Rain

As I drove down the hill to Cockatoo on Saturday morning I saw two sets of black cockatoos along the way. These beautiful birds are harbingers of rain. They are not always around, but when they are usually there's rain to come in the next few days. I saw them on Friday too.

As I sit here now this Sunday night the rain is gentle but steady on the roof. Earlier while I was in the bath it was heavy, a right downpour, and most welcome. I had cleared the down pipes of leaves in the afternoon and I lay in the warm water loving the rain for the great benefit it brings to plants and reducing the danger of bushfire. This almost kills the fire season. Not quite dead yet, but nearly.

My black coffee is strong and bitter. The red wine is smooth and seductive. I'm filled with the joy of being alive. The roast lamb was superb. The thought of my dentist appt tomorrow at 8.30 am in Berwick does not in the least disturb me. Mathy is a brilliant man and dentist. I look forward to it.

Yesterday I checked the beehive that I have here. It had been a disaster, probably of my own fault, as had been the hive at my friend Leanne's. I meddled with them in November when I shouldn't have, with the plan of requeening by division and subsequent uniting. Conditions were bad.. it rained and drizzled and spring was a crock. The bees collapsed. My fault. If left alone they'd have been fine.

As it happened, I had a Ligurian queen coming in the post week before last. I had ordered a queen to come in November but the bad weather caused disruption to the breeder and he could not deliver. He said it would come December. It didn't. He emailed January, said his program was totally derailed by the bad weather, he could not provide me with a queen, did I want a Ligurian replacement from people on Kangaroo Island with whom he had an arrangement. Yes I emailed.

The hive here by this time was queenless for all sign, if there was a virgin or young mated queen not yet laying I could not find her. I introduced the Ligurian a week or so ago. Yesterday when I checked there was a queen laying beautifully with the young brood swimming in rich food, a great sight.

Leanne's hive is struggling still. Spotty brood pattern, lots of dead brood presumably European foulbrood. I feel I inflicted this on them by dividing them earlier and trying to requeen when conditions were bad. Stress.

Before I retire I must tell you of a good story of today. Lib went to work at 6.30am, she's doing extra shifts to fund our upcoming trip to NZ. I saw her off after doing the usual tea and toast making and fruit etc, then made a lamb casserole for the crockpot, prepared the vegies for the roast, and did the laundry and cleared the kitchen. Then I thought I'd have a little lie down for half an hour, but I fell asleep and didn't wake till 11am.

Hungry, I went to cook ham and eggs, a favourite, then realized that the dozen eggs Leanne gave me the previous day I had put on the roof of Lib's car while I went off and did something and forgot them. I rang Lib at work and left a message with a young staff member suggesting Lib check the roof of her car as I had left a dozen eggs there. If by a miracle they were still there it would be good to put them inside the car rather than risk a return with them on the roof.

Lib rang back 10 minutes later to say the eggs were intact. She must be a good driver.