Lock-down Day 401

Relatively early morning, now power outage! When it started raining again last night, and then thundering, I decided to boil the kettle, just in case!

As expected, having done that, I didn't need it :) Power stayed on throughout the night!

Internet was not so cooperative, though, so I ended up going into the garden very early! I decided last night, that the first thing I would do today, is pull out the veld grass around the rose bushes!

It's the tufts of veld grass, which I have to cut by hand - no mower can manage those! With the ground soaked, I can get the fork in and under to lift them out. Now the manageable grass can grow and I can mow that!

It doesn't really show up on a photo just WHY those tight tufts are such a problem

And that's what it looks like now. A bit brown ...

When that was finished, I carried on clearing space for my Spekboom. They're now all in the garden!

A tiny one on the far left, then four large ones.

As I was working, someone strolled up to my gate - turns out that's my landlord! The owner - I'd only met him once, so he's not a familiar face. He didn't see a car and thought I wasn't home - so, when I popped up from behind a bush, he was a bit startled!

He told me that he's planning to lay a line for us tenants, so that we could sprinkle our gardens - without using the water from the tank, I gather. I'm not sure how that's supposed to work - but it sounds great! I'll wait and see ...

He also asked if I had any problems, concerns, or any issues. I told him that I was very happy here - I get helped, when needed, and no problems!

Anyway, I finished planting all the Spekboom! Some, I'm afraid, are completely overwhelmed by disease - I'm not sure what it is, but there's no hope. I'm going to take cuttings of every healthy bit, and put them into pots next to the Litchi trees.

Then I started clearing the bed around the biggest ponytail - the center piece of my garden. I cleared about three quarter, then I'd had enough. And the sun was beginning to get to me.

One of the reasons I wanted that bed cleared, is to start a desert rose bed there.

As I looked at this mushroom shaped Spekboom, I was surprised to see it is covered
in buds! It's about to start flowering!

One flower is already open! They are really tiny - the phone always focuses on the 
background, for some reason.

I also finally hung the laundry to dry! It'll take a while, probably some time tomorrow. No worries! I'm happy with my choice to take advantage of the rain!

Mippies, of course, are very unhappy about the bulldozer outside our garden! They've been staying inside most of today - now that I've come inside, I'm attacked with cuddle needs ... Sigh ...

Oh, and some thing has eaten every last leaf off my Brussels Sprouts! Nothing left but the stalks! Grrrrr ...

I contemplated working on the bed I'm trying to make in front of the veranda, but then decided to first clean the succulent bed again. It didn't take very long - though some weeds have grown quite a bit, overall, I think I'm winning!

Then I dug up some thorns in the lawn out back, before cleaning the bed in front of the veranda, after all!

It's now four in the afternoon. I think I've done enough gardening to cover a long weekend - in one day! Just haven't done anything else, of course!

Now, mippies are inside and I'm ready to relax and brush mippies ... or cuddle cave ... or whatever they feel like ...