Spring Rain

 Rain on the parsley,

Rain on the peas,

Rain on the broad beans,

And rain on me!

Spring rain finally arrived in Melbourne! It was a dry September and I was getting worried about heading into summer without a good spring soaking. But the rain has come and it's stayed around. It's raining as I write, "falling down like love" as the Go-Betweens sang.

Speaking of spring rain...the other week, Mum and I brought a whole lot of plants and headed down to the garden to give a spring overhaul. Because Mum was only here for a couple of days we couldn't be very flexible with our time and we ended up gardening in the middle of a thunderstorm. By the end of the afternoon we were soaked to the bone, covered in mud, and my nerves were shot from the proximity of the lightning and thunder (we were gardening under powerlines). 

The garden, however, was transformed: the soil was turned and fed and mulched, winter plants removed and composted, stepping stones relaid, baby lettuce, basil and coriander planted and most importantly the tomatoes in and staked, ready for summer. I discovered the joys of chopping up plants for the compost (like making a giant coleslaw) and I came to relish the satisfying smack of snail under boot. All in all, it was a wonderful afternoon and, I hope, a great start to the growing season!!