Hello! How was your week?
There’s a sheep graziers’ warning out for a huge area of eastern Australia so we’re getting ready for a blast of cold air. For those of you who don’t know about this warning, it’s issued by our Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) to warn of cold temperatures, showers and strong winds. As the BOM says, “There is a risk of losses of lambs and sheep exposed to these conditions.”
It’s not just sheep that are vulnerable during these blasts. Any sensitive plants need to be protected and humans need to get cosy. I’m so thankful for flannelette sheets on the bed! (1)
Speaking of sheep, let me tell you a story about how I thought I was deluded when I heard bleating noises while working in my back garden.
We have many different birds flying around here, making bird noises and our neighbour has chooks. There are various dogs living in our neighbourhood as well, so we are used to hearing a variety of animal noises. That’s not to say we like them all – curse you screeching cockatoos and barking dogs. But they are recognisable sounds.
So, I thought I was some kind of unfamiliar bird noise I heard when I was gardening. It sounded just like a bleating lamb but I knew that wasn’t possible – or was it?
As I discovered later, our neighbour was lamb-sitting a couple that needed to be bottle fed at regular intervals through the day and night. I was so relieved that I wasn’t going crazy.
A visit to a local nursery resulted in my purchase of two more hellebores this week. I love these plants with their nodding flowers that bloom in winter but many of the ones that are in my garden are dark colours. Two came home with me: a white one and a pale pink one to lighten the area. I wrote about hellebores here.
Thousands of leaves are still falling throughout our area. I expect this week’s winds will shake many more to the ground. A few weeks ago, I declared I was tired of seeing so many trees wearing their autumn colours (they are everywhere you look around here). That just shows how down I was feeling with the state of world. (2) Now my optimism has returned and I am marvelling again at the glorious show the autumn leaves are providing. Feeling thankful.
Have a lovely week.
(1) I know many people think that flanelette sheets are abominations that should never be thought about, yet alone used. I don’t care. They keep us so cosy during cold nights.
(2) Yep. Idiot politicians, violence and hatred will do that to me. I should never underestimate the power of plants and the natural world.