Yes it is December. It is hotting up and looking very dry and crispy from now on.
Eating first tomatoes. A bit later this year because it hasn’t been warm enough at night.
roughbarked said:
Yes it is December. It is hotting up and looking very dry and crispy from now on.
Indeed. And the wet winter has left us with a high fuel load here now the grasses are curing off. The CFA truck has been out twice this week already for a couple of small fires about 20 km away.
bluegreen said:
roughbarked said:
Yes it is December. It is hotting up and looking very dry and crispy from now on.
Indeed. And the wet winter has left us with a high fuel load here now the grasses are curing off. The CFA truck has been out twice this week already for a couple of small fires about 20 km away.
North Yalgogrin property owners and volunteer firefighters Susan and Ken Harding have endured a nightmare ordeal after their land was scorched by fire.
It is understood the blaze started after two rocks created a spark during harvesting activities.
The incident occurred well before the cease harvest order was issued by the RFS.
http://www.areanews.com.au/story/4327436/rolling-updates-riverina-scorched-by-wild-fire-photos/?cs=668#slide=2
roughbarked said:
bluegreen said:
roughbarked said:
Yes it is December. It is hotting up and looking very dry and crispy from now on.
Indeed. And the wet winter has left us with a high fuel load here now the grasses are curing off. The CFA truck has been out twice this week already for a couple of small fires about 20 km away.
North Yalgogrin property owners and volunteer firefighters Susan and Ken Harding have endured a nightmare ordeal after their land was scorched by fire.
It is understood the blaze started after two rocks created a spark during harvesting activities.
The incident occurred well before the cease harvest order was issued by the RFS.
http://www.areanews.com.au/story/4327436/rolling-updates-riverina-scorched-by-wild-fire-photos/?cs=668#slide=2
:(
roughbarked said:
bluegreen said:
roughbarked said:
Yes it is December. It is hotting up and looking very dry and crispy from now on.
Indeed. And the wet winter has left us with a high fuel load here now the grasses are curing off. The CFA truck has been out twice this week already for a couple of small fires about 20 km away.
North Yalgogrin property owners and volunteer firefighters Susan and Ken Harding have endured a nightmare ordeal after their land was scorched by fire.
It is understood the blaze started after two rocks created a spark during harvesting activities.
The incident occurred well before the cease harvest order was issued by the RFS.
http://www.areanews.com.au/story/4327436/rolling-updates-riverina-scorched-by-wild-fire-photos/?cs=668#slide=2
tragic way to start a fire…
(posting from the other side of the Atlas Mountains…. not enough grass here for harvesting)
painmaster said:
roughbarked said:
bluegreen said:Indeed. And the wet winter has left us with a high fuel load here now the grasses are curing off. The CFA truck has been out twice this week already for a couple of small fires about 20 km away.
North Yalgogrin property owners and volunteer firefighters Susan and Ken Harding have endured a nightmare ordeal after their land was scorched by fire.
It is understood the blaze started after two rocks created a spark during harvesting activities.
The incident occurred well before the cease harvest order was issued by the RFS.
http://www.areanews.com.au/story/4327436/rolling-updates-riverina-scorched-by-wild-fire-photos/?cs=668#slide=2
tragic way to start a fire…
(posting from the other side of the Atlas Mountains…. not enough grass here for harvesting)
Grass here is 6 to 8 feet high and dry.
Finished cutting my broad beans and collecting the seeds. Now to prep it for some corn.
Critters I’ve been watching through my lounge room window: my ducks, a family of four crows, a pair of Crimson Rosellas, a family of Superb Fairy Wrens (so cute,) a couple of young rabbits (or the same one twice,) my chooks, two types of butterfly, flying insects, some unidentified birds, and of course the ubiquitous cockatoos.
I planted this native shrub as tube stock years ago and not had to do a thing for it since. The blossoms smell of honey and seem to support a diverse range of insects including butterflies with its nectar.
bluegreen said:
I planted this native shrub as tube stock years ago and not had to do a thing for it since. The blossoms smell of honey and seem to support a diverse range of insects including butterflies with its nectar.
Kunzea?
roughbarked said:
bluegreen said:
I planted this native shrub as tube stock years ago and not had to do a thing for it since. The blossoms smell of honey and seem to support a diverse range of insects including butterflies with its nectar.
Kunzea?
Can’t remember! I’m sure I put the label somewhere safe….
bluegreen said:
roughbarked said:
bluegreen said:
I planted this native shrub as tube stock years ago and not had to do a thing for it since. The blossoms smell of honey and seem to support a diverse range of insects including butterflies with its nectar.
Kunzea?
Can’t remember! I’m sure I put the label somewhere safe….
http://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/gnp8/kunz-amb.html
?
roughbarked said:
bluegreen said:
roughbarked said:Kunzea?
Can’t remember! I’m sure I put the label somewhere safe….
http://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/gnp8/kunz-amb.html
?
I reckon that’s the one :)
Anyone want to hazard a guess as to why the onions seem to all want to make flowers this year instead of bulbing up? Brassicas are finished, too many cabbage whites around now, and the two January King cabbages are not forming proper heads. The chooks will get them.
I did dig some potatoes yesterday and the King Edwards, even though extremely fresh, roasted up nicely. I still have tomato seedlings to go out. I should get on with that. I’ve been doing the Christmas window at the front of the house this morning.
And I need to make a power of shortbread too, so I should get on with that as well.
buffy said:
Anyone want to hazard a guess as to why the onions seem to all want to make flowers this year instead of bulbing up? Brassicas are finished, too many cabbage whites around now, and the two January King cabbages are not forming proper heads. The chooks will get them.
I did dig some potatoes yesterday and the King Edwards, even though extremely fresh, roasted up nicely. I still have tomato seedlings to go out. I should get on with that. I’ve been doing the Christmas window at the front of the house this morning.
And I need to make a power of shortbread too, so I should get on with that as well.
Maybe you planted the onions later than usual?
buffy said:
Anyone want to hazard a guess as to why the onions seem to all want to make flowers this year instead of bulbing up?
Wet Winter, cool Spring? I don’t know for sure though.
Waterhousia floribunda is a Lilli Pilli tree with tiny, insignificant looking flowers but they are abundant and all manner of insects, not just bees, love to sip the nectar. It positively buzzes with life. It seems to be a favourite of birds as well.
This wattle, Acacia implexa or Hickory Wattle, usually produces its creamy flowers in November but a late season means it’s flowering in December this year instead. A hardy plant that needs no care once established. Bought as tube stock from Euroa Aboretum.
Fruiting in my garden:
Plums. The cockatoos got them all last time when they were a fraction of this size, so I am hoping they will leave some for me this year. Bad case of leaf curl, wet winter maybe?
Anzac peaches. Not many this year, but bigger than they usually are.
Apricots. A bit of scab but will still be edible.
Hazelnuts! First crop after being transplanted 6 years ago. All of four as far as I can see!
Apples. Another first crop. Twin graft with Pink Lady and Granny Smith.
Got some sweeties visiting at Casterton. I think they are collecting insects from the spider webs on the window.
And I’ve got the orchard tidied and mowed.
better than this: 
The veggie patch still has about a third to be cleared of bearded iris and invading bent grass, and the soil has dried out so much no that I think it’s unlikely I can grow much over Summer. I’ve popped in some feral tomato plants that came up here, hoping they can survive on their wildness.
And the roses need dead heading, but it’s looking tidier than it did a couple of weeks ago when this bed was full of weeds too. The flood was welcome in some ways, but boy has it made the weeds grow!
I pulled the rest of the garlic this morning. I have done one plait. And there are a couple of heaps in the sun drying. I’d better rescue them though, it’s damned hot out there in the sun.
Merry Xmas Eve everyone!
Quite mild here and ‘umid. A sprognik of rain fell earlier but our dry season (now into its 20th month) continues…
pain master said:
Merry Xmas Eve everyone!Quite mild here and ‘umid. A sprognik of rain fell earlier but our dry season (now into its 20th month) continues…
You’ll be right. The last dry spell we had got into its 20th year before it changed its mind.
Picked my first raspberry of the season yesterday. It was too soon. I was too eager. It was not particularly sweet. But I ate it anyway.
:)
buffy said:
Picked my first raspberry of the season yesterday. It was too soon. I was too eager. It was not particularly sweet. But I ate it anyway.
:)
:)