The parsley that broke the camel's back

What a wild and wooly weekend we had here. It rained all day Friday with a total of over 300mm/12 inches of rain. In the afternoon, just after Hanno drove over to collect Jamie from kindy, the sky opened up and we got about 250mm/10 inches of that falling in less than three hours. I spent half an hour sweeping the water away from the back door. Luckily we had no damage but five people drowned just near here. There were all in cars trying to cross flooded roads. 

This is from the back door towards the elder tree.  These photos were taken at around 3.30pm, it was very dark.

 Again, looking into the back yard.

 This is out the front, looking towards our front driveway. The water was rushing by like a river.

 At the front of the house.

The high cost of buying herbs hit us when we did the shopping this week - $3 for a small bunch of parsley - so Hanno made the effort to go to the market yesterday to buy seedings for the new season's planting. The capsicums and chilli planted last year look a bit battered after the long hot summer but they're still thriving and I'll be picking those in the photos below to make chilli jam during the week. The high rainfall has been really good for the trees, especially the citrus. Below is our Washington Navel, it's producing a small but delicious crop of oranges this year. I know all you backyard fruit growers will know what I'm talking about when I tell you that nothing beats home grown fruit. No other fruit - even the very expensive organic beauties, match the taste of home grown. I look forward to this fleeting moment every year when the oranges are ready to be picked. Who is growing fruit and nuts? Has this year been good for you too?

We started our vegetable garden late this year. Usually we have seedlings in the ground by early March but this year I've been busy writing and Hanno hasn't been well so it's slipped down on the list of priorities for us. But that $3 parsley jolted us into action and now the first set of seedlings are in, with more to follow next week. Apprentice gardener Jamie was here to help Opa with the planting. You can see him above with one of the many worms he found that he then fed to the chooks.

I have so much to tell you and many photos to share. I'm hoping to get my workroom tidied and sorted soon so I can show you my new surroundings. It's nothing flash but I've upgraded from a 20 year old melamine desk that pinched by arms when I typed and it's feeling very nice indeed. :- ) See you again soon.