On the Broad Gauge

6:30 am in Brisbane and it’s 5 degrees. I am not riding my bike today. I’m getting soft in my old age. Luckily, I have a bus with heating

Up on the Sunshine Coast for the weekend. My goodness it’s chilly! About 10 deg C outside last night and the house has no heating. Brr!

1. Why is Queensland Rail still running an emergency hourly timetable on the Ferny Grove line?
2. Is the Great Circle Line bus running today?
3. How many calories do you burn standing at a bus stop?

My part of town has been spared flooding. The rain had kept off for two days now, so the flash floods have kept the local creek in its banks. We’re far enough away from the Brisbane River to be spared back flows.

The roads have been open and clear, apart from rock falls closing one lane on Musgrave Road at Red Hill. Even the swamp that was my back yard is starting to dry out.

PT is still out. Translink is running a skeleton service on BUZ routes and some train lines only.

I will be back at work as soon as the CBD is cleared for action. Officially that should be tomorrow, but a lot depends on Energex and if it can guarantee electricity supply. Of course, this relies on floods going down and no more rain!

I am just thankful I don’t live in one of the affected areas. They will be horrible for weeks to come.

And thanks to all who have called or written so send wishes. It’s appreciated.

Truly appalling scenes of devastation in Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley. Now the Brisbane River is breaking its banks. Ipswich city centre is underwater and Brisbane CBD is shut down. Just incredible. And scary.

We’re stocked up and should be high enough to not get flooded. But we’re bracing for the worst.

After a stormy week and a rainy weekend we finally got a nice sunny day yesterday. It was even cool enough to sleep comfortably. This morning has been fine too, so I grabbed 15 minutes to spray what was left if the vege patch with Dipel for caterpillars. It was too late for the parsley and capsicums but it might do the cucumbers and tomatoes some good.

No rain for 48 hours, forecast of fine and sunny 30 degrees. 8am and it’s already 27 deg. I think it mat get hotter.

Hope it stays fine tomorrow. The lawn seriously needs mowing!

The weather this past week has been simply appalling. It has rarely stopped raining for more than a couple of hours, and even when it has the humidity has been terrible.

Moss is already starting to grow in the low bits of the garden and if the ground doesn’t dry soon I may have a mosquito problem.

As a result, the vege garden is looking very sad. The tomatoes don’t like the damp and caterpillars have been having a field day on the them, as well as the capsicums, parseley, strawberries and the orange tree. I haven’t been able to spray because of the wet.

So far though, the cucumber vine is looking good and the lime tree appears immune to whatever bug is ravaging the orange tree.

Fingers crossed!

This is the time of year it makes you think gardening in Brisbane is possible. On Saturday I put in the vege patch. Tomatoes, basil, capsicum, cucumbers and parsley. I know basil loves the climate here, tomatoes do okay as long as it doesn’t get too stormy for and they get waterlogged. The others are more experimental.

This year, I have covered the whole lot in a 5 foot high tent arrangement of netting right down to the ground. Hopefully this will keep the possums from eating everything in sight. Today is Wednesday and so far so good.

Fingers crossed!

I had a large (5000L) rainwater take installed and plumbed during the week. I am looking forward to being able to water a (small) lawn again, and being able to water vege patch without treking up and down the garden with a watering can.

The weather seems to have returned to the pattern of ‘rain 5 days from now’ – the 5 days away never actually arrive.

Is there a version of Murphy’s Law in operation here? Plenty of rain – until you try and catch it!