and please leave me with your thoughts in the comment box below....

West Coast National Park Wildflowers

Good morning dear friends.


On Wednesday it was a great Spring Day so I took to the road to have a look at Spring's bountiful show. It was a little cloudy but the sun was looking promising so I decided to take a trip up the West Coast to the West Coast National Park.  I took the R27 and headed in the direction of Veldrift for about an hour's drive.

to the...

Entrance Fee to the park was R40-00 per person, children R30-00 ( in flower season)unless you were the proud owner of a Wild Card. For more info on the Wild Card please go to http://www.wildcard.co.za

On entering the park this little fella greeted me....

Note the little free wheeling passenger on the right hand back!

I decided to visit the Visitor's information Centre and restaurant first to find out the best places for my flower visit in the park. It is at Geelbek and about 10 km into the park.

The Geelbek Restaurant is also situated here as well as a small curio shop. I found the restaurant to be rather expensive in the way of breakfast but did indulge in coffee. It turned out to be a very pleasant spot.

My coffee companion....took a seat!

It was time to...

The quiet waters of Langebaan Lagoon provides a safe haven for thousands of sea birds. Just a few hundred meters from the Information Centre is a parking space  for the walk to the bird hide.

You can obtain a bird check list as well as a shedule of the tides to optimise your bird viewing from the information centre.

The boardwalk to the hide in the distance . Many West Coast birds can be seen here and many endemic birds as well.

Geelbek bird hide is best about 4.5 hours after high tide in Table Bay.

The Salt Marshes can be very rewarding at high tide when large numbers of waders congregate to roost.

Well, folks onto flowers...which is why I was here today. I will be back for the birding as a whole day is needed for that and anyway I need to practise taking shots of birds. As you can see its n pretty hit and run event for me at the moment!!

 

At the information Centre they advised me to take drive to Postberg where the best flower viewing was happening.

But, as usual, I got waylayed. Well it was still early and I had plenty of sun left for flower viewing so naturally a name like Preekstoel (preaching chair ~ direct translation) seduced my Noddy Car into stopping.

Look at the prestine facilities!! A braai (Barbie/BBQ) with a view like that!

There is also a gorgeous beach below and a new information spot to discover the myriad of natural wonders in the park.

On the drive to Postberg.

 

It was a Wednesday morning and I did not expect the hoardes of people!

You are allowed to get out your car here at the beach where there are also bathroom facilities. Again everything was pristine!

Folks were digging into their picnic baskets and dipping into the water. A great place for a picnic.

The beach is spectacular...

Look at their garden....

A naturally decorated nursery for the babes....

A colourful spectacle!

Ahhh and he has the meat on the fire and is a happy man, I'm sure!

Photographs can not do justice to this spectacle that Mother Nature gives us here each year. I do hope you will get out there and enjoy the brief but brilliant gift of nature ...

There were loads of tortoises...take care when driving please as they cross the road frequently.

 

I had a wonderful day but it was getting late and I had to head home. There are various hiking trails in the park. Both short hikes or day hikes as well as  The Strandveld Trail which is a two day hike. There is a Cycling Route as well.

Other activities includes kayaking, kiteboarding and of course Whale watching . The Southern Right can be viewed at Tsaarsbank from August to November.

Accomodation ranges from the Nirvana Houseboat, self catering cottages and Chalets.

To book accomodation please contact Sanparks.

It was time for me to leave before I had to bed down with the ostriches....

Thanks for stopping by and visiting with me.

I will be linking to Our World Tuesday here. Join us for a view of our wonderful world as presented by some very talented bloggers.
also

Outdoor Wednesday at Southern Daydreamer here

Please regale me with a comment in the comment box below.

Happy Living and get out there in the sunshine and enjoy the flowers.

Veronica

All images are my own.

Joining Mary for Mosaic Monday Here