We’ve had clear blue skies for all of August so far, which has been fantastic for getting out into the yard, but not so good for keeping plants alive.

I’ve been watering the little seeds that we planted a few weeks ago, trying to encourage them to sprout and grow. So far, some have come up but I’m not actually sure if it’s the lettuce and basil that I planted, or sunflower seeds that fell off the plants when the birds were eating seeds.

That is the main problem with raising from seeds, I suppose, the wait to see if they grow properly. I had an epic failure a few years ago when none of my seeds sprouted, so I’m wondering if it’s the time of year – we get a few hot days, then it swings back to being cold again, and back to hot again, with no rain.

We were discussing seasons a few days ago and Tim mentioned that someone who works at the Botanical Gardens once told him that Brisbane has five seasons, although he couldn’t remember what they were. I thought that was worth looking into, maybe I need to tweak when I plant things a bit.