DROUGHT AND FLOODING RAINS.

Good Morning from a very wet city of Adelaide - we have had the wettest December day on record and there is much flooding throughout the entire state and the chance of ruined crops for Farmers who thought they were in for a bumper crop.  We live in a land of such extremes and I was reminded of the poem written by Dorothea Mackellar in 1904 - "My Country"

MY COUNTRY 

The love of field and coppice,
Of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins.
Strong love of grey-blue distance,
Brown streams and soft, dim skies -
I know but cannot share it,

My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,

A land of sweeping plains,

Of ragged mountain ranges,

Of droughts and flooding rains.

I love her far horizons,

I love her jewel-sea,

Her beauty and her terror –

The wide brown land for me!

The stark white ring-barked forests,

All tragic to the moon,

The sapphire-misted mountains,

The hot gold hush of noon,

Green tangle of the brushes

Where lithe lianas coil,

And orchids deck the tree-tops,

And ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country!

Her pitiless blue sky,

When, sick at heart, around us

We see the cattle die –

But then the grey clouds gather,

And we can bless again

The drumming of an army,

The steady soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!

Land of the rainbow gold,

For flood and fire and famine

She pays us back threefold.

Over the thirsty paddocks,

Watch, after many days,

The filmy veil of greenness

That thickens as we gaze.

An opal-hearted country,

A wilful, lavish land –

All you who have not loved her,

You will not understand –

Though earth holds many splendours,

Wherever I may die,

I know to what brown country

My homing thoughts will fly.

Nothing has changed really - we still have drought and flooding rains,  I think these weather patterns have happened before and will happen again.

In my own garden the rain has been beautiful for my petunias and my tomato plant - I am sure I can see the tomato has grown overnight.

I am doing well - I went for blood tests yesterday and there was not a problem - wonderful girl was able to get a vein without too much bruising.  Those results will go direct to Flinders and be ready for my appointment there on Friday.

At the hospital I was sitting reading and waiting when the Cleaning Team came through and one lovely Cleaner had her floor polisher all dressed up for Christmas - so I took a photo to share with you all.

A little effort by one person brought a smile to many faces and there was laughter in the waiting room and an easing of tension for many.

We are decorating our Christmas Tree tonight and will send through a photo when it is all done.  

This is truly "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year."  I love it all.

Be safe wherever you are and whatever climatic conditions you are dealing with  Drive carefully and stay warm/cool.

Love and hugs,