Last year, Alice Springs had only 77mm (about 3 inches) of rain for the entire year.
In the past two days, we’ve had 134mm (over 5 inches)…
The Todd River, usually a dry sandy expanse fringerd by towering River Red Gums, has broken its banks. It’s a swirling, muddy morass, flowing out into the Simpson Desert and recharging our precious underground water supply.
We don’t get a lot of rain here, and we love it when it rains. There’s crazy tourists to watch, who take loads of photos of the Todd River in flow. And there’s locals, who just stand and watch the river, the rain, the clouds, enjoying something we don’t often see. Of course, there will be an explosion of mosquitoes (mozzies in Australian English), ready to gobble my blood.
Apparently, the Ghan Train was stopped at Ti-Tree because the tracks were washed away and it had to go back to Darwin. The waterholes will be full, birds and animals will breed, trees will flower and we’ll have a magnificent bloom of desert annual flowers. Photos, photos, photos!
Blogging Update
There’s a new page for my new blog (I Hate Books) at the top of the page. I want to improve the design of the new blog and need some help with adding a background pattern and a suitable background colour. I would like something Eastern/Indian Spicy. If you’re good at CSS in WordPress.com blogs, please leave a comment. I’m too chicken to brave the somewhat blunt and rude WordPress Forums.
At I Hate Books, I’m going to be blogging about books, book culture, books challenges, and perhaps some world music as well. This means that I won’t be posting books reviews here anymore.
State of Mind
I have been doing a lot of asana which does seem to be helping. I’m feeling better mentally, although I had a couple of really bad days this week. I almost thought we weren’t going to Indonesia, due to a hiccup with Mr AnthroYogini’s leave. Which was devastating.
My leave coincides with Mark Whitwell’s visit to Melbourne, which Nadine is organising. So yet again, I won’t be able to see Mark 😦
I have been able to get through a month of doing yoga 5 days per week, and I really feel it’s made a difference. I’ve also started running again (although the rain put a hole in my schedule over the last few days) and I’ve completed two weeks of one of the harder Turbulence Training programs.
I need to get up my courage to go back to the gym, and to get out of bed and go running of a morning rather than in the afternoons. It’s often 40 degrees (Celcius) here through summer, so afternoon running leave you dehydrated! Anyone want to nag me to get out of bed? I have no problem waking up. I just lay there and read, or get up and make breakfast.
As for the gym… it’s the attention of other people and the questions about how I am and where I’ve been. Comments like: ‘…hello stranger…” that I don’t want to face. Sure they’re well-meaning, but when you live in a small town, are an ex-instructor and are depressed, you don’t want attention. You just want to be an anonymous participant at the back of the class. I think the only way to get over this is to go with Rhiannon (whose teaching at the gym on her uni break), so that attention is diverted from me. It’s that first class that’s got me.
I can’t face it alone, I don’t feel my usual fearless self.
AnthroYogini 
Glad you’re feeling somewhat better–and sounds like a magical time in the desert (I remember once being in the Arizona desert during an unusually wet spring, and the incredible profusion of desert flowers).
And “I Hate Books”–how could a PhD in literature like me not love a blog with a name like that?!
I’d be happy to nag ya out of bed–particularly since you probably get up sometime around the middle of the afternoon my time, so I wouldn’t have to get up early myself, but don’t think my voice would carry that far…
Lovely description of the Todd in flood & what it means to the town. I’ve lived here nearly 6 years now, seen it flow or flood a few times but this is the biggest I’ve seen. Very exciting.
Will check out I Hate Books blog – with a name like that how could I not have a peek? 🙂
Good luck with your fitness training. My partner runs in the evening, after sunset. Means he eats a late dinner but he prefers that to an early morning run. He is not a morning person. If you’re content with your own company and able to stick at the running and yoga, then maybe you can afford to let go the gym for a while? Do you cycle? That’s a great solitary fitness habit that can be shared with others if desired.
Depression can be a hard slog. Surround yourself with support mechanisms, whatever works for you at your pace. This is a great town with a lot of support organisations, we’re very lucky to have some very fine, effective and caring people working to help those with depression and other mental illnesses. Good luck!
Cheers,
DG
Cheers,
DG