The air is a-rumble with the throbbing of engines. A fleet of purse seiners is sweeping the sea of a shoal of red-eye, a bait fish which attracts the larger species that we like to feed on. The boats have been trawling the bay since late afternoon and are now providing a spectacular light show as they circle the catch. Sea conditions are perfect, as they have been for days now, with no swell or breakers.
As I stand on the balcony, the bats from my belfry are divebombing all around me, hopefully gorging themselves on the mosquitoes which are breeding in their hundreds in a little dinghy at the side of the house. It filled up with water in the last rains (yes, there was a lot of rain) and because we seldom go to that side of the building, I forgot to a) tip the water out or b) sprinkle a little paraffin in the water. I've done that with the well and the fish pond (no fish in the pond) and it's cut down the mosquito population considerably. However, the bats also need food, so maybe it's a good thing to leave a pond for them to breed in.
The heavy rains have brought the garden to life and everything is shooting out fresh green leaves and twigs are almost growing as you watch them. The clivias are budding and soon will provide a magnificent splash of orange under the shade of the coprosmas. These trees are now 15 to 20 years old and reaching the end of their life. One died completely this winter, but a vigorous deciduous creeper has formed an umbrella over the bare branches and once its new leaves appear, it will be a perfect replacement, providing sun in the summer and shade in the winter. A bougainvillea and jasmine have similarly wound their way among the branches of another tree which is rapidly losing its foliage, and it will provide a marvellous support for these flowering climbers as they jockey for position.
And so to bed, my mutterings uttered...
No comments:
Post a Comment