Francis

So now we have a pope: a jesuit who takes a franciscan name ... THE Franciscan name. Francis himself. Still feel a little confused by all this. Consternation even .......

Echiums at the park

Anyway loud and animated chatter about the election late into the night along our corridors. Couldn't get to sleep because of that so I decided to take (another) sleeping pill. Was back to see my doc who said though the fever and danger of the influenza was over, the symptoms will continue for several more weeks. What I suffer most is the congested chest and phlegm stuck deep in the bronchus. Can't cough it up so I choke and suffocate several times a night. That keeps me awake. And the weather has shot up - daytime reaches 28 - 32 degrees!!!

Orange flowers on cactus

My early morning journey to see my doc at 5.30am was a weird experience. The highway was smothered by a heavy fog ... so thick it was not possible to see beyond 20 metres ahead. I heard later that the airport had to delay 10 flights from landing due to the fog. Incredible. Bad for traffic but good for plants ... snapdragons are the big thing these weeks. Tall spikes of red and yellow flowers line roadsides and public gardens. Quite a sight. What made me excited was the flowering of echiums in Independence Park. Magnificent spikes of deep blue and purple attract bees, birds and butterflies. My echium form last year died but I planted its seeds and now I have more than 33 plantlings. I'm hoping for a stunning summer of echium spikes later this year. As it is, the freesias and anemones in the pots in my "garden" are already attracting countless bees and butterflies. St Francis would have liked that. I wonder if the new pope will.