This month, September 2024, will be the month we will remember as a very difficult month, when history books of living in Lusaka will be written. I think I can count the amount of hours we have had electricity on mine and Sylvias fingers until today. Total amount. But hey, life still goes on and things still happen.
I had my birtday this week, and decided that this Lusaka Letter is free! A gift from me to you. I appreciate all of you that open and read my letters. I get very happy when you like, comment, share and become paid subscribers. Am thinking about some treats that I will bake into my paid subscribers deal and for founders. Will present them more thoroughly when I have decided on what I will offer. If you have suggestions on what you would like to get from me, please tell me.
September, the month I was born. The month the Jacarandas bloom here in Zambia, and the month when autumn starts in Sweden. It has always been one of my favorte times of the year. Here in Zambia, September this year started a bit cold and then all of a sudden it got really hot. The other day I decided to go out running even if it was hot, the sun was going down but it was 30 degrees. I just had to because I had missed some of my planned running days. When I got out I realised it was a Saturday evening, and I felt how old millenial of me, out running on a Saturday evening instead of drinking wine, or even wathing a movie with the family. So very over-40-millenial of me. It felt so good though. I also did not even think about it being a Saturday that whole day. I guess it is the life we live right now, spending so much time at home, writing from home, homeschoooling and Mayani being in between jobs, also at home. It is beautiful in one way, forgetting the days, feeling like all days are almost the same. I had sat down to write that morning too, so it was not even much different from any other day of the week.
Anyhow, September is a month for new starts for me. Maybe since its my new year starting, but also in Sweden it is the time the school year starts, the summer is over and everyday life is getting back again. And even here the school starts after having a break in August and people are still in work mood for a couple of more months.
September here is also hot and dry, and brings the Jacaranda, which is amazing. In the middle of the dryness the beautiful purple flowers sparkle and the fact that they can perform in this drought is magical.
In the garden we have a climber that also blooms in the most amazing purple flowers this time of the year (I have the name somewhere, my mother bouhgt it last year and we usually even keep the notes on them to remember the names).
Gardening, I have never been the best gardener, I have let my husband do what he wants in the garden. He loves growing eatable things, so our garden has mostly been filled with veggies and fruit trees. At least until now. This summer in Sweden I spent time in my mothers garden, and to see how it evolved over the months was really nice. How the blooms exploded in different periods and how the green went from bright to a very deep colour. My sister also enjoys gardening and she and her husband bought a new house this Swedish spring. She has planned a very nice garden too, so there has been a lot of talk about gardening. The seasons in Sweden and here are completely different though, so even if I think I can learn something from my mother and sister I still need to google information for the same plants in a subtropical climate. In September in Sweden the season is finishing, autumn work starts and the gardener starts dreaming of next season. But here in Zambia the garden never sleeps.
I have been googling climate zones and hardiness zones and it is very hard to find Zambia on them. South Africa there is plenty of information on,but the climate in SA is more mediterranean than tropical. My husband is a trial and error kind of man and he knows about the eatable plants we plant, but not so much about flowers.
Now when I have gotten an craving for more flowers in the garden and not only fruits and veggies, not that it is not wonderful to have an avocado tree, a mango tree, papaya trees, lime, orange, grenadilla and more, I have found it necessary to read up more and find information that is relatable to the climate we live in. I started talking more with mum, googling if i could grow dahlias (love them) tulips and other flowers I adore from her garden. And googling is fun but also sometimes it feels like I read something and then it flies out again. I started looking for something more steadfast and finally found Better Homes & Gardens Australia, a magasine on yes, homes and gardens from Australia. After reading some issues (I read on Readly, a subscription for magasines) I realised that they have the same (almost) seasons and some part of the country has tropical climate as we do. This magasine gives recommendations for the climate you plant in and they have monthly to do lists. After reading it for some months I now feel so inspired. I still dont know how to get Dahlias here (if you live in Zambia and know where to source them please hook me up), but when I do find them I think I have a pretty good idea on how to take care of them .
The bliss of gardening in Zambia also seems to be that it never stops. Every month and season has some things you can do and think about. There is not a winter hiatus as in Sweden, here there is winter maize and winter plants. This makes me feel like I have time, and do not need to learn everything at once to fit into a three month growing period.
This week in September, my birthday week, has still been challenging considering that we still have very little power, but I have also enjoyed it. Took some walks, have been writing and reading (read Hyper by Agri Ismaïl). Went with my friend when she got her first tattoo. She is very brave, did a whole sleeve on her right arm and it came out so pretty. Admire her “go all in or go home” attitude. Cooked some nice meals and avoided the heat most of the days. 42 years done and dusted!
Thank you for reading!
/Jenny
Ps. The purple climber on our wallfence is a Petrea Volubilis or Purple Wreath Climber. Ds.
Awesome pics and descriptions....Happy Birthday!