In August 2012I signed up with Traveltime for a 5 day tour up the West Coast to view Spring flowers. Our tour leader was affable Carol Coombs, super efficient, and completely unflappable. I’ve used some of her photos in this post and added a few of my own. I freely admit I’m not the world’s best photographer, and almost as soon as we’d entered Postberg, my point-&-click camera jammed, after I’d only taken two or three pics of the flowers. I’ve included a few below. My camera remained jammed throughout the trip, so that was the end of holiday snaps for me.
Our first stop was at the Postberg Nature Reserve to look at flowers and we weren’t disappointed. The flowers were magnificent– great fields of white daisies which looked like fallen snow; drifts of heavenly blue/purple; tiny patches of salmon pink close to the ground; screaming cerise mesembryanthemums climbing over bushes; infrequent patches of pale apricot and bright orange and yellow daisies by the million.
The Reserve has wildlife too, as well as fields and fields of flowers. Placid bontebok were lying down amid the flowers, resting in the warm midday sun. On a previous visit to the Reserve I was lucky enough to see a caracal (red lynx) slipping through the bushes.
Spring is tortoise breeding time and we saw a few, on the sandy roadside verges. Why – when they have the whole of Africa to roam in – why they persist in crossing the roads, is a mystery to me. At intervals I saw ostrich stalking through the fynbos; raptors on fence posts – the West Coast area is full of them, they feast on rodents on the inland wheat-fields. We drove above the Langebaan Lagoon, and the turquoise sea in the lagoon was decorated with lines of flamingos, with their plumage of delicate, palest pink.
Lunch was at the Geelbek Centre in the Flower Reserve, where I ate the best hake & chips ever. Just as well the food was wonderful, it lessened my irritation at having to buy an over-priced cap – having stupidly left mine at home. You’d think, with all the travelling I’ve done over the years, I would have remembered to pack a hat, but I didn’t. Well, we pay for our mistakes, and I did.
http://www.traveltime.co.za/Slider/Flowers%202012/Spring_Flowers121.htm
You have made me spring into action for 2013!
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Nice pun!
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Nice pun!
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Loved it, Alison. It brought back good memories. Lovey photo of you, too
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Yup, fit and fat, there I am in all my glory, wearing that wretched cap I had to buy! You’d think by now I’d be able to pack efficiently, wouldn’t you? Have done it often enough.
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Postberg is my favourite place in springtime! 🙂
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Posberg flowers in season remains ( to me ) the ultimate proof that there is a God ( or to the agnostics) a supreme being that made it all! Gods favourite colours – green blue yellow and a touch of pinks ! its always a good heart warming trip. the HAVE to buy a cap is the only sad tale – especially at the prices that these tourist traps charge. LOVED the post!
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Glad you enjoyed. Many years ago my daughter coined a marvellous phrase “Ye Tourist Trap de luxe” and we’ve used it ever since. Sadly true in many cases.
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