The Fly

This morning, looking like an alien craft on an asteroid, was a fly on the edge of the stone flower.

The bird bath is being accepted now by more and more inhabitants of Gardena. The thrushes have totally embraced their new bathing zone and call out when they land, while they're splashing and as they take off. The southern masked weavers have been regular guests and the sparrows have found it and the robin-chat still secretly slips in. Things will hot up when the big aggressive ring necked doves turn up. They're not at all happy about the net over the pond and find the waterfall bathing area too small, preferring to wade into wider puddles.

The stone flower awaits ...

Season's Greetings

Season's Greetings, Merry Christmas, Happy Yule ... whatever it is you like to celebrate ... and the best ever new year to all Blotanists and garden bloggers everywhere, and all visitors to this blog. Hope you get lots of lovely plant prezzies. Have a great holiday season. Hope the snow and cold hasn't hurt anyone and hope the plants are all surviving.

Where I am it's very warm and hitting the mid 30s. But good news is that this morning the Deloitte and Touche rose opened four lovely blooms ranging from orange to fuschia and smelling sweet. Plucky little rose this. It may have an awful name but it's a great bloomer :-D.

sunrise

After two incredibly hot days in the mid 30's, a sunrise as flaming as the weather. This morning at half past five. I saw the swirling brush stroke of the gods painted in the sky through the kitchen window and had to catch the African nature spirits' work before it faded. Magic moments are always fleeting. That's why you have to be there when they happen.

Make sure you always are. Gardena is an adventure bigger than itself.

Click the pic for a bigger view.

hairy times

A sudden very hot spell caused the German Shepherds to shed their coats. They are looking sleek and slim and I have that feeling I've swallowed a dog's hair. I've probably swallowed several and it feels like I've been wrapped in a mohair rug that left some of itself behind in my throat. Hair is everywhere. You sweep it up, more falls. You vacuum it up, bundles come back to drift across the floor like tumbleweed. You try and ignore it as it collects around the legs of tables and chairs so all your furniture looks like its wearing furry slippers. Hobbit furniture. There is even a wad under the metal stairs to the wash line in the courtyard.

Unbelievable the amount of underfluff on the average German Shepherd when shedding time happens. No wonder they drop it. Must be like wearing a coat made for Iceland when you live in a hothouse. Everything this year is happening in rushes and so the sudden heat fits together with a sudden shower of fuzz.

The dogs have been brushed about five times and they still seem to be carrying more fluff that hasn't loosened. Hope it will be over soon. I must say they look great. But the house looks really grim, as though we had a little murder or two.

:-D

Urgh ... weeds

That time in the garden again. Weeds. This patch is a former "fygie" bed now threaded through with everything and its auntie from the weed kingdom. Cheekily displaying their prowess and threatening to choke the life of out those who were there first. ;-D

But I have other plans for this unauthorised celebration of commonness and cheap worthless bling. You're gonna die, guys!

This is the bed planned for the lovely Deloitte and Touche rose groundcover that has good naturedly agreed to sprout two sprigs that broke off in a storm and were pushed into surrogate parent plant pots. They are looking fab and the D&T has put out a whole clutch of buds that are presently pointing sunwards like little green spears.

And I've also decided to plant the avocado tree I've had in a pot for some twelve years as there was never anywhere to plant it. It is the progeny of a big pip we felt we just couldn't throw away.With the death of a beloved old Karroo thorn and the unhappy demise of a hoped for progeny tree we think the avo's time has arrived.

So goodbye to the 24 hour celebration of the common weed people and hello to roses and avocado. Just as soon as I can get in there with the garden weeding implements. I have a neat little job with small dual prongs and a metal bit that allows you to lever the obstreperous invaders up and out. Ha. The cavalry of Gardena is coming. War is in the air.

new aloe

The new aloe that was planted from a broken bit of the old aloe is thriving and looks like a giant green spider against the wall by the fig and among clivias that are also new there. Here's hoping ...

A little pool of rainwater trapped from the day before yesterday's downpour.

Climate change on steroids

Instead of the usual hot, dry summers peaking at Christmas and New year, we now have rain, rain, rain and today, after a brief bit of hot sunshine yesterday, we were plunged into heavy, dark rain showers. It was so dark in the house I could hardly see my hand in front of my face. Stormy all night last night. Still rumbling out there, but with glittering breakthrough of sun and showers of glancing crystal from the leaves and branches of the garden trees. What they used to say was a "monkey's wedding" when I was a child.

Some pics of sudden sun on the branches of the acacia caffra, making the bark look fiery red and a glittering lake of rain rings on the courtyard bricks. Click to enlarge.