Today was OK but now tomorrow looks really bad

The wind didn't come up and the temperatures here at HHF didn't reach the maximum. Watering continued and lots of clean-up. Jean got stuck into the veranda which was starting to look like a storage area for everything that wasn't put away with leaves collecting in all the pockets. It was a massive effort that took all day but eventually the stuff was put away or recycled and the debris removed.

The gutters on the house are clear but the workshop needed a bit of work and then the areas around the hayshed and the workshop were raked. Socks with gravel are located near each down pipe ready to block them and fill the gutter with water.

The pumps and their engines received a service and a quick check to see if anything needed replacement.

Everything is as prepared as we can get it. We have even prepared ourselves for any eventualities.

Harry the rooster who we were given by the dairy farmer when he turned up at the dairy from nobody knows where died today. He was a brave little bloke who knew safety lay in the chicken house. We remembered him escaping from the temporary pen head down and running towards the chicken house as some of the other roosters chased him. Nothing could stop him from reaching sanctuary. He eventually acquired his own little group of devotee hens and would take them for long forages to the farthest ends of the orchard. Recently he lost his most loyal follower to an undiagnosed illness. After her departure he didn't seem himself. Not sure if that is coincidence or him grieving. At least his last years were happy in a safe environment. He was brave, very handsome and an excellent forager now buried beside his sweetheart. All the best Harry.