Sunday, July 19, 2020

HEAT: Cool Pools, Moonflower, Ice Cream -






Above - Rattray's Camp, Mala Mala, South Africa - 2010 & 2012
Stunning plunge pool/outdoor shower - elephants passing by in the
river below.



Vumbura Plains, Botswana - 2010
Personal plunge pool overlooking the Okavango Delta.


Hyatt Hotel, Raleigh, NC - a night now and then 
for a 'staycation' - before COVID of course!

 
So, no pool, no beach trips, no visits to a lake or pond
right now. Thankful for cool indoor air, whirring
 ceiling fans, tall iced drinks, ice cream.
I made my own this week, Pistachio, and it's good!
Served here in one of my dear friend Gina's
pretty bee bowls.


The garden is struggling in this heat of course.
Bob and I were out there very early this morning,
watering and dead heading petunias, geraniums,
soaking hydrangeas and the pots of basil etc. 


Last evening I spied this first moonflower 
unfurling its petals - watched for couple of hours, 
then caught the full blown flower before dusk. 
My moonflowers and morning glories are now
 tangled happily together, clambering up the porch.

MOONFLOWER

Ipomoea alba, sometimes called the tropical white morning-glory or moonflower
 or moon vine, is a species of night-blooming morning glory, native to tropical
 and subtropical regions of the New World, from northern Argentina north to Mexico, 
Florida and Puerto Rico. Wikipedia

Here's to another week ahead.
Stay cool, be strong, remain well dear friends.


13 comments:

  1. A pool sounds wonderful about now! Thank goodness for A/C! Take care.

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  2. I can't imagine how hot it is there; it's 92° here and it is mighty warm enough. The idea of a small pool is mighty appealing. My flowers are on their own; I'm not going out.

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  3. I read that Victorians used to have "dipping pools or ponds." They were smaller narrow pools with steps at both ends to walk in and walk out. They were made to take a dip and escape the heat. They were in shady & private areas on their property. Now we have plunge pools which sound just as good to me now.

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  4. Dear Mary, it does sound uncomfortably hot over there and the pistachio ice cream looks like a perfect treat. What enjoyable times you had in Africa, with some cute pools to cool off. We do have a pool for our very long hot Summers, thankfully. The family always love to come and use it 😍

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  5. Dear Mary,
    I have taken a page out of your book and have enjoyed a dish of ice cream every afternoon. Too hot to be outside even here where it usually cools down in the evening.
    Your Moonflower is a stunner.

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  6. Hi Mary :) Your moonflower is gorgeous! I tried to grow them from seed, but the growing season wasn't long enough! Oh a pool, I'd love to jump into one too! :) Your photos are lovely, thanks so much for sharing. And congrats on making your ice cream! I need to do that soon. I have a nice little ice cream maker that is collecting dust!

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  7. I have always been a swimmer, swam in galas and won medals ! I would love a swimming pool but it’s not really worth it in the U.K plus, it would take up too much if the garden for the little use it would get. Beautiful Moonflower. Stay cool, stay safe Mary XXXX

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  8. There are days when I wish we had a pool. Today wasn't one of them because, miraculously, it rained. It was overcat till around 4pm and I kept thinking autumn was around the corner. Wishful thinking, of course. The moonflower is beautiful. It's the first time I'm seeing one.

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  9. Our summer has finally arrived and I couldn't be happier, even as I sit in the shade and drink cool beverages. Swimming is such a wonderful way to cool off and you've done so in many beautiful and exotic places. What a gorgeous moonflower. Stay cool, Mary and Bob!

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  10. Yes, here's to staying cool. Summer, as Lorrie said, finally arrived here too. I am sweltering with no a/c, but sitting and sleeping in front of the fan. My walk will be postponed until sundown when it begins to cool. Oh how I love seeing your moonflower. Those pools almost feel cool just seeing them.

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  11. So enjoyed the visit, Mary. Love your header with your garden photos. Your pistachio ice cream looks so delicious, now I want some. And in such a sweet bee bowl. Love it. Stay cool!

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  12. To own a swimming pool to me equals being rich - which I am not :-) The narrow strip of land around my 4-units house would certainly not lend itself to a pool. When I was little, we had a small inflatable "pool" for my sister and I to play in on hot days. We loved it!
    The moon flower is very beautiful, and your pistachio ice cream looks yummy and great in the bee bowl.

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  13. We're down into the 80's once again, which is definitely tolerable. Back to the 90's this weekend. How I'd love to have a swimming pool in my back yard for these hot summer days, but that's definitely not something on our radar since it requires tons of maintenance. We also don't have a fenced back yard.

    Your ice cream looks so yummy. I do have a Cuisinart ice cream maker, but I never use it. I'm the only one who likes ice cream, so I'd have to eat the entire batch! And I'm also avoiding sugar again, so I guess I need to get motivated and put the ice cream maker up for sale on FB Marketplace. In the meantime, I will just have to day dream about ice cream and swimming pools. :-)

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