La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
Some of you might remember me doing “a Mitchell“ ” off a bridge in May 2024. Check out the story here. As you can learn in that post, the bridge in question was angrily destroyed after my fall (not by me, by the owner of one of the seating areas on the beach). A new bridge and path had already been planned at the time.
Well, in my marathon walk Saturday in Fuengirola, I saw the completed path and bridge; it opened just after we moved (you can check out the construction here). It’s safe and practical, although I was disappointed in the aesthetics. I did, however, test it out and returned unharmed. That’s something. Here are a few photos of the new bridge below.
When San Geraldo and I walked over to Tynan and Elena’s for Sunday dinner, we passed a vine that had the most beautiful purple flowers. The flowers were new to us both and we saw them nowhere else. I looked them up and learned the plant was duranta erecta, golden dewdrop. It’s in the verbena family, and is native to Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean. Other names are pigeon berry and skyflower. It gets nearly half-inch-in-diameter yellow or orange berries. It’s been branded invasive in Australia, South Asia, China, and more. But it’s been introduced in other places and hasn’t become invasive. The one we saw looked like an intruder. Although it’s beautiful, I wouldn’t recommend it. The leaves and unripened berries are toxic, having killed dogs and cats. There are reports that children have died from consumption. Songbirds, however, enjoy the fruit. Lovely to look at.
I left the house at 12:15 today to outrun (I walked) the afternoon heat. It was 31˚C/88˚F. The hardware store was closed for the fair; I should have checked. So I continued to the large supermarket, Mercadona, nearby to see if they had anything for the ants in my bathroom. I have no idea where they’re coming from, but the stuff I bought weeks ago isn’t doing a bit of good. I found a couple of products at the supermarket (Mercadona) and then enjoyed a randomly aimed walk home. By the time I arrived at 1:20, the temperature was over 32˚C/91˚F and it’s supposed to reach at least 38˚C⁄100.4˚F. An afternoon for an indoor workout in the AC. I’m committed. Or should be.
Quizás os acordéis que hice un “Mitchell” desde un puente en mayo de 2024. Vean la historia aquí. Como pueden leer en esa publicación, el puente en cuestión fue destruido furiosamente después de mi caída (no por mí, sino por el dueño de una de las áreas de descanso en la playa). Ya se había planeado un nuevo puente y sendero en ese momento.
Bueno, en mi caminata maratónica del sábado en Fuengirola, vi el sendero y el puente terminados; se inauguraron justo después de que nos mudamos (pueden ver la construcción aquí). Es seguro y práctico, aunque me decepcionó la estética. Sin embargo, lo probé y regresé ileso. Eso es algo. Aquí hay algunas fotos del nuevo puente a continuación.
Cuando San Geraldo y yo fuimos a cenar a casa de Tynan y Elena el domingo, pasamos junto a una enredadera con unas flores moradas preciosas. Eran flores nuevas para ambos y no las habíamos visto en ningún otro sitio. Las busqué y descubrí que la planta se llamaba duranta erecta, también conocida como gota de rocío dorada. Pertenece a la familia de las verbenas y es originaria de México, Sudamérica y el Caribe. Otros nombres son baya de paloma y flor del cielo. Produce bayas amarillas o naranjas de casi un centímetro y medio de diámetro. Se la considera invasora en Australia, el sur de Asia, China y otros lugares. Sin embargo, se ha introducido en otros sitios y no se ha vuelto invasora. La que vimos parecía una intrusa. Aunque es preciosa, no la recomendaría. Las hojas y las bayas verdes son tóxicas y han matado a perros y gatos. Hay informes de niños que han muerto por consumirlas. Sin embargo, a los pájaros cantores les encanta la fruta. Es preciosa a la vista.
Salí de casa a las 12:15 hoy para escapar (caminé) del calor de la tarde. Hacía 31°C/88°F. La ferretería estaba cerrada por la feria; debería haberlo comprobado. Así que seguí hasta el gran supermercado Mercadona, cercano, para ver si tenían algo para las hormigas de mi baño. No tengo ni idea de dónde vienen. de, pero lo que compré hace semanas no está haciendo ningún bien. Encontré un par de productos en el supermercado (Mercadona) y luego disfruté de un paseo improvisado a casa. Cuando llegué a las 13:20, la temperatura superaba los 32°C/91°F y se supone que alcanzará al menos los 38°C/100,4°F. Una tarde para hacer ejercicio en interiores con aire acondicionado. Estoy comprometido. O debería estarlo.
• La madera necesita mantenimiento.
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Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
A beautiful vine for sure that has to be watched and maybe trimmed back regularly.
Jim:
And you’d have to keep all but birds away from the berries.
Well, that bridge does appear to be a huge improvement. I remember that fall and actually thought about it last week but rereading your post from when it happened reminded me of what a really painful and bloody situation it had been.
Why are so many invasive plants so pretty? I guess if they weren’t, people wouldn’t be planting them and there would be none to invade. Devious demons.
Ms. Moon
Ms. Moon:
I’m surprised you don’t have golden dewdrop in your garden.
I had the same thought. Who knows? One might pop up any day now.
Wow! Nice bridge and decking!
Interesting about “The Golden Dewdrop”. It’s beautiful, and i have never heard of it before! ..not that I would plant it…
…but to ward off children… hmmm….
Rade:
But what about the poor dogs and cats?
That Duranta is gorgeous! I doubt, however, it would survive our climate, more’s the pity… I quite like the bridge, too. It could have been so much worse. Jx
Jon:
Nope, not a plant for the extensive gardens unfortunately.
I do remember that post where you fell off the bridge. Your mishap may have inspired the building of a new one!
Kirk:
Well, my mishap was at least the inspiration for the complete destruction of the last unsafe one.
Golden dewdrop. I had one in the yard of the city house. The path and bridge could be worse.
ellen abbott:
I hope you enjoyed the golden dewdrop. A first for me, and it sure is beautiful.
I’m glad to see that lawsuit-waiting-to-happen was replaced by a sturdier bridge. Perhaps it should be named the Mitchell Bridge?
As for the ants, the most effective treatment I’ve found is to spray white vinegar along baseboards or window sashes because it wipes out &/or interrupts their chemical trails. The ants will bugger off and there’ll be no harsh chemical fumes to inhale!
Tundra Bunny:
I’ll keep the white vinegar in mind. It seems to be the solution to so many problems.
Blooms are wonderful can I catch u with u in Spain soon
finlaygray:
Yes, please! Are you planning on visiting in summer? I didn’t think the heat would suit you.
My ant remedy which worked for years till they built a nest under the siding,was borax mixed with confectioners sugar. They like the sugar, ingest the borax with it and collapse dramatically right in the stuff. It’s nonpoisonous to humans in the sense of no fumes, though borax isn’t edible. But you knew that.
I don’t remember the bridge mishap and wonder if you were doing a couple of things while crossing, true Mitchell style..
Boud
Boud:
I hadn’t been out of the hospital very long at the time of that fall and, as always, didn’t have a good sense of my capabilities (or good sense in general).
100 – 150 years ago, it considered stylish for wealthy people to travel the world and collect plants to bring home. Most were harmless, some proved deadly.
David Godfrey:
Yep. Look at the damage that was done. Even more recently, Pablo Escobar’s hippos.
Yeah, my luggage lost its balance on a curb coming out of the train station on Milan. I ended up on my face over my luggage. My right need was bleeding furiously. I was helped up and just before I got into a taxi a woman came up with a roll of gauze. What a sweetheart!!! I spent several days anointing and covering it; David happily had a tube of Cortisone 10 which greatly assisted healing. I still have the last of the scabs. I just left the stain on my synthetic shorts and cotton handkerchief till we got back. Amazingly, with a stain stick and a regular wash cycle, the stains came out completely.
Ow! That sounds awful. That must have been a very unhappy visit to Milan. I’ve found the blood stains usually come out with no problem. Grass stains, however, ruined my favorite tank top. I hope you weren’t all aches and pains for the rest of the trip.
I remember the fall and feel certain that the new bridge is MitchProof™!
We won’t make it out of the 80s today for a change, though more rain and more rain is expected.
The upside is the grass and gardens look green and beautiful.
Bob:
Well, I don’t think anything is truly MitchProof! But it IS an improvement.
That’s a pretty flower, even if poisonous. In my experience dogs aren’t very likely to eat a plant. Cats are another matter, though.
Steve,
You’re so right about cats. Dudo and Moose would often bite on leaves for no apparent reason.
You all are living in a fools paradise. That’s a triffid. Run.
Urspo:
Too late.