Summer is unmistakably just around the corner.
It's taken a while for this Tasmanian girl to adjust to the reality of Queensland in Summer. I'm not going to lie, I much prefer the other nine months of the year. Summer here means intense heat and snakes and extreme storms and bushfires and floods and the humidity, oh my God, the humidity.
We've been busy clearing, as always. Pruning back trees and raking up leaf litter. Seems like every time I turn around, there's another warning in the letterbox or on Facebook or in the paper reminding us to prepare for the upcoming Summer season - is your bushfire plan in place and do you have your storm kit ready and have you got your pantry stocked in case you get flooded in again? Also, those leaves by the back steps there are the PERFECT habitat for death adders, in case you didn't know, so I don't know what you're thinking just leaving them lying around there.
Spring also seems to bring the huntsman spiders out again. This large specimen leapt out from behind the wall cladding at the renovators in Big House and was squashed pretty quickly. The lens cap is there for a size reference. It's not a small lens. We get a few huntsmans a week, on average, in Little House and I mostly catch and release them now. I used to be terrified, but I no longer have the brain space to fear things that can't actually hurt me.
The sheep are having a little trouble adjusting to the abrupt increase in temperature in recent weeks, choosing to spend most of the hot hours of the day in their 'bedroom' - the tumbledown old pig pen in the background here.
Looking on the bright side, Summer usually means rain and lots of it, giving all the plants I've been putting in a chance to establish and grow.
And, at the end of another sweaty day, there's always a cool drink on the verandah.
There are worse places to be.
It definitely feels like Summer is here already. I think it's gonna be a hot one this year! xx
ReplyDeleteI think you're right there...
DeleteI'd forgotten about the spiders. We get what we call 'Rain Spiders' here (Palestes spp.) They crawl indoors to escape the rain...and ironically usually hide in the bath or shower where they scare the crap out of me...
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. Right now is about my perfect summer in Queensland. I grew up in Stanthorpe on the border but high so we got proper winter and autumn and a dry summer. DRY- no humidity. That is a little unbearable!
ReplyDeleteThe joys of life in Queensland! Where else would you be?! Gorgeous photos!
ReplyDeleteAh yes, here comes Summer, with a vengence for the next few days at least.
ReplyDeleteWhen the house and covered deck get too hot, the best place to be is outside under a cool tree, with water play for the little ones and cold drinks for everyone.
Hope the spiders and snakes are not too troublesome this year, I am sure the clean, crap free house will make a difference to the spider population and you now have the dogs as early warning system for the snakes so it should be a bit safer.