farmdoc's blog post number 499

Today’s the first day of spring. How do I know? It’s 1 September. And if I didn’t know the date, I’d have a fair idea because the yellow flowers are out. Not only daffodils, but also wattle. And the prickly, insidious gorse. It’s been a tough winter here in Mole Creek. Not compared with Canadian winters, say. But much wetter than previous winters here. And intuitively it seems like this winter it’s rained on more than the usual number of days. In the past three years the sun has filled our batteries on nine, eight and ten August days. But this year not even one. Nevertheless I’ve stayed warm and dry – apart from during some walks, that is – and also healthy, with nary a sniffle or cough. But it’s lovely to see the landscape splashed with yellow – a bright and cheery end to the dark and colourless winter months. Happy spring to you. Here’s to light, warmth and renewal. And colour.

For the next eight days I’m taking a bit of a rest from Farmdoc’s Blog. So each day between tomorrow and Wednesday 9 September, I’m posting a photograph I’ve gleaned from somewhere on the internet, together with a line or two about why I’ve chosen it. As they say, I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I’ve enjoyed selecting them. Normal Farmdoc’s Blog programming should resume on Thursday 10 September.