"In the beginning"

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The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily the views of the blog management, (on the other hand, they are not necessarily not the views of the blog management).

No effort has been made to stay within the bounds of the truth in this blog as it has always been the view of the management that the truth should never be allowed to stand in the way of a good story.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Rain... Glorious Rain.


Woo Hooo… Rain.. In some areas of South East Queensland
the best rainfall for seven years, it’s not drought breaking
yet, but was certainly heaven sent.

The rain which fell over a 24 hour period varied from almost
3 inches down to 1 inch, but for a change the best falls were
in the areas that needed it most, this included many of the
water catchment dams that have become severely depleted.

There will be people in other countries who will not be able
to comprehend that such a small amount of rainfall can
create such an outcry, as I have stated many times in the
past Australia is among the driest continents on Earth.

And as such has learned to use water wisely, our native flora
has developed over millions of years to survive on quite poor
soils and minimal rainfall.

The same cannot be said for some of the introduced species
and crops and therein lies the problem our farmers face
constantly, farming practices have of necessity become very
good, but it is still possible to do everything right and
because nature plays a trick get virtually no yield.

All this aside we got some much needed rain and if we can
only get some follow up within the next few weeks things
will certainly look a lot brighter.

We have just started the third and final month of
Spring so I thought I would have a wander around
town and have a look at natures bounty.



At this time of year it seems wherever you look in Gympie

there is a brilliant patch of purple as the Jacaranda trees
blossom.

I don't even have to step off my front porch for the morning
dose of purple, this tree is actually in front of my neighbors
house and is a part of a street scape that includes 7 more
Jacaranda trees.

It isn't until I venture a little further that the pruning done by
our power supply company becomes clear... oh well... we do
want an uninterupted power supply!!!

In front of my house I have this confused specimen, it can't
make up it's mind whether it's Spring or Fall, with blossom
on the South side and leaves falling off on the North side.
Before anyone asks, I have no idea what kind of a tree it is,
I just know it's confused.

Everones favourite, some roses in the park.

Even the Yellow rose of Texas grows here.

After the rain the purple carpet under the Jacaranda's is
sometimes better than the display on the trees.


There are lots of native pigeon's here, made a pretty
picture on the purple carpet.


As I said, everywhere you look!!!

The bandstand didn't have a band today, only some picnickers.

15 comments:

Jeanette said...

Hi Peter
Pleased you got some rain your way,
The country side sure is dry.
love the purple carpet of the Jacaranda blossom, and that poor confused tree, and not forgetting everyone's favorite the "roses" their lovely.Take care,Jan

Merle said...

Hi Peter ~Lovely photos of the jacarandas. They are lovely and the purple carpet looks nice too. I had that under my wisteria when it was out. Nice bandstand and roses. You
done well !! Lucky getting that rain
we got 1/4 inch only last week, and none in sight. Guess it will come
eventually. Take care, Merle.

Christina said...

very nice pics - those purple trees are amazing!

Duke_of_Earle said...

Gorgeous pics, Peter. Thanks for the tour, mate.

I don't think that was a Texas yellow rose, though. Mighta been her first cousin.

John

Anonymous said...

So glad to hear of the rain Peter. What beautiful pictures and how lucky that you have that to look at from your front door. Love the roses too..my favorite flower.

Lee said...

Damn...I wrote a post but it didn't post! Grrrr....here I go again!

I love this time with the jacarandas in bloom. They are blooming up here on the mountain, too. It's a special time of the year for me. Gympie's Memorial Park always looks so beautiful this time of the year, as does the hill up towards the Catholic Church and schools. I had a large poinciana tree in the front yard of my home in Parsons Road where I was living before I moved to the mountain. I love them, as well.

We had some nice rain up here but it didn't stick around long enough! I love rain. :)

Jim said...

Glad you have those Yellow Texas roses, Peter. In west Texas a three inch rain would make headlines. Around here not too unordinary.
I'll try the blog rating soon.
..

Miss Cellania said...

Those Jacaranda trees are so beautiful. I bet they would never grow here.

JunieRose2005 said...

Peter,

I loved your pictures. The Jacaranda tree is beautiful>

They grow here a bit south of us.

And the roses are beautiful!

AND-
I'm happy to hear you got some much needed rain>


June

Big Dave T said...

Very nice little photo tour. Australia does look a out-of-worldish at times. Like the carpet of purple petals and the schizo tree.

Jack K. said...

Huzzah, the rains came. I hope the rains don't become strangers again. In the Midewest of the US we also have some rain problems. However, there is no way we can compete with Australia's dryness that you report.

Anyway, enjoy the moisture.

Great photos. Who needs a band when you can enjoy good food and friends in such beautiful surroundings.

I am envious. We are in the midst of our autumn season and the weather keeps changing-cold for a few days then unseasonably warm for a few days. Winter will come soon enough.

btw, Peter, it must be my computer, but your postings have weird line breaks. It is as if someone/-thing hits the return key at random. It does make for a unique read. I have also noticed this on Margaret's postings as well. FYI.

Marti said...

I am tickled pink (or purple - LOL) for you getting some rain! Those pictures are absolutely gorgeous! Thank you so much for sharing!

Meow (aka Connie) said...

Peter, the jacarandas are just gorgeous. Glad you got some rain ... more to come, hopefully.
We got quite a bit last week, our street was underwater, the drains couldn't cope !!
Drizzling a bit today ... nothing to write home about though.
I think the whole country needs the type of rain like in Noah's days !! I'd be happy to build an ark, if we needed to !!
Anyway, have a great week.
Take care, Meow

kenju said...

I am coveting your purple petals, Peter! They are precious and perfect!

Anonymous said...

Wow - i love those trees. But i'm a sucker for anything with color - purple is my favorite. I wonder if those trees are available in the U.S. -- i've never heard of them.