…a very precious resource

It’s Sunday and we are having a scorcher. It is 32˚C (which is just under 90˚F). Yes, we have had worse—it was in the 40s during the first week in January, which, in the old money, we would have called ‘over the ton’ and I thought I was going to become a grease spot, and melt into the floorboards.

This heat, combined with a distinct lack of rain, just makes things feel very alien—other worldly almost. The ground is so parched and we have had to use ‘town water’ on the soil garden to keep things going, despite having installed a 4000 litre rain-tank system about three weeks ago. We have had one reasonable rain event between then and now, but with topping up the aquaponics system and some initial garden watering, the tanks are almost empty and the pump has lain silent for days.

I know having chickens, a German Shepherd dog (meet Maggie—pictured with the rain-tanks) and an active ‘veggie garden life’ is not always conducive to a lush green lawn, and indeed this has never been our focus, but the distinct lack of regular rain is making the bare patches bigger and the ground hard and dry.

We are hoping for a good soaking this week. The forecast from now until Thursday sees 30˚C+ temps and a 60–90% chance of rain over those four days. I just want the tanks to fill.