Life and our False Bay garden March to June

Sunday, June 29, 2025

Life and our False Bay garden March to June

by Diana Studer

- gardening for biodiversity

in Cape Town, South Africa

Retrieving forgotten pictures from my cellphone. March textile art exhibition in Fish Hoek. Enchanted by the way she captured the birds' reflection in the water - using appliqué and hand-stitched quilting.

Reflecting quilted birds

Fast forward to the Silvermine fire in April. We had tickets to Last Night of the Proms at the City Hall. Fire started above Tokai, but on Sunday morning the wind turned and drove the fire up and over into Silvermine. Catching hikers unaware, and also out of range for cellphone reception. One woman had to run for her life, and her parked car was burnt out. Other hikers near Silvermine dam were told to get INTO the dam. There is a ledge below the dam wall, and they stood with their feet in the water - till a ranger could run for a car, and rescue them.

Tokai fire in April

We watched the smoke and flames, and followed the news updates. Boyes Drive closed. Main Road thru St James closed. Second choice Ou Kaapse Weg - also closed when the fire leapt the road. Third and last choice Chapman's Peak. All the Southern Peninsula traffic routed on a SINGLE lane (which was later also closed as the fire spread!) Thru a toll gate. Which they were finally forced to open - after we had stood in traffic for 45 minutes - debating whether we had a hope of ever getting to our concert. We saw Mountain Rescue heading up to escort evacuating hikers - on their last escape route!

Tokai fire devouring Silvermine in April

We found a parking space nearby. Up the stairs to the mezzanine gallery. Please?! Our seats on the aisle, and we slipped in. Missed the first 2. But we got Erin Beck - slender young woman with a big voice making her debut. Irish dancers. Pipes and drums of the Cape Town Highlanders. Since the Afrikaans language celebrates its official 100th birthday - they were escorted off the stage by a massed choir singing Vat jou goed en trek, Ferreira (take your things and go!) 1812 Overture with paper bags for the audience to 'fire their cannon'.

Drove home along the reopened roads ... watching the line of fire along the mountain chain. Grateful thanks to our dedicated firefighters - no lives lost!

Tokai / Silvermine fire above Clovelly in April

We walked down to the Silvermine estuary on a sunny day to see the otter sculpture in progress.

Otter sculpture in progress

And again to see it complete. Cape clawless otter

Cape clawless otter sculpture

We have a new garden gate. Painted in lapis blue. Will add a fine sunny day picture for the next garden update. After the painters we still have lots to do in the garden. Lots of pruning - we have tackled the hedge, the olive, Brachylaena. Chopped down the lemon (three quarters of the trunk was dry and dead) Aloe buds need space to shine!

New blue garden gate

Thomas boots were too big for his bed. Bought a bigger one, which fits. And Zoe is delighted to claim the double bed all to herself. Today she tried both and decided the littl'un fits better (Wrong again as I publish ;~)

Big Thomas and little Zoe
The bed saga

We have had some heavy winter rain. Our pebble beach underwater.

Rain on pebble beach at Froggy Pond

Best year ever for our Hypoestes aristata border. Nurturing the white seedlings as they show up, for a purple and white display.

Hypoestes aristata in purple and white

Pots of Nerine sarniensis - and we saw wild plants up the mountain between us and St James. March lily Amaryllis belladonna finally had enough autumn rain to bloom here. Mandela's Gold Strelitzia reginae. Euryops chrysanthemoides ( = golden flower)

Autumn garden flowers

Sunset with guardian angel cloud. Apologies for the long gap, I have been immersed in iNaturalist City Nature Challenge. Next post will be 3 months of summer hikes - while we wait for the burnt sections to reopen. June is my Blogaversary - first post on my original blog Elephant's Eye in Porterville.