Of lilies

Golden autumn lily

 Autumn is tailing off ... and we're expecting the annual Orionid meteor showing tonight. It's publicised as spectacular but it is also known to be temperamental ... hence it might not as spectacular as announced by meteorologists. And it is best seen after midnight. I hope to see it tonight ... 

Autumn also means autumn bulbs blooming. I've had golden spider lilies for many years but they have not flowered in the past 4 years ... probably too much water and not enough sunlight. This year the bulb left in the trough under direct sunlight has blossomed. It's beautiful ... a full head of 4 flowers highlighted by the blue sky. There's a lesson to learn here ... that water and fertiliser aren't always good for some plants. A little shock, a little drought, a little heatwave ... and the best flowers are forced to bloom. Marigolds too are doing very well. The nights continue to be cool ... about 16 degrees so even the Spring bulbs have started sprouting. I'm expecting a riot of colours and perfumes in February next year. It's very rewarding ... gardening in 4 seasons.

Lily and marigolds

Infection rates have remained below 1000 which is good news for us all. But everyone is bracing for a new boom of infections because schools have reopened despite experts' warnings. We've seen it before last May but no lesson was learned. Mistakes are doomed to repeat itself. And worse, more lives lost for no reason.

Today our workers from Palestine were allowed to come back to work. That's a relief for me ... I don't have to hold 2 forts alone. Still I have to direct their work as 1 month has passed since they last were in office. Workload has piled up ... backlog must be cleared.

Meantime UAE and Israeli reps have met in both countries. There's hope for economic cooperation, mutual investment. Let's hope all benefit from it. The only losers are those who don't want to join into this new paradigm of cohabitation in the Middle East.