HIDDEN IN THE WEEDS

JAN 3-4 - DAY 27-28

My neighbours who have been friends for many years are currently in Nigeria for an extended period, so I offered to look after their yard while their other friends and family come and go from their house. I’ve always been partial to weeding, have trouble leaving other people’s gardens alone when the grass and weeds start taking over, but with two yards to keep tidy, plus a bit more mowing for my neighbour on the other side who fell down some steps and ended up on crutches for months, I don’t venture much further afield than my little patch.

Visitors from the mainland, or North Island as it is sometimes referred to here in Tassie, have this expectation that Tasmania is lush and green all year round because it is supposedly so wet and cold here. Looking down on the landscape as they fly in across Bass Strait they are surprised to find we are just as dry and parched as where they came from, and find it difficult to come to terms with Australia’s southernmost island State being in drought.

The paddocks are already dry again, but this past Winter gave us a drenching even Noah would’ve been impressed with, in proportions even the ducks may have been seeking shelter from. No one was complaining mind, the farmers were hanging out for as much as they could get in the hope of undoing the damage of the past few dry years. Only problem is, with that much rain, come Spring not only what you want to grow is going to take off, everything else you don’t want to grow is going to go rampant too.

As a result, there I was on the weekend digging out grass almost 6 foot high in the garden beds next door which I had been neglecting. That’s no joke, it was taller than me, and as I plunged into it discovered there were also thistles in there as tall as I am. Hoping against all hope no tiger snakes had decided to take up residence I kept at it, and by Sunday afternoon it was looking pretty schmick, but the best surprise came right at the end of all the effort. Finishing off some fiddly weeding around some ground cover, a blue tongue lizard crawled out from right underneath my hands and calmly headed for a spot where he wouldn’t be disturbed. Was quite uncanny, I hadn’t seen him at all, was a nice reward.