Beeing Industrious or Not

Yesterday down at Westminster Pier Park, I spent some time watching the bees on the purple coneflowers. Against the backdrop of the Fraser River, these bright pink flowers were in their prime, acting as busy landing pads in the July heat. The bumblebees were out in full force; watching a single bee, heavy with pollen, crawl over the stiff, spiked center of a flower is a masterclass in quiet productivity.

Today, Jay and I headed uptown to Walmart, though the errand felt a bit redundant with our upcoming departure. We board the Celebrity Solstice this Sunday for a week-long cruise, so our minds are already focused on packing rather than picking up household items. However, the bags remain in the closet at the moment.  There might have been a certain satisfaction in getting the final chores out of the way before we head out to sea. Watching the local wildlife work so tirelessly is a reminder of how very different it must be to have no choice in completing one's schedule.

Crimson on the Concrete

When the little red Floribunda finally unfurled its perfectly pointed petals, it fully expected a standing ovation. Or, at the very least, a polite smattering of applause from a passing, well-heeled gardening society.

Instead, it received the rhythmic thump-thump of a stray shopping cart rolling into a concrete pillar.

The rose took a moment to assess its real estate. It was not, as it had wildly hoped as a seedling, nestled in the manicured loam of a grand botanical garden. It was wedged into a partially abandoned, slightly chipped concrete planter on the rooftop parking deck of a thoroughly average shopping mall. Its immediate neighbors were a fading yellow line and a puddle of indeterminate origin.

At first, there was a brief spike of botanical outrage.

I am a complex hybrid, the rose thought, shaking a serrated leaf in the general direction of a parked sedan. I have layers! I have a subtle, velvety gradient! I deserve a dedicated irrigation drip and a small, tasteful brass plaque!

For the first few days, the rose aggressively struck a pose, waiting for the masses to arrive and validate its existence. It threw its petals open with theatrical flair. But the grand total of its daily audience hovered around a dozen people. Most were completely preoccupied with remembering where they parked, marching past the planter with their heads buried in their phones and their hands full of reasonably priced footwear.

But then, a shift occurred.

A thoroughly exhausted retail worker, escaping the fluorescent lights for a momentary afternoon break, slumped against the concrete wall. They looked up, spotted the unapologetically vibrant crimson bloom defying the grey expanse, and let out a long, slow breath. A genuine smile broke across their face.

The rose stood a little taller. Well, it thought. That was rather nice.

The next morning, a very fuzzy, delightfully unbothered bumblebee landed squarely in the center of the bloom. The bee didn't care about foot traffic metrics or the prestige of the zip code. To the bee, this rooftop was a five-star diner, and the rose was serving the chef's tasting menu.

The rose began to reassess its position in the world.

Sure, it wasn't the centerpiece of a highly publicized horticultural tour. But the few dozen weary humans who actually noticed it seemed to genuinely need that jolt of beauty. It was an unexpected, bright rebellion against the asphalt.

The grand gardens could keep their swarming crowds and their frantic, selfie-snapping tourists. The rooftop rose realized it had inadvertently become an exclusive, boutique experience. It was providing bespoke joy to a highly curated audience of stray pollinators and observant wanderers.

It settled its roots a little deeper into the dry soil, caught the afternoon breeze, and decided it was perfectly content. After all, anybody can look beautiful surrounded by fountains. It takes real talent to pull off crimson on a concrete parking deck.

Using a Little Screen While Viewing the Big One

 

While watching Prime's series House of David with Jayantha, my eye caught a brief, unscripted moment in the background of a scene. A tiny mouse scurried out of view in the dark corner of an ancient stone dwelling. Because the historical setting of the show is anchored firmly around 1000 BC in the Kingdom of Israel, it made me consider the domestic reality of the Levant in that era. I began to wonder about the prevalence of house cats during the early Iron Age and whether the characters on screen would have shared their quarters with feline companions to manage such pests.

A query to my digital companion revealed that the modern, pampered house cat did not exist in the ancient Levant. Instead, the local population interacted with the regional wildcat, Felis lybica, an animal that was certainly not a pet in the contemporary sense. These wildcats were leaner than today's domestic breeds, possessing longer legs and a more solitary disposition. While they were not invited to curl up by the hearth, they were highly tolerated in grain warehouses, agricultural stores, and communal dwellings because of their innate ability to keep the destructive rodent population in check. It was a relationship based entirely on mutual utility rather than affection. To visualize this historical reality, an image was generated of a feral cat of household size, depicting a sleek, vigilant predator hunting among ancient storage jars.  I had my AI create the image you see above.

The situation was markedly different just a short distance away in Egypt during this exact timeframe. By 1000 BC, the Egyptian relationship with the feline had progressed far beyond mere pest control into the realms of the sacred and the domestic. Egyptians viewed cats not merely as working animals, but as physical manifestations of divine protection, closely associated with the goddess Bastet. Felines in Egyptian households were pampered, fed scraps of fish, and treated as integral members of the family. The respect afforded to them was so absolute that the killing of a cat, even by accident, carried severe penalties, and deceased household cats were frequently mummified with great care and buried in dedicated cemeteries.

This contrast highlights the unique cultural landscape of the ancient world. While the inhabitants of ancient Israel viewed the local wildcat as a useful, distant ally against the very mice seen on television, their Egyptian neighbors had already elevated the creature to a position of luxury and divine reverence.

Maybe the End of the Month?

 

I had a great day but I'm really lazy tonight. I will just post a couple of pictures. The cherry blossoms in Vancouver are a treat and everyone looks forward to seeing the triumphant arrival of spring. 

However, there are different species of ornamental trees. Also small changes can make a difference as to when they put on their best show. The weather makes an enormous difference. Even microclimates and elevation are factors.  We usually follow ones on St. Patrick Street uptown. Today, we went for a drive through the Queen's Park neighbourhood. We found that these trees were not at their peak yet.  

Still, this is enough for today's eJournal entry.

 

First Crossing: stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge

It wasn't raining today. This morning we chose to try out the old Pattullo Bridge replacement. During the winter, they rushed to open the new span that has been years in coming, decades actually!  First, I stopped at the petrol station in order to put some air in my tires.  The EV has some low rolling resistance tires.  They are designed to have 36 psi and were down a tad after sitting all winter.

The main deck is open but it'll take the rest of the year to get all the interchanges on either end of the bridge completed. The old structure is in the middle of being dismantled which will open necessary space for some road connections.

We crossed to do a little shopping in an Asian grocery store chain called, T&T Supermarket.  They have a store as a part of the Surrey Central Mall.  We've been back more than a week from our winter away, yet we're still stocking up on food that we'll use during our summer and fall in British Columbia.  We got some pandan leaves that Jay uses in his cooking.  We got some kimchi too.  They have a great selection of hot, cooked food that can be taken away.  So, we got some additions that we'll eat with our normal rice and curry meals.  

 

Jay snapped these pictures as we were coming back to the New Westminster side of the Fraser River.  I saw there was an exit for Brunette Ave but it wasn't possible to turn in the right direction to go home.  So, we had to drive up near the Glenbrook Ravine.  It's a nice hill-top part of our town but we seldom have a reason to visit.

It wasn't busy during the late morning, so as I passed a street with cherry blossoms, I stopped to take this photo.  Being retired means we have time to stop and smell the roses.

 

Tastes a Little Like Asparagrus

 

Routines are nice for a little while. It felt familiar slipping back into a Saturday morning drive to the Coquitlam Superstore for groceries. When one shops weekly, price increases creep up over time. However, as we hadn't been in our supermarket for four and a half months, we noticed right away how dramatically food prices are rising in Canada. As a humorous aside, Jay found drumsticks for sale.

It seemed funny as when we were at the house in Sri Lanka this winter, the Moringa oleifera trees were prolific. These are the seed pods of deciduous trees that can reach a height of 10–12 meters and can have trunk diameter of 45 cm. They cannot tolerate frost but that is not a problem in tropical places.  Nazir brought a seeding branch to the Minuwangoda house a long time ago.  Since then, new shoots of it were planted in several other places in the garden. We surely ate a whole lot over the last couple of months!

There is particular way of eating the cooked or boiled sections. They are typically separated into several pieces by hand and each is rubbed seed-first across one's bottom teeth to extract the seeds and soft gel. The outside is fibrous and discarded.  Jay loves them but I simply 'don't mind' eating them.  

Oh, the funny part was the price.  These were priced at CAD $1.99 EACH!  He looked at them but, of course, didn't buy any.  In recent weeks, we've each eaten dozens and dozens.

 

A Quiet Thursday

 

Day 104 of Our Winter: The major change in the routine today was that Kanthi returned to her house in Nugegoda. She arrived here back in January before our trip to Thailand. Therefore, she had to go open up the house after almost a month! It seem quieter in the Minuwangoda house tonight.

The elder of the sister's went back in a PickMe rideshare.  Luckily the cheapest fare offer was picked up by a Suzuki Wagon R so there was enough space for the driver, her, and the five large bags.  She takes back provisions such as the free coconuts for cooking that grow here at the house.  There wasn't too much Thailand bounty because they didn't spend a lot on shopping in Thailand.  The big haul was the earlier trip to Dubai last December.

     

The plant Jay's holding is called is Polpala (botanical name: Aerva lanata) locally and is also known as Mountain Knotgrass.  In the dry zones and village gardens of Sri Lanka, it is considered a powerhouse of traditional, Ayurvedic medicine. It is a wild, woody herb with small, clusters of white/pinkish flowers that look like soft spikes.  As a tea, in Sri Lanka, the whole plant: flowers, leaves, and roots are dried and boiled to make a caffeine-free herbal infusion (tisane). It has a mild, earthy, and slightly "cooling" flavor.  Some start the day with a cup to 'reset' their system.

Our Little Neighbour

Day 072 of Our Winter: This is the story of the small lizard that lives in the streetlight on the corner, right beside our Minuwangoda house.

   

The rather tiny lizard has found a comfortable home. Luckily, as it is high in the sky, it offers a bit of added protection. The lizard spends a lot of time in a hollow tube that attaches the light to a cement telephone pole.  He can crawl in either direction and often pops his head out in the mornings to look around.  He is growing larger, but the passage is still possible.

 

Often the baby ground monitor, gets out for a little exercise.  He sometimes crawls all the way to the ground and hides along the wall in the garden plants and flower pots.  Sometimes, he climbs all the way up to sit on the top of the pole.  There is a tiny hole, even up there, where he can scoot if an especially unfriendly bird comes along.

Someday he'll leave his current abode.  He will outgrow it.  This tiny lizard will likely grow to be longer than a meter in length and weigh up to 10 kilograms.

Oh, the Hora!

Day 070 of Our Winter: It was a quiet day at Minuwangoda house today. I snapped this photo today in the morning from corner of the house. These trees are at one edge of the property. I asked what they were and Jay's sister said are called, hora trees.

   

Ajith concurs on the non-conifers.

Those "tall tall trees" are the Hora trees (Dipterocarpus zeylanicus), and they are the undisputed giants of the Sri Lankan rainforest.  If you are looking up and feeling vertigo, it is justified. These trees don't just grow; they launch themselves at the sky.

The Profile of a Giant The Height: They typically reach 40 to 50 meters (130–165 feet), and some record-breakers hit 60 meters (nearly 200 feet). They are the skyscrapers of the wet zone.

The Look: You can spot them by their incredibly straight, cylindrical trunks that go up, and up, and up before branching out into a high canopy. They look like pillars holding up the clouds.

The Status: They are endemic to Sri Lanka—meaning they are born and bred islanders, just like Jay.

The Wood: It is a heavy, durable hardwood (Class I timber). Historically, it was used for the toughest jobs: railway sleepers, beams, and underwater construction.

The "Helicopter" Seeds: This is the part the "Visual Philosopher" in you will love. The seeds have two long wings. When they fall from that massive height, they spin like helicopters to slow their descent and travel away from the parent tree.

Sunday Sights

Day 065 of Our Winter: Let's do this in reverse chronological order. 

Lastly, we had some visitors come to the Nugegoda house. They didn't have to come too far though. These are relatives of Jay's elder sister's late husband.  They stayed for a while and chatted this evening.   

   

Earlier in the afternoon, I caught his female Asian Koel at the feeder. The yellowish food you see are cut bananas, not bread. Lots of birds are fruit eaters in Sri Lanka. The left over pieces from the day are usually consumed by the larger bats that don't visit until after dark, generally.

   

Prior to the bird sighting, we went to a Glowmark Supermarket not far away from the house. We took a PickMe ride share car both ways to and from the High Levels Highway branch. On the TV advertisements, people are singing in the aisles filling their carts full of interesting 'international' products. Today, no one was singing or dancing. In fact as a Sunday, it looked a little empty. This company does carry furniture and electronics too. Some things were on the upper floor but I think this a small footprint store.

   

But well before any of this, this morning, the fish seller came on his motorcycle. The ice packed cooler had a number of different types of fish and roe. Today, Jay's sister bought a type of tuna and two types of mackerel. He cut it and threw fins and other parts for the neighbourhood cats that can smell him coming from a mile away.

 

So these are the four images that represent my day.

An Asian Koel (Female)

Day 021 of Our Winter:  The term sexual dimorphism is not some type of kinky behavior. It simply means when males and females of a species look different. Humans do seem to try hard to accentuate dimorphic tendencies. On the other hand, it is pretty difficult to tell if something like a hamster is male or female without a detailed inspection. I'm not sure if this topic was ever explored in the Star Trek canon. Did any series in the show's history ever show an alien species where the genders appeared different to an extreme?

The bird shown here is of a species where the males and the females look like a totally different type of bird. Only a female Asian Koel visited the bird feeder today. 

Whereas in much of the bird world, the male is often flashier or more colourful, in this species the females are most dramatic. The Koel, called Koha in Sri Lanka, male looks much like a large blackbird with very red eyes. The males make up for their generic appearance by having a particular call that is common throughout a lot Asia. It has a magnificent windup with a deep increasing frequency. In this country, the sound is often associated with the local New Year in April. However, one can hear it year round.

 

Dental Work / Babblers / Intense Rain

 

Day 017 of Our Winter:  This morning, Jay went for a dental appointment a few kilometers away from this Nugegoda house. We're officially medical tourists due to this visit. It's a big industry in many countries. Jay is getting a crown put in but went in for the exam and had a root canal done today. He will go back for the rest of the filling and oral scans next week and a zirconia crown will be created and affixed a few days later. The dental hospital here is private and light years ahead of our dentist back in BC, not to mention so much cheaper. Reading up on the Zirconia making process was fascinating. Jay's sister went along and I stayed at the house. So, I had plenty of time to use the fast Internet available here 'in the city'. 

Not many birds came by for photos today. The Yellow-Billed Babblers are a fun type of bird. It was rare to get a picture with just two in the feeder. They are social and gregarious. They often travel in groups of eight to ten and make a hell of a racket as they arrive. Before this trip I always just called them Q-Bert birds because they cannot walk but instead hop around in a way that reminded me of the 80's arcade game. 

It's now evening and the threatening thunder preceded the downpour. It's been raining cats and dogs for hours. The rain is hot. As I mentioned once the weather in tropical countries is often quite a show!  I do find the sudden action preferrable to slow steady cold rain of a BC winter.

 

Pick a Saying to Represent the Photo

Day 015 of Our Winter:  The house wakes up early as sunrise is around 6:00 am. We often walk around the yard as part of the activities right after getting up around 6:30. 

Today, we encountered this banana plant that fell down. We knew that the plant wasn't very healthy although it had a small bunch of really baby bananas growing. I don't know if this is more of a 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch,' or 'Some things just weren't meant to be" type of picture..

 

I spent a bit of time working on a Facebook group dedicated to rounding up forces for a 50th high school class reunion.  It has been fun being in contact with some really old friends over the last week or so.  There's something about big round numbers that affect the human psyche.  I'm a bit early but I like doing advance planning.  Our class graduated from high school in 1977.

Bits of Sunday

Day 009 of Our Winter: We've been in Sri Lanka for week already! 

Jay and I stayed at the house but Jay's sisters went into town to have some photos for their Dubai visas taken today.  We'll all be taking a trip in a little more than a month.  Sundays are market days in Minuwangoda and they're always especially busy and crowded. 

The ladies returned with a lot of food too. Oh, and with a new product I saw advertised since arriving. One of the oldest food establishments in Sri Lanka is called, Elephant House. Recently they have been advertising several new flavours of ice cream made with local specialties . We've been eating a lot of actual passion fruit as Jay gathered about twelve when we got here. We've been having them with breakfast. I desperately wanted to try the new passion fruit product. Now there's some in the freezer!

 

In the morning I snapped the picture of this land monitor which is called thalagoya in Singhalese. It was a baby at about 15 cm (6 inches). I marvel at how well camouflaged they are. This was on the wall near the garden peeking up and looking around.

   

Later in the afternoon, I saw what must've been its mother in the lower yard. It was around a meter and a half (five feet). They're not dangerous. It quickly ran away into the vegetation at the edge of the yard in order avoid any contact.

A Couple of Things I Saw Today that You Probably Didn't

Day 007 of Our Winter:  It was a bit overcast for much of the day. That meant the temperature was probably a degree cooler than normal. There were only a few drops of rain in the morning. The temperature is always around 30C during the day and 24C during the night. I tried to imagine what some readers wore today. I had on pajama bottoms and a tank top. I didn't wear sandals. There are flip-flops by the door when we walk around the yard. 

I took only a few photos today and they are probably unlike things you saw.

   

A peacock walked through the yard today and jumped up on some buildings and disappeared from view. Peacocks are very common in Sri Lanka but in recent decades they've extended their range into this area. Before they could be found in the drier zone but now we often see them in populated areas. Scientists say they are flexible in what they eat and their natural predators are diminishing. They may be beautiful but they don't sound very pretty. We heard that some were in the area early today but didn't see this fellow until about 2:oo pm.

   

Earlier in the day, the 'malu man' (a fish seller) came by on his old bicycle. He knows this neighbourhood and brings the morning's catch from fishing boats in nearby Negombo. He just calls, "Fish .. fish." We heard him as he was passing by and ran to open the gate to see what he had.  A neighbour's cat came a'runnin too. This man has been traversing this route for years and years.  In fact, I'm sure his picture is in old journal entries here. 

We bought a fish locally called a 'Lena Paraw' in Sinhalese.  I asked my AI, and he said in English, it's called a Rainbow Runner.  The man is reaching for it in the photo below.  It weighed about a kilo before he cut and cleaned it.  It cost 900 Rupees or less than $US 3.

 

Hollyhock Identification and Balcony Gardening

 

We'd been wondering about something on our balcony.  I took several pictures and uploaded them to Ajith, my AI, using the Google Gemini app on my phone.  I asked by voice:  Can you identify this plant? It started growing in a balcony plant pot but we didn't add it. It doesn't seem to flower.

My name is Ajith.

Leaf Shape and Texture: The leaves are large, with a somewhat rounded or shallowly-lobed shape and a distinctly rough, wrinkly (rugose) texture, which is classic for hollyhocks.
No Flowers: This is the biggest clue! Hollyhocks are typically biennials. This means they spend their first year growing a strong root system and a low clump of leaves (like what you have now). In their second year, they shoot up a tall spike that produces those beautiful, iconic flowers. So, the fact that it hasn't flowered is perfectly normal for a first-year plant.
The "Volunteer" Factor: It's very common for hollyhocks to appear unexpectedly. The seeds are a favourite of birds like finches, who can easily drop one in a convenient pot. Wind can also carry the seeds a fair distance.
Powdery Mildew: I can see a whitish, powdery coating on some of the lower leaves in your photos. Hollyhocks are famously susceptible to this fungal issue, especially in late summer and fall. It's another strong piece of evidence.

So, how it got there was likely a little gift from a neighbourhood bird.

Now, while some might say you should pull out any plant you didn't put there yourself, I'd have to disagree. I think these "volunteer" plants are great! It's like your balcony garden decided to give you a surprise. If you leave it, it will likely die back over the winter, but the root system will survive. Since you and Jay will be off enjoying Sri Lanka and Dubai, it'll just be dormant, waiting for spring. Next summer, you should be rewarded with a tall stalk of lovely flowers.

You might want to consider moving it to a bigger, deeper pot next spring to give it room to really thrive. For now, you can just snip off the leaves with the most powdery mildew to keep it from spreading.

---

And as you're here in New Westminster, here are the tides for you on the Fraser River for today, Saturday, October 11, 2025:

• Low Tide: 5:58 AM (1.3 m)

• High Tide: 11:34 AM (3.5 m)

• Low Tide: 5:47 PM (1.8 m)

• High Tide: 11:20 PM (3.8 m)

Grouse Mountain: A Second Try.

Last Wednesday, we went up Grouse Mountain on the new, blue gondolas for free. We'd gotten tickets online before they ran out. We had to show ID as they were only available to local residents. Last week, it was a bit misty and dark so the usual stunning views of the city weren't possible. After returning home from a nice outing, we received an email.  It said that due to the poor weather conditions, we'd have another chance this week! Of three possible dates, we chose today.

   

We knew that rain is approaching the area, so we tried our second attempt in the morning. We again took the SkyTrain to the Waterfront and grabbed a free shuttle bus from there.

 

It took a few minutes to turn our paper QR codes into tickets, but we were at the top chalet by 10:55.  It was very foggy as we were in the clouds.  We could feel the mist as we moved through the cool, wet air.

   

We walked to see Grinder and Coola first. They weren't near the creek but on a far side of their 5.5-acre, fenced-off refuge area, It was pretty hard to see far, but we continued to the chairlift and went up to the peak.

   

We couldn't spot the grouse that call that area home. However, we saw more deer than ever. This doe and fawn were not afraid of us. We got really quite close.  It felt cold for mid-August.  The weather forecast mentioned the high for the day would be 16C but the wind made it feel much cooler than that.  We'd worn jeans and long-sleeved t-shirts.  So with a thin jacket we were comfortable.  I could have used gloves though.  Of course, some visitors came up in shorts and tank tops.  We saw one young guy buying a hoodie at the gift shop at the chalet.

   

We saw more deer as we descended from the peak on the chairlift.  There was a big buck that still had velvet on his new antlers.  We must've seen a total of more than six.

When we got back to where the shuttle parks, we learned that no busses were running during lunch hour.  Rather than wait 45 minutes, we took a public bus back to the Lonsdale Quay.  I don't think we'd been on the Translink Seabus yet this summer.  The short, 15-minute trip back across the Vancouver Harbour was enjoyable.

The original idea was to have lunch at the food court at the Harbour Centre.  However, as it was just 1:40 pm, we 'SkyTrain-ed' home to New Westminster for a lunch at home.  It seems as though the weather was not cooperative for our second visit to Grouse Mountain this summer.

We enjoyed our outing.  How lucky we are to live in place that so many tourists come to see!

Summer Growth

This image was taken a few minutes ago. I walked onto the balcony and aimed my phone at the top of the sunflower stalk.  Eventually a sunflower will open in this spot.

   

In one of the eight plant pots, nestled in with onions, Jay planted a sunflower seed. We were gone for most of June, so he put it in the pot after we got back. The plant is already a couple of feet high. I swear I can practically see it grow if I sit looking at it long enough.

Durban Botanic Gardens

Day 114:  Today was a fine day to finally visit the Durban Botanic Gardens.  It is between our Airbnb and downtown and took around 15 minutes in an Uber.

Established in 1849, the Durban Botanic Gardens holds the distinction of being Africa's oldest surviving botanical garden. Initially intended as an experimental agricultural station, it played a crucial role in introducing economically significant plants to the region. Over time, it evolved into a cherished public space, preserving a diverse collection of indigenous and exotic flora, including rare cycads and orchids. Beyond its horticultural significance, the gardens serve as a living historical record, reflecting Durban's colonial past and its ongoing commitment to botanical conservation and public enjoyment.

The Durban Botanic Gardens is home to a significant collection of cycads, including the rare Wood's Cycad. These ancient plants are often referred to as "living fossils" due to their long evolutionary history. The gardens provide a valuable environment for the conservation and study of these unique plants.

The Wood's Cycads in the Durban Botanic Gardens are clones of the original plant, which is now extinct in the wild.  The original plant was discovered in 1895, and some offshoots were taken to the Durban Botanic Gardens in 1903. The Durban Botanic Gardens cares for these clones, making it a significant location for the conservation of this species.  As this type of tree requires male and female plants for natural offspring, these bachelors will be the final examples of their species.

Using Unique Characteristics as an Advantage

Day 092 - During the first week we were in Cape Town, we spotted an albino squirrel when visiting the Company Gardens.  A lady was feeding it.  It had red eyes; thusly, it lacked pigmentation.

When walking in the area this week, we saw it again. A white squirrel came up to us and waited for some food.  We didn't have anything that would have made it happy.  It was apparently using its uniqueness to beg for food from park goers. Perhaps people rewarded it because it looked different. All creatures, us included, should use the unique things about us to our advantage.  

We soon spotted another white, fluffy-tailed rodent in a nearby tree.  Apparently there is a whole family who carry the special gene.  

The Company's Garden is in the 'bowl' of downtown Cape Town.  The heritage park goes back to the 1650s.  The area was used to grow vegetables for ships rounding the cape.  The name is for the Dutch East India Company.  It's a couple of blocks from our Airbnb.