Spring is definitely on the way, even if the weather doesn’t always feel like it. The seasons seem to be more marked out in the country, perhaps because you’re surrounded by nature.
We woke up Saturday morning, the fire in the room had gone out and I was cold. It was early enough for the fog to still be thick, but late enough for it to have receded from the house, leaving the sun shining on the veranda. Of course, that’s where we sat with freshly brewed coffee while we watched the fog swirl and float, first one way, then the other, chasing itself up and up until it disappeared into the sky. If only Doc’s fog could be lifted as easily.
Apart from getting away, there was another practical reason for our trip. We needed firewood. So after breakfast off we went to look for suitable fallen trees.
Driving through the farm we saw all the signs of spring. The recent wet winters (and wet summers for that matter) have resulted in an explosion of life.
There were animals galore. On the way in last night we saw three wombats, then we disturbed a couple of kangaroos in our yard when we got to the house. They were back again in the morning, one with a joey in the pouch and another one just out. And with the native animals are the ferals –particularly bunnies. More than we’ve seen out there for a long time, though I think the reason we haven’t seen them for a while is that the grass was too long. It’s flattened a bit now, and they’re running around everywhere. The old rabbit warrens through the farm are a stark reminder of the environmental damage rabbits do to the Australian environment.
And the farm animals. The cows have calved, though the sheep are still waiting. I know how they feel. Even though all my kids were 2 weeks early, I can still remember being heavily pregnant and unable to sleep or even move comfortably. And of course, baby animals attract foxes – we saw two of them during the day, right out in open ground. That’s not a sight you see very often.
Then there’s the wildflowers. Australian wildflowers generally aren’t showy – but what they lose in brightness they more than make up for in mass. Parts of the farm were covered in white wildflowers interspersed with bright yellow wattle. An amazing sight in amongst the gum trees.
And plenty of good red gum trees lying on the ground waiting to be cut up for fire wood. A few hours working the chainsaw and we had a trailer full of good wood to bring back home.
It was a good day. The physical work was just was Doc needed to take his mind off things, and improve his outlook, even temporarily. And the renewal of spring gets into your soul, even when you’re not paying attention.
Unfortunately, real life can’t be put on hold, and I need to get back to work. But another trip in a couple of weeks isn’t out of the question.
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