In the snow zone

Finally! We had our first proper dump of snow of the year overnight, waking to a few inches of the white, powdery stuff. Not as much as last August, but as you'll see below, so so pretty. Flakes were still softly falling for much of the morning. Some friends brought their daughter up to our place to play in the snow before school and our dogs showed their Swiss breed heritage by going completely nuts in it. I haven't let the chooks out today. They are locked in the hen house with a warming garlic mash to eat. Speaking of garlic, that's what is growing in the raised garden bed pictured below...

We live well above the fog line and just below the snow line here in the hills above the Huon. If snow is forecast down to 600 metres we usually get some, even though we are only at 450 metres. Just a few hundred metres down the road, the snow runs out and everything is green again. We definitely have our own special micro-climate up here.

How's this week's wild Tassie weather been at your place?

Mud glorious mud

We've had a lot of rain lately. Not as much as Launceston, but still, a LOT of rain. River levels are high, dams are full and paddocks under water. Perfect timing then, for the annual Winter Challenge multisport event run in Franklin yesterday. It rained on and off during the event, but the mud was already there waiting to coat the competitors from head to foot as they ran 10km, mountain biked 18km, road biked 37km and kayaked 11km through the Egg Island canal and up the Huon River. One mud-covered competitor was heard to say as she climbed off her road bike for the final kayak leg of the event: "Never again!". Don't blame her.

We have been marshals on the run leg of the event for the past few years, stationed at farm gates in paddocks, and it's always so impressive to see these amazingly fit guys and girls power past us. Many of them even spare the breath and energy to say thanks on the way past. Seriously, no need to say thanks, it's kind of an honour just watching them and we always enjoy the few hours out in the fresh air.

Loving Launceston

View across the North Esk River from The Boathouse back to Seaport

I like Launceston more each time I visit. I don't recall being too impressed with the town itself when I visited as a tourist some years ago. But the more I wander its streets filled with lovely old buildings and sample its food the more I like it.

Princes Square

Apricot Frozen Yoghurt at Stillwater

This week I flew into Launceston from Melbourne. The fields surrounding the airport were under a lot of water. I had heard about flooding in some areas of the town following torrential rain this week. Early on Friday morning I walked up Cataract Gorge and the volume of water roaring down it was incredible. It was too dark for a good photo, but you'll get the idea.

Happy 17th birthday Lilly

Lilly the cat turns 17 today! She's still feisty enough to spank Gretchen through the fence occasionally with a lightning fast paw, and still has a very good appetite too. She has a while to go to surpass the record set by my childhood cat Soxy though, who reached 19 years old in the care of my mum. Happy birthday, Lil.