Good morning.
I am writing to you from migraine central. The triggers are many and varied, but last night it was the chilli oil that I drizzled over my dinner (leftover pasta. This one; 10/10 recommend) that brought it on. I have a pot of Heritage Rheuma-Salve by my desk, something my sister has, over the years, gotten our entire family hooked onto and with good reason: works for aches, pains, colds, congestions, a little pre-bedtime comfort-inducing sniff.
It’s been a week of massive changes and upheavals, and I’ll tell you about those one of these days, and my response, as always, is to burrow deeper under the covers and nap. Sometime last week, I finished reading Olive by Emma Gannon, and found I had nothing lined up for after. Many kindle book samples later, I have settled on Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce and I’m 15% in and have already come across what might be a solid contender for my favourite sentence of all time: her nails were painted like juicy sweets.
In other news, I bought some ranunculus bulbs from All That Grows and I am patiently waiting for them to grow. I’ve never planted bulbs before, but apparently, this is a better bet than planting from seeds because their genetic makeup is identical to the parent plant, unlike seeds which are a bit of a mixed bag. I soaked them in water for a few hours and planted them with their pokey bits facing into the soil.
(video above: the beautiful bougainvillea tree/shrub/fountain at home in Kannur. Listen to those birds!)
One of the reasons I like gardening is that it really helps you take a longer view of things. You’re planning months in advance, and if you’re that sort of person, years ahead, and that is something I struggle with in general. Planting something that looks like a bit like an insect that sat in the sun too long, watering it everyday, and believing that it’s going to turn into a plant with yellow blousy floiwers? Feels super unlikely to me despite a bazillion years of proof that that’s how plants actually work. I do it anyway. Having a tiny, chaotic balcony garden has been a way for me to make plans for a day all the way over there in the future, and spend all that time and effort over here in the present, and someday, with some luck and help from nature and Garden Care (on Osborne Road), see all that work actually come to fruition. An exercise in faith, really. It feels very obvious when I’m writing it, but in the day-to-day living of it, it feels more profound.
Anyway, that took an unexpected, rambly turn :) All this to say, it’s nice to have flowers to look forward to. I hope you’ve had a lovely week and are gearing up for a fun, yet restful weekend.
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I leave thinking my vocab is limited but now i can say ranunculus instead of 'that flower'. Not lying when i say i had no idea what they were called. Here's to health, flowers and more books. I know food's always gonna be on the table
One thing I've learnt about growing bulbs is you have to water them well. The soil should be slightly moist at all times.. until you see the head of the plant. What colour bulbs did you get?