Sleeping out

July and August used to be so dry we could dry veg outside.  "Rain?!? If only..." we'd have said.  

When conditions are erratic, predicting and planning become harder.  This is supposed to be when it is so hot and dry, vegetables become crisp in a few days.  This is a traditional way of preserving food beyond the summer.  

It was too hot to sleep inside.  Others were camping out, so I went to sleep (in my sleeping bag, against the mosquitoes) on the bench outside the glasshouse.  At midnight, the full moon looked down on me, surrounded by light clouds. Four and a half hours later, the first drops woke me; time to go inside.  Meanwhile, among the fruit trees, Ibrahim moved into one of the tents. Not so simple in the morning.  Good rain had fallen for 3 hours, so packing up was more challenging... 

A minor challenge, compared to what our planet is heading for.  

 This sunflower seeded itself, from those I'd brought back from our time in the Netherlands.  It has adapted well.  Given to me by Annemarie, the inspiration behind Leiden's Kruidentuin