There's lots of talk about rain and how much, and there have been some terrific falls, both slow and steady, as well as gully-rakers that fill dams and streams.
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However, there are still some places around the district that have not received any substantial rain. Spare a thought for those who haven't had any really useful amounts added to their water storages, gardens or paddocks.
With the recent milder and more humid conditions, pests and diseases can become more prevalent.
Keep an eye out and act early to ensure they don't become rampant.
Encourage natural predators such as lacewings, ladybirds and predatory wasps, by limiting general spraying.
Spray only as a last resort, using a low-toxic spray or repellent and spraying either early in the morning or, preferably, late in the evening when there are fewer beneficial insects around.
Aphids and white fly, in particular, can literally arrive overnight.
If you have the water, hosing the insects with a strong spray of water late in the day, will knock them off the plant and they will often not make it back up on the plant to cause any further damage.
Red spider mites, or two-spotted mites are tiny, pinkish-red in colour and have four pairs of legs and are related to spiders.
They cluster on the underside of leaves often producing fine webbing.
These mites are prevalent in hot, dry weather and populations can explode rapidly as the life cycle is completed in a week.
Discourage mites with an insecticidal soap spray and encourage natural predators.
Pear or cherry slugs are brown or black slug-like pests about 1cm long.
They feed on the green surfaces of the leaf and will quickly skeletonise cherry and pear leaves if left to their own devices.
They also attack plums, apricots, hawthorn, apples and quinces, but seem to prefer pears and cherries.
To control them, at first pick or squash or hose them off.
If there are lots, toss some flour, talcum powder or ash from the fireplace over the tree (make sure you stand up-wind), which will dry out the slugs' skin so that they shrivel and die.
You can also purchase some Bacillus thuringiensis from your local nursery, mix it up and spray it on the leaves. Alternatively spray with organic pyrethrum or neem.
Fact file
The red spider mite can feed on hundreds of plants, including most vegetables and food crops . It lays its eggs on the leaves, and sucks cell contents from the leaves cell by cell, leaving tiny pale scars where the green epidermal cells have been destroyed.
