'What a lovely beanie you have!" The greeting came from a twenty-something who was footslogging along the jogging path around Emmarentia Dam at what I considered a furious pace.
I was wearing my all-wool headgear, purchased in Maseru, Lesotho, well over my ears, enjoying the crisp morning air. The time was 6.35am and the temperature was minus 1°C. The start of another crisp, bracing and blue-sky winter's day in Jozi.
Mad kayakers were out, rhythmically slicing the frigid waters. Deep down in the recesses of my mind I felt a little earth-warming wouldn't be such an inconvenient idea if Al Gore wouldn't mind.
Here's a friendly tip to all Capetonians: When those cold fronts sweep in from the Antarctic, swiping the Peninsula with north-westerly gales, head for the Highveld. We have no flat rock and scenic splendour but, boy, do we have the finest climate in the world!
Particularly in winter. Dangerous for brass monkeys and foolish gentlemen, but dry and invigorating. It's our brown season, not particularly aesthetic, but excellent walking weather at Emmarentia Dam. Ask any dog.
The dam is the focal point of the Johannesburg Botanic Garden and the area has recently suffered from bad press with reports of muggings, but that's a thing of the past. Security has been beefed up and the crowds are back. And so are the dogs. Schnauzers, Afghans, Pekinese, Maltese and other poodles - all taking their owners for a walk.
Emmarentia is for dogs. If there is a heaven for dogs, it would look like Emmarentia Dam and the Johannesburg Botanic Garden. The gardens cover 140 hectares, which includes an immense rose garden, a prehistoric garden, a herb garden, a 58-species hedge garden, a 72-species groundcover garden, succulents and an Alpine section. There's even a Shakespeare Garden, with flowers and plants noted by the playwright.
The broad open expanses bordered with fine trees are often used for open-air concerts and, of course, wedding groups.
At the lower entrance in the vicinity of the dam you'll find a reception centre, donated by First National Bank, containing artworks and plants for sale over weekends.
There's a list of "do's and don'ts" on the gate. Dogs must have their owners on a leash and dogs unfortunately have restricted freedoms - no swimming in any of the three dams! Most dogs have difficulty in reading English or any other language, or they arrogantly ignore the bureaucracy and go for a dip anyway - even when it's freezing. They do what dogs are supposed to do, and Emmarentia Dam and the botanic garden are for dogs!
"Beware of the 'landmines'," said another jogger passing me in a blur. But there was nothing to worry about, as the poop scoops were out in force.
That's a particular feature of the gardens - the excellence of the upkeep by Joburg City Parks. I spoke to David Mphelo, with a fine record of 28 years with parks and in charge of the trimming and cutting of lawns.
"I spent 11 years caring for the Melville Koppies reserve before coming here," he said enthusiastically. "I wouldn't want to work anywhere else. I am happy here, although some dogs frighten me. I don't argue with dogs."
How many who visit the gardens spare a thought for the enthusiasm and dedication of the teams of "caregivers" without whom the gardens wouldn't survive?
Even at this early hour, intrepid residents from nearby suburbs were resting on the many benches or having breakfast at the Tea Pergola. A large menu board nearby proclaimed: "Why not pause and have a good cup of tea and giant scone with jam and cream?" Splendid idea.
With the day beginning to warm up, I moved on to the two large dams on the eastern side of the gardens. All the dams are home to a wide range of aquatic life, and birds are encouraged to breed on two islands away from dogs. The Egyptian geese are the best fed in Gauteng, and goslings are a great attraction in early summer - a source of great pleasure and wonderment for children.
My feet turned back to Emmarentia Dam - source of great pleasure for fishermen and folk who enjoy messing about in boats.
As joggers galore were now out in packs, I wondered if any realised that the ground they were pounding used to be part of the farm Braamfontein, way back in 1853. In 1886, Louw Geldenhuys bought part of the farm at the very time when the great gold strike took place and the tented camp of Joburg was ready to take off. He named it Emmarentia after his wife, whom he married in 1887.
His vision for the area enthused his brother Frans, who occupied an adjacent farm, but it was Geldenhuys who built the dam not long after the Anglo-Boer War, determined to help landless farmers returning home after the war. Geldenhuys offered them employment if they would help turn his 7,5-hectare vision into a reality.
It wasn't an easy task. Huge stones were quarried on Melville Koppies and brought to the dam's site, and fitted together to form the wall with the result that water is banked up to a depth of 20 metres at the centre of the dam. Most of the water entering the dam comes from the Westdene catchment area to the south of the gardens.
Frans's old farmhouse is now the clubhouse of Mark's Park, the Joburg municipality's sports club and the venue for the annual 702 Walk the Talk charity event.
I paused at a tree with a notice on it. It read: "Lost a pet? Contact Doggone". Well, I suppose, dogs do lose their owners from time to time, I mused.
All you kayakers, windsurfers, fishermen, joggers and photographers, let's doff our beanies to Joburg City Parks. Did I hear yebo in a thousand barks?