Friday 26 October 2007

It has finally rained

It's been a very dry spring. There's been fearful talk of ever more severe water restrictions. We've looked at our big back yard and wondered how we'd ever be able to do much more with it when there's so little rain.

One night of showers doesn't break a drought, but it sure as hell provides some relief. I just hope there was a solid dump of rainfall out west where the farmers need it most.

I also hope California gets some rain soon. I'm watching footage right now of the devastation and can't help but remember Canberra's own fires of four years ago.

Before work this morning, I took my camera outside to explore the rain soaked garden.

Here's my sage, which is a bit of a success story.


It's a thriving plant that flowers every year, well for the last two, which is as long as it's existed, taken as a cutting from a plant that never flowered in all the years I had it. Alwen, got thoughts on why?

Next, our first tomato. Sean didn't believe me when I told him the seedlings we planted last week (variety: Summertaste) are fruiting already. The man we bought them from said they were early fruiters - but before the end of October? There'd better not be a freak frost.


Still on the veggie theme, my first broad beans ever! I've never grown them before and I'm thrilled. Two nights ago we shelled these (they're still delightfully immature) and tossed them through angel hair pasta with garlic and red chillies. Fabulous!


And finally, my sentimental favourites - sweetpeas.


This probably makes me amazingly old fashioned that I love these so much, but I have for years. I love old fashioned flowers. There's an old woman who lives down the road from us who throughout the year has a garden full of foxgloves and dahlias and all manner of other traditional flowers. Who needs fashion? You just need beauty.

This evening, I begin my week of leave. I now don't need to go to work again until November 7th. How good is that? Do I have plans? Not really. Just vague notions of things I'd like to get around to, like more gardening, some baking, some odd jobs, some walks, a spot of shopping. We're going on a day trip on Sunday to the Southern Highlands, or down the coast - we haven't decided. And that's about it.

Needless to say, I shall be knitting throughout.