Summer around here is usually heralded by a number of things. The weather warms up, of course, and the humans complain about the humidity, but there are other tell-tale signs.
For instance, our paperbark (melaleuca) trees shed their bark. This goes on throughout summer as the new bark underneath is revealed. The paperbark isn't used for many things but it is used by the Aborigines for such things as containers, totem poles, seal for ovens and canoes. Paperbark is also used for habitat for shelter when on "walkabout" around the countryside. And the thick old paperbark trucks provide hollows especially when fires occur during dry season:
The second absolute indicator of summer being here is our summer pool looks more inviting if you were a crocodile than a dog or human. There are swamps around that are less dirty than our pool at the moment:
No doubt Pop will have it clean and ready for use just in time for it to be too cold for Nan to swim.
