House and Home | Wide Eyed In Wonder

A bug is eating my spinach leaves … but more about that later.

Late visits and a continued blogging streak

I’m late in visiting all your wonderful Weekend Coffee Shares. I started work this week and have less time to dedicate to blogging. So far I’ve managed to make WordPress happy by blogging every day. I wonder for how long they’ll congratulate me on my blogging streak?

A bug is eating my spinach leaves!

On another point. I’ve been wondering which small bug is creating lacework out of the spinach and tomato plant leaves. Today I caught the culprit in the act but I don’t know what the name of this bug is. I know some of you are avid gardeners, so if anyone knows, please let me know. I’ve sprayed the plants with soapy water and the aphids are under control but these little critters keep coming back. They look ladybug like but aren’t ladybugs.

Cooler weather

The weather has cooled down a bit. It’s quite a relief in a sense. It rained the whole day yesterday but today it was dry. It might rain later or tomorrow. Our garden is happy and the new grass seeds are yielding grass already, the shoots thin and green. What is a bonus is that we don’t need to water our garden when it rains.

Tomatoes

We picked more tomatoes today – a few big ones and a whole punnet of cocktail tomatoes. I’m adamant that this year we pick them when they’re just short of ripe to ensure that we eat most of them instead of the birds. It’s bad enough that the doves and the weavers steal the cat pellets! Next to the bananas, the tomatoes ripen rather well. And speaking of bananas, I’ve not been able to get fresh ones for two weeks now. I’ve still got some frozen which are great for smoothies. Perhaps this week the shop will have replenished their supply.

Well, that’s it for today. It’s been a house and home kind of post. Have a wonderful day!

This time of year is such a joy! The weather outside my window is worthy of inspiration. It’s a serene afternoon – warm, not too humid with a gentle breeze playing through the trees. Summer is my favourite time of the year.

The grass is green – carpet-like in the front garden and verdant in the back. The trees are lush and tending towards overgrowth, muffling the sounds beyond the garden.

I hear the sound of a light aircraft in the distance probably on its way to land at the Rand Airport. The subdued whoosh of cars on the nearby road is broken by the invasive rattling of a motorbike speeding to clear the traffic light before it turns red.

I hear the voice of my neighbour who has arrived home – the car door slams shut, the sounds of footsteps getting fainter as he moves towards his house. A hooter across the road hails the attention of the house occupants. A bakkie with a trailer laden with gardening equipment dashes up the road – garden service for the day is over and it’s time to drop off the rubble at the dump.

The radio is softly playing in the kitchen – a musical accompaniment to the business of the day, that is moving towards sunset. A microlight passes overhead. A lawnmower starts up. Chè taking is advantage of the coolness of the late afternoon to clear the long grass growing outside our window.

The cats come in asking for food. They’re better than any alarm clock – when it comes to food they keep time better than anything and anyone I know.

I close my eyes and try to discern how many different bird sounds I can hear …

Dinner time is approaching and soon delicious aromas will waft in the evening breeze from the kitchens close by. Perhaps someone will have a braai making the smells more tantalising. I wonder what everyone is having for dinner?

Mozambican-born Portuguese South African; reflecting on travel, writing, editing, life, family and change that has social impact; chief wide eyed in wanderer, wonderer and bottlewasher