Changing Seasons : November 2020

Today is the second day of summer, but it has felt like summer for most of November. Temperatures have been gradually soaring and now they are into the low 30’s. But we are relatively lucky, as out west they are scorching in temps up to 47c in Birdsville. November has also set an all time record, since records were kept, with no rainfall all month. “Normal” average is about 90mm. Thankfully, with a spear pump, I am able to keep watering daily.

How quickly I tend to forget, as I looked back at last Novembers changing season post, it had also been very dry and it had been the time of the catastrophic bush fires. Unfortunately bush fires are once more raging. The beautiful Fraser Island, just off the coast north of Brisbane, has been burning for over 6 weeks with now 40% of this National Heritage site wiped out and no end in sight. And the acrid smell of the smoke hangs in the air and a smoke haze blurs the horizon as the strong winds from the north send it nearly 450 kilometres to pollute our area. 

But the good news is our borders are opening between the states and travel is once more becoming a reality. We had a delightful weekend spent with son and daughter-in-law on Bribie Island. And I found time to record it in my art journal.

The butterfly house was a highlight. Thousands of these glorious little creatures filling the air with delight and putting smiles on everyone’s face. It was also interesting with all the quirky and, to me, good ideas to add to our garden.

So how is the garden? Well the tropical plants are just loving this hot weather.

But, once more, I am starting to down size the number of pots that have gradually multiplied over the past few, cooler, months. For 2 reasons, one the heat and difficulty to keep them going during summer. And two, more importantly, we are going to visit our son who lives in Sydney to spend Christmas with him. We have not seen him for almost 3 years and during 2020 he bought a new house. So with the borders now open we have booked a flight. It is rather scary and like going into the unknown. Masked, sanitized and constantly washing hands and keeping social distancing, we plan to stay a week, but in these uncertain times, who can predict, for sure, when we will be back home…

Watch this space I maybe posting from Sydney at the end of December, if the borders close again and we don’t make it home…

So with another month under my belt, and thanks to Su of “zimmer bitch” who encourages us each month to keep a record of the “changing seasons”. I am almost to the end of another year. I hope you are all keeping well and with news of a vaccine on the horizon, hopefully 2021 will bring life back to this “new” normal they are promising us.