I can stand the rain…
Something kind of amazing happened this week.
I’ve almost been too scared to talk about it, even photograph it, in case the magic vanishes.
Last time I blogged about our place, just a few days ago, it looked like this…
Everything was just parched after three months of no rain (and before that, many months before of low rainfall).
So even when rain predictions for this area started late last week, I refused to believe it. We’d seen it all before. Five days out, each week’s forecast was confident some precipitation was on its way to our postcode. Then when I would check three days out, the number promised was pretty much gone… evaporated.
So even when this arrived on Tuesday…
Even after I had washed the car (see washing items in foreground) I refused to get excited.
We had had clouds before, we had SEEN rain skirt around our ridges and head elsewhere.
Even when our knob (small sharp hill) began to vanish in the mist of light rain, I didn’t smile, or jump or cheer…
And even when those first tiny drops began plopping lightly on the corrugated iron roof of our car port, I just looked without a word.
As Axel looked askance but settled in beside me as I sat on the deck steps taking photos of this light precipitation, I refused to let excitement bubble to the surface.
As those drops gathered and slid down gutters, 
and tricked over in places…and began lightly battering our rose bush leaves…
a smile began to form.
And as the mizzle…
turned to drizzle… the smile grew a little broader.
And as the droplets… 
Began to dance and explode…
I might well have let loose a ‘YIPPEE’!!
(And just between you and me, a tear may have escaped as well.) 
We have had 64 gorgeous millimetres of slow sweet grass-growing rain.
Is it drought-breaking? Not yet. It will make it green but if we are to survive the winter ahead, we will need more rain to fill dams and hopefully stave off a cold snap to allow the grass to grow a little before it becomes dormant.
But I won’t think about that for a little while… I will let the beauty of this wet gift seep in first. And I will dare to show it to you, in the hope it won’t switch off once I press ‘publish’.
And inside all our quiet joy at this weather, I just hope all those enduring drought got some of the same.
🙂
©COPYRIGHT NOTICE: All images and words belong to author of Bush Babe of Oz, Amanda Salisbury. Please do not take them without permission. Images are for sale, please email Amanda for details.
12 Comments
Gretchen in KS
It rained here, today, as well. Cold, and miserable, and I wished I could package it up and send it to you and all your neighbors who need it. (Ours came with 41F temperatures.) We also had snowballs fall from the sky on Monday. No kidding. When they are as big as my fist, they aren’t “flakes” any more, they are snowballs. Hubby’s birthday was Monday as well, and he dislikes cold, and snow, and all those four-letter-words intensely. He was Not Amused. (According to the calendar, it’s spring, here. And it’s likely that things will start to turn green soon. But it’s also looking a bit like a year for a late frost, and no fruits on trees and suchlike again this year.)
I’m glad to see your dampening hasn’t dampened your spirits. (As If it would!) And I continue to send my hope that you will get what you need, but no more, as soon as possible.
Chookyblue
so pleased you got some rain…………so many thoughts the same……I didn’t dare blog about the rain yesterday for fear of not getting anymore………..
Chookyblue´s last blog post ..the best news…………
Anne@GritandGiggles
Enjoy! Love every second of it and let it wash worries away for a while.
Anne@GritandGiggles´s last blog post ..Celebrating YOU
KAddy
Seems to have taken forever to get here but now it’s here it is just bloody marvellous 🙂 It is amazing how something as simple as water can bring so much joy. Hope you guys get a heap more.
Bushbernie
Isn’t it just fabulous when decent rain finally arrives! I love the sound of it falling on the tin roof. I love the smell of it too, when it hits the hot ground. It’s wonderful to see that you’ve finally got some heavy rain.
Bushbernie´s last blog post ..The Things You See Sometimes!
Kelly
I will quietly say “yay” in hopes I don’t jinx it away. 🙂
I’m very happy for you.
Kelly´s last blog post ..E-readers vs. the real thing
Bill
Wonderful, this makes me smile and maybe do a little dance and……
I’m glad you are having a fun day!
– Bill said that.
Leenie
A big WHOOPEE! from here in Idaho, USA. (Although we’re getting a late spring snow on our daffodils this morning). Hope you get all the rain you need, and keep up with the sweet, beautiful photos.
debby
Wahooooooo! from PA to you.
debby´s last blog post ..This and That
jeanie
Bx (or Mx as she is to you and I) said that everyone over there had about 70mm as of yesterday – at that point we hadn’t had quite that amount – but last night the gods had a party above us, so I emptied out about 150mm this morning – and there was some blue sky in a corner.
Very welcome.
jeanie´s last blog post ..Ten things – the whipper-snippers / adolescents comparison thing-ie
Colin Huggins
It has stopped here in Brisbane this morning after at least 24 hours of good steady, drenching stuff. Maybe will from the looks of the sky come back tonight.
I am sure more is needed out west and a good follow up, so don’t stop those ‘wild rain dances”.
Tanmay Roy
I can’t but say something about the photos. It’s wonderful! Thumbs up (y)