rain, please

The east coast of NSW is experiencing heavy rains and flooding, but in the central west the clouds are wispy and weedy and mock us overhead with a stubborn refusal to unload. Tanks are low, dam levels critical and we are desperate for some good downfalls to help our crispy gardens and pastures.

Meanwhile the project of the week has been fencing. We are creating a paddock close to the protea orchard and working madly to a deadline because Georgie & Ness have sourced the comedy creature of my dreams as an extremely early birthday present and he needs somewhere to live when he arrives on Friday.

Pretty busy with guests although it slows down towards the middle of June. They all seem happy so far and we are getting some delightful comments in the guest book so must be doing something right.

The other project this week has been hacking back the overgrown plants in the rockery. Neither of us are fans of rockeries but this one serves a purpose as a retaining wall and at least we stand a fighting chance of growing drought-tolerant plants in it.

From Protea Farm 1

The sighting of a baby brown snake in it last weekend was alarming though- damned things should be hibernating by now but we suspect the mouse plague has provided such a food glut that they are making the most of it. Small brown snake means a probable snake nest somewhere, most likely the rockery ( hereinafter known as 'the snakery' ) which is not good news and makes us tempted to replace the whole damned thing with smooth concrete and no hidey-holes. Ness has started planting nasty spiky cacti, and now gardens wearing body armour and chain mail gloves!