Tomato time

Finally, the tomatoes are turning red. Next year I will plant more. Have started sun drying some. They are so tasty. Actually not very red, more orangey. If I leave them until they are deep red, they are either half rotten or showing some bursts.

The weather has turned from too hot to warm summer weather with cool nights. Last night, I slept with a blanket and it felt so so good. The plants are happier too. Not so thirsty anymore.

The basil, which was looking very poorly after having had a shower of dust and cement because of the works on the veranda, have been – against the locals’ advice – put into full ground. I cut all the sadly hanging branches and nursed it with lots of water. They (5 plants) are looking extremely healthy these days. I hope they will be big and strong before the winter, so they will survive.

The mint is coming on nicely too. It’s easy to grow. I believe it is hard to stop it from expanding. The trick is to cut it often. And dry it, but not in the sun. It tastes so much better than the dried mint from the soukh.

I harvested the pumpkins and put them in the attic. There are 7 (small and big).That should be enough. I would like to trade some for pomegranates and “duberké”, a dairy product which is like something between yoghurt and cheese.

Am also in the process of taking the pits from the sunflowers. Will have many kilos of the stuff, but will need it for the visitors coming by. I managed to save most of it from the birds. Now, I have to save it from the children coming by. They like the “bizzer” so much that it is hard to keep them from it.

The camping is slowly growing. We’re putting up a tent (not a Bedouin one, but a modern one) to provide shadow to the campers coming by. Until now only French campers.

The last bunch left a lot of baby clothes for me to distribute. This time, most of it was for girls. There was even a beautiful red dress for Rahaaf. She went all quiet when I put it on her. As she is the first girl after 2 boys, she is always dressed in leftovers from her brothers. She needs a few dresses and skirts. I gave her a plastic bag full of cloths for Yasmine who has become a little bit stronger since the winter. She is trying to walk and succeeds in pushing herself up while clinging onto the veranda’s iron work.

One motivation must be to see her sister and brother come and play in the garden while she is left all alone on the veranda. She’s almost 2 now.

For the rest, this is the dustiest time of the year and my vacuum cleaner has broken down since a month now. It has been sent to Aleppo for repair and not come back yet. I need it.