The Swanepoel Blog: Friday which feels like Monday

I almost have that feeling you sometimes get when you wake up at 6am on a Saturday-morning and realise that bliss upon bliss: you don't have to get up.
Since yesterday was a public holiday, I feel a margin of that happy/light feeling as the weekend is lying ahead and though today feels like the start of the week, it is happily the end to it.

My legs are not (yet) sore from yesterday's mountain-climbing, so I am savouring the flexibility.
My head does not hurt (since I had no wine yesterday) and I am savouring the clarity.
My house is being tended to, Sanna is here, my saving angel, and I am savouring the order.

So then , more on the Table Mountain walk/climb/ scramble.
We set off at 7.45am at the circle where I usually go down towards toward Camp's Bay.
Johann and Du Toit were there. Du Toit's old-lecturer Prof Theron, Prof's friend from Holland, Peter. The group also included Inge, Thomas Theron and his soon-to-be wife ( March 2011) Dalena as well as Rina ( vet who had her own practice for 10 years and suddenly finds herself having to start all over again )
and her partner (also an academic giant, but I never walked behind him so I don't really know what his field is)
Oh, and a couple who has that solid-vibe of "we've been -married- for- a- long time". I'll get their names from Johann next week.

pictures taken during break-times announced by Prof Theron and me graciously complying.

fantastic views and quiet beautiful vegetation... fynbos... by midday we were at the top... post a bit of rock-climbing ( Thanks Thomas and Johann for kind assistance ) and scenic -viewing.

amazing piece of floral kingdom condensed in a 15 km radius.

(Johann and Du Toit below)

and of course my blond angel: Inge (who carried the snack-bag ALL THE WAY)

there were times where I felt that I'd be walking till the day I die... just putting one foot in front on the other and seeing more rocks, mud, prickly bushes, high climbs, till forever.. like there IS NO top of table Mountain... like it is a myth.
My days will be spent climbing higher and higher and then its cold and the cool mountain breeze makes you reach for your top and then the sun comes out later and you take it off again but you are constantly stretching your calf-muscles till they're white hot.
. . and still you are not seeing the top of Table Mountain, just Clifton becoming smaller and smaller and some cloud-wisps breathing down the folds of the mountain to cool you down.

and then we heard a siren... which reminded me of an airport-boarding call... and I knew that the cable car service had reopened. I was told hours ago that due to the unfavorable wind, it was not operating. I ran to the Cable- car office.. willing to offer R200 for the ride down. The sense of accomplishment and joy and victory and strength. really really wonderful.