it's raining, it's pouring

I have a sneaking suspicion Tasmania might be the best place to live in Australia!

We are not in the middle of the most amazing, surely climate change driven heatwave ever.
We are not shrivelling up in drought.
Some areas will be effected by rising sea levels, but not where I live. (self absorbed as ever)
And it's mighty beautiful here.

That being said, those little showers they forecast today turned out to be gigantic downpours. Amazing. Almost tropical. Seriously, what is going on with the world?

Poor old Coles couldn't cope with the deluge - two aisles were closed while they sucked up puddles of water. I felt rather sorry for the girls observed carrying an enormous tub of water out to the footpath.

At least my vegie patch should be very happy. (I'm just hoping the baby spinach and lettuce weren't ripped to shreds!)

Off to bed I go. Do you realise this is now 16 days of non-stop blogging? Incredible. I've got so much to say, but I'm so tired and ready for bed in the evening, that it just goes unsaid. Oh well. I promise to get to it one day.

so much water

It's been a pretty wet winter here. Mild, but definitely damp. Not that I'm complaining - every drop is joy after a couple of years of drought. However so much water from the sky is more than the rivers can contain and now we have a fantastical, worst-in-fifty-years type flood. Thankfully it doesn't seem to be causing too much damage, but it sure is good for entertainment!

This is what the local tourist attraction, Cataract Gorge, looks like on a normal day.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Beautiful, peaceful and serene. I love going for walks there, although I don't do it very often!

This is the same place yesterday afternoon just after the flood waters peaked. Apologies for the poor picture quality... it was getting dark (and possibly I'm not a great photographer, but we'll go with the dark option because it's my blog and I'm in charge).

And this for some idea of the force of the raging torrent:

raindrops are falling on my head

This morning it was bright and sunny - another hot day in a string of scorchers in northern Tasmania. Then mid afternoon the rain clouds started rolling in. Big, bulky, black clouds. Thunder and lightening did their thing across the sky, and then it started.

First a drop here, a drop there. Then a little harder. And then it absolutely pelted down!

My friend and I sat looking out the window in amazement... rain? Heavy rain? We've forgotten what it's like. Coffees finished, we took off outside, hoping our umbrella wouldn't attract a lightening strike, and racing to the vegie shop for tea time supplies.

By the time we came out of the shop we stepped into a different world. The rain was still pummelling the ground and anything else in its path, and the street was awash. Roads were rivers with gutters as banks, footpaths were rivulets and islands were... islands in a sea of murky runoff. Manholes spurted water like fountains. Navigation was tricky, and in a few short moments we were drenched.

But it was wonderful. Water. Drenching rain. I could have stood in it and let it run down my face, soak through my clothes, shrivel my skin. Except I'm far too sensible and I didn't want to ruin my friend's car!

Is this the end of the drought? Probably not, but we've had rain every week for three weeks now - and the scientists declared today that El Nino is over. We're at least heading in the right direction.

And after all the rain...

... a beautiful rainbow. Perfect.