The chillies are blooming, the tomatoes are just starting to show fruit and I have done some re-potting and re-planting. Moved the lemon grass from my back balcony and pot to the actual communal space, shuffled some succulents from one pot to another but what has troubled me (and I feel I cannot do anything about it) are the bugs and ‘infections. My egg plant seems to be swamped with a little green bug which I think is an aphid. I tried to take a clear photo but they all seem to blur. Here is

one I took off the web. I am at the end of my tether with them. Organic sprays and soap water don’t help at all. This is the second year in a row that my egg plant plans have gone bust. Last year, the first time in this flat, ants took over. The aphids got into one of my Calendula pots too. I dumped that this morning. Pity because I love garnishing my salads with Calendula petals and the flowers are just so pleasant to look at. I also pulled out my broadbeans today because they too had aphids beyond repair. However I did get a good harvest and now am looking for recipes. Some of the pods I will let mature so I can use the seeds to grow a new plant. By March though I will have to plant autumn greens and experiment again with my fenugreek (methi) seeds from the kitchen. Some new herbs too. (Have lemon basil seeds from last year and shall plant coriander indoors this time.)