Elsies Peak and Cape Point with processing pictures for the blog

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

in Cape Town, South Africa

Elsies Peak

Look across False Bay to Africa. The path begins just above the houses, climbs very steeply up, UP among the rocks.

Elsies Peak looking across False Bay

Views either side down to our valley and the next. Looking to Chapman's Peak - which we see from our bay window - and where we watch for cold fronts and Atlantic storms bringing our winter rain. We need to be on Jager Walk, or up the mountain to see across to Cape Hangklip and the Rest of Africa.

Elsies Peak to Chapman's Peak

To Cape Hangklip

In August blooming on Elsies Peak we found - orange Leonotis,  prickly Berkheya bud, mauve spike of Cyphia, a fern, white Dimorphotheca and yellow Berkheya flower, Aizoon (used to grow in our Camps Bay garden and looks like a succulent Edelweiss) small pink Serruria protea, yellow bulbs ? and Moraea, yellow vygie Lampranthus, mauve Senecio, white ?, blue and pink Lobostemon, orange Chasmanthe, Nemesia.

Elsies Peak August flowers

Down to the curve of beach we walk. When you are down there, the dune hides suburbia.

Fish Hoek beach

Cape Point

Along the Hoerikwaggo Trail and back along the coast. Very windy - hung onto my hat all the way - and now have a hat with an unflattering string under my chin.

Cape Point is just off centre

The yellow pincushion protea which grew in our Camps Bay garden (on that sunny side of the mountain with silver furry leaves)

Yellow pincushion October Cape Point

The trail is on the shoreline between tough green and rocks.

Shark's Teeth mountain

Blooming in October at Cape Point we saw - ivory Crassula ? Leucadendron cone flowers, Protea scolymocephala (tried to grow that here), rainbow Zaluzianskya, purple Senecio ?, white daisy, yellow pea flower Aspalathus ?, white knobs of Brunia, crimson centred white Adenandra, brown and ivory Ferraria, yellow vygie Lampranthus ?, cotton puffs on wild rosemary, pink tipped white Bokbaaivygie, blue Nemesia, yellow daisy, pink Gladiolus.

Cape Point October flowers

Blog photos

My learning curve on this blog is a flight of stairs with some friendly help as I climb up. I arrive in my comfort zone on the terrace and settle down to admire the view. The List niggles at the back of my mind. I read techie this and techie that, and resort my list. The next flight of stairs beckons. The view is better from there. I weigh up each part of the journey. Does it matter? And how do I do it?

My blog is not monetised so I will only use free tools. Blogger has recently offered us fast, device responsive new themes. Checking my new Soho theme for speed, there are still issues. The header (renamed Background) was fuzzy. The instructions vary, depending who you ask. A ratio of 16:9 Minimum width 1440 pixels. Maximum of 300 KB. Compress the image before uploading.

Sun sea and sand header
for Denise and the Ungardener

Until now I have used the dated software from my first Canon. 'Send via email' which, yes made the file size smaller, but also blurred the quality. I use FastStone, to convert screenshots to JPEG. I discovered today it gives me a compressed image, which retains the sharpness. My new header is now sharper and the text is clear.

Today I will try compressing the images via FastStone. You can click each of my images to make it larger; the quality is retained while the file size is smaller for quicker loading.

Next flight of stairs? My new camera has arrived!!

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Pictures by Diana and Jürg Studer

of Elephant's Eye on False Bay

Teal blue text is my links.

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Thanks for comments that add value. Maybe start a new thread of discussion? BTW your comment won't appear until I've read it. No Google account? Just use Anonymous, but do leave a link to your own blog. I would return the visit, if I could ...
I welcome comments on posts from the last 2 months
Danke für sinnvolle Kommentare. Die werden erst veröffentlicht nachdem ich sie gelesen habe. Es können auch Bemerkungen sein die in eine ganz andere Richtung gehen.