CEYLON COCOA ESTATE 179 



it has now broken up, a series of heavy thunder- 

 storms have greatly refreshed everything. 

 Trees are sprouting in all directions in a way 

 which could hardly be believed by those living 

 in a temperate zone ; roses which I had pruned, 

 in three days after pruning, threw out strong 

 shoots ; and a creeper opposite my window 

 grows three inches a day. These thunder- 

 storms warn us that the burst of the N.E. 

 monsoon is at hand. So we are making all due 

 preparation, by having every place made water- 

 tight. At this present moment two masons are 

 perched on the roof of the bungalow, trying to 

 stop the many leaks caused by the shrinking 

 and cracking of the tiles ; during the very hot 

 weather the sun is often so hot that the only 

 wonder is that they don't all crack. 



We are having a kind of autumn, inasmuch 

 as some of the trees put on autumn tints. A 

 few of them are bright yellow, and in the 

 distance look like birches, whilst the almond 

 trees are a brilliant red ; but alas ! the beauty 

 is evanescent, for in two days the leaves all fall 

 off, and in another two or three, the buds begin 

 to unfold, and the young leaves to put in an 

 appearance. 



The beneficial effect of the cool weather is 

 felt by human beings as well as vegetation. 

 Our vitality and energy are restored, and life 

 is again worth living. The nights are delici- 



