October 22, 2015

We are experiencing inter-monsoonal rains at the moment and they seem to be driving more and more critters indoors.  I have the usual frogs expertly detected by Patches.  The other day, a small bat flew in and ended up in my bedroom until it found its way out again.  Then there were these horrible big black flying cockroach things.  The only good cockroach, or anything like it, is a dead one so I swatted these out of the air with my Executioner and then whacked them with my flip flop.  There have been lovely green cicadas which died a natural death.  The ants cleaned one up for me and it is now proudly pinned as a specimen.  A lovely opalescent green beetle which kept turning turtle despite my best efforts to save it.  Snails and slugs of all descriptions.  I found a snail in my compost heap yesterday that has a shell almost as big as a conch.

The cicada

I continue to feed the birds and anything else that wanders into the garden and can get at the food. 

One of the crows that comes regularly for the papaya

Patches has discovered the computer and has been helping me to play solitaire.

We have just won a game

What should be our next move?

I have planted some arugula from seed, but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere.  On the other hand, the Flame Lily (Gloriosa Superba) has naturalized in my front garden.  It is highly poisonous, but beautiful.

The other day, I had to go to the Old Trinity Sports Club to pick up some money for Jez that was owed for cheese.  Trinity is one of three prestigious old boy's schools modelled on the British public school system.  It was founded in 1872 and is the only one of its kind in Kandy.  The other two colleges are in Colombo and Mount Lavinia.  There is a very powerful old boys network.  In fact, graduation from one of these colleges virtually guarantees a boy a good job/career.  The old boys have a sports club that overlooks the cricket/football field.  As usual, the money was not ready for pick up at the time appointed, so they gave me and my driver a cup of tea and I enjoyed a half hour of cricket.

My kitchen and bathroom have been very dark because of the heavy rain clouds and I have been wracking my brains for a lighting system that would be cheap and would cast more light.  I finally found it.  Shades made from A4 paper.

The kitchen

The kitchen

My bathroom.  The big round things are baskets make from palm fronds that hide the hideous light fixture and plug point.