Bit of a warm end to January here. 30 degrees both days this weekend and tonight will plummet to 17 - definitely Queensland weather, but at least it is not humid. Things are drying off really rapidly which is good in one respect as it frees up the gardener from mowing and he will hopefully be able to get on with some of the other things I would have liked to get done, like starting to build up the walling around the edge of the future terrace area, maybe even installing a step so it is not just a potentially lethal slope up to the terrace surface. It would also help get rid of the various piles of sand and stuff as they could be distributed ahead of laying the pavers, but it may yet have to wait a while. A few of the fruit trees are not coping at all well with the heat and I may have lost a couple I suspect, due to not being here to water them.

Yesterday involved a bit of hall business and catching up with everyone who had to be ignored last weekend and keeping the dog company. The idea was to get most of that sorted before the heat arrived.

Today was supposed to be sitting indoors waiting for the heat to go away, and maybe getting some sewing done. No such luck. Pitt Street in the rush hour here all day. Went into town to get away from all that socialising and popped into the dig to collect my fry pan and containers. More socialising, sigh. Then the gardener, then caroline's husband looking for a spare sheet of ply and ... so much for a relaxing day.

I have bandicooted out some baby new potatoes which are parboiled, and waiting to be tossed in butter with garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper for dinner.