I couldn't fall asleep, simply because it seems such a shame to be inside, sleeping when it's finally a lovely temperature outside! I kept wanting to get outside and put some ideas into action.
I just got up and went for a smoke. I shut the mippies behind the passage door and open the front door - if I feel safe, I go and sit outside. When I got back, Ziva and Mewthos were sitting in the passage - but Lady Jane wasn't in the armchair, where I had left her! Had she slipped past me and gotten out? I looked and looked, then put on my glasses and looked out the kitchen window ... when I turned around, I saw that she was curled up on the kitchen chair! Why don't they come when I call in distress? Sigh!
Checking where each mippie is before I shut the passage door, so they can't get out, is the trickiest part of having a smoke these days! I still don't smoke inside - well, except at night, when I stand inside, albeit by the open front door. It gets tricky, when mippies see me active and want to play! I have several times chosen not to smoke, after all, simply because mippies were having fun in the lounge.
As I was emptying pots today, I also unearthed the tecoma logs I had put in them. I washed them off - no, not with a bucket and cloth, we have borehole water: no water restrictions, so I sprayed them with the hosepipe - and put them around the outside of one bed. It's looking nice! And I'm sure mippies will start enjoying them again, soon.
My landlady told me that tomorrow, they would go and get something to put on my bedroom and bathroom windows, so that I could open the windows, yet mippies can't get out. They mentioned tying it to the burglar bars with cable ties ... only when I went to bed did it occur to me: that won't really work! Because it leaves the 'gap' between the bars untied or not tight enough and mippies could get out! I also didn't understand exactly what they mean to get - I hope it's not material, because mippie claws can get through that with no trouble! While having another smoke just now, I figured they would probably get mesh. And if it doesn't close between the bars, we can always use some of my garden stakes, tie it to those to keep it tight between the bars. It would be so lovely if I could finally keep my bedroom windows open again! Before the mippies, my bedroom windows were always wide open, day and night! And my bedroom is quite hot, with no air coming through - the fan doesn't really make much difference, I'm afraid. I mostly keep that going to keep the mozzies from landing on me for a snack.
Predictably, I woke up somewhat late and got up only at six. Mippies were excited to get out again - they saw that I hadn't closed the passage door, when I went to make my coffee, so they knew I wouldn't be leaving. Or maybe my getting up so late gave them the clue. Either way, they are happy!
Ziva went and ran up just about every tree in sight - and that's a lot of trees! Lady has also been on a stroll and Mewthos is on his exploration right now, I haven't seen him these past twenty minutes.
I had two cups of coffee before getting started. Yesterday, when I emptied one of the pots by the Vieruurtjie, I saw some small bulbs with something trying to grow - I couldn't think what that might be, so I left them there. On reflection, however, I think those might be Linaria, so the first thing I did this morning was to go get those bulbs and plant them in the round pot with the Strelizia. Then I got the last Dianthum and placed that in the same pot.
I've just come in to write this and to set my game for three hour runs. I hardly play anymore, whenever I sit down at the PC, my mippies mip for attention or to ask me to come outside with them. I barely check Facebook at all, and most days I don't get to the game anymore, either. I'm lucky if I'm allowed time to write the blog!
They've also taken to wanting a share of my food. Not that they want the food itself, but they seem to need the reassurance that I'll share. Wednesday night I had a pair of sausages, the one's with the bacon wrapped around, and I ate them in the armchair rather than the kitchen - and Lady Jane followed her nose right up to the sausage I was about to bite and helped herself to a small bit of bacon! Cheeky as you please! Mewthos followed her example, but Ziva refused to go that far - so I tore off a little piece and gave it to her. When I sit at the table, they mip around my feet for a piece. I've placed a dish next to my chair, where I give them each a little piece of whatever I'm eating. Half the time only Mewthos gobbles - he will eat anything! Ziva is quite selective, though. Like I said, it's not about the food but about the gesture.
I also saw my landlady outside this morning, so I asked more specifics about what they plan to put on my windows, and she explained that it's a hard, inflexible type of wire / plastic. They shouldn't be able to stick their heads out nor should they be able to claw it. It would be really great if I could keep my bedroom windows open again! I haven't enjoyed that luxury since the mippies learned to walk (not wobble, but walk ... to the window, up the curtains and possibly fall out).
It's now twenty past three and I'm exhausted! I spent the whole day just clearing grass and weeds out of the bed along the path, and I'm still not done. It looks done, though, so that's good enough for me for now. The purpose, after all, was to find space for the succulents in the round dish, so that I could clear that. Mission accomplished! Those little red flowering succulents my landlord had planted there are taking up almost the entire bed! Even though I've had to trim, cut and even pull out several of them, as they had started rooting under the path! I plonked the succulents pretty much wherever I could see a gap where they would fit - I'm happy to report that I found space for every last plant! Gosh, there really was a lot of variety in that dish! I have almost no two plants the same - each one is different!
I've emptied the dish and added the soil to the Vieruurtjie next to the car port. It should do nicely there, even though it's 'planted' above ground, rather than into a hole. Sigh, yeah, I do weird stuff!
Funny thing though: In PE I had our gardener scratching his head when I planted Gazania in the middle of the grass - he said they should go into a bed. Over here, I'm pulling the succulents out from the middle of the grass and placing them into beds! Ha Ha Has the wheel turned? Have I gone 'normal'? Watch this space ... he he he
I've washed out the dish - it clearly doesn't wear well, there are hairline cracks inside, not really cracking the dish in any way, just you can see a checker pattern of lines everywhere. Ah well, no worries. Then I put some stones at the bottom, added the last of the first bag of potting soil followed by some fertiliser topped with some compost and finally filled it to the brim with the potting soil for herbs. And then I went uncharacteristically organised again: I started by reading up on which herbs make good companions, and I learned that Rosemary and Basil don't like each other. Then I sorted the seeds by final height, planning to put the tallest herb in the center. And then I went and divided the dish into sections: Rosemary in the center with a ring of curly parsley around it and five sections for the rest of the herbs. I poked little shallow holes in one section, opened the seed bag, poured a few seeds into each hole, closed it up, then opened the next bag. I laid out the various sections with the wire I use to tie up plants, so I can clearly see the various sections. Very unlike my usual happy-throwing-seeds-I-wonder-whats-that-growing styled of gardening!
I still have a little of that potting soil for herbs left, and I also still have some seeds - catnip, chives and, of course, basil. I also didn't empty the seed sachets, so I still have all varieties left. Also very unlike my usual gardening style!
My landlord showed me the mesh they bought, it's quite stiff and solid, so I think I should work. They'll fit it sometime - I said to do it when they feel like it, there's no rush! I'm quite grateful that they are willing to go the extra mile! Of course, I'll pay for the materials - after all, it's not a standard fitting, but custom just for me and my cats!
I went and showered - Mewthos hot on my heels, hoping it was time for munchie! Sorry, my boy, not yet! When I came out, he needed quite a lot of cuddles and spent quite a while in my arms. They've all had lots of cuddle-attacks throughout the day. At one point I was sitting on the ground when Lady Jane came up behind me, stood on her hind legs and looked over my shoulder! Ziva still does her happy roly-poly. I worried a bit because Mewthos' nose was whiter than usual. It's normally a fairly strong pink but today it was a pale rosé - just a hint of pink.
After the shower I sat outside, with Mewthos in my arms, and watched Lady Jane trying to catch the sprinkler stream! It goes round and round and every time it does it's turn into my garden, she runs to it and follows as it turns past!
I finally cleaned the pee-box! I've put the crystals in - I'll see if that gets used. They've had crystals once before and used them, so it's not a completely foreign thing. I mustn't forget to try and arrange for delivery from ePetstore! I'm also running out of their Fit 32 again - they eat that almost exclusively, rarely touching the Indoor kibbles.
I watered the garden, nothing really needs much water, it's just a matter of giving the transplants a good start. I know Rose puts water into the hole before she puts the plant in - but in this heat, I'm worried that might do more harm than good, so I always plant dry and water after the sun has passed or set.
I managed to earn myself quite a sunburn today, though. I tried to avoid the sun, but while I was sitting and working, I didn't pay enough attention and it caught me. I'm now wearing a pink top - which matches my shoulders! Sigh.
Mippies are all played out and exhausted! Lady Jane and Mewthos are flopped on the floor next to me and Ziva is on the bed. They've enjoyed their munchies, Lady Jane enjoyed her Whiskas kibbles and they each enjoyed a small piece of my Schnitzel.
For myself, I'll enjoy my bed tonight, I'm sure. I don't think I'll have any trouble sleeping! I've accomplished the main mission, which was to get everything ready so I could start sowing seeds. Okay, so it took me two days, and I didn't start sowing on Thursday, as I had initially planned, but I'm happy with my progress! Tomorrow I can take it easy and just fill pots with soil and sow my seeds. I'll sow the basil with the tomatoes - as suggested. I'll sow the chives and the mustard (don't ask - I found a pack of seeds in my stash) and place that out of mippie reach and I'll sow the catnip into a pot which I'll place next to their outside water dish. I'm thinking of sowing a few carrots in the white pot, with the Pelegonia (I can't remember how to spell it!) since it's deep enough. And then I'll just putter and sow as I feel like it - I can do all of it in the shade, so I won't add to my sunburn.
Oh, and the only things I didn't pay attention to, when sowing the herbs, were which want full sun or shade and which season to sow in. I haven't found that information reliable in the past - understandable, when you keep in mind just how large this country is, and how many climates we have. Pretoria has pretty much only one season, and sometimes it rains. Oh, we've had snow here - like once every thirty years. Last time was August 2012, so I don't think I need to worry. And 'full sun' in Pretoria will wilt everything not indigenous, so I don't think I need to worry that they are in the shade. For now, they need the moisture anyway and if I put the pot in the sun, the soil will dry out by ten every morning. I'll see how they'll do once they are plants.
For myself, it's almost eight and I'm ready to sleep ...
As I was emptying pots today, I also unearthed the tecoma logs I had put in them. I washed them off - no, not with a bucket and cloth, we have borehole water: no water restrictions, so I sprayed them with the hosepipe - and put them around the outside of one bed. It's looking nice! And I'm sure mippies will start enjoying them again, soon.
My landlady told me that tomorrow, they would go and get something to put on my bedroom and bathroom windows, so that I could open the windows, yet mippies can't get out. They mentioned tying it to the burglar bars with cable ties ... only when I went to bed did it occur to me: that won't really work! Because it leaves the 'gap' between the bars untied or not tight enough and mippies could get out! I also didn't understand exactly what they mean to get - I hope it's not material, because mippie claws can get through that with no trouble! While having another smoke just now, I figured they would probably get mesh. And if it doesn't close between the bars, we can always use some of my garden stakes, tie it to those to keep it tight between the bars. It would be so lovely if I could finally keep my bedroom windows open again! Before the mippies, my bedroom windows were always wide open, day and night! And my bedroom is quite hot, with no air coming through - the fan doesn't really make much difference, I'm afraid. I mostly keep that going to keep the mozzies from landing on me for a snack.
Predictably, I woke up somewhat late and got up only at six. Mippies were excited to get out again - they saw that I hadn't closed the passage door, when I went to make my coffee, so they knew I wouldn't be leaving. Or maybe my getting up so late gave them the clue. Either way, they are happy!
Ziva went and ran up just about every tree in sight - and that's a lot of trees! Lady has also been on a stroll and Mewthos is on his exploration right now, I haven't seen him these past twenty minutes.
I had two cups of coffee before getting started. Yesterday, when I emptied one of the pots by the Vieruurtjie, I saw some small bulbs with something trying to grow - I couldn't think what that might be, so I left them there. On reflection, however, I think those might be Linaria, so the first thing I did this morning was to go get those bulbs and plant them in the round pot with the Strelizia. Then I got the last Dianthum and placed that in the same pot.
I've just come in to write this and to set my game for three hour runs. I hardly play anymore, whenever I sit down at the PC, my mippies mip for attention or to ask me to come outside with them. I barely check Facebook at all, and most days I don't get to the game anymore, either. I'm lucky if I'm allowed time to write the blog!
They've also taken to wanting a share of my food. Not that they want the food itself, but they seem to need the reassurance that I'll share. Wednesday night I had a pair of sausages, the one's with the bacon wrapped around, and I ate them in the armchair rather than the kitchen - and Lady Jane followed her nose right up to the sausage I was about to bite and helped herself to a small bit of bacon! Cheeky as you please! Mewthos followed her example, but Ziva refused to go that far - so I tore off a little piece and gave it to her. When I sit at the table, they mip around my feet for a piece. I've placed a dish next to my chair, where I give them each a little piece of whatever I'm eating. Half the time only Mewthos gobbles - he will eat anything! Ziva is quite selective, though. Like I said, it's not about the food but about the gesture.
I also saw my landlady outside this morning, so I asked more specifics about what they plan to put on my windows, and she explained that it's a hard, inflexible type of wire / plastic. They shouldn't be able to stick their heads out nor should they be able to claw it. It would be really great if I could keep my bedroom windows open again! I haven't enjoyed that luxury since the mippies learned to walk (not wobble, but walk ... to the window, up the curtains and possibly fall out).
It's now twenty past three and I'm exhausted! I spent the whole day just clearing grass and weeds out of the bed along the path, and I'm still not done. It looks done, though, so that's good enough for me for now. The purpose, after all, was to find space for the succulents in the round dish, so that I could clear that. Mission accomplished! Those little red flowering succulents my landlord had planted there are taking up almost the entire bed! Even though I've had to trim, cut and even pull out several of them, as they had started rooting under the path! I plonked the succulents pretty much wherever I could see a gap where they would fit - I'm happy to report that I found space for every last plant! Gosh, there really was a lot of variety in that dish! I have almost no two plants the same - each one is different!
I've emptied the dish and added the soil to the Vieruurtjie next to the car port. It should do nicely there, even though it's 'planted' above ground, rather than into a hole. Sigh, yeah, I do weird stuff!
Funny thing though: In PE I had our gardener scratching his head when I planted Gazania in the middle of the grass - he said they should go into a bed. Over here, I'm pulling the succulents out from the middle of the grass and placing them into beds! Ha Ha Has the wheel turned? Have I gone 'normal'? Watch this space ... he he he
I've washed out the dish - it clearly doesn't wear well, there are hairline cracks inside, not really cracking the dish in any way, just you can see a checker pattern of lines everywhere. Ah well, no worries. Then I put some stones at the bottom, added the last of the first bag of potting soil followed by some fertiliser topped with some compost and finally filled it to the brim with the potting soil for herbs. And then I went uncharacteristically organised again: I started by reading up on which herbs make good companions, and I learned that Rosemary and Basil don't like each other. Then I sorted the seeds by final height, planning to put the tallest herb in the center. And then I went and divided the dish into sections: Rosemary in the center with a ring of curly parsley around it and five sections for the rest of the herbs. I poked little shallow holes in one section, opened the seed bag, poured a few seeds into each hole, closed it up, then opened the next bag. I laid out the various sections with the wire I use to tie up plants, so I can clearly see the various sections. Very unlike my usual happy-throwing-seeds-I-wonder-whats-that-growing styled of gardening!
I still have a little of that potting soil for herbs left, and I also still have some seeds - catnip, chives and, of course, basil. I also didn't empty the seed sachets, so I still have all varieties left. Also very unlike my usual gardening style!
My landlord showed me the mesh they bought, it's quite stiff and solid, so I think I should work. They'll fit it sometime - I said to do it when they feel like it, there's no rush! I'm quite grateful that they are willing to go the extra mile! Of course, I'll pay for the materials - after all, it's not a standard fitting, but custom just for me and my cats!
I went and showered - Mewthos hot on my heels, hoping it was time for munchie! Sorry, my boy, not yet! When I came out, he needed quite a lot of cuddles and spent quite a while in my arms. They've all had lots of cuddle-attacks throughout the day. At one point I was sitting on the ground when Lady Jane came up behind me, stood on her hind legs and looked over my shoulder! Ziva still does her happy roly-poly. I worried a bit because Mewthos' nose was whiter than usual. It's normally a fairly strong pink but today it was a pale rosé - just a hint of pink.
After the shower I sat outside, with Mewthos in my arms, and watched Lady Jane trying to catch the sprinkler stream! It goes round and round and every time it does it's turn into my garden, she runs to it and follows as it turns past!
I finally cleaned the pee-box! I've put the crystals in - I'll see if that gets used. They've had crystals once before and used them, so it's not a completely foreign thing. I mustn't forget to try and arrange for delivery from ePetstore! I'm also running out of their Fit 32 again - they eat that almost exclusively, rarely touching the Indoor kibbles.
I watered the garden, nothing really needs much water, it's just a matter of giving the transplants a good start. I know Rose puts water into the hole before she puts the plant in - but in this heat, I'm worried that might do more harm than good, so I always plant dry and water after the sun has passed or set.
I managed to earn myself quite a sunburn today, though. I tried to avoid the sun, but while I was sitting and working, I didn't pay enough attention and it caught me. I'm now wearing a pink top - which matches my shoulders! Sigh.
Mippies are all played out and exhausted! Lady Jane and Mewthos are flopped on the floor next to me and Ziva is on the bed. They've enjoyed their munchies, Lady Jane enjoyed her Whiskas kibbles and they each enjoyed a small piece of my Schnitzel.
For myself, I'll enjoy my bed tonight, I'm sure. I don't think I'll have any trouble sleeping! I've accomplished the main mission, which was to get everything ready so I could start sowing seeds. Okay, so it took me two days, and I didn't start sowing on Thursday, as I had initially planned, but I'm happy with my progress! Tomorrow I can take it easy and just fill pots with soil and sow my seeds. I'll sow the basil with the tomatoes - as suggested. I'll sow the chives and the mustard (don't ask - I found a pack of seeds in my stash) and place that out of mippie reach and I'll sow the catnip into a pot which I'll place next to their outside water dish. I'm thinking of sowing a few carrots in the white pot, with the Pelegonia (I can't remember how to spell it!) since it's deep enough. And then I'll just putter and sow as I feel like it - I can do all of it in the shade, so I won't add to my sunburn.
Oh, and the only things I didn't pay attention to, when sowing the herbs, were which want full sun or shade and which season to sow in. I haven't found that information reliable in the past - understandable, when you keep in mind just how large this country is, and how many climates we have. Pretoria has pretty much only one season, and sometimes it rains. Oh, we've had snow here - like once every thirty years. Last time was August 2012, so I don't think I need to worry. And 'full sun' in Pretoria will wilt everything not indigenous, so I don't think I need to worry that they are in the shade. For now, they need the moisture anyway and if I put the pot in the sun, the soil will dry out by ten every morning. I'll see how they'll do once they are plants.
For myself, it's almost eight and I'm ready to sleep ...
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