It has been a very long hot and dry summer in Narrabri with temperatures way up and rainfall way down. Most days, the humidity has been below 20% and often night temperatures have not gone below 20C.

Farmers in the district have lost crops and some are now shooting stock because they can no longer afford to feed them.

Like many people in town, I have found it hard to keep enough water up to plants. Many of our potted flowers have died in the extreme heat. And our very hardy lillipillies have curled up their toes.

Other plants are stressed but hanging on like this Japanese honeysuckle

But then we have all these signs of hope for a better season ahead

“Gum nuts” on a cadgia tree suggest optimism for new babies!

 

 

Next door’s bougainvilleas seem to thrive as always.

I planted sunflowers last spring. They looked spectacular at their peak, and now look rather dead. But thousands of seeds will plant in the dirt and we may get multiplication next spring.