One thing for sure--Waterfall Road is well named, or maybe it should be "Rainfall Road". No solar cooking after the one success-- just rain and clouds. Lucky I have other things to occupy me- like the eightieth birthday cake I made Margie. never again will I look at iced cakes without feeling great respect for the icers. This cake took many hours, and then, in the end, I dropped it splat face down. Lucy the flowers stuck well. They just got pushed in a bit. never mind, it is a delicious cake-- Delia Smith recipe.

Today we have cooked our first meal on the solar cooker. A big day. Ever since it arrived the days have been partly cloudy or rainy. Today was a corker, so I put the veges in 3 pots and put it out, about midday. I was quite sceptical as to whether it was warm enough, so I left it out until 4.
As a result, the veges are rather overcooked! Never mind, we cooked them with not one jot of coal powered power. The solar panels are due to arrive, and we have the bases for the 2 new tanks, so we are pretty pleased with ourselves.

We are visited by these birds every afternoon. The king parrots arrive at 4.30 on the dot, announcing their arrival with a piercing Peep. They are beautiful.
The bkack cockatooes can come at any time. They seem to favour the big gums way up the back, but we often see them flying over all parts of the town. I love their plaintive cries. There is something melonchly and yet beautiful in their cries.

I just had to show you our first mandarin and the lovely flowers on the sweet potato. So like morning glory. Our potatoes, by the way are galloping. had to keep the mulch up to them. And the daikon radishes in the new no-dig bed look great. they are supposed to go deep and break up the soil. Alos the ordinary radishes and garlic are away. And the capsicums look nearly ready. What a lot of activity there is here!