Blackberries Be-Gone!

So, what do you do when you have blackberries growing in the paddock???

First you spray them. Spray them well. More on that some other time. Once they're sprayed and dead you burn them. That is September. Burning season. The dead blackberries are crisp from the frosts of winter and dry from the warmth of spring. They burn well. The fires are hot and high!

If the wind isn't about a blower vac assists in providing some extra air to the fire. This is a killer of a job. The blower is heavy and the hills are steep... Plus there are those flames...

There's something about the flames. Almost featherlike. Quite beautiful when you are behind a zoom lens. But quite hot if you're using the blower up close! You can't be very close. Those burning blackberries are too hot.

The heat shimmers... The thorns crackle...

And then September is over. The fire season gets too dangerous. You can only burn with approval from the authorities. Fair enough. We don't want to see Australia burning. We dread bushfires. But we also dread blackberries. Blackberries that take over the paddocks, the hills and the countryside. And so we burn!

Then we wash. EVERYTHING smells of smoke. We're very grateful for washing machines... And the end of school holidays ;-) Hope you're well and cheery. It's busy around here, I've lots to show you, and now I might get a chance with more time without three small people to run around after! Talk again soon...