Don't knock the weather...nine tenths of people couldn't start their conversation without it

Like everywhere else along the east coast of Australia we have had a lot of rain. In fact, the local radio station announced that we have had unprecedented wet weather here. Point Perpendicular registered as the wettest area in Australia, and for an area that is nothing more than a point of land with a lighthouse on it, I was amazed when the radio announcer spoke of the constant heavy rainfall there. The lighthouse sits on the 75meter high cliffs on the northern side of Jervis Bay and apparently it rains more there than anywhere else in Australia. Point Perpendicular is such a spectacular stretch of coastline that the few times I have been out there, I have spent hours taking photos and exploring the area. Some of the guys from work have been marlin fishing out past the point as well.

Anyway, I digress. It has rained a lot here aswell recently. Driving back from Sydney the other day I realized how endless the wet weather had become. At Jaspers Brush Valley the trees have grown tall and joined over head of the highway. While driving through this area the water droplets were much lighter but when I looked out to the right, which is an region covered by rolling hills and mountain terrain, it was soaked with water from the dark clouds overhead; they seemed like endless rolling squalls. The skies everywhere here are a constant array of storm clouds mixed with white fluffy clouds, although it seems grey for the majority of the time. When the sun does briefly appear it is soon closed over by those same squalls again.
Our work site is a quagmire to the point that I have purchased some gumboots. I unlock the outer perimeter gates each morning. The gates are located on a kilometer long dirt track that winds in through a forest; suffice to say that there is weighty, deep mud everywhere at present, especially with the trucks using the same track constantly. After I unfasten these gates I then drive further down the track to open the gates to the site. Yesterday the muck and sludge finally got the better of me and I went to Bunnings later in the day to buy some gumboots. My work pants seem to have muddy stains on the lower leg areas permanently these days lol.

The rain has been falling so relentlessly that it is hard to remember that Australia so recently experienced a drought. The natural waterways so carefully maintained and preserved by the construction team here, are full with the rainwater moving swiftly. It has fallen so continuously that one can feel the dampness in the air, confining workers to undercover buildings and site sheds. Driving my vehicle around the site is like driving it on ice, slight movements cause it to slide. My fear of it becoming bogged has not left me the entire time and I have often said to people that if they did not see me around to come looking as I may well be bogged in mud somewhere lol.

When the rain eventually halted there were large amounts of water laying around for miles. Foliage squelched underfoot and the ground glistened when the sunshine came back out. It will take days for it to dry out properly. I put incidents such as these down to experience, when John and I eventually go off exploring Australia I should have very good driving skills in wet weather and on outback roads lol.

On a good note, I heard from a friend out at Wellington, a town usually in drought, that they are receiving good rainfall at present. I only hope farmers elsewhere are experiencing the same relief. Meanwhile I will put on my gumboots and stay dry lol.

Have a good evening everyone.