Temperature has broken local records at 45.8 deg Celcius. Thankfully the newly installed solar power system has saved us a small fortune as the air-conditioners have been in operation 24 hours a day, unlike previous years, as even the lowest night temperatures have been 24C or more. We had a hen die last week from heat stress. Ice containers cooling the water, wet patches on the ground where they can sit under the trees, and even shallow dishes to stand in didn't help on the day when the winds were hot and brisk. Two days before that one of our hens hatched 6 chickens in 44C heat! One died the next day, but it had a difficult hatch and was possibly blind so it may have been kinder that it did die, even though we took over the care and did our best for it.
Even the outside dog has been encouraged to come inside. She's 14 now so she feels the temperature changes more keenly.
Of course the cat is mostly inside as he "owns" the place....hahahaha....
The temperature dropped to 38C over the weekend but the humidity rose so the weather was still difficult to endure. I will definitely be glad when Autumn weather arrives with cooling breezes and the possibility of rain.
Mulching and deep watering infrequently has kept the few vegetables and fruit trees alive, though my little Emperor mandarin has dropped all it's fruit. The lemon and the lime tree haven't flowered this year, but as they too are small, I'd rather the energy go into strengthening the tree than into fruit. The worms are still producing their type of fertiliser and I'm grateful for it as the compost isn't breaking down very quickly in this dry hot weather. Photo is about 2 litres of worm juice that I gather once a week.
I participated in a Christmas card swap last year, in a forum I am a member of, and received cards from 2 members in England. I should have posted these earlier, but it doesn't alter the fact that they are beautiful cards, and much work has gone into the making of them. Thanks again, Sarah and Josey.
Sarah's card
Josey's card
My card to Josey
Cheers,
Robyn Louise XO
Stay cool Robyn.
ReplyDeleteHere I'm complaining about the cold weather, and you are roasting over there. I'm used to warm temperatures, but even 40 degrees C is way to hot for me.
Hi Robyn,
ReplyDeleteThose cards are very pretty. I really must get back into making these, it is so enjoyable.
Thought I would make you feel better by telling you that it is going to 49C here today :) So sick of this summer, the high heat has been relentless! The animals are suffering, the plants are suffering and so am I!
Take care in the heat, and stay safe.
xTania
Gosh it is hot where you are, even here in SEQ the temps are up, but not that up. Love the cards, so many talented people out there.
ReplyDelete