My Balcony Garden

In recent phone conversations with my parents, I’ve been hearing about their endeavours to get their garden ready for the winter, and all the work that that entails in cutting things back. Also that temperatures are steadily dropping (this led to the demise of their busy lizzies!). By contrast here, things are heating up after the cool dry season such that I made the decision this morning, having woken up fairly dehydrated, that it was time to move from my Spring duvet to the lighter Summer one. I look forward therefore to an equally comfortable and cosy, though cooler, sleep tonight. Like my parents, I’ve been cutting back a number of the plants on my balcony, However, this is with the sure knowledge that they will continue growing over the next few months, and as the light has increased, probably will do so at a gallop. And this afternoon, I’ve sown some seeds – lettuce and basil – in the hope of a harvest in a few months’ time. Mind you, they’ll have a battle on as the soil I’ve sown them in is a million miles from the wonderful richness of the likes of John Innes or Homebase Multipurpose compost that I’d use in the UK. One pot appeared to have been a termite graveyard going by the number of wings in there, but maybe it’s actually where my househelp has been depositing the sweepings. If I get anything, it’ll be a testimony to the seeds’ endurance. I’ll wait and see. Whilst my ‘garden’ here is somewhat different to the one I had in the UK (a fraction of the size, and covered over), it is very therapeutic to have at least a little patch of green-ness to sit out in the few times that I’m home during daylight hours.