WINTER IN THE TROPICS…

…is not as rosy as some of you might think! My hands are so cold you can expect a few more typois thea usl.

But, for the most part, I do like this time of year. Grass does not need the relentless scalping of summer. And, as an even bigger bonus, my neighbours on both sides have these modern battery-driven mowers. They purr around their lawns making less noise than a kitchen blender!

Our “retirement routine” has, as is right and proper, been adjusted to allow for occasional naps. Sitting in the mellow after-lunch sunshine with a book and dozing off. And, although I’m an early bird, I no longer have to do breakfast -by-the-clock. Except for last week and this week. The Man has been called for possible jury selection and has to front-up at the Courthouse at 0900 hours, if called.

But it’s not much of a disruption to the domestic time table, except that I can’t drive off to coffee dates with friends.

I think we need a spot of colour in here, don’t we. Let’s see if I can help…https://www.facebook.com/reel/773894437437658/?s=single_unit

Remember I said there are goannas hereabouts? Well, the other day, The Man found a young-ish goanna out by the mail box and it didn’t seem quite “right” This was during a cold snap when temps dropped sharply overnight and the wind was straight up from the ice-bound continent. These lizards are, of course, cold-blooded and there was bugger-all sunshine for it to do much basking. So, we put him in a basin, with some dry grass and put him in a sheltered spot. But he didn’t seem to improve even when we were all running about in shorts and sunscreen, so we called a wildlife carer. Said carer(s) was/were busy so The Man took the lizard to the vet. It’s not a happy story, but the vet said there was really only one thing to do. So he did it.

OK! More colour…lichen on a mangrove branch.

The friend who’s whole-heartedly into this Indigo thing came over one Saturday and we cut a big binful from the patch at the front. When I say “binful”, I mean a large dustbin, approx. 75 litres; not quite as big as a standard wheelie-bin. Add to that, the several other patches he has around town and he had 5 vats of indigo! He reduces the liquid to a heavy paste consistency and stores it in jars. In the kitchen fridge, initially, but now he’s got his own indigo-dedicated fridge and the kitchen fridge has more room for the usual comestibles. (Happy wife!)

I’m still trying to find a garden centre that has this in stock: Petrea volubilis. When I find one, it can go bonkers on the back fence! Not called “sandpaper vine” for nothing!

Mr. Mago does us proud with his musical selections, and we can count on Jon to keep us up-to-date with current trends. I have wide-ranging musical tastes, but today, I’m winding back my clock to this voice. Take it away, Edith! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZR8QCmWmwM

BACK AGAIN!

I see quite a few bloggers apologising (or not!) for long absences between posts, but I still feel a bit guilty…

Enough of that! I’m here now to bring you up-to-date with some of my doings. No, not all the details. You don’t need to know about th Muriel!!!Stop that! Oh dear…

We continue to find-and-fix little things about the apartment. A loose screw here, and small crack there…The biggest of these was a non-draining drain pipe. When neigh bours’ storm water was rooster-tailing into the street drain, ours was overflowing the roof gutters. Hmm…not good. So we got a plumber to investigate. He had one of those nifty camera thingies that you can poke up drains and around corners. A splendid bit of kit, except that it stopped poking about six feet from the starting point!

Well, that would account for the great Niagara from the roof…So The Man dug the offending pipe out…it had been squashed flat! New pipe is now in place and the grass has grown back.

And, since he was wearing his “plumber’s hat” The Man also said he’d change the washer on the the bathroom basin tap; well, that turned into a bit more than a new washer! Once he’d cleared out all the shampoo bottles and Kleenex boxes and tooth paste stored beneath the sink…he discovered that the mixer tap’s out-of -sight parts were completely eroded and breaking away in veridian bits ! So, off to the Big Box store for a nice, shiny new mixer tap.

And in between all the small repairs, he made two lattice panels for the back patio. Not sure yet what to plant there as it’s North-facing so needs something tough enough to withstand our summers!

Also of interest (to me) was the harvesting of various Indigo crops my friend has planted around town. A couple of weeks ago I drove up to one of his crops, about an hour north, on a lovely rural property. Much hilarity as leafy stems were cut and prepped. You can see the blue-green tint after an hour or so of soaking in hot water. The process is great fun!

Here is a quick pic of my Indigo, planted in early January and harvested yesterday. It will slow down somewhat now and take off again in Spring.

In other news…the cat had her annual shots and was pronounced a very fit and healthy girl for her age. She spent the next 48 hours snoozing! It’s alright for some, innit!

UM …I SEEM TO HAVE PUSHED THE “GO” BUTTON…

I suppose that means I ought to write…

Once upon a time, I did write. Sometimes, I was paid and I’m sure the grocer was relieved! But I find myself in a bit of a blank spot these days. Back shortly…

So…a few hours ago the moon and the solar heater did their dance and the electronic calendars took a step forward.

And I brewed some coffee and came in here to continue writing a blog post.

But first, I checked email…and found this

Hello, We are writing to inform you that we will start to charge GST on April 10, 2023, in accordance with the tax rules of the country you entered with your payment method. This update will take place the next time you renew your subscription.

6 more lines about GST and tax laws in my country of residence. And then this

If you have any problems or questions, please contact support through the following link: https://wordpress.com/help/contact.
 
Thanks for being a part of WordPress.​com through the years.
 
 Your Friends at WordPress.​com

Well, goodness bless me! I am so glad I didn’t tell them about a wee* account in the Bahamas!

So today, after I’ve done a grocery run, I shall take a deep breath and see if I can cope with blogger. Here are some old photos, because I know you like to see a splash of colour.

This WAS a native mistletoe, scrambling through the neighbours’ Callistemon. The neighbour got busy the other day with his dinky chain saw…

Wisteria, from 20-plus years ago.

And our old favourite, The Drag Queen, “Powder Puff Lilly-Pilly.”

Still no sign of the big goanna; I expect he’s across the road in the wild tangle of god-knows-what.

This gem is from the 80s, when we were building our house in the country. The good-looking gal (with nail polish!!) is moi. The snake is a Carpet Python. No threat to ladies with nail polish. They (the snakes, not the ladies!) do a great job of keeping pesky rodents in check.

Don’t worry about me…I’ll pop up somewhere.

*Known as “wee” because it’s only a couple of drops!