We've had 6 years of continuous drought where 30 year old trees have
tried to die but been resurrected by 3 days of watering. Last year
the grasshoppers ate just about everything in the garden including
stripping the leaves totally off 2 apples.

Now I've just had a killer of a frost as I've just been thinking it's
time to plant the tomatoes. Thank heavens I stick to the maxim of
neverplant till I know who won the Melbourne Cup.

The frost killed all the new growth on my buddlia (sp?), has knocked
new growth on the roses, has done for all the new leaves and grapes on
at least 100 of the grape vines and killed all the flowers on most of
my Irises.

Sodding weather. 3 days ago it was aircon in the car because it was
so hot (over 30C) and last night it was back to fires and the winter
duvets. Sometimes I wonder why I bother.

"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message
...
We've had 6 years of continuous drought where 30 year old trees have
tried to die but been resurrected by 3 days of watering. Last year
the grasshoppers ate just about everything in the garden including
stripping the leaves totally off 2 apples.

Now I've just had a killer of a frost as I've just been thinking it's
time to plant the tomatoes. Thank heavens I stick to the maxim of
neverplant till I know who won the Melbourne Cup.

The frost killed all the new growth on my buddlia (sp?), has knocked
new growth on the roses, has done for all the new leaves and grapes on
at least 100 of the grape vines and killed all the flowers on most of
my Irises.

Sodding weather. 3 days ago it was aircon in the car because it was
so hot (over 30C) and last night it was back to fires and the winter
duvets. Sometimes I wonder why I bother.

September for us saw me in shorts, dry and sunny. October has been cold
winds from the south, rain and dull skies.

rob

"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message
...
We've had 6 years of continuous drought where 30 year old trees have
tried to die but been resurrected by 3 days of watering. Last year
the grasshoppers ate just about everything in the garden including
stripping the leaves totally off 2 apples.

Now I've just had a killer of a frost as I've just been thinking it's
time to plant the tomatoes. Thank heavens I stick to the maxim of
neverplant till I know who won the Melbourne Cup.

The frost killed all the new growth on my buddlia (sp?), has knocked
new growth on the roses, has done for all the new leaves and grapes on
at least 100 of the grape vines and killed all the flowers on most of
my Irises.

Sodding weather. 3 days ago it was aircon in the car because it was
so hot (over 30C) and last night it was back to fires and the winter
duvets. Sometimes I wonder why I bother.

Never thought of Australia as having frost - ever!
Jenny

In message , JennyC
writes

"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message
...
We've had 6 years of continuous drought where 30 year old trees have
tried to die but been resurrected by 3 days of watering. Last year
the grasshoppers ate just about everything in the garden including
stripping the leaves totally off 2 apples.

Now I've just had a killer of a frost as I've just been thinking it's
time to plant the tomatoes. Thank heavens I stick to the maxim of
neverplant till I know who won the Melbourne Cup.

The frost killed all the new growth on my buddlia (sp?), has knocked
new growth on the roses, has done for all the new leaves and grapes on
at least 100 of the grape vines and killed all the flowers on most of
my Irises.

Sodding weather. 3 days ago it was aircon in the car because it was
so hot (over 30C) and last night it was back to fires and the winter
duvets. Sometimes I wonder why I bother.

Never thought of Australia as having frost - ever!
Jenny


They even have ski resorts. I may be mistaken, but I think the skiing is
more reliable than in Scotland.

Even Queensland has frost.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

"Stewart Robert Hinsley" wrote in message
writes
"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message

...
We've had 6 years of continuous drought where 30 year old trees
have
tried to die but been resurrected by 3 days of watering. Last
year
the grasshoppers ate just about everything in the garden
including
stripping the leaves totally off 2 apples.

Now I've just had a killer of a frost as I've just been thinking
it's
time to plant the tomatoes. Thank heavens I stick to the maxim
of
neverplant till I know who won the Melbourne Cup.

The frost killed all the new growth on my buddlia (sp?), has
knocked
new growth on the roses, has done for all the new leaves and
grapes on
at least 100 of the grape vines and killed all the flowers on
most of
my Irises.

Sodding weather. 3 days ago it was aircon in the car because it
was
so hot (over 30C) and last night it was back to fires and the
winter
duvets. Sometimes I wonder why I bother.

Never thought of Australia as having frost - ever!

They even have ski resorts. I may be mistaken, but I think the
skiing is
more reliable than in Scotland.

More skiable snow than Switzerland in fact.

Even Queensland has frost.

Parts of it.

In message
, Farm1
writes
We've had 6 years of continuous drought where 30 year old trees have
tried to die but been resurrected by 3 days of watering. Last year the
grasshoppers ate just about everything in the garden including
stripping the leaves totally off 2 apples.

I've heard about the dire effect on the Australian wheat harvest, etc.
So worrying.

Maybe this is a silly question, but does 6 years of drought mean 6 years
unbroken sunshine and few if any clouds - or are the clouds up there,
the rain just doesn't come down? (I guess I'm trying to get a picture of
drought in terms of how it works globally, now that there is drought in
so many parts of the world.)

--
Klara, Gatwick basin

"Klara" wrote in message
...
In message ,
Farm1 writes
We've had 6 years of continuous drought where 30 year old trees have tried
to die but been resurrected by 3 days of watering. Last year the
grasshoppers ate just about everything in the garden including stripping
the leaves totally off 2 apples.

I've heard about the dire effect on the Australian wheat harvest, etc. So
worrying.

Maybe this is a silly question, but does 6 years of drought mean 6 years
unbroken sunshine and few if any clouds - or are the clouds up there, the
rain just doesn't come down? (I guess I'm trying to get a picture of
drought in terms of how it works globally, now that there is drought in so
many parts of the world.)
Klara, Gatwick basin

Interesting question Klara !
That's one of the things i love about the web..........it sets one of on all
sorts of quests that you'd maybe not think of on your own:~)

Went a googling and found these:
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/drought/livedrought.shtml
http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/le...hc/drought.htm

Al Gore's film might also be of interest (on a wider scale)....
http://www.climatecrisis.net/

Jenny

"JennyC" wrote in message
Interesting question Klara !
That's one of the things i love about the web..........it sets one
of on all
sorts of quests that you'd maybe not think of on your own:~)

A kindred spirit :-)) I love the Internet.

Went a googling and found these:
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/drought/livedrought.shtml
http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/le...hc/drought.htm

Alas, nothing on our present problems in those cites.

Al Gore's film might also be of interest (on a wider scale)....
http://www.climatecrisis.net/

Interesting you should mention that..... I went to see "The Devil
Wears Prada" t'other day and I kept thinking that I'd rather have gone
to see "An Inconvenient Truth" which was on at the same complex.

In message , JennyC
writes
Went a googling and found these:
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/drought/livedrought.shtml
http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/le...hc/drought.htm

Al Gore's film might also be of interest (on a wider scale)....
http://www.climatecrisis.net/

Finally found time to read these - thanks, Jenny.

I suppose the one bit of silver lining one can cull from this is that
there have been droughts for centuries, so maybe hope can always spring
eternal....


--
Klara, Gatwick basin

"Klara" wrote in message
Farm1 writes
We've had 6 years of continuous drought where 30 year old trees
have
tried to die but been resurrected by 3 days of watering. Last year
the
grasshoppers ate just about everything in the garden including
stripping the leaves totally off 2 apples.

I've heard about the dire effect on the Australian wheat harvest,
etc.
So worrying.

Yes. A third of this years wheat crop has already been written off
and food prices are rising. About 3 years ago my favourite breakfast
cereal hit $8/ pkt (3.22 UK pounds) so I hate to think what it will be
this year. Our Federal Government (which like the US, has refused to
sign the Kyoto Agreement) has very suddenly begun to do an about face
on climate change. They have finally realised that it is country
people who run businesses or farm who are hurting badly and with an
election less than a year away they are obviously getting a wee bit
nervous as this is their main voter block.

Maybe this is a silly question, but does 6 years of drought mean 6
years
unbroken sunshine and few if any clouds - or are the clouds up
there,
the rain just doesn't come down? (I guess I'm trying to get a
picture of
drought in terms of how it works globally, now that there is drought
in
so many parts of the world.)

We never have a lot of clouds where I live and rarely get a day or
more of rain, (or even overcast) just showers but even those have been
rare of late. Some months there is no rainfall at all and most months
with lower than average rainfall.

We own one farm which we bought specifically to drought proof
ourselves. It got about 50 inches of rain a year when we bought it
about 14 years ago but that would be under 30 inches now. It is
right on the edge of a coastal escarpment which is the type of
location I knew from my childhood and this location usually means good
rain as any clouds rolling in fromt eh sea usuallyd rop some rain as
they come inland. The troubleis that most clouds are now coming
across the Continent from the west it seems nad then swinging south
before they hit the more productive land in the SE of Aus.

"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote
We own one farm which we bought specifically to drought proof
ourselves. It got about 50 inches of rain a year when we bought it
about 14 years ago but that would be under 30 inches now. It is
right on the edge of a coastal escarpment which is the type of
location I knew from my childhood and this location usually means good
rain as any clouds rolling in fromt eh sea usuallyd rop some rain as
they come inland. The troubleis that most clouds are now coming
across the Continent from the west it seems nad then swinging south
before they hit the more productive land in the SE of Aus.

What do you farm ?
Cattle, kangaroos ?
Pictures ??
Jenny :~)

In message , JennyC
writes

"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote
We own one farm which we bought specifically to drought proof
ourselves. It got about 50 inches of rain a year when we bought it
about 14 years ago but that would be under 30 inches now. It is
right on the edge of a coastal escarpment which is the type of
location I knew from my childhood and this location usually means good
rain as any clouds rolling in fromt eh sea usuallyd rop some rain as
they come inland. The troubleis that most clouds are now coming
across the Continent from the west it seems nad then swinging south
before they hit the more productive land in the SE of Aus.

What do you farm ?
Cattle, kangaroos ?
Pictures ??
Jenny :~)


That's exactly what I was going to ask!

It doesn't sound, then, that there are any clouds to seed, or whatever
they may come up with for breaking a drought :-((


--
Klara, Gatwick basin

"JennyC" wrote in message
"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote
We own one farm which we bought specifically to drought proof
ourselves. It got about 50 inches of rain a year when we bought
it
about 14 years ago but that would be under 30 inches now

What do you farm ?
Cattle, kangaroos ?

Angus cattle. And we support far too many kangaroos and feral pigs.
We used to have a mob of about 15 kangaroos which stayed in one of the
back paddocks. Nice to have around, but the drought brought roos in
from everywhere and at one stage they were like locusts. I even had 2
big buck roos which were coming into the garden but I fixed that.

I've actually had 2 friends been attacked by big buck roos right in
their gardens. And they drown dogs by going into dams and when the
dog swims after then they push them under the water with their front
paws till they drown. Can be a bit nasty.

"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote in message
...
"JennyC" wrote in message
"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote
We own one farm which we bought specifically to drought proof
ourselves. It got about 50 inches of rain a year when we bought
it
about 14 years ago but that would be under 30 inches now

What do you farm ?
Cattle, kangaroos ?

Angus cattle. And we support far too many kangaroos and feral pigs.
We used to have a mob of about 15 kangaroos which stayed in one of the
back paddocks. Nice to have around, but the drought brought roos in
from everywhere and at one stage they were like locusts. I even had 2
big buck roos which were coming into the garden but I fixed that.

I've actually had 2 friends been attacked by big buck roos right in
their gardens. And they drown dogs by going into dams and when the
dog swims after then they push them under the water with their front
paws till they drown. Can be a bit nasty.

Is hunting allowed? IF so are they good to eat?
Jenny (not a vegetarian!)

"Farm1" please@askifyouwannaknow wrote
We own one farm which we bought specifically to drought proof
ourselves. It got about 50 inches of rain a year when we bought
it
about 14 years ago but that would be under 30 inches now
"JennyC" wrote in message
What do you farm ?
Cattle, kangaroos ?
Farm1 writes
Angus cattle. And we support far too many kangaroos and feral pigs.
We used to have a mob of about 15 kangaroos which stayed in one of the
back paddocks. Nice to have around, but the drought brought roos in
from everywhere and at one stage they were like locusts. I even had 2
big buck roos which were coming into the garden but I fixed that.

I've actually had 2 friends been attacked by big buck roos right in
their gardens. And they drown dogs by going into dams and when the
dog swims after then they push them under the water with their front
paws till they drown. Can be a bit nasty.


Cattle - Presumably they need almost as much rainfall as arable, for the
grazing...

I suppose there's no way you can keep roos out - or only at enormous
cost! But roo meat is supposed to be low in cholesterol...
Are the feral pigs palatable?

Daughter's partner has been working as environmental officer on a mixed
organic farm here - and their boreholes have all had to be extended this
summer. Fortunately the new willingness to pay a bit more for organic
kept them going through the current mess.

--
Klara, Gatwick basin