Summer Garden

The hot, dusty Tunisian summer grips my garden as I struggle to keep it watered and alive. I emerge from my comfortable house into blistering heat every evening around 6pm when temperatures begin to drop while the sun sinks in the horizon. As the countryside dries up, it sometimes feels like a losing battle... 

           Someone noted that there weren't any photos of wide vistas on my blog. The reason is simple enough: my garden is large and I can never manage to get it all looking in order at one time, so I only take pictures of the decent parts. Since my trip to the States, everything is out of control and I still haven't caught up. However, here are a few shots with wide vistas. 

                                 My front garden from the front porch.

Note that my young pomegranate orchard is green. Grass sits at the bottom of the list when it comes to distribution of water resources. Fortunately, the local grass resists high heat and makes a comeback when well watered. It will remain yellow through the beginning of September. The silvery trees against the pine trees (upper right) are olive trees. 

                      Again the front yard, sidewalks and entrance driveway.

The large trees along the alley are fig trees, which provide deep shade and marvelous fruit. I'm on the lookout for pots that will sit on top of the two pillars. 
                                                The entrance driveway

                                           that leads to My Humble Abode.

A simple structure that keeps us warm in the winter and cool in the summer.   

                                 Nothing fancy, but I'm thankful for it. 

                                  Here are a few shots from the roof. 
             To the South, the front garden with a lone mountain in the distance.

                 To the East, a neighbor's property and another lone mountain.

To the North, the city approaches and we're seeing more and more construction. Not sure how long the area will remain farmland. 

Of course I have avoided shots of fields and local roads loaded with trash, uncontrolled dumping, and massive unauthorized and illegal building. Because municipal authority was wiped out with the Revolution, the thug culture that developed during the dictatorship appears to be taking the upper hand while Tunisia becomes dirtier and dirtier and suffocates in its filth. 

Ultimately, the tranquil Province of MulticoloredPieces may only exist in a virtual form. That is where I take refuge...