assassin bug
Dear Ciara,
Freedom! My work event was a success and now I can finally breathe again. I hadn’t realised how stressed I’d been for it—and now that it is gone, I am noticing all the things I missed during my period of intense focus. You should see it. Sometime in the last week, every single golden penda in my street has bloomed. The street is filled with golden foliage and the calls of lorikeets who go absolutely manic for the nectar.
To celebrate the success of my work event, The Organist and I drove north to visit those markets we like and drank Vietnamese iced-coffee beneath a spiralling canopy of fig trees. The branches of those trees cascade towards the heavens like the arms of the Hecatoncheires. Tassel ferns hang off each branch. It’s as if the trees are each sporting a fringed jacket. They are very fashionable and The Organist is very jealous.
We spent some time exploring a nearby Anglican church, which was nestled amongst a dense garden of ixora and pink torch gingers. I found a large assassin bug perched on one of the ixoras, hunting for prey. What a marvellous creature! I really need to attract some of them into my garden so they can help me in my war against the pests.
On the way home, we stopped in at a local nursery I’ve been meaning to explore. After browsing for a while, we ended up purchasing two new plants for the garden. I decided to buy a small sea hibiscus with glossy green leaves. As you can probably tell from my recent letters, I have fallen in love with sea hibiscus. I hope to one day grow many more hibiscus varieties in the garden. Rosellas are next on my list. The Organist purchased a tropical jasmine which we have planted in a hanging pot and hope to train to climb along the back of the clothesline. God, it smells delicious. I wish I could eat it. How is your jasmine plant going?
Well, the sun is going down now. Pinks and mauves are attempting to burst through the dense cloud cover. I have to go and prepare some radish greens for a curry I am making. I’ll speak to you soon.
The song for today is:
My My My! — Kevin Atwater
Originally written by Troye Sivan, Atwater has turned this fun-filled synth-pop track into a moody mess of guitars and soft vocals. I absolutely love it. It’s a great song to drive to.
Love,
The Gardener