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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…

dry_1233 eEverything 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…

rain_2737Even 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.

rain_2745Even when our knob (small sharp hill) began to vanish in the mist of light rain, I didn’t smile, or jump or cheer…

rain_2753And even when those first tiny drops began plopping lightly on the corrugated iron roof of our car port, I just looked without a word.

axel_2815 eAs 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.

rain_2793 eAs those drops gathered and slid down gutters, rain_2795 eand tricked over in places…rain_2795 eand began lightly battering our rose bush leaves…

rain_2778 ea smile began to form.
rain_2957 eAnd as the mizzle…

rain_2963 eturned to drizzle… the smile grew a little broader.

rain_2897 eAnd as the droplets… rain_2980 eBegan to dance and explode…

rain_2981 eI might well have let loose a ‘YIPPEE’!!

(And just between you and me, a tear may have escaped as well.) rain_2922 eWe have had 64 gorgeous millimetres of slow sweet grass-growing rain.

rain_2930 eIs 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.rain_2914 e

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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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”.

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