Spring is finally here.

First topic message reminder :

A nicer day have I not seen in sooooooo many months!
It was 29c today, the sun was shinning, finally warming up, not a cloud in the sky, so...... we all went walkies as we do ..... Jess, Tyson & I.
All 3 of us ran like like idiots trying to find fairies in the park. (Yes! I run with my puppies like a ferral cat on a hot tin roof!)

BUT.....
Thank god no one was there or watching or they would have ordered me a lovely white jacket with straps & buckles! We three were all completely mad! Running like we had never been out before. Tyson doing neck slides down the hill, chin & neck down, ass in the air, sliding... as i ran to help him, Jess was then looking for mice in my shoes that weren't there...  maybe she  just wanted my ankle or to chew on my toes?  Jessup!!!!!!

We frolicked, we ran, we chased each other around the park. Tyson trying to bowl Jess & I over, launching himself at us as Jess barked at him, (you will be in trouble you little turd) bugger off!! She then chased me down as I ran for cover & Tyson was in hot pursuit.....
I ended up on the on my back with both of them slagging on me.

Get the &$#@ off me!!!! Ok...Home puppies!

What a beautiful spring day! Happy dogs, running, playing, sunshine, & dog slobber to boot! Who could ask for more!

I just need a jar & a scrapper now to sell doggie drool for clag!

Yes we are very lucky here in that respect, it's true.

Luckily, we live in quite a balanced climate!

Yes, "temperate" I think it's called.

Although after 3 days of constant drizzle, I could wish for a little respite from dampness - it will come though!

LyndaW wrote:I saw a film once, many many years ago, where someone in the Australian outback poured a glass of water onto the ground - and it just went straight in like a sponge! Not even the tiniest temporary puddle, it just disappeared - incredible.

Doco or movie? The ground gets so dry & hard in the outback that the ground actually cracks. Water will run into the cracks but, days or weeks of fine, light rain to saturate the soil slowly are needed for the soil to be trully wetted.

A down pour in a drought area just pools/floods. It does not soak into theground lest it sits there for a few days.

Eleanor wrote:Yikes!

I really do feel sorry for people who live in countries where crops continuously fail, year after year, because of drought. And having to walk miles every day for water.

My family are some of those who deal with failed crops. We harvest wheat.

It must be heartbreaking to see all your hard work just burn away.

Farming in half arid reasons can be terrible. Unfortunately it's generally also the best places to raise crops and livestock.
They're predicting severe droughts for S.A this year.
Here by us it's beautiful and green but the dams are not filled to where they should be. We're having a 'Green Drought'; enough rain falls to keep the fynbos happy but not enough for crops or to fill up our dams.

Worrying stuff, weather patterns.

Weather patterns are the bain of our life.  My sis & her OH  have had to take the harvester many many kms aways to make money last season. (Harvesters dont move move fast. Took a couple of days to get there)

I hope this yr they can harvest for the locals, & stay in the town.

I've heard 9secondhand) that this is an El-Nino year or the start of El-Nino period so we're in for a very dry period if it's true.

Will it affect you badly, Theresa?

I do rely on rainwater but should be ok. I feel very sorry for the farmers. You can plan all you want but if there's no water there's no water.

Our farmers buy it here at a ridiculous price aa it is diverted interstate. But....what can you do? You can't do without it.

Hope the farmers (and you) don't suffer too much with it! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you all.

I'm fine. I run on mains water. My sister however, runs on river water. (Which you cannot drink.) So they buy in drinking water.

Not ideal, obviously, but at least she has access to drinking water, even if it is costly.