Tail end of August, menorca

what can I say about the past 6 weeks?
– lots of visitors, all of them really lovely but I didn’t I actually invite any of them…
not that I wasn’t thrilled to see them, each and every one of them…
– when I finally got a couple of weeks without visitors, sis and I fought pretty much every day…
– then the Pyrenees for 5 days, which was Fantastic but exhausting…
– then more lovely visitors…
-and the final 3rd week sans visitors (now) I’ve been sick as a dog, in bed and currently on antibiotics in an attempt to rid myself of it before I fly to sicily next week…
-but the weather’s been glorious, with plenty of good swimming in spite of the predominantly south wind – tho’ I did finally get stung in the Bathtub on my last swim before succombing to la grippe – I think my body just decided “basta”…

too much fun, but also too much stress…

it’s the the sant lluis fiesta and the announcements of the festivities are floating over loud and clear on the breeze…

the garden is looking pretty great, albeit in the latter stages of summer – we’ve been having a bumper crop of green figs from the tree in the front – even a few black ones from the surviving bits of the big one out back… we splurged on a bunch of big pots for the front garden, of varying shapes and sizes, which we are slowly filling with presents from Rob and Paco (with wonderful help from June and Laurie) – mostly succulents but the odd clipping of potentially beautiful bushes and trees… the vines are a disaster – I didn’t spray them soon enough and I fear this may be the end of them… caña on the gina patio next year? que lastima… and one of the big pines in the front has the blight – looks very nearly dead, only a few green needles on the extremities… if it’s the dreaded beetle then we need to fell it asap before it spreads to the others… another massive bill…
I must just learn to let go and accept what comes down the pike, particularly with regard to my sister, it would make life a lot less stressful… the silver lining of finally giving in and lying in bed on drugs is that I’ve been watching movies and listening to music – including my own, trying to remind myself of who I am and that I am still an artist in my own right… which I will get to work on very soon, hopefully

– Sicily here I come – oh lucky me… count your blessings, girl… time to get back to work…

pirineos august