Day 275: 9 January 2011

My driveway and behind the house is turning into a creek as the tanks overflow and the run off from the saturated soil finds its way down. The driveway to the road is flooding and the stormwater drain is gushing down the side of the property and across the neighbour’s land to find its way to the raging river at the bottom of the ravine – normally a little creek.

We can hear the waterfall roaring on the other neighbouring property even though it is hidden behind trees and shrubs.

The water is now accumulating in every hollow and flowing down every slope. The paving at the back of the kitchen goes under water every time the rainfall increases.

I have never seen it like this in my 10 years here. I am hoping it will stop raining overnight and hopefully give us a chance to dry out a bit tomorrow… The render crack in one of the kid’s bedroom walls has grown wider – I think there is some subsidence due to the high groundwater table and saturated ground…

There will be a time to consider repairs once the rain stops, but I am thankful that last year’s roof leak was repaired as it would have surely worsened during these rains and may have damaged the house.

Thank you Howard and Ian for fixing it for me last year.

Day 274: 8 January 2011

The rain slowed enough for those stallholders and customers hardy enough to get to the market. I enjoyed my organic breakfast, bought fresh fruit and brought home a car load full of boys to spend some time socialising together at home.

Some colour was provided today by this king parrot which came to roost for a while on our undercover washing line to escape the rain.

Day 273: 7 January 2011

Heavy intermittent showers today.

Everything is so saturated, even my downpipes are full to overflowing, backing up from the rainwater tanks and providing outdoor showers to those brave enough to stand under them.

We long for a little summer sunshine…

I’m looking forward a lot to tomorrow morning’s farmers’ market. A good excuse to get out of the house for a while.

Day 272: 6 January 2011

This day is always a little sad for me.

It was my mother’s birthday and I still prefer to remember her on this Three Kings Day.

Were she alive, she would have been 59 today – sadly she died too young, 12 years ago now.

Day 271: 5 January 2011

Not many things as tough on children
as a completely rainy summer holiday…

We are trying hard to keep our spirits up and any chance they get,
they still jump in the pool – there’s no lack of splashing water!

Day 270: 4 January 2011

Another solar eclipse and New Moon today and a good opportunity to reflect on my wishes for the new year. An inwardly reflective day and a busy working day too.

Day 269: 3 January 2011

Back into the normal routine for me, although the kids have another four weeks of holidays, I need to work.

This morning I was very brave to try out my macro photography on this giant Huntsman Spider which sat just outside our front door and was reluctant to leave. I managed to persuade it eventually with a broom – although it ran up the broom handle several times, making me drop it with a squeal, before I managed to carry it out into the garden.

Still, as frightening as they look, they are not really dangerous, just very creepy with their long legs, hairy bodies and ability to run really fast!

At least this one was outside the house and not coming in to shelter from the rain…

Day 268: 2 January 2011

Some welcome sunshine today, allowing to get some washing done and dry and some pizza dough to rise. Yeast dough is so much better when it has had some sun to warm up in.

The occasion to cook was a lovely dinner meeting at a friend’s house: Everyone brings a dish and we end up with a meal from different corners of the world. My Provençal and Tuscan Kale and Feta Pizzas were the appetisers alongside a good dry Champagne, an Indian lentil soup entrée followed, then an Asian ginger spiced baked salmon main and a vegan banana cake for dessert. The conversation was entertaining, the laughter was refreshing and the evening very enjoyable for all.

Have to do this again sometime soon… I so enjoy a small jovial group of interesting people around a dinner table…

 

Day 267: 1 January 2011

Welcome to a new day, a new year and more rain… well, the sunshine couldn’t last and this too will pass.

It was a lazy morning up here in the fog, a new book and a Chai Latte in bed… what more could I want?

I spend the day rambling about, transplanting seedlings into larger pots, cooking rhubarb – which seems to be the one vegetable really enjoying the weather and producing giant stalks and leaves – so I can make pies and crumbles in the future.

The birds came visiting, my resident Willy Wagtail, Honeyeaters and a few King Parrots who didn’t care about the drizzle that hung around for most of the day. The sun tried to peep through a few times and this gives me hope that we will soon see it again.

A reflective first day of a new year.

Day 266: 31 December 2010 – New Year’s Eve

Another day of sun and the flowers are out, a little late this year as I usually
use these lillypillies and wattles to make up for a lack of snow in my Christmas
floral decorations.

Instead I used them for our outdoor table tonight – we finally got to have the barbecue we’ve been planning since Christmas! An excellent feast it was too.

Happy New Year to all!