A sunny day
Today it's finally apparent that spring is well under way here in the south peninsula. The best part is spending my day at home while the husband is off on his film shoot. I could have gone but I know I'd lose what precious little sanity I have remaining. I need a break from running around like a chickenless head.
So, I'm taking it slow today. I slept, gloriously until the sun was up, getting out of bed at the unheard-of hour of 8.30am. The sky is a delicate blue, there's a slight breeze and the sunshine is like golden butter.
I took some time out to look at my garden. The aloes out front are doing well and I've put another Aloe ferox out on the front section. The plan is to eventually have most of the front with just succulents, my three acacias and a few select fynbos. Mostly I'm really pleased at my Leucodendron argentum (silver tree), which has been growing happily since my birthday and is sporting about 30cm new growth. These chaps are notorious for dying for no apparent reason but my neighbour who is a professional landscaper, has planted one himself and reckons they should do well here, despite that they prefer east-facing slopes.
The Aloe barbarea (tree aloe) that was decapitated when we moved here about three years ago has sprouted loads of lateral branches, which I'll now have to prune away. The nice thing is I can root these cuttings and in a few years' time I'll have a veritable forest of them. At least that's the plan. The Euphorbia ingens (naboom) are looking magnificent, making loads of lateral branches.
The Dracena draco (dragon tree) is also looking great, although I'll probably be dust by the time it's as large as some of the specimens I've seen around the Cape. I love these trees. Hailing from the Canary Islands, they apparently used to be propagated by a large species of flightless (and now-extinct) pigeon, which would eat the fruit then excrete the seeds.
So, the incredible Lovecraftian alien garden is doing well and it may not look like much now but given another few years, many of the smaller succulents should be flowering. I'd like to eventually germinate from the birds 'n bees-pollinated aloes but until such time that I can spend more time at home, that may not be likely.
The baboons were hanging about again today. One of the rogue males sat on my neighbour's balcony for a while, scratching at his bollocks and peering around in his typically myopic fashion. He let out one, loud, coughing bark until the baboon monitor succeeded in sending him on his way. According to William next door, he got into his house the other day when his kids were around. Everyone got a big fright, I'm sure. William hates living like this with the baboons around but you know, it's live and let live, if you ask me.
To cap my morning thus far, I heard the fish eagle calling. I love that sound and I am thrilled that these majestic birds still live here. Granted, we do have a lot of dams and lakes but with so much development happening in the south peninsula, I'm always amazed at the way the wildlife adapts to the changes brought on by humanity.
So, I'm taking it slow today. I slept, gloriously until the sun was up, getting out of bed at the unheard-of hour of 8.30am. The sky is a delicate blue, there's a slight breeze and the sunshine is like golden butter.
I took some time out to look at my garden. The aloes out front are doing well and I've put another Aloe ferox out on the front section. The plan is to eventually have most of the front with just succulents, my three acacias and a few select fynbos. Mostly I'm really pleased at my Leucodendron argentum (silver tree), which has been growing happily since my birthday and is sporting about 30cm new growth. These chaps are notorious for dying for no apparent reason but my neighbour who is a professional landscaper, has planted one himself and reckons they should do well here, despite that they prefer east-facing slopes.
The Aloe barbarea (tree aloe) that was decapitated when we moved here about three years ago has sprouted loads of lateral branches, which I'll now have to prune away. The nice thing is I can root these cuttings and in a few years' time I'll have a veritable forest of them. At least that's the plan. The Euphorbia ingens (naboom) are looking magnificent, making loads of lateral branches.
The Dracena draco (dragon tree) is also looking great, although I'll probably be dust by the time it's as large as some of the specimens I've seen around the Cape. I love these trees. Hailing from the Canary Islands, they apparently used to be propagated by a large species of flightless (and now-extinct) pigeon, which would eat the fruit then excrete the seeds.
So, the incredible Lovecraftian alien garden is doing well and it may not look like much now but given another few years, many of the smaller succulents should be flowering. I'd like to eventually germinate from the birds 'n bees-pollinated aloes but until such time that I can spend more time at home, that may not be likely.
The baboons were hanging about again today. One of the rogue males sat on my neighbour's balcony for a while, scratching at his bollocks and peering around in his typically myopic fashion. He let out one, loud, coughing bark until the baboon monitor succeeded in sending him on his way. According to William next door, he got into his house the other day when his kids were around. Everyone got a big fright, I'm sure. William hates living like this with the baboons around but you know, it's live and let live, if you ask me.
To cap my morning thus far, I heard the fish eagle calling. I love that sound and I am thrilled that these majestic birds still live here. Granted, we do have a lot of dams and lakes but with so much development happening in the south peninsula, I'm always amazed at the way the wildlife adapts to the changes brought on by humanity.