Christmas is over and it’s been raining steadily on the mountain since Christmas night. Welcome gentle rain falling from cloud cover that is allowing a pale warm light through as well –and probably putting a light charge into the solar batteries as well.
I have moved the car out of the carport so it can have the dust washed from its once-bright red duco.
Everything green is even greener; I try not to watch the grass growing or think of the mowing ahead of me when it stops and dries out. But that’s next week.
This week I have a good excuse to stay inside tapping away on the computer, working on my next book.
Beyond occasional emergency dashes I am confined within the cabin and the verandah’s dripping edges.
From here I can see the little dam rainspotted and filling back up to its reedy edges, and a young kangaroo mother and child grazing beyond the fence, their fur much darker in the rain. They seem unbothered by the weather; I assume they are warm and dry beneath their bedraggled coats.
I know we’d both prefer this to heat and fire-danger.
Hi Denis, down there on your wonderful green plateau. I suppose we lucky folk with high rainfall have to put up with the cloud times. Tallied up and I had just over 50 inches in 2009, so under-average.
And Laura, I think we have a new appreciation of rain in areas where drought or fire can be a problem. I agree enforced indoor time can be fun. Raining now but stopped long enough today for me to get more wood and for the batteries to take a fair charge from the solar panels, so I’m happy.
The new book is in early days but will be my biggest challenge yet!
Sharyn, for some strange reason I too am enjoying this beautiful rain! Maybe its because it is making me slow down and potter about inside, cooking with the kids and reading books I have put away, waiting for such an opportunity. Now what was that I read about a new book? Can’t wait to add another of yours to my collection! Cheers, Laura.
Hi Sharyn
I know how you feel with the rain and the clouds. I had 4.5 days of fog here. 3 is as much as I can take.
Cleared off yesterday morning, and today was great.
I could see right across the Shoalhaven Valley tonight – 60 Km horizon. That’s what it’s meant to be.
Better than 50 metres!
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Nice Kangaroo “mother and child” image.
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Happy New Year.
Cheers
Denis
Thanks for your good wishes DWG, and for all your comments throughout the year. Sounds like you have a ride-on mower?
Even though it’s mid-summer here I am in a woollen jumper– weird weather – but of course not as cold as your winter.
All the best
Sharyn
Am glad you are having the rain and giving yourself the free time to write…another book you say? The picture on the post is so tranquil and beautiful and then the mother kangaroo and her baby just are the frosting on the cake!! It is very cold here and more rain coming in for year end also. I spent a whole afternoon on the mower mulching the leaves..hoping that is the end of them. Have enjoyed your posts so much this year and wish for you a New Year filled with goodness!!
DWG
Hi Gaye,
It still hasn’t stopped raining here yet; guess that’s how we get 60 inches up here. I can see some tiny new fungi on my dashes out. Will have to wait for it to fine up to photograph them.
After four cabin-bound days I am ready for that!
Hello Sharyn,
and very welcome rain on the Valley floor too. This morning I have tackled the mowing and clean up after the pre-Christmas storm – it’s a big job and will take me a few sessions to get the yard up to scratch.
The soft lighting penetrating the thinning cloud cover can indeed be lovely, and I have so many surprises in the form of fungi popping their heads through the damp earth around my yard. It took me longer to mow the back yard this morning than it should have as I had to keep dashing in to get my camera to photograph the fungi.
Pleased to know that the rain is allowing you some extra writing time.
Cheers,
Gaye