Promises Promises

Promises of colour and rain. I can provide the colour with my timber art, the rain is another thing entirely. Even by doing my usual rain dance of washing the car last week didn't work. However as I type, we have the most splendid rain clouds looming overhead.

Playing with colour this week to satisfy that thing in me that loves it loud.

Promises Promises. Looking towards the Border Ranges from our front paddock we see a build up of promising looking clouds. Although we feel hope, we don't expect it will necessarily rain here. So often everywhere gets rain except right here. There are times when we can see it is pouring in town and yet we don't have a drop. Fingers crossed - we shall see.

Dry as a bone, you can see Doug in the distance having a drink from his water trough. This water comes from our ever-decreasing dam.

Crow Central Café has been very noisy today. In fact there are birds coming from everywhere flying overhead. There is a particularly large eagle in a tree across the road, along with galahs, crows, cockatoos, blue cranes streaking across the sky and wrens doing that flittery thing they do amongst the undergrowth. It is actually quite loud hearing all the bird calls together! I can't remember ever seeing so many different types of birds here at one time.

Here we have a couple of Dragon Fruit amongst the sunflowers. A lovely turmeric customer, Kim, gave these to me to grow for ourselves. I gave some to my neighbour and the rest we put in pots. It would seem that it is possible to put them in a pot, place them up high somewhere allowing them to droop down and flower. I had planned to strap it to a steak and let it grow up it and then branch out. In another week or so we will find the perfect spot for them.This will be an interesting experiment.

Our apricot and pear trees are espaliered on the western side of the house to provide us with natural shade in Summer. The pear tree in the foreground is looking good with plenty of flowers. It just depends on how windy it gets here as to how many flowers survive to go on and produce fruit.

Rob's wicking beds have been brilliant during this dry spell. This is beetroot and some greens enjoying plenty of water that is being drawn up from the bottom of this container. We pour the water into the white pipe that you can see there at the top of the bed and the plants virtually water themselves! Water-wise and very convenient.

We have a bumper crop of peas in the wicking bed up at the top garden. Very tasty! I can still remember popping peas out of their pods ready for dinner for my mum when I was a little girl -a happy child-hood memory.

Maggie relaxes on the dry prickly grass!

Hopefully the next time you read this blog I can report some rain. Our tanks are down the furthest they have ever been and the trees are really needing a drink so it would be most welcome!

Have a great weekend everyone.