Noticeably quieter today out and about. Coffee shop quiet - even got to do a little writing under the milkwood tree - a little input from Hemingway, perhaps. The roads are manageable again as the schools prepare for the start of another year.
As always, the hottest part of the year coincides with the return to school. In my day, the dim and distant past, this meant blazers and socks and shoes - absolute torture after six weeks of bikinis and bare feet. I hope this archaic and institutional practice has fallen away, as there is no need for a blazer in the southern sun which is so much harsher than in cooler climes.
We are now going to have a few days of really hot weather, with the southeaster rising in the late afternoon to ruin any thoughts of sundowners on the beach. My garden is literally littered with bright bracts of bougainvillea as the branches beat on the roof - definitely does the climber good as the ends of the branches are constantly renewing themselves. Another showy flowering shrub, the hibiscus, benefits from judicious pruning as new flowers appear on the regrowth. Never be afraid to trim your plants - even the milkwood likes a prune now and then.
I think I have traced the source of the plague of flies I have had in the house for the last two weeks! An over-enthusiastic scattering of fertilizer is most likely the cause, as they comprise chicken manure - no wonder the flies are in heaven. I have been watering like crazy to get the pellets to melt into the ground and the invasion has lessened, while the garden has turned into a jungle. How to strike a happy medium...
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