This is another belated post--one more and I'll be caught up with my backlog. There we were, happily grazing the barley- and spear-grass infested flats, with the occasional treat of some Patterson's Curse, when we got hit with another nearly 3 inches of rain on our already saturated soils. Anticipating the deluge, I moved the flock to higher ground--up into the dolerite country where there is shelter, and enough slope for the runoff to run off, rather than just pool like it does in the Road Paddock. We did some shepherding when the weather permitted (remembering that I'm pretty much a complete wimp about shepherding in rough weather), and had our final graze in the Highway Reserve for this year. The Highway Reserve is under a Vegetation Management Agreement with the state government, which precludes summer grazing. We also had a graze in the lucerne--just a couple of hours in a circuit and then back via the Road Paddock to the hill, the day before the rains came bucketing down.
P1: Me up to my shins in Curly Sedge Creek, which was a small rapid in places! This shot was taken after the waters receded a bit.
P2: Curly Sedge Creek flowing into the valley beyond. You can see the standing water in the Road Paddock.
P3: On the southern side of the property, above the Highway Reserve, the view across the valley to Table Mountain. This area and the one in the previous shot are the headwaters of the Jordan River, which flooded over the main highway south of here a few days later.
P4: A blue-tongue lizard (Tiliqua nigrolutea) hanging out in long grass. I nearly stepped on him because he’s so well camouflaged.
Video V1 above.
P5: Gorse blossoms for morning tea, as we head down the hill for a trip into the Highway Reserve.
P6: Dogwood in bloom–the first I’ve seen since the planting 3 years ago. Admittedly, they were 3 very tough years for plants!
Video V2 above.
P7: Onto the old highway, and heading for the she-oaks. That’s Horatio up front.