A Big Spring Wind Storm

On Friday morning we awoke to a weather bureau severe weather warning of strong winds for our area.

The storm had caused havoc in Victoria overnight with multiple power outages and damage across the whole state.

We were to be on the edge of the system as it moved east.

Nothing much happened until around 9am when gusts from the north west signalled the approach.

By 10am we were in the midst of a howling gale.

A particularly savage gust snapped off one of our liquid amber trees about 3m from the base and it fell, bringing down branches of other trees nearby.

There was a huge bang!

Luckily there was no property damage and it fell short of our power lines.

The wind didn’t let up until late afternoon.

Our power went out twice during the day for a few hours each time which is always inconvenient. 

Today dawned still and sunny.

Our local tree man came to have a look and will be able to mulch most of the branches and will cut up the thicker pieces into manageable bits which we can burn off, when dried out, at a later date.

Some Spring Flowers in the Garden

 

Storm Season

Spring is storm season.
We are regularly under a severe weather warning here during this time.
The storms come from the west gathering intensity as they head east.
We have had some pretty severe thunderstorms with huge down pours over the last weeks.
Lightning struck the ground just behind us with one. A blinding flash and a clap of simultaneous thunder shook the place. 

Thankfully in this case there was no power outage issues or ‘blown’ appliances. 

We make sure we are never outside as the storms approach (internet weather radar is a blessing). Lightning strikes seem to occur a the edge of storm cells rather than within.
But we did get a nice rainbow after one of them.

Around the Sydney area huge hail was reported.

Up north, another tornado ripped through a large rural town causing lots of damage.
That’s four over the last few weeks.
What is going on?

These do not seem normal for us.

However the weather bureau says tornadoes in Australia are not as rare as people might think, with about 60 occurring in Australia each year, although many are in rural areas so may go unwitnessed.
This pales in comparison to the approximately 1200 tornadoes that can sweep through the USA in a year.
We had a short storm with a heavy downpour last weekend.
After it was over the afternoon light was very pretty.
But suddenly there was a rice sized hail storm while the sun was still shining.

We needed the rain, just not the wind gusts that accompany them causing power outages plus trees and branches down over fences.

But now the tanks and dams are full and the water table is up. 

With the warmer weather the grass in the paddocks will be jumping out of the ground.

No more hay needed for the cattle.

COVID-19 / Australia / 18th October Update

I have started a number of blog posts updating our covid situation a number of times over the last 12 days but things, especially the reduction in restrictions, seem to change on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis making any discussion quickly obsolete.

So below are the latest figures that concern us on the east coast.

Queensland has had virtually zero cases.

Double vaccination rates of 80% have been achieved in our state of New South Wales and the neighbouring ACT.

As of the 18th October fully vaccinated New South Wales residents now have considerable ‘freedoms’ details of which are here.

It also means a rapid move forward to opening up intrastate and overseas travel.

Other states have their own plans.

Full details of NSW Opening Plan can be found here.

Rhubarb

When I was a kid everyone grew rhubarb in their back garden. Stewed rhubarb or crumble was a standard dessert.

But with apartment and inner city living, its domestic cultivation waned. Plus it was easier to pick up a bunch in the supermarkets albeit at $1/stick!

We have relied on our neighbours for supply but occasionally splashed out for a commercial bunch.

Neighbour Jude’s crop had expanded to a point where she had some winter dormant crowns and rhizomes to give away.

I planted a crown in the garden where we compost all our vegetative kitchen scraps and the rhizome in a bucket of potting mix as I wasn’t so sure how that would perform.

As the weather warmed up away they both went quite vigorously.

So I guess we’ll give them a year to mature before harvesting.

It’s good when a horticultural project comes together.

COVID-19 / Australia / 6th October Update

Cases in New South Wales are falling due to the very tight ‘stay at home’ regulations.

The same can’t be said for Victoria unfortunately but there have been quite a number of super spreader events in that state over the last week or so eg. protests and alleged numerous football parties related to the grand final of the AFL competition, albeit held 3000km away in Perth.

Other states, apart from the ACT, have been virtually cases free.

Vaccination rates are now reaching a point where certain states will begin a stepped opening up.

NSW reached its initial goal of 70 % fully vaccinated today and restrictions will ease next Monday.

At 80% another relaxation of restrictions will occur.

It is estimated that the state will be fully open by the 1st December.

A full rundown of ‘exit plan’ can be accessed here.

Other states and territories have their own plans, some more conservative than others.