Lament for a Lost Season

I arrived home with the imminent prospect of load shedding on a rainy Friday. With no warm glow and a welcoming drink to greet me, I unpacked the bakkie and considered going out for supper. I do not enjoy eating out on my own. There is no fun in being surprised or disappointed by a meal if it cannot be shared and a second opinion obtained.  I decided on the next best thing and went to Karin’s on Main, the local restaurant, to order two thin-crust wood oven baked pizzas.

Long shadows of a sunny Sunday

While my pizzas were being prepared I went to the local supermarket to buy some milk and bread for breakfast. I arrived home with my pizzas, lit the candles and selected a good bottle of red wine. I was ready to settle in for a romantic evening of load shedding for one.

Without the heaters to take the edge of the rainy evening I opted for an early triple duvet covered bed. Feeling rather squashed but warm I fell asleep with the sound of rain in the orchard.

The sun breaking through on a rainy day

On Saturday I woke up to more wet, cold and rainy weather. I put all my plans for gardening on the back burner and had a warm comforting breakfast. The inspection of the garden broke my heart. The complete crop of what was to be the first harvest of the Cape naartjies, were gone. The young tree survived the encounter with the uninvited harvesters but the orange trees were not so lucky.

The kumquats were safe from the onslaught

Broken branches that were ripped off when the fruit was picked were lying everywhere. I cleaned up as best I could in the rain and went back to the house with a heavy heart. A whole season was taken by the unwelcome visitors. The organic naartjies that I was nursing for their peels that I wanted to dry for a surprise menu of culinary delights was lying somewhere discarded next to the road.

After lunch, during a break in the weather, I harvested some peas and carrots. The peas were a delight of green and white. They looked like a flower bed with their profusion of sweet white flowers. I made a mental note to explore the possibility of making pea flower soup or quiche.

Peas and carrots harvest

Lunch

With an enamel bowl filled with carrots and peas, I headed to the kitchen crunching away at the delicious snap peas. I made a Thai beef curry with fresh peas, carrots and ginger and contentment soon edged away the negative feelings of the morning.

Blue Sky on Sunday

Sunday brought the brightest blue day and chilled sunshine which meant that I could spend time in the garden. The newly made gate to one of the entrances was freshly painted by Shawn. I marvelled at Keith’s carpentry skills with the gate hanging proud and strong.

The new gate

I halted other painting on the property because of the rain and cold and will focus on the new roses and fruit trees. Having decided on the replacement roses I am confident that I will be able to get them. The fruit trees seem to be a challenge with Ashton nursery sold out of three cultivars of the four trees that I wanted. A week of searching lies ahead for me because I want to plant in the first week of August.

How can one not believe in tomorrow

I have decided not to mourn my lost season of naartjies because as Audrey Hepburn said, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”