Rain finally arrives two days before Christmas

What a great relief and a wonderful Christmas present.

We have suffered severe drought for the last four months with virtually no rainfall even though the average is around 100 ml a month in the dry months. We received nothing. The Mangosteens are dying- these are 18 year old trees that I am very attached too - we went to Bangkok to collect the seeds, and then nurse them in the nursery for two years and then plant out into the orchard. At 18 years old, they should be providing us with at least 100 kg of fruit. Instead there has been no crop as the trees are too stressed. There are 20 trees which loook like potato crisps - dead brown leaves - and unlikely to recover even with the rain.

It started raining last night and now we have had 50 mls or two inches with lots more on the way from the look on the radar screen. A great website to view the actual rain storms approaching at http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/qld/cairns. Select Observations and scroll down to radar images - Cairns region - to see the storms approaching Cape Tribulation.

I feel like a drowned rat - working in the rain spreading mulch all day - so that the moisture can be trapped under the mulch once the heat returns.