Sunday

While the power was out, I did the only thing I could: gardening! By my squash bed, the sprinkler has encouraged a host of grass and weeds to rise up and try to take over, so I decided to clean that up and take advantage of the watering myself and sowed carrots! They don't seem to be growing in the pots, regardless how much space and water they get - oh, they sprouted encouragingly in the pot with the Pelargonium, but never produced even a single edible carrot! Lets see how they do in the ground!

The sun is quite hot and I can feel my back baking, so I decided to move into the shade. I started by clearing some of the yellow from under the wag-n-bietjie tree. It doesn't look like I've done much, until you look at my compost heap!

And then it was just too hot, even in the shade. It was noon and I figured time to nap. An hour later the power came back on.

After publishing the last post, the first thing I did was make myself a smoothie! I had set some green tea to steep and added frozen cucumbers, carrot juice and orange juice, as well as a few grapes. Turned out quite refreshing!

I also need a loaf of bread for the week - and I've been trying to decide what I should do for the longest time! I'm too lazy to do anything fancy, yet, at the same time, I'm not keen on plain white - again! I had decided on a french loaf, when I saw the recipe for herb loaf! All you do is add some dried herbs to the mix! Simple ... so, that's what's in the machine right now! Since I'm home, I'll let the machine prepare the dough and I'll bake it in the oven - hopefully the power will last the next hour and a half, so the dough will be done.

The problem with this heat is that even a little effort raises quite a sweat! Just leisurely adding the ingredients for the bread has me soaked!

I wish someone would invent a real summer bra! You know, one with a place for ice packs under the boobs, or, failing that, sponges!

My landlord has put the sprinklers on again - yay! I've just moved all my seed pots so they get sprinkled.

The desert roses I got from Rose are procreating like bunnies! Lots and lots of baby roses everywhere! Soon they'll take over the entire bed - which I would love! They are so beautiful! Maybe in December, I'll move some of the babies so they'll spread even faster!

Mippies are melting all over the show! I wish I could simply join them and nap again ... but there is so much to do! At the same time, it's too hot to do anything ... yet I really, REALLY want to harvest in December! I've worked so hard to prepare the ground, then sowed just before winter and got a few puny tomatoes ... now all I really need to do is re-sow and water.

I've got big plans for the garden, and these easy to grow veggies are just the beginning! There is still a ton of work to be done! Especially turning more of the ground into fertile beds - which will be a LOT of work!

Anyway, re-sowing into prepared ground is not too hard work. I also don't sow everything at the same time, but give it some intervals, so that it won't all be ripe at the same time. I've now re-sown the bush beans, some peas again, and, of course, watermelons! Again! Only now I've put some stakes into the middle of the bed, hopefully making it too uncomfortable for mippies to piddle there!

I also sowed some multi-coloured Alyssum into the hanging pot and hung it in the middle of the ladder structure which is right in the center of my garden.

I have a teeny little problem with Tynx. You know all the flower seeds I placed on Friday? Well, the little minx is busily digging them up! I tried to discourage her, but she loves snaking around the Cosmos as much as Mewthos did, when he was her age! At least she's stopped digging - now she lies on top of them, like a hen waiting for her eggs to hatch! I had better keep those patches as wet as I can!

The bread smells quite nice! Well, the dough, so far. I've kneaded it and shaped it, now it's rising in the oven. Next step is simply to turn the oven on and bake it.

Ideally, I should wash the dishes again tonight - but I'm really not up to it. I've just taken a cold shower. They sky is clouding over again, hopefully it will cool down and rain again.

On the down side, I'm quite hungry and I haven't really got anything prepared for dinner. I had taken out a Kassler, which I've already eaten, and I'm still hungry. I suppose a slice of freshly baked bread will have to do.

I've just made myself another smoothie - those ice cold drinks? Pure bliss! For now, I'm using up the green tea, since I don't particularly like it. Next, I think I'll use up the Fennel tea, another 'okay, I tried it, not so nice'. And then I'll be getting to the good stuff: Peppermint tea! That will be cool, I'm sure!

Okay, THAT was weird! I just went into the kitchen to check on the bread and found the window covered in flies! I took the bread out of the oven and placed it in the bathroom to cool! Then I went and zapped them one by one with doom! It was a bit like that old arcade game 'Asteroids' where you zap, zap, zap every black dot you see! I have no clue what attracted them, where they came from or what they were doing there!

Anyway, the loaf of bread looks good! It's big - 700 gram, so it should last the whole week. And the cheese? Also done and looking good! It's about two handfuls, I'll see later how many slices I'll get out of that! I've added some salt, as suggested, but no other spices. Right now, I think I'll lie down for a bit - though I can't sleep, as it's six, getting close to 'mippie indoor' time.

Right, my lunch tomorrow: fresh home made cheese on fresh home made bread! How's that for luxury?

Mippies are inside, the Mini has a thing about my shoes! She loves putting her paws inside and either playing with them or sleeping on top of them.

Anyway, I think I've written enough today ... I'm ready to rest and call it a day.