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March2023

Weather diary page

Mar 6, NR: Hot spell. Seems to be the pattern. Hot for several days then a couple days of moderate rain. Currently a run of low 30s - hottest is tomorrow at 34. Harvested almost all of 3rd tomato plant today - signs of fruit ambering. Lot of goanna problems recently - hard to think of a good way to deal with them. Whacked a big one with the shovel but their skin is incredibly tough. Hoping it will be enough to deter him. Ideally i need a cage to trap them like i did with the mongoose (gu-gu-mai-var-nis) in Taiwan, but you can't buy that kind of cage here. Rail was here again today.

Mar 9, NR: New crop of tomatoes sprouted yesterday - hoping to get one last crop through before the first frost. The temps are is still above ave - had a 26C when i turned in two nights ago, & 24+ last night - that's as hot as the nights get here. Mowed tree-paddock yesterday - needed it but not out of control. Wanted to get it done before forecast rain arrives tomorrow - up to 60mm across a few days - which is quite a lot but nothing compared to this time last year. Hoping it will only need one more mow for the year. Also completed house-block mowing yesterday. Grows super-fast at this time of year with the mix of heat and rain. New pullets started laying about a week ago. A few cockatoos have turned up at pecan plantation but not the big flocks, thank God. Grass is higher than the cows in drive-way paddock.'

Mar 9, Kanagawa: After a colder than normal winter, we are having a warmer than normal March so far. It's 20C at 12:45 and may hit 21, same forecast for the next 2-3 days. In fact the next two weeks are forecast to have above average temps in the high teens. Cherry blossoms are due to bloom a week or so early this year. Insects are emerging. Beats the hell out of winter.

Mar 17, NR: Big story here is the heat. Mid-March & still getting heatwaves (35C today) - in fact apart from the odd storm, heatwave seems to be the default. Noticed it's also unseasonably hot in Taiwan, & Dan reports it's above ave in Japan, so it's looking like a planetary event. Mini-storm came through a couple of days ago, which would be no big deal, but it broke two of the largest branches off tomato plant - very, very annoying as it was only a couple of weeks away from being ready. Had it staked & tied to a tree in prep, but somehow it was a rare north wind right at the end of the storm that did the damage, which may have been the back-side of the storm. Storm winds always come in arc from the west to the SSW, but if it's rotating then it's possible to come from the north as it leaves. Took me two days to get over that disappointment. Wallabies sleeping around the house during day. Accidentally approached to within 2-3 m of Wa-wa but she didn't even get up. She's back sleeping in same spot today.

Mar 26, Kanagawa: March has been pretty nice up until yesterday. On the 24th it hit 24 degrees, well above normal. Yesterday the high was 12 with rain, and that continues today.

Mar 28, NR: The heat goes on. Most days around 30C & muggy. Still up around 23-24 when i go to bed. Wild-arsed lightning storm a couple of days ago - just on evening, which seems typical time. Around 50mm. Lot of strikes including a few close to house - unplug the tv & computer level. Power went out but came back on pretty quick. Final spring tomato is now 3m tall - still not done - totally unwieldly. Dried tomatoes are very flavorsome. Corellas have returned after absence of several months, as have galahs. Cockatoo numbers increasing but not at crazy levels like a few years ago. No doubt they're here for the pecans which have started falling to the ground. Pecan leaves starting to turn yellow. Baby wallaby (BG) is growing fast though still stays mostly in vicinity of mother. Today is 12 mths since 2nd flood - amazing the difference a year makes - not a single East Coast Low this year. Currawongs also appearing - presumably migrating up from the south.

Mar 31, Kanagawa: March has been very nice overall. Warmer than average, relatively dry. In the last few days I've seen a number of migratory birds showing up, today the Cormorants. The Eurasian Coots are here in small numbers over the winter but are now showing up in droves. A couple really cool sounding songbirds have returned, one that hangs out under piers (blueish wings, rust-colored belly). Nice month. Beats the hell out of Jan and Feb.

Mar 31, NR: Is this the end of summer? Sudden drop-off in temp from yesterday - down to 17C at bedtime in the house - which is 6 lower than it has been - low of 14. Still has a 30C in the week-long forecast but feels like something has changed.