Ha, yeah Swampman, I've been thinking the same too re Peak Oil.

Funny thing, we're now in "official drought" in much of NZ although at our place we're fortunate that we still have unlimited water. Hardly anything has been watered much this Summer though for one reason or another and yet EVERY fruit and nut tree and vine we have (grapevines in particular) is loaded with more fruit than it's ever had before. Even visitors are commenting on how much fruit there is going to be.

Heavy fruiting in these dry conditions? As my 83 year old father says Mother Nature knows something. I notice our old oak tree, which seems otherwise healthy, is throwing off big branches as well. It's never done that before.

Sometimes when an elderly female animal, say a mare or a bitch, begins to fail and get sick, lose condition etc you know what they'll very often do? Come in season. It's like Mother Nature thinks they should make one last ditch effort to reproduce again before they die even if the timing and circumstances are far from ideal.

Some of the pears are falling off the trees which means we should have swarms of bees feasting on them on the pathways like we always have had. Only this year - no bees on the pears. Where are all the bees?