Christmas is

G’Day Mob,

Rocky Springs has received the most precious of gifts – rain. After months of heart-breaking dry the water has fallen, the creeks are running, the apple gums fill the air with their pungent blooms and “the filmy veil of greenness… thickens as we gaze” (My Country – Dorothea MacKellar). It has been a festive season to be truly thankful. For me Christmas is:

• The blessed relief of rain
• Sending Brian to town to battle the Christmas crowds while I stay at home – and cook
• Sitting on a pivot (a large agricultural irrigator) – in a corn field – at midnight
• Stormbirds
• Lightning striking a power pole and starting a bushfire on Rocky Springs
• The absolute dependability of the Coolatai Bush Fire Brigade who extinguished said fire as the electricity blokes worked hard to restore power to towns before Christmas
• Rain as the fire brigade drives out the front gate
• Two electricity trucks bogged on our cultivation paddock
• Tumbledowns turning
• Sitting in a pool eating prawns and watching meat ants fling themselves into the water chasing the smell
• Driving three days and 1300km for an eight hour Christmas lunch with family
• Drinks and good friends in Coolatai on Christmas Eve
• Rain on a tin roof on Christmas night
• My joy at Brian returning from the paddocks with his comment “it is such a joy to be out there at the moment”
• Much-needed sleep
• Phone calls to family in New Zealand
• Frangipanis
• A family of red-winged parrots chattering in the jacaranda
• Storm clouds
• Trying to resurrect a long-dormant water-skiing pastime – unsuccessfully
• Hope renewed

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone in blogging land: to my followers, my commentators, my likers and my voyeurs. May you all be blessed as we have been this season.

The Rocky Springs Christmas Tree, a poinciana in full bloom

(and is that Bo playing Santa Claus?)