Not such a good night, although I’m not sure why. I
have a recollection of nightmares throughout the night, not just last night.
When I wake up, it’s so vague, I can’t be sure. I don’t know what I should be
having nightmares for or about.
I woke around half past seven, with an impatient Ziva
right in front of me. Mewthos got out with Ziva and me, so I tried having him
alone again – but he just cries and cries and wants to go back to his siblings.
Lizzy is the only one I feel can be happy without the entire family. Earl
maybe, Lady Jane perhaps, but Mewthos? He’s the oldest, but a total cry-baby!
Always has been.
It was drizzling outside so Ziva just sat on the ledge
till it let up, then she went under her Spekboom. Now she’s back inside playing
with her Mip Mips. It’s kind of strange, she’ll play with them as long as she
doesn’t see me watching – when she sees that I’m watching her, she snaps into ‘adult’
mode. A bit like a naughty child having been caught doing something she’s not
supposed to. She’ll play with me, with the stick, but almost hesitantly, and as
soon as any Mip Mip joins, she ignores the stick.
I’m not sure what to do with my day today, there’s no
chores driving me, the weather has cleared, though it’s quite windy. I’d like
to go out into the garden, but that would mean locking the Mip Mips in the
bedroom – and they’re in full play, having such a lot of fun.
When they settled down I shut them in the bedroom and
went out for an hour. The ground is bone dry! Despite the rain which was still
drizzling this morning. I cleaned out the cornflowers, cleared the bed – but the
wind is really quite strong. Everything was blowing around my head – when I got
back inside, I looked like a straw-witch! The wind also keeps me feeling cool so
I don’t feel the sun burning me; which is why I went back inside after an hour.
I let the Mip Mips out, but all they’d do is find a
comfy spot to nap. So after another hour I packed them back into the bedroom
and went back into the garden. I sowed the Sweet Pea and Cosmos seeds Rose and
I had collected. I sowed them along the wall dividing our gardens – behind the
fence. They can flourish there undisturbed – the garden service doesn’t bother
to get too close to the fence, even without the beds in front of it. Then I
topped it with fertilizer (by the smell, I’d say it’s pure manure) and then
with potting soil (I’ve run out of compost) just to give them some depth (I’m
sure you can imagine, it’s and awfully awkward reaching under the fence to get
behind it). I won’t water right now, as the sun is blazing down.
Then I sowed small flowers into the planter: Alyssum,
Chrysanthemum (Paludosum, which look like daisies or Chamomile), Gazania, and
Petunia. None said to grow taller than 30cm. Added manure and then topped it up
with Potting Soil. Lastly I planted Peas. The packet says they are standard
peas, not sweet peas. I hope that’s not BS, because I love fresh Peas! I’ve
planted then at the back all the way along the fence – so they can creep up the
fence for support.
Then I came back up to mewling Mip Mips wanting to
come out. Yeah, sorry – I’m feeling selfish today. I’m allowed! Oh, and Ziva
was sleeping on my chair. Again: Sorry, off you go. I also still have some
Lettuce and Brussel Sprout seeds, and some Radish as well. I’m thinking of
turning all the beds along the fence into vegetable beds. Pity I don’t have a
larger variety of seeds, but since the felines are emptying my bank account, I’ve
had to give up my obsessive seed buying sprees.
Right, I’ve weeded what used to by the tomato bed.
Some of that Kikuyu had burrowed nearly right across to the wall! I pulled out
the stakes – one of them was bent! That tells me there isn’t much soil before
hitting rock. And then I sowed a row of Brussel Sprouts. I should have stopped
there, I know, but I couldn’t help myself – I sowed another row of lettuce in
front of them and radishes behind. Added the manure, then potting soil.
I also cleared all Kikuyu and weeds out of the
Nasturtium bed. No need to sow anything, as the whole bed is practically
covered with Nasturtium seeds. I just added some manure and covered them with
the rest of the potting soil. That leaves me one last bag to use – which I
meant for upstairs pots. But I’m holding off on that until I’m quite sure I’ve
eradicated the silkworm. I’ve checked the Rosemary and didn’t find anything.
An hour later and I’ve sowed all the lettuce and a lot
of the Brussel sprouts in the beds along the fence. For a change, I’ve been
prudent with the seeds – not something I’m known for. I normally empty pack
after pack of seeds in the same bed, leaving it a mystery what’ll come up and
what doesn’t. In the last bed, I sowed lettuce on the left and Brussel Sprouts
on the right. Let’s see how that’ll grow. Half the beds are still in the sun,
so I shouldn’t water, yet. I better not forget to do that once it’s all in the
shade.
Back upstairs the Mip Mips are mewling again to be let
out. So I let them out. So they find themselves a comfy spot to sleep. Ziva
lies down under the dresser for another nap, so I figure this is a good time to
feed the bird. Rose is visiting friends today and might not be back in time to
visit.
No trouble going in and out of the spare bedroom – but
Ziva heard the fridge, so everyone is up and about again. It’s suspiciously
quiet in the kitchen where the Mip Mips have gathered, so I go and take a look.
What do I find? Mewthos and Earl investigating the kitchen window! Above the
sink! I grab Earl – who just KNOWS he’s in trouble, so his claws come out. Now
I’m nursing half a dozen scratches on my right hand. The one on my palm wouldn’t
stop bleeding. Mewthos knocked over the plastic bottle I’d been using as a vase
for the Rain flowers Rose had brought me, splashing me full of water in the
process. I got lucky, nothing was broken. Sigh, you know what this means,
though, right? Yep – no leaving the bedroom door open at night yet. Not for a
while, yet. I’d been hoping that I could do that sometime soon – alas, my hopes
are dashed!
Speaking of dashed hopes, I scrutinized the Rosemary
very, very closely – and I’m sorry to say I found two more leaves with
silkworm. That may not sound like much, but that’s exactly two too many for my
peace of mind. I’ve picked off every leaf that showed signs of wilting (a
handful!) then treated the plant again.
Shut the Mip Mips away again and went out to water the
garden. Yikes, did it only take a LOT of water! Even the Nasturtium bed – I emptied
three cans in that bed, in the past, one watering can would result in water
running over.
Rose was home in time to visit after all, when she
started telling me in detail all the lovely food she had today, I got rather
hungry myself. My dinner tonight is not very exciting, though: steamed potatoes
with a gem squash. Oh, and for excitement I added garlic butter!
The felines are already sleeping – again! I wonder how
long that will last?
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