Well I've been stuck indoors most of the weekend. I live in/on Fuerteventura, one of The Canary islands in the Atlantic ocean, and we have suffered the dubious delights of a calima. This is a severe dust storm originating in the Western Sahara desert in Africa and it arrived on gale force winds. Apart from 2 quick dog walks a day, me wearing a snood, the dog not, I've stayed indoors with all windows and doors shut. The temperatures have been high, the air is so dry and dusty it hurts to breathe, and despite closing everything up there is a mammoth clean needed inside the house as soon as the dust storm passes.
These calimas are the main reason I can't grow orchids outdoors despite our year round nice temperatures. All moisture is sucked out of the air and today the wind was measured at hurricane force on the volcano peaks of the neighbouring islands. The airports have been shut, ferries suspended, and still little boats full of migrants are attempting to cross the sea from Africa in the hope of starting a new life. Many loose their lives attempting the crossing and those that get here safely are immediately deported again, so sad.
NASA shared a good pic of the start of this calima:
Fuerte is the island nearest the African coast which is on the right of the pic. We have a strange little foot shaped section near the bottom of our island. I live nearly at the top of the west coast of the island. The mountain in our village, Tindaya, is the oldest part of the Canary Islands - it emerged from the sea millions of years before the volcanic eruptions that formed The Canaries - and our mountain is not a volcano, it was seabed. It is regarded as a very sacred place for the Majoreros (the local peoples.).
Time on my hands has meant all my orchids have had thorough inspections this weekend and I can see evidence of mites again - the NEEM and soap will be out as soon as I can take the plants outside for an hour for spraying.
Hybrid Mode
