Spring

May I say, right at the start, I'm having trouble with blogging. Can't find the full 'compose' view. The only help I have available to me are the spellchecker and the image icon. No linkmaker, no block quotes function, no html. One of these days a red-legged goddess will pop in and all my technical problems will be solved; until then I intend to continue on with words and hope readers will bear with me. I can only give you link addresses. (I suspect all this may have to do with the way Safari is operating on my machine) - but then, maybe not.

Ahem. As I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted by all this techno whatnot, it's spring!

Two days ago it was the Spring Equinox which means from now on in south-eastern Australia our hours of sunlight will be increasing until we come to the Summer Solstice which falls on December 21 this year. The meaning of this is clearly explained and illustrated in a one page document at the Victoria Museum's website at www.museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/infosheets/Planets/The-Sun-and-the-Seasons - just Google it.

On the day of the equinox I stuck a small stake in the ground out the back of my house to mark the point of shadow from the back veranda at noon. The sun is getting closer to the house and I know this for a fact because the equinox stake is much closer than the one we (me and my scientific adviser) put in at the time of the Winter Solstice - around about 7 feet closer (what's that in metres?). I'm not sure what we can do with this 'knowledge' - or should I say 'data'?- but it all looks good alongside the rain gauge where we also do some measuring.

Meanwhile in the animal kingdom the possums are showing themselves in the evening and junior is on her mother's back as they spring from the roof onto the walnut tree, then woodshed and a leisurely stroll to the compost heap to snack on juicy leftovers.

Over at the lake the Wood Ducks (aka Maned Goose or Chenonetta jubata), are bringing out their babies. Mum and dad stand guard as the little ones feed on the grasses round the lake. The parents hiss at passing cars and the whole family group heads back into the water at any sign of danger. Smart animals.

In the garden blossoms abound and the camellia tree is showing its brilliant red flowers. They were always out for mum's birthday. During winter I wrote about them in this poem for my mother. I called it 'Spring'.

Spring will come
and mother's tree will glow
dark red
again.

She liked a bit of colour:
polka dots on crisp cotton,
simple dresses
pressed into service with a hot iron
spitting onto a damp cloth.
Primped and pleated and hung.

She loved to see the sun.
Let the sun shine through
to make her day:
a cup of tea, a splash of colour
and the sun peeping through.

Now mother's tree
is dressed in serious green
flashed with clusters of crimson flowers,
petals falling to make for her
a thick red carpet
on the earth.