What a day!

I was woken about 2am yesterday morning by a loud noise, a thwumping kind of sound.  I got up and checked on all the animals.....all were fine.  As I headed back to bed, I suddenly realised what the noise was, so I stuck my head out the back door and sure enough, the huge jacaranda tree belonging to next-door's had fallen......into my yard!

Here it is in all it's glory a couple of years ago.

 

and here it was at first light this morning, laying sadly on it's side, broken and finished, it's roots ripped out of the ground.

 

My weaving frame, and a couple of chairs are under here, 

My neighbour was out there pretty quickly with his chain saw and had it all cleared away by mid-morning.  Luckily not much damage was done, part of the fence was buckled, and my garden weaving frame ......that's it in my header picture.....was pushed over, and some chairs near it were flattened.  If the tree had fallen during the day, there's a good chance I'd have been sitting right there, where I have a little table and chairs set up, and Mirrhi and the chooks gather there with me of an afternoon.  The weaving frame is ok, it was able to be pushed back upright, and will just need a couple of metal pickets to support it and stop it falling over again.  Luckily I'd put the table in my car the day before, ready to take to the markets yesterday.

With the tree gone, a huge gap is left on the western side of my yard, and will change the whole climate of my garden, as it provided welcome shade from the afternoon sun in summer.  My shade-loving plants will need to be moved I think, and replaced with sun loving vegetables and flowers, so it might be not be all bad.  The birds will miss the tree as a huge variety made it their home.....I will miss the birds!  My chooks are very nervous now about being in their run, as they've lost their safe 'jungle' overhead. And I'll miss the beautiful blue-mauve carpet of the blossoms as they flutter to ground come spring.

Here's the space with the tree gone, luckily there wasn't much damage done to my neighbour's tropical forest, so there's still a lot of greenery there.  It's different now, but other plants will grow and thrive without the competition from the hungry tree, and soon it will seem like it was never there.

***

As if that wasn't enough excitement, my friend Jan and I had our first market stall together at the Tyalgum Markets.   The markets are set up in the beautiful rose garden of the local B&B, with gazebos set up around the perimeter, giving it the look of a medieval fair. 

 Jan arranging our stock

 

 We call ourselves The Kelpie & The Cat......there's the table that missed being squashed!

 

 

 This little tyke spent the afternoon napping on my knee, he'd come to the market with his owner, a fellow stall-holder.  It was a pretty quiet day, with steadily worsening rain keeping any customers away, but a pleasant afternoon nonetheless, sitting and chatting in good company.

 

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til next time