Weather

[Maggi Young]

Luckily, when our ground is very dry it is not rock hard.

[fermi de Sousa]

After an initial burst of rain in late winter with about 75 mm in July and 20mm in the first half of August, we've only just started to get some rain again! But only about 15 mm so far this week.
"They" are predicting that the drought isn't going to be broken for yet another year. We could be importing apples from NZ sooner than we thought!
cheers
fermi

[mark smyth]

tipping down here today. The garden really needs it - wonder who left the tap running!?

[Brian Ellis]

I hope it's heading this way, we are desperate for it again

[mark smyth]

I havent seen the weather forecast. Half and inch fell today

[David Nicholson]

It's arrived in my part of Devon in the last half hour but at the moment it's a thin and sparse drizzle.

[mark smyth]

wasnt it so cold yesterday. When I got up it was only 6C. The max yesterday was 11C.

[Maggi Young]

I think the fact that Ian has switched on the central heating in September says it all! Flipping perishing!
Though it wasn't so bad here today once the rain went off and the sun came out... one could walk quite comfortably with a lightly padded coat on
Bit of a shower this afternoon when we were visiting a friend's garden but dry and not too cold for Lily's evening walk... still needed gloves on.

[Casalima]

I think the fact that Ian has switched on the central heating in September says it all! Flipping perishing!
Though it wasn't so bad here today once the rain went off and the sun came out... one could walk quite comfortably with a lightly padded coat on
Bit of a shower this afternoon when we were visiting a friend's garden but dry and not too cold for Lily's evening walk... still needed gloves on.

Can we swap a few degrees? Nighttime temperatures are now heading towards the 10s rather than being up near the 20s, but daytime temps are still in the high 20s or more and my flat hasn't managed to cool down at all. But no rain until the grapes are in, please 

Chloe

[Maggi Young]

But no rain until the grapes are in, please 

That seems a reasonable request, Chloe. We'll keep the rain (but during the hours of darkness, please) because the ground is very dry and most if the fields around here seem to be safely harvested, and we'll send you some "coolth" in return for enough warmth so Ian can switch the heating off again. 
Pity life isn't so easily organised, ain't it?

[mark smyth]

c-c-c-cold this morning and a f-f-f-frost. Only 3C at the moment

[Paul T]

September was the hottest one in 17 years.  Last couple of months have been a third or less of average rainfall for the month.  Add to that the last week or heat and extreme wind and everything is dry as anything!! <sigh>  Would love a few good downpours about now, and they might head off total outside mains watering bans which will come in over this summer unless something changes dramatically. 

I thin they said that yesterday Sydney had it's hottest day for this time of year in something like 140 years?  Bushfires already breaking out around Sydney, and it is only early October.  What the heck is January and the height of summer after that going to bring us.

[Maggi Young]

Your water shortages are a serious matter, Paul. Of course, as flower gardeners we are anxious, but what about the food growers.... are you all expected to go hungry?

[David Nicholson]

Beautiful day here today (22C at 1430 hours) so took advantage of it by clearing out the greenhouse, including staging, for its annual clean down before the Auriculas go back in there from their Summer quarters at the beginning of November. As usual I use lots of Jeyes Fluid (a strong garden disinfectant), and , as usual I get as much of it on me as I do on the greenhouse. As usual too is the end result, as tonight, I am told, it's the spare bedroom for me (inspite of a shower and full change of clothing) because 'You stink of that horrible stuff'. Well you can't win 'em all can you?)

[Paul T]

Maggi,

No, we're not expected to go hungry, just go bankrupt.  Major crop failings already this spring mean that a lot of things won't be harvested this year.  Some areas of Aus still have good rain so that helps, and a lot of the tropical areas have had good rains so that keeps those more tropical staples coming through the supermarkets.  I'd try to grow my own veggies, but then I'd have to water them!! LOL  I have a couple of small tanks which mean that the really delicate things will be kept alive providing we get occasional showers to put at least SOME rain into the tanks, but I expect that there will definitely be losses this summer.  They're talking about the beginning of March for the change in restrictions, but I think it will be happening around New Year I'd hazard.  We've jsut had too little inflows into the dams.  And also unfortunately it appears that these cycles are becoming more predominant and there will be more heat over summers, less water inflows into dams, more bushfires etc in Aus.  Any global climate change sceptics really need to have a look at Australia, because there IS climate change, regardless of the cause of it being natural or otherwise.