Flora and Fauna

Alive and thriving are several fruit trees including the miraculous black current that Dean planted bare rooted in November. Our largest chinese elm (shop bought) is Dean’s height. The olive tree although hidden by rampant weed growth is looking fine and doing the slow grow that olives do. The chinese elms from cuttings from Orizabah are still with us, as are the Japanese irises, a few sturdy looking young plane trees and a stoic oak or two.

New Year's Eve 2007

It’s anything but Frosty...
Must be in the 30s C but the day is thankfully cooled and de-flyed a little by the gentle breeze. A delightful day full of cups of tea and reading in our screen tent. It’s pitched down by the creek under the willows. When I look up from my book, or pause with my cuppa I see butterflies dancing in the breeze along with the falling willow leaves. The creek is flowing–just. There has not been a hint of rain in the last few days, possibly weeks.

To cool off we have had a couple of quick dips in our “plunge pool”; a triple bath size water hole in our creek. We lookout for snakes who might have the same idea.

Today I have had a calculated agenda of reading pleasure: Australian Country Gardens – a Xmas present from Dean; Permaculture, A Designers Manual-mental stimulation - another birthday present from Dean 3 or so years ago; a novel Lollipop Shoes–by the same author who wrote Chocolat, Joanne Harris; and my own writing which needs a review and re-order to set me up for the year 2008–only 5 hours away. Mind you we won’t see it as we go to bed quite early here.

As night falls we eat a hearty Irish stew which has thawed from its frozen state in the big esky.

We hold our inaugural meeting of the Frosty Hollow Astronomical Society. We commence with some study of our astronomy book’s map for the southern hemisphere on December 21. We are hoping the stars have not moved too far in the last two weeks.

I see Orion’s belt before I clock out–such is the soporific effect of the frog chorus near our little caravan .

I arrived late on a Friday night. 6 pm is late mid winter when there is no power or mod cons. 6th July was my birthday and very cold. I'd driven down from Sydney that day, hadn't dawdled. Only stopped once for a takeaway sandwich at the Berry Bakery. I also bought a delicious spelt loaf of bread and some cheddar cheese - supplies for lunch for the next few days.

I reached Cobargo at about 5:30pm and pulled into the local servo, the only place open other than the Cobargo pub. I bought some bottled water just in case there was no water in the creek. Legacy thinking since the drought and a tin of Tom Pipers Steak and Veg to heat up on the meth stove for a quick and simple dinner. Yes there was a can opener in the caravan.

I drove down to the middle of the town to the local phone box and rang Dean: "I'm here. Good trip. Heading out now to Frosty Hollow"

I headed down the the last few kilometres of nice tarred highway before my right hand turnoff. The only sign to Upper Brogo Rd being "The Chlorinator". I always am reminded of the Terminator. The Chlorinator for some chlorinated reason refers to the large cement reservoir of water that I am told is a water supply for the town of Bermagui some 40 kilometres away. It certainly wasn't for the likes of properties like Frosty Hollow where the water comes from the creek if it flowed, and large plastic containers of water purchased from the Cobargo supermarket when it was open- not at 6pm on a Friday night.

The dirt road was pretty rough after the wettest June since forever. Its funny how you successfully miss one pothole and tram like rut only to hit several more on the other side of the road.

It was pretty cold, teeth chattering, hand numbing cold, perhaps O degrees Celsius. However the sky was black velvet lined with diamonds and a creamy road of milky way.

I arrived at our gate. When I got out I could hear the creek babbling away with a very large chorus of frogs competing with the ABC radio talk on the car radio.