dry weather for dog walking

I took some photos yesterday of the dry ground in a local park, but was so excited by a chance meeting with one of Penny's littermates that I decided to leave that post for today.

It's very dry everywhere we go. I think the soil is becoming hydrophobic, which will mean even when it rains it won't soak in.

When we were in Darebin Parklands recently, I didn't notice any purslane, which is usually a real survivor, but there were some in this park yesterday, looking as if they were just managing to live. Purslane is edible and we often eat it in salads, but I  use the cultivated form that we grow at home, where I know the leaves are clean. (It's in a pot on a stand where we can be sure it doesn't have dog-wee on it, lol.)

We also saw some mallows, which looked to be surviving a little better, but I still wouldn't eat them, of course, with so many dogs around. We have our own pot of mallow at home and it's much more luxuriant. We eat a little of it in salads, but do find the 'furry' leaves a little strange. But it's supposed to be good for you and the taste is nice.

Park mallow:

Our mallow at home: