Wild flowers and wildlife

Leaving Piekersnoof resort we returned South towards Mslmesbury, in cloudy misty weather. We were heading for Darling and a wildflower reserve. This is terrain known as Renisterveld, which has mainly been taken over for farming so is highly endangered leaving only a small amount remaining.

Here we saw both massed flowers which opened as the sun increased and individual species, many spring bulbs. It is so interesting to see plants that are cultivated for our gardens or sometimes houseplants, growing wild. Apparently it is usually the forest plants, and shade loving plants that are cultivated for houseplants as they can deal with low light levels.arum lollies grow both individually and in clumps on the roadsides and in the fields.

There were also locusts and at one point I gave a wide berth to a very large bee. The locusts is being held by one of our guides!

From here we went on to a winery, the Ormonde winery where we had a buffet lunch, all meat, cheese, bread and cake, not a vegetable in sight! But it was very good and beautifully presented with local foods. Then we tried some wines although I have to admit they were very sharp and not very flavourful in my opinion.

The afternoon was the piece de resistance,  when we drove on to the Western Cape National Park.  Here we were met with drifts if flowers spreading down towards the ocean, acres and acres like drifts of snow. Then when you looked uphill the effect was different as you see only the backs of the flowers. There were masses of white interspersed with orange and in places patches of blue and oranges. Our guides allowed us to get it but the signs contradicted thus and I gather there are snakes in the shrub so we kept strictly to the road.

We also visited a viewpoint looking across to Langabaan where we spotted tortoise, lizards and also on the return zebras, Bontybok, eland and ostriches, then on entering Buffelfontein we saw giraffes too.

We arrived at the resort to find that 5 of us women are in the forest lodge in the middle if the game park. We can only get to the main complex by bus as there are animals all around us and we returned from supper to find our house surrounded by inquisitive wildebeest!

Our little house is round with rooms all round the edge each looking out onto the reserve. I looked out each time I awoke but there appeared to be no visitors in the night. The rooms are comfortable and I used both blankets fro m the wardrobe as it is cold at night. There is hot water, although the shower door nearly came off and there is a tablet if soap firmly stuck on the stone floor in the corner of the shower!

I could take a fancy to the little mats on the floor.