Sugar cane harvesting season has arrived early this year and we saw the first of the cane fires tonight on our way home from a friend’s birthday celebrations…
I know it looks like a tree (LOL) but it is a cane fire burning in the distance, taken from my IPhone in a moving vehicle so a little imagination and squinting may be necessary!!!! Generally, our harvesting season begins after the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in June but after the disastrous year last year, they’re wanting to get a head start whilst the weather is good! You may be asking. “What medication is this girl on???….there’s no snow in tropical North Queensland, where it’s beautiful one day and perfect the next!!!!??? She’s had far too much anaesthetic!!!! Well…..colloquially speaking, the black ash that falls to the ground after the burn, (which is what you see floating above the trees in the distance in that dirty big cloud), is known as “Burdekin Snow” or “Black Snow” and there are those that love it and then others that hate it. The fallen ‘snow’ clogs gutters, dirties wet washing on the line, blackens feet and little white dogs and cats become greyed for 6 months of the year…..and don’t try to wash your car at dusk as you’re guaranteed to get a smattering of ‘snow’ stuck to your shiny new exterior (and even your interior if you leave your windows open!). On the other hand, the ‘snow’ signifies the start of the crushing, where seasonal jobs begin and money begins to filter through the community again….something that many missed out on last year due to the unseasonal rains. (It’s also a great ‘free’ conditioner for the garden!) So you see, I’m not ‘off my nutter’, it’s just the season for it! And despite the mess it creates, I’m just happy to see our ‘snowy’ season off to a great start!!!! And I’ve also been catching up on my
Snow Hearts BOM too that have been waiting on the back burner for the Snowy season to begin! I just love doing these in my Cottage Garden threads in Canna Lily no. 1000.
So what’s seasonal at your place this time of year????
Sugary hugs Wendy :0)
I know it looks like a tree (LOL) but it is a cane fire burning in the distance, taken from my IPhone in a moving vehicle so a little imagination and squinting may be necessary!!!! Generally, our harvesting season begins after the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in June but after the disastrous year last year, they’re wanting to get a head start whilst the weather is good! You may be asking. “What medication is this girl on???….there’s no snow in tropical North Queensland, where it’s beautiful one day and perfect the next!!!!??? She’s had far too much anaesthetic!!!! Well…..colloquially speaking, the black ash that falls to the ground after the burn, (which is what you see floating above the trees in the distance in that dirty big cloud), is known as “Burdekin Snow” or “Black Snow” and there are those that love it and then others that hate it. The fallen ‘snow’ clogs gutters, dirties wet washing on the line, blackens feet and little white dogs and cats become greyed for 6 months of the year…..and don’t try to wash your car at dusk as you’re guaranteed to get a smattering of ‘snow’ stuck to your shiny new exterior (and even your interior if you leave your windows open!). On the other hand, the ‘snow’ signifies the start of the crushing, where seasonal jobs begin and money begins to filter through the community again….something that many missed out on last year due to the unseasonal rains. (It’s also a great ‘free’ conditioner for the garden!) So you see, I’m not ‘off my nutter’, it’s just the season for it! And despite the mess it creates, I’m just happy to see our ‘snowy’ season off to a great start!!!! And I’ve also been catching up on my Snow Hearts BOM too that have been waiting on the back burner for the Snowy season to begin! I just love doing these in my Cottage Garden threads in Canna Lily no. 1000. 
So what’s seasonal at your place this time of year???? Sugary hugs Wendy :0)
How interesting! I hope there's a great harvest this year. Your snow hearts look lovely, Wendy! There's not much seasonal going on here, it won't feel like spring again until the weekend - I made the mistake of putting my winter coat in storage and now I need it again, lol!
ReplyDeleteI always think that seeing the cane fires burning is a spectacular sight. And it always reminds me of my grandmother who complained about the black ash on her washing.
ReplyDeleteI spent a large amount of my childhood holidays with family in the cane region of Childers so know what you are talking about. We used to get ash in our pool when they burnt the cane south of Beenleigh but haven't noticed it for some years now.
ReplyDeleteFor a good season I think it would be all worth it....love the stitching...
ReplyDeleteoh just reading your post, I could smell the smell. And how I used to dislike the black snow& the distinctive smell. lo and behold we get it up here at this time of year when they do all the controlled burns, with smoke that hangs around for days and almost chokes you early in the morning.And you get a tad on edge praying that sparks don't start a fire close to home..Your stitchery is looking great,cheers Vickie
ReplyDeleteI remember as a child, my brothers and I would have competitions to see who could catch the biggest flakes without them breaking up.
ReplyDeleteThen when driving home from town with my own children, I'd pull up to show them a cane fire.
Rain! We didn't have a summer last year due to Rain & it is almost June and we still have Rain. I am hoping for sunshine!
ReplyDelete