Lady Jicky asked how I was surviving the heat. So far so good. Above is the vegetable garden with a partially useful umbrella in the middle. Two zucchini plants have conceded defeat but everything else is holding up. The weather bureau, often a non-prophet outfit, are usually pretty good at predicting temperatures. Rain is more problematic as the clouds seem to just pass by. The forecast for today is 41, tomorrow 43, then 40, 40, with a 'cool change' bringing 30 on Sunday. Woohoo!
This morning was our watering day; so we were up at 6:30 giving the garden a drink. The next one is Sunday morning. The garden will have to survive on shower, laundry and sink water until then.
Looks cool, no? Well, no. The photo of the backyard was taken about 9am and the shadows are deceptive. But the shade sail is partially effective. Psychologically good too. The grass gets no water at all and still has a bit of green to it. There's another post in that story.
Realised yesterday, a mere 38°C, that the house stays pretty cool during the day (We have evaporative cooling but only run it at night, for sleeping.) but the sun comes in strongly through the back windows late afternoon. The jacaranda tree has pretty meagre leaf cover at present, plus the late sun comes in under the branches. Last night I put up a shade cloth; not particularly elegant but we will see what difference it makes this afternoon....
We're expecting 11 inches of snow through the night and early tomorrow, on top of the four inches already on the ground. Keep cool and I'll try to stay warm!
ReplyDeleteWe're having an ice storm as we speak. I let Sundance out and he slid down the driveway. School's already out for tomorrow. So I'm sleeping late and not worrying about it!
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous, it's freezing here.
ReplyDeleteDon't be jealous, rdl. Unless you're a mad dog...?
ReplyDeleteMaybe we can work out a swap? It got up to 9F here today and is now already well below 0. So I'd like a touch of warmth and I'll trade some cold for it. Deal?
ReplyDeleteIt's cold and damp in France, but I'm not jealous. That is simply TOO hot for me, and mum. Mum isn't a hothouse plant. She can't function once it hits 30, which it often does in this part of France. The best thing is that the house is always really cool - it has walls that are 4ft thick and made of stone. Mum says that reading your post makes her want a cold beer.
ReplyDeleteKeep cool! You really need shades or blinds or curtains that you keep drawn all day long in order to keep the house cool.
ReplyDeleteNWS said 8.5 inches, I was shin deep feeding the birds this morning.
ReplyDelete(hate to admit to this...I LOVE it!)
None the less, you mentioned grasses under trees, some of the sweetest colors under the locust trees here.
Anyway, though I think I'm so flipping 'green' here you go showing me things I could be doing.
Water capture should be more prevalent, in my mind....I feel that water today is finite.
At least, over time.
As in, gross or not, it seems moronic to use two or three gallons of water to flush away a half cup of urine.
(ok...gross)
But, the screens also looked good. We have trees for summer, the same group of harvesting trees for our fire (winter) but, despite the obvious windbreak, it's a bit shy of using the actual house for energy, like say, using a brick verneer.
In fact, are you folks having the same building problems there as we are here? Inflated prices? Lay-offs and foreclosures?
While it's happenning here, I can't help but to think it has as much to do with the idiocy of the builders and archetects.
(geez...this is getting long winded, eh? Maybe a post on it will do?)
HA!
BRING YOUR SLED!
WHEEEEE!!!!
The garden does look lovely, very deceptive though.
ReplyDeleteJust looking at it, it looks like the ideal place to plonk on that comfy chair and read till the night, but then all hopes of that come crashing down when you tell me that it is 40 degrees today! Ugh.
It's so hard to fathom those temperatures when buried in snow the way we are.
ReplyDeleteYes, Boneman. Same problems here. *sniff* Not quite the same housing issues but economy in a death roll.
ReplyDeleteQuite a few places here wave waterless urinals, not sure exactly how they work other than some sort of oil layer in them.
Things are grim - I had to put ice in my wine.
ReplyDeleteHi Lee, what a shocker of a night it was! Today is no better and thank goodness I have blinds to pull down over my front windows where the hot sun sets!
ReplyDeleteI shall tell my husband about your umbrella in the vege patch - looks like a great idea! You do not want to know what that patch looks like and I do think I will have a few of my beloved roses die on me !
creative problem solving, i see. we did a similar thing in august when we planted 3 new azaleas and didn't want the summer sun to burn them while they were adjusting to their new garden homes. large umbrellas kept them in filtered light and worked perfectly! good luck with the garden. we are chilly and damp here. wish i could send you a bit of this cooler weather and rain.
ReplyDeleteif I could send you a chilling thought, I would.
ReplyDeleteI'm sitting under the air conditioner too.
I feel for you Lee, we are having a relatively comfortable day today its only 33degrees.
ReplyDeleteSome of my plants suffered last week, like the ginger lily and the cardamon ginger, they look like they have been cooked.
Good idea with the shade cloth to shield the the windows from the afternoon sun; even if it lowers the temp. a couple of degrees.
Hope you get a cool change soon. ♥
wait, though. Those sheets you have are dark?
ReplyDelete43C????? we're beginning our a hot weather here as well, i hope it won't get close to that number. i'll melt.
ReplyDeleteIn the NE part of the US snow is falling at record rates - most cities have double the amount of the average. Just lucky I guess. LOL Here in Nevada it's dry and temps are around average for the area.
ReplyDeleteLove all the shade you are trying to make. Having that sheet in front of the window should help a lot. Keep cool!
It's good that your garden is so green..it helps to cool the weather down a bit..I guess..
ReplyDelete