It's raining- it's pouring nitrates

Rain coming across the Tweed Valley

It rains a lot in the sub-tropics.  Mullumbimby, where I live in northern NSW, gets an average of 1,731 mm per year- London has 583 mm - but, of course it's a lot warmer. The average maximum being 23.7oC compared to 14.7oC for London.  The rain also falls in roughly the same number of days as London-which means that it just chucks it down - and then the sun comes out - not much of the grey drizzle stuff of my childhood.

We have had a recent dry spell, but this weeks thunderous storms have, almost overnight, turned the browning paddocks into an emerald lushness.


This wonderful phenomenon of nature occurs when rain falls through an electric storm and converts nitrogen in the air into the soluble nitrate form - which is readily absorbed by plants.  So it's not just your imagination that everything looks greener after a storm-it's Nature at work.

Flossie has found herself a dry spot!