I have discovered the pest that has been eating my young corn plants. Mr Woof apparently thinks they are a great snack. Anyone else have a dog with a grass fetish?

It’s a bit hot out in the sun, but I’ve got the mowing done. I think the rest of the day can be for inside things.

I’m back home from a day in Melbourne. Travelling down the freeway in the dark always plays havoc with my perception of speed. Something about hurtling along into pitch blackness ahead can give me a feeling that I’m not moving and it’s everything else coming towards me. I had the added challenge of wind pushing the van around to make for a tiring drive.

When I got home I found the pump in the water tank was cycling on and off constantly. I think I’ve found the cause, a minor leak in the tap timer, but having to go outside in the wind was not fun. I consoled myself with some apricot sorbet, and am now having cuddles with Miss Meow, Mr Woof and his collection of favourite toys on the couch.

I was watching them earlier out east and they were definitely in a hurry. They were heading with me back to Ballarat and then continued on, I think there might be a cloud convention in Adelaide this weekend they are all heading to.

I have a pair of jeans like that, it’s really annoying.

I woke up to no power this morning. I had to put my kettle on the gas stove and turn on my phone hotspot. Modern life is so hard.

In 2006, right?

I slept a solid 13 hours and am now groggy and slightly confused about what day it is. It doesn’t help that the area is completely blanketed in smoke and there are not really any cues about what time of day it is.

Past me that made single-serve lasagnes to freeze was awesome and I appreciate her efforts very much right now.

I was having a lovely snooze in bed and got a cramp in my calf. I remembered seeing someone recently saying you should stand up and put weight on that leg when you get a cramp, so I tried that and the cramp just went away instantly. For 50 years my approach to those cramps has been rolling around in agony as the cramp gets worse and worst and there is a quick easy fix that I didn’t know about. I’m thrilled to know this, but also a bit disgruntled about how much pain I have endured over my life that I didn’t need to.

yuck. I had that yesterday afternoon, but fortunately today it has all cleared where I am.

You can definitely still buy lard.

Cookies are the sort of thing you can make a bit at a time, you don’t have to do everything in one go. So you could write an ingredients list for when you have the energy to shop next, then when you have the ingredients you can measure out an ingredient or two at a time when you have the energy, then mix the dough and put it in the fridge until you have the energy to shape it etc.

I survived the night shift and got some good sleeping in today, ready to go again tonight 🙂

It’s amazing to see the amount of effort put in by volunteers all over the state (and from interstate) in harrowing and dangerous conditions. Thousands of people out there willing to put their lives on hold to undertake some of the most arduous work possible, and to keep going back again. Even with the worst of the weather past us there is going to be a lot of work ongoing to bring the fires under control.

It is trying to tell me that Ballarat is 37 and feels like 27, also very very wrong. But a bit less wrong than it’s earlier attempt to tell me 40 degrees felt like 23.

The wind is dreadful out there and the smoke haze is starting to build up as well, giving a horrible ominous feeling to the day. Going to work tonight is the absolute last thing I want to do 😭

That’s not good. Hopefully it’s just a load-shedding thing and won’t be out too long.

I’ve given the garden a deep water and it has lots of mulch, so it’s got the best chance I can give it. The wind out there now is brutal though, combined with the heat it just sucks the moisture out of everything - and there is some damage to some of the plant supports that will need to be repaired too.

🫂

You did the best thing you could for the poor cat, it’s lucky it had you looking out for it and didn’t continue to suffer.

When the veg. box listed ‘piece of pumpkin’ I expected a cut piece, maybe half. Apparently it actually meant two whole butternuts. I think my pumpkin needs are well and truly covered.

New neighbours are moving in today. Terrible day for it, trying to move everything in this heat.