water, 70% of everything really

Water. A real blessing and the source of all life, especially in this dry land.

What a difference a few years makes to the recovery of the land following the severe bushfires of 2000 and 2001. A friend visited our block this week after a few months away. He commented just how much greener everything was following the decent rains we've recently gained. We'd noticed this ourselves over the last 5 years too through the worst drought the east coast of Australia has experienced in recorded history.

The wattles seemed to be the first to recover, taking advantage of any rain that fell to shoot up 2 metres in less than 6 months. Not bad for essentially sandy soil without much in the way of nutrients. Almost impassable to walk through. You have to hack your way through like an 18th century explorer. These saplings proved useful for repair of our garden fencing to keep out the wildlife, providing you used them green. A bit of wattle without the daub. Within a few days, they had lost their moisture and their flexibility. The leaves then contributed to the mulch on the garden.

The dam is still maintaining a fairly constant level too despite its minimal incoming drain. This will be improved over the first few months of 2009. The more water you catch, the more you can use and the more that is available for the fauna.

stay green for now