This morning there is a decent puddle on the bare patch of earth in my frontyard.  The last time I saw this was when my old bomb’s petrol tank sprung a leak and killed off all the grass in the process. But despite the grey skies and persistent drizzle I don’t feel that lazy dreariness that usually comes with cold winter mornings following a late night out.  It could be that I was able to enjoy a nice shower without the feeling of guilt, because over the past few days Victoria has finally, at the tail end of April, had its first solid drench of the year.

Apparently a thunderstorm is in store for Melbourne this afternoon!  Exciting because the last one I clearly remember was more than a year ago on a water-logged golf course.  Weaving in and out of the shubbery with a bag of clubs from the 13th hole to the clubhouse was quite an experience! But I think I’d prefer to enjoy the sights and sounds of my next thunderstorm within the warmth and security of my home.

The Age is reporting that significant falls have been recorded in Victoria’s grain belt and farmers can start replanting crops - 58mm in Stawell, 48mm in Ararat and 36mm in Ouyen.  All good news except the one tiny problem - it’s way too early to talk about the end of the drought and the catchments are all still dangerously low.  Also last year, rainfall was promising in late Autumn before just drying up in Winter.

We might be lucky this year, but problems never disappear so easily. There is still a great need to keep campaigning for water conservation and raising money for drought relief.

As far as site developments go, I’m incrementally improving things based on site feedback.  I realised that many organisations may not be in a position to prove water-saving activity, such as online businesses or other small entities with no physical facilities. Therefore, organisations may contribute the minimum $100 to Fill the Dams without provision of proof.  Hopefully this will speed up early uptake.  Other promising developments will be announced next week but I would still love to hear more helpful feedback from you, the readers of this blog.

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