The Weather Station ~ There has been nothing joyous about the weather this summer. Even though I enjoy the heat it has been stifling – alternating with really cold wet days- and accompanied by gale force (or at least strong) winds all day. Everything is dry, and no matter how much I water things are looking limp and lifeless. On the upside the succulents are looking splendid!
Best Laid Plans ~ Last week I mentioned our fig tree – fruits of the Gods! And my late night swaddling of the tree in great swathes of bird netting to protect the gently swelling fruits…. a great effort in the half dark, nearly falling off the ladder more than once and having soft black balls of cold wet ‘squish’ from the abutting decorative bamboo fall down my back and even inside my bra. So you’ll understand my horror when I looked out the window the following afternoon and discovered that I had actually succeeded in creating a tiny bird aviary with an all you can eat fig smorgasbord – I could have cried when I went out to discover at least a dozen ripe and half ripe fruits eaten down to the stub.
Now, I don’t mind sharing fruit with the birds, but there are limits! And that doesn’t extend to figs. Ever. So out again I went and I cut a whole new extra length of netting and I swaddled that tree to within an inch of it’s life….. only now it resembles a giant spider web and I am not sure I can even get in myself.
The well wrapped fig tree…
It was a massive mission not helped by Bella cat who evidently finds bird netting as equally exciting and enjoyable as bed making, diving and ducking around the tree up the branches and pouncing with surprising weight on the netting as I dragged it around… nearly pulling me off the ladder again and creating a hole in one place that very nearly landed her in isolation in the house.
Tilly, Poppy, Rosie, Daisy, and Ethyl ~ The girls are laying low, having discovered a handy bush with lots of sharp branches poking out, two of them have decided that this is a better place to deposit their offerings rather than braving the coop where Poppy is STILL broody, and very defensive about her space. And I’m not sure who, but one of the girls isn’t laying at all, so although they are eating like kings ~ and kicking up a messy storm around the garden ~ we are unfortunately on egg rations.
Encroaching Neighbours ~ For the last few years the neighbour’s grapevine has encroached triffid like over the fence across the deck through the bamboo and into the fig tree, swamping everything in it’s path, it’s been a yearly summer long job to keep it cut back.
But this year for the first time I discovered something a little exciting… and I have let it be:
So I guess the lessen is you can encroach as much as you like, so long as you bring gifts 😉
Which leads me to:
House Guests ~ Over Christmas we had a friend from the UK staying with us. She came and went for a few weeks and has now gone home. This weeks shout out goes to the perfect house guest Elaine Harris. Elaine, you fit like one of the family, perfect energy, perfect harmony – thanks for all the things you saw needed doing … and then doing them, for your company and generosity, warmth and thoughtfulness, and for your incredible Constellation sessions.
Take a look at Elaine’s website below – and if you are one of my Singapore friends Elaine will be running sessions in Singapore March/ April.
http://www.elainerharris.co.uk/
Helena ~ I have been told for years that I should write Helena’s story, and so I’ll be making a start in the next day or so…. watch out for that as a separate publication. 🙂
In the meantime I hope you are enjoying The Week That Was, if you are I am happy for you to share 🙂
My Happy Place
