Monsoon

I no longer need the fan at night. All three cats sleep with me and occasionally have catfights on the bed. Mangosteen is in season. It's been long since I had a monsoon in a city: the petrichor characteristically a mix of wet cement along with wet earth and a dash of diesel. Meanwhile, the plants are growing fast, the curry leaf sapling from Kolkata is dressed in new tender green shoots everyday. The butterfly pea bush is attracting neighbourhood aunties and random passers-by: they all pick the profusion of flowers that they can reach (so far I haven't seen anyone trying to climb the electricity pole to get to the bigger bunches). The aphids, mealy bugs, spider mites and ants are feasting on the basil and papaya plant. The latter has grown taller than me from a tiny sapling in just  three months. Cats sit and watch rain downstairs, but are always perched on something, even cardboard boxes. Clearly the floor is becoming too cold for comfort. It's been raining and cloudy(ng) several days in a row now. Clothes refuse to dry and smell musty.