We’ve had one complete week of constant rain (294 mm) followed by a week of gloriously sunny days. Of course, it would have been better if the rain had been spread out but weather systems don’t work like that, do they?
Many plants in my garden drowned. That means plenty of tidying up to do but I’ve already started on that. Heavy rain resulted in a lake in the back corner of the garden! We were lucky, though. So many people’s lives in our state were affected by floods. I can’t imagine how distressing that is.
My tulip bulbs arrived this week – there are five each of five different types. It’s too early to plant them but I love how much joy they promise.
I was fortunate to catch up with two friends from Sydney while they were down here for a sewing weekend. So much fun to see friends face-to-face.

Here are some of the things I’ve been reading recently. I hope you find something of interest here – please leave a comment if you do.
Articles
NSW floods explained — and why Sydney is at risk when it rains
It’s all about the geography, of course. It’s not called the Sydney Basin for no reason.
I’m a tree hugger
Yep, me too!
Putting Aboriginal names and places back on the map starts by the river
Dyarubbin, as the Hawkesbury River is known to local Aboriginal people, flooded – again.
‘It’s a love letter to all those women who haven’t been seen’
Kate Just created Anonymous is a Woman, which consists of 140 hand-knitted panels, all bearing the four words inspired by Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own.
Lost words bring winning ones for Pip Williams and her debut novel
Pip Williams’ The Dictionary of Lost Words was my favourite novel last year.
The wrong person read my email. What happened next got me thinking …
How an email error sparked an idea for a story.
Novels
The Family Doctor by Debra Oswald
This is about a woman who has seen too much domestic violence and decides to do something about it.
Warning: it’s not a novel for people who may be upset by reading about domestic violence.
A Lifetime of Impossible Days by Tabitha Bird
This is the most astonishingly poignant novel I have read in a long time. It is brilliantly magical.