It’s raining again! 5 August 2014.

In the name of Allah most gracious most merciful

 

 gutter strawberries



Its raining again oh, oh. As a child of District Six I loved to walk through the rain from school, unstrap my shoes, slip off my socks and walk in the side of the gutter where the overflow stormed down. I’d hold up my head and open my mouth for the droplets - would be completely rained through by the time I got home. It was quite a walk up from Sidney Street and into the Dry Dock. This continued even when we moved to the Cape Flats. My Mom would freak out completely, running to the door with towels and wanting to usher me into warm water and rub me down so I don’t pick up a cold. She would put my head on her toweled lap and rub my hair and until I was red in the face. And then somehow I did not do it anymore, I mean walk in the rain. I think I became so boring.

 
Yesterday, Abu and I took our new/old bakkie for a spin – off course we went to a nursery in the area, how else could we test the back area. We pulled our hoodies over tightly and walked in the rain. That sensation of youth without a care in the world. It was groovy, you should try it sometime. We ran for cover, I pretended that my scarf had slipped off and huge raindrops plopped on my head - just take a warm shower afterward but if you get the flu please don’t blame me. It was such fun, because I also got some plants out of the deal for very cheap.

I have wanted to dig out one of the bushes of arum lillies or vark lelies as it is called in Varkensvlei on the road and stash it a corner in my garden – they grow wild on the fields here. But then I thought no Yasmine it may belong to someone else. So hello, what do we have here – some arums, nice developed foliage and some babies on the side. I picture it in my mind tall white lillies with the daisies at its feet, priceless!

Is this Als?

We also bought some overgrown carnation bushes from which I will do many, many cuttings, a few white lavender plants - so up Abu’s alley and rosemary and thyme little ones. I don’t know which kind of carnations they are yet but I will recognise them somewhere – my Mom used to put in steggies all over the garden all of the time.  And I found Als but don't know what its called in English. The groen amara from Wellington is similar.

curryleaf with berries

 I never realised that curry leafs are also male and female plants until I saw my sister in laws tree filled with berries and remember that mine have little sprays of white flowers but no berries. My foliage is also softer and greener but they are both awesome when it hits the curry. So I took some dried berries to see if they can grow from berries. Curry leaves are so pedantic.

 

wall creeper

 

 

My brothers outside walls (there where the golden lady bug lives and gutters of strawberries) are also covered with a creeper with tiny purple flowers that the wind somehow just blew there they are spectacular.

The one almond tree in the garden is filled with blossoms it is sooooo beautiful, pic later The other two young trees still linger without bloom but are filled with foliage - one needs more than one for cross pollination but I am sure if in your area there are other trees of the same kind,  just as good. The same goes for avocado trees and apple trees. The garden teaches me so many things.

The birds are undeterred by the rains I think, they dive for cover every so often when I am in the shed I see them perched up there. And when the rain stops they’re outta there diving low and all over the ground for worms. One the signs that we made good progress with From the ground up is that there are earthworms all over, every pot you pick up, every bed you dig in, so no need for a worm farm too. No wonder the gopher is having the time of her life furrowing under all the roots where the earthworms linger.

Seriously, I need to get us some gumboots, my old suedes are really starting to fall apart and it stays wet and I think it going to rain some more before the spring.

Plant food and walk in the rain.

Yasmine