Delta Park Cosmos: Fashionably Late

Most of my hikes are planned months in advance - because having a free day that is not reserved for hiking simply cannot happen.

Colour-coded.

Timed.

Mildly obsessive.

At this point, it may qualify as a personality.

This was… not that.

This was a chaotic, last-minute “quick, the flowers are dying” scramble with Basil, Boris (self-appointed King of Canines), and me - racing to catch Delta Park’s famous cosmos before they quietly retired for the year without notifying us.

A History of Almosts

This wasn’t my first rodeo at Delta.

Last year, I visited with my son Pepper during a rain-soaked “default hike,” where the cosmos were technically present but mostly just… damp.

A few months ago, Basil, Boris, and I had another default walk there.

No blooms - yet.

We promised to return full bloom.

But because I’m the kind of person who schedules joy months in advance, spontaneous plans have absolutely nowhere to live.

The Last-Minute Dash

Then Facebook started whispering: the bloom is ending.

So naturally, we panicked.

Plans were made with urgency - a “now or never” situation.

I arrived 30 minutes late—thanks to traffic, roadworks, and an accident.

The Gauteng starter pack.

We hadn’t even properly started walking when Boris made a decision.

A very confident, deeply incorrect decision.

Boris Makes a Choice

He rolled.

And if you’re thinking “aww, cute” - like I naively did the first time I saw him roll - let me correct that immediately.

When Boris rolls, it’s never adorable it’s investigative journalism.

Last time? Something dead.

Impressively so.

This time?

He raised the bar. And then lay in it.

A Scented Situation

Within seconds, we knew - Boris had rolled in… human poop.

Let that sink in...not literally.

Obviously.

Our wholesome flower-chasing outing immediately pivoted into a crisis management exercise.

We went from “look at nature” to “how do we undo existence.”

.

The mission became simple - find water.

Any water.

A stream, a puddle, a suspicious damp patch - standards were dropping fast.

We found nothing.

Not a drop.

Also, between Basil and me, we had brought exactly zero useful supplies.

No wipes.

No tissues.

No scraps..

Cosmos (Eventually)

And yet, somehow, we did make it to the cosmos.

Yes, we were late - definitely past peak bloom.

It felt like arriving at a party after everyone’s gone home and eating the last stale chip from a bowl that’s been through things.

But still—there they were.

Soft. Scattered. Persistently lovely.

We took photos. We appreciated what remained.

We pretended everything smelled normal.

We tried, somewhat desperately, to encourage Boris to run through the flowers - multiple times - in the hope that nature might… assist with the situation.

To be clear: this was not a scientifically proven method.

Results were mixed.

Redemption via Stream

At long last, we found a stream.

Basil attempted a cleanup while Boris stood there, entirely unbothered.

Was it effective?

Define “effective.”

Was it better than before?

Technically, yes.

The Verdict

Despite everything - the lateness, the chaos, the deeply questionable hygiene incident - it was still a good walk.

Because somehow, even when everything goes completely sideways (or straight into a hygiene crisis), hiking still wins.

It"s annoyingly wholesome like that.

And Delta Park?

It’s free.

It’s suburban.

It’s flat.

And it’s just sitting there… waiting for you to get your life together and show up.

Next Year, Cosmos

Next year, we’re doing this properly.

Early.

Prepared.

On time.

…we will absolutely not, but it’s cute that we keep saying it.