Thanks for sharing those pics. Stormy here today!! It'd be a pretty good place for storm photos if one could get up the mountain to take them. I wouldn't risk getting washed away in this. We have twisters too, but with a lower density they don't affect much and most are probably unseen on the big farms (900 acres is considered a "small" farm here). I doubt they are as big as the type in the US, everything is bigger in the US
I was planning on going to the city today, but looks a bit dangerous out there. Times like this I am sort of lucky to be by the highway as it is well maintained, and rarely floods badly (most of the farms here will get flooded in during storms like this), its just the tree branches that are a problem. Gums drop their branches like twigs at the best of times. The shire got that burn off in just at the right time. This rain is sure to put out any remaining hot spots. I cant wait to go bushwalking once the storm passes, its gona look amazing out there.
The new general store is doing grocery orders which I would love to try, so maybe I will do that instead of the city trip. I had a few other things to pick up while there but it really does look wild out there and will only be worse on the coast! Im glad the post seems to be back to normal so I can order a few things online and expect them by next week.
Water is heating on the stove, so hot coffee is on its way. We are looking at a high of 47 according to the forecasters, but I'm not sure they're right because it's reading 43 on my west-facing porch right now, at about 9am. I hope they're equally wrong about the low tonight, because they are saying 31F.
Confirmed C-virus cases in our county is 39, with 0 deaths. A lot of people are thinking it's already been through here and we all just thought it was a really bad case of Flu. Patient 0 in the US is now considered to be someone in LA back in November, and we are right up the Hwys 5 & 97 trucking corridors from there. We won't know for sure until they get more people tested for antibodies.
I've been able to offer eggs to some of our neighbors lately; the girls have finally noticed there's a new boy in town. Duke Jr. is a Lavender Barred Rock and absolutely gorgeous, and it looks like old Cogburn is gradually ceding Top Rooster position to the youngun.
My weight has gradually been creeping up over the last couple of months- I've regained 5 pounds; almost certainly because I've not been doing any Tai Chi. I keep saying I'm going to exercise and then all of a sudden it's 10pm. My back is hurting more too, probably for the same reason.
We have near on the same sort of weather. It didn't get over 50F/10C yesterday. I started my fire for the first time this year. I forgot how wonderful it is to have the fire going. The house bunnies enjoyed it too. It will be 35F/2C overnight tonight so I am nursing the coals through until I need it raging again.
I have been crocheting a new poncho. I crocheted a band to wrap around my middle for extra warmth, I have put on some weight too so it fills the gap between the end of my t-shirt and top of my pants haha. Warms the back well. I have even been eating better and less lately so I know the weight is from lack of movement. I FEEL like I did a lot yesterday!
The bush reserves are still shut from the virus and burns but once they are open I will strap my ankle and get out there. I still walk like I am on stilts but I have to move or I will melt into a blob in front of the fire over winter. I have been doing Qi Gong in my chair, but not as much as I should
This frothy coffee certainly helps with movement motivation
Thanks for that info. I had just read that about the japanese honey bees doing that to the giant hornet to kill it. Those hornets are pretty bad. The thing about the european honey bees that are so common here is that they are supposed to be the most gentle and handleable and that is why they were propogated so much. I think that the Japanese honeybees are also supposed to be more resistant to the mites that are affecting the bee colonies here too. I do not like bees, I love that they are so necessary, but I am scared to death to even think about handling them. Good job for someone else.
DH is allergic to beestings, so we don't have honeybees, much as I would love to. The solitary bees like mason bees, orchard bees and bumblebees seem to be even less aggressive so we encourage them with bee habitats and such. As far as I'm concerned, all hornets are bad, lol. I don't mind wasps, they aren't nearly as aggressive in my experience, although I will still knock down their nests if they are near any entrypoints to house and outbuildings. We need to rebait our yellow jacket traps- DH never emptied them from last season. I hope it's not too late to catch the queens.