Bot River Ramble

After several days of gale force wind and torrential rains, Saturday dawned sunny and crystal clear.  On these heaven-sent days in mid winter we make it a rule to get out the house and go on photography or winetasting trips and here was the opportunity to do both.  We're spoilt for choice when it comes to wine farms here on the Overberg region but up to now we haven't explored the Bot River wine route.  When you think about wine tasting the Stellenbosch, Franschoek and Paarl wine routes come to mind but this time we wanted to visit somewhere a little off the beaten track and the Overberg region with its meandering hills of green winter wheat, the changing colors of the vineyards and white washed farms called to us.

On the way to the village of Bot River we had to stop to capture pix of the green and gold landscapes all  round us while wandering down a pretty farm road lined with bright yellow flowers.  I was so happy to have my daughter spending the weekend with us.  As well as being exceptionally good company and a fine cook, she's a knowledgeable and enthusiastic wine connoisseur and photographer.

Beaumont is family-run farm and winery just inside Bot River.  The farm dates back to the 1700s when it was an outpost of the Dutch East India company and a stopover for early travellers to water and rest their horses and oxen. Provisions for the next leg of the journey would be purchased from local farmers and the Khoisan inhabitants 

A canine escort waits in the parking area.

In the cool rustic cellar we met the young winemaker, Sebastian Beaumont, who explained the philosophy behind their handcrafted and classically styled ranges.  We left with a case or two of Raoul Shiraz Rose (my favorite) and several bottles from their Beaumont range, including a special bottle of Vetruvian Red.

After tasting and ordering we had time to walk around the sun dappled vineyards, enjoying the play of light through the golden oak and grapevine leaves.

An interactive metal heart shaped mobile dangles between the eucapyptus trees.

Next time, Gabrielskloof Winery ...

Walking Cassie

A Sunday afternoon saunter around Palmiet River Lagoon (outside Kleinmond) to try and walk off some of Cassie's pent up exuberance.

The tide was high so we had to pick our way around the base of the sand dunes to get on to the firm flat sand.

Grasses on the dune tops swaying and tumbling like freshly blow-dried hair



Cassie was in her element with sand, water and a red ball to chase.  Whenever she felt overheated she would wade into the lagoon to cool off.

Doggy pawprints ...

... people footprints ...

... and the delicate patterns left behind by wind and waves.

Wood, stone, wire, sand and water

A lone observer gazing thoughtfully out across the water.

We left reluctantly, feeling pleasantly tired.  As usual Cassie was revved up for more exercise.  I don't think I've ever seen her lie down and sleep after exercise.  So much for all the theories ...

Hello Aloes

As the days shorten and become colder, in between bouts of driving rain and fierce wind, we sometimes have a perfect, almost summer like day.  This morning as I drove along Clarence Drive the orange spikes of  aloes lining the road stood out like flames against the blue sky. 

As always my G12 was in my handbag so I pulled off the road and cautiously crossed to try and get some pix.

The plants were taller than me so I had to balance precariously on tiptoe, while holding the camera in the air and trying to keep my arms steady enough to capture these beauties.  One of the really useful features of the G12 is the articulating LCD screen which can be moved and tilted so you can see what you're photographing even if you can't observe your subject directly.

The countryside is so green and lush at the moment that your eyes are immediately drawn to the aloes which in their own way are as eyecatching as the spring flowers.



The tubular  flowers produce abundant nectar beloved of iridescent sunbirds and Cape White-eyes.  In addition  the fresh leaf sap can be used for the alleviation of burns, bruises and abrasions.  The boiled and concentrated sap of Aloe ferox has been used and exported as a purgative medicine for more than two hundred years, according to Pitta Joffe's book "Creative Gardening with Indigenous Plants".  In addition the sap is used in a wide range of soothing and moisturising hair and skin care products.

So, in addition to brightening the spirits during the cold time of the year, the aloe is useful as well as beautiful.



Stormy Skies and Yellow Flowers

Brooding, stormy blue skies and bright yellow dabs of color in the lush green grass lured me from the house and onto the verges outside my neighbour's house.  It's interesting to look at your house from a different direction and imagine how it appears to other passers by.  Hunkered down amidst fynbos and indigenous trees it looks interesting and inviting to me and once again I was amazed at how quickly it has become home.  We've been living out here for six months now and the old life in the city with all its noise, stress and endless traffic has become a distant memory.

Despite the muddy road I was able to hop (so to speak) across the furrow which runs alongside the road, carrying water away from the mountains behind us.  It took numerous tumbles and bruises before I was prepared to accept the fact that I needed help keeping my balance on uneven ground but now that I'm used to it, I wonder how I managed before.  And at least it has a jazzy lime green handgrip and useful loop so it can hang off my wrist when I take pictures.



I've recently become addicted to placing my camera at ground level and turning the articulating LCD screen  upwards so that I can see what I'm aiming at.  For anyone unable to kneel or crouch, the Canon G12 is an absolute dream and you can discover tiny little plants and flowers that you'd normally never notice.  For many years I've been forced to shoot from a standing position unless I can sink (un)gracefully to the lawn.  Getting up again involves all sort of ungainly moves somewhat similar to a camel rising from the ground 

I don't have any idea what these little yellow flowers are but they're everywhere at the moment especially along the verges and vacant land.  I study up everyday on the fynbos of the area but it's sometimes quite difficult to decide from photographs exactly what plant you're looking at.  When all else fails, I cut a little piece of the plant and take it up to the Botanic Garden for identification.

And here are some of the little pink jewels spreading across the ground under the grasses and other plants.  I'm reasonably sure that they are oxalis and you'd miss them if you were driving past so the moral of the story is Get Out And Walk.



The assignment for the photographic society this month is "Grass" so much of my time is spent aiming my camera at grass on the roadsides, grass next to the Kleinmond Lagoon and grass at the Harold Porter Botanic Gardens; grass against a blue sky, grass covered in raindrops or grass against a sunset.  Who knew there were so many different kinds and that they all have their own preferences as to locations and water.

Wild Horses

For as long as I've been visiting and now living in Betty's Bay I've heard tales about the wild horses of the Botrivier Wetlands. I've never been lucky enough to see them as they appear to be quite elusive as they wade and graze through the shallow waters or (very rarely) canter across the nearby dunes.  Several Sundays ago we decided to visit the Rooisand Nature Reserve where access to the wetlands is fairly easy.

From Clarence Drive just past Kleinmond you turn down into a dust road with the worst corrugations I've ever experienced and arrive at the beautiful wild wetlands, where the only sounds are those of the numerous waterbirds, the gentle lapping of water against the abundant small islands, the sound of the wind as it ruffles the grasses and the dull roar of the breakers on the other side of the dunes. 

We could see a small herd of horses in the distance, too far to photograph unfortunately, but my daughter thought there might be some of the animals near the bird hide which you reach via a boardwalk and a fairly long trudge through sand and vegetation.  And by the way, how wonderful to see boardwalks being constructed in a number of wetlands and rare plant areas.  We need to do everything we can to preserve our precious biosphere.

When we got to the bird hide we saw two horses fairly close by, so we crept quitely into the hide and settled down, binoculars and camera ready, hoping the horses wouldn't take fright and gallop off.  On the contrary they moved closer and closer towards us, peacefully grazing and perfectly relaxed.

From a pamphet suppled by the Kleinmond Tourism Office, written by Dr F J van der Merwe and titled "The Wild Horses - Botrivier Wetlands, Kleinmond" comes this interesting story about the origins of the horses.

"They are unique to this area and are South Africa's only herd of wild horses found in a wetland habitat.  They are legend in the region  with many speculations as to how they got there.

One of the more romantic claims is that during the Anglo-Boer War, domesticated horses were taken from the surrounding farms into the Palmiet Mountains to be hidden from the British troops.  |Some of these horses escaped to form a herd, which grew to about 400, some 60 years ago."

"Another claim states that the British soldiers who had barracks in the area, released some horses which made up a herd, although not as many as the 400 estimated in the previous claim.

Some locals believe that a local smallholder released a few horses from his stock some time ago and these remnants are those now found grazing in the wetlands."

"The horses seem to have a good ecological impact on the Bot River lake area.  They play a similar role to hippos as they create waterways through the vegetation, especially through the thick reed beds."

Information gleaned from the notices on the boardwalk puts the number of horses at 23, consisting of 2 roaming herds of 10 and 13 horses each.  Apparently over decades the groups of horses and their ancestors have adapted themselves remarkably well to their marshy habitat by developing big, saucer-shaped hooves, an adaptation to the soft spongy surface.

After twenty enthralling minutes of watching and snapping pictures, the pair started to wander off, leaving the wild, deserted expanses to the waterbirds.

We felt incredibly privileged to have caught a closeup look of these mystical animals and it's a magical experience I'll always remember. 

On the way back along the dirt road I stopped to take this picture of the after effects of a fire which swept a large part of the area some time ago.  The dead trees are the remains of Rooikrantz, an invasive alien plant which reproduces rapidly, smothering all in its path.   It seeds itself rapidly and only the most strenuous efforts at ongoing clearance bring it under control.  The good thing about the fire is that the larger aliens were destroyed, the bad thing is that the heat of the fire causes more seeds to germinate.

Once back on the tar road, a flash of bright colour caught our eyes and we found this Brunsvigia orientalis, common names include candelabra flower, king candelabra, chandelier lily and sore-eye flower. 

"Large pinkish 'eggs'  suddenly push their way above ground, elongating quickly and becoming topped with the spectacular red spherical flowerheads.  Even more surpirsing is that they pop up out of the bare ground, normally without a leaf in sight."

"Once the seeds begins to develop the  flower stalks elongate and the inflorescence dries out.  The dry flower stalks snap off and the wind sends the spherical heads tumbling along."

Information about the lilies from http://www.plantsafrica.com/