Each day this week after my early walk, I've noted the temperature on the thermometer at our back door. It is digital and also records daily max and min and humidity. Monday it was 2C, Tuesday 4C, Wednesday 6C, Thursday 8C. That would make you think it was going to rain and it did last night, but only 6ml. I was hoping for more, we've had very little rain for some weeks after a wet April.
It was 9C this morning. The rain had stopped. My walk was good as usual. I met three people and Glenda in the Post Office. All talked about the world cup football, Australia had just drawn 2 all with Croatia to go through to the second round. I watched the end of the match before going out.
Harry was one of the people I met. I asked him what was his name originally in Germany, thinking Harry was an English adaptation. (I have another Gembrook friend called Harry, born in Friesland northern Holland in 1935 who came to Australia to work on the Snowy Mtn. scheme in the 1950's. He confided to me once that Harry was not his real name, it was Huisse or something similar but he used Harry since coming to Australia.) Harry said it was actually Harry, it is a German name, and not short for Harold, which is also a German name. They are separate names in German.
I thought more about the missing wasp queens. It was a poor season for bees here and the nectar producing trees were 'off' in their cycle, as I said. But also with March so hot and dry then suddenly April wet and cold I think the wasps were caught unawares, like we were, with no time to do our usual autumn preparations for winter. I can't see the population of European wasps building up to be much of a problem next summer/autumn. I'll be watching. And for the sparrows.
