When you’re not in it, your thoughts of winter are images of endless, cold, wet and miserable days. But once you are there in the heart of the cold season, sometimes it surprizes you and you get some days where the sky is blue, without even the hint of a rain cloud. The sun shines brightly and warms everything, not in the shade, to a temperature that is tolerable, and jerseys and jumpers are unexpectedly removed. Even the wind drops completely and it is just such a magnificent day. You work hard and make the most of it, knowing it won’t last.
You awake the next day, and open your eyes slowly, expecting the worst, only to be pleasantly surprized. By day three you become a bit complacent and wake up expectantly. Your attitude changes and you look at your list of chores that need to accomplished in the quiet season so you can have a better, more organised busy summer, and think – “nah I’ll do it tomorrow” because you can no longer imagine how winter could be any different.
Day five is a rude awaking. How dare it rain on my parade! I have things to do. Important things that I procrastinated about all week. Today was going to be the day! Hurrumpft! I hastily check the weather forecast – something I haven’t done in ages as I was convinced this was how winter should be and couldn’t fathom how such a dramatic change was possible. Things don’t look good. Tomorrow it will rain, and again for all the days in the short term forecast. Wednesday has symbols on it for things I don’t even know what they are, but they don’t look good! I desperately check the long range forecast – surely it can’t get any worse… Yup it can. I thought today was bad – you should check out next Wednesday. It is absolutely dire.
So I humbly hang my head in shame at the thought of those wasted days. Each and every day is a gift. And if the sun is shining then it is an even better gift. I mean what girl doesn’t like a gift that is all shiny and sparkly. So now I sit here looking out my rain splattered window overlooking puddles of mud and promise myself – next time the sun shines I shall bask in it. I will be productive and not waste a single moment of a day I can’t get back.
Come again soon – indoor gardening it is for the foreseeable future – unless the boffins get it wrong!
Sarah the Gardener : o )
I did wonder if we were looking at the same sky to start with but no – my weeds are getting the same watering as yours…
Hi Gwenda. This rain is putting a bit of a dampener on my gardening! The weeds just thrive under it and so I know I shall have my work cut out for me when the sun comes out again – if it ever will – going by what the boffins have to say!
Cheers Sarah : o )
Yes, each and every day is a gift–but not all of them have to be spent in the garden. Rethink those days and you’ll find gifts in them, too.
Hi there. I seem to be able to find gifts all over the place and am truly blessed. However the gardening gifts are one of my favourites. It is a gift that keeps giving if you use it properly. Thank you so much for your concern.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Hey Sarah, I do that all the time. Procrastinate and then spend days regretting … The joys of winter time, or not! I’m waiting for the next fine day, but I shan’t hold my breath. 🙂
Hi Julie. Winter is the worst time to procrastinate. You just want to wrap up warm and do nothing but eat soup! Having said that your garden looks positively glowing compared to mine!
Cheers Sarah : o )
Ah, I do this about our summer heat…one would think we’d learn, eh?
Hi. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies! All the best with your summer garden. I hope you get a fantastic harvest!
Cheers Sarah : o )
Just started raining on the tin roof for the first time in a week and I am happy :). Send all of that ditch dwelling precipitation over this way. I have 10 000 litres needed to fill up my tank. You can have it back when I am finished with it 😉
Fran, you always make me smile.
🙂
Hi Fran. Please feel free to keep any of our rain you find lying about your place! Although put some aside just in case because I may want some back if we end up with a drought again! Seriously how can things swing from such different climatic conditions in just 6 months!
Cheers Sarah : o )
Happens every year here. Last year we were starting to wonder if we would GET summer. It was raining solid right through to mid November. Wattle trees were falling over because their shallow roots had nothing left to hold onto as the soil was SO wet they couldn’t grip and then it was like someone turned off a switch and we got 5 rain “events” in the next 5 months! Part of the reason we bought this rainwater tank.
Sarah, we all do it. I’ve put off planting a few seeds before, only to realize I’m half way through the season and have lost the window of opportunity. I get distracted a hundred times a day, coupled with the unexpected thing that comes up. Knowing all you have going on, I hope you won’t be too hard on yourself.
Bummer about the weeds to come. Can you turn a goat loose so they do the work for you? ;_)
I hope some dry days come around again soon. Here we’re in year two of a drought, with the fire department on high alert. San Jose had two grass fires this week and the crews were really spread thin.
Hi Alys. The last 12 months was so busy I seem to have been a bit hit and miss with getting things done on time – but now I am on to it – well determined to be.
The problem with letting the goats loose in the garden is they will eat what few veggies are there before they eat the grass… they know a good feed when they see one and goats love kale!
We seem to swing wildly from a drought ridden summer to a sodden soggy winter – it happens every year. But to not get the rain at all must be a bit of a nightmare. Everyone assumes water will always be there…
Cheers Sarah : o )