Emerging from the ground after a four- to five-year incubation period, they’ve burst into song all over town.

They’re the only insects that can produce such a unique and loud sound with some of the larger species like the green grocer and the double drummer belting out more than 120 decibels at close range, the same as a jet engine or pub rocker Jimmy Barnes screaming his head off, which is approaching the ear’s pain threshold.

No doubt the kids will be out catching black princes and yellow Mondays and sticking them in shoe boxes before the birds get at them.

That’s if they’re not stuck inside on an iPad.

ONE of the shining symbols of our lifestyle is the meat pie and tomato sauce.          

It’s more than just an Aussie icon. The combination of soft pastry, tender slurpy meat and rich gravy in a good pie is one of life’s little pleasures.

So why did the media make lots of noise this week about PM Scott Morrison tucking into a meat pie, something Aunty ABC described as “pitching himself as an average bloke...” and later “being dinkum ...”

It was obvious a sarcastic dig at our pie-eating PM so to set the record straight did you know we munch our way through an average 270 million pies a year, 30 million a month, or 12 pies each, made with a huge range of meats including beef, veal, lamb, kangaroo, emu and buffalo.

And our iconic pies are up there alongside the Pom’s fish and chips, America’s hamburgers, Mexico’s tacos and Italy’s pizza.

Famous outlets like Harry’s Cafe de Wheels has served its famous pies to people like Frank Sinatra, Sir Richard Branson, Russell Crowe and Brooke Shields.

While plain beef is still the most popular, pie connoisseurs in Orange, for example, can choose from Whiteys’ mouth-watering line-up that includes beef, steak and kidney, Mexican, beef bacon and cheese, curry beef, potato, beef tomato and onion, mushroom, chicken, black pepper and beef and the breakfast Ned Kelly of beef, bacon, egg and cheese.

That’s enough to bring tears of joy to a dedicated pie eater.

So surely our passion, and that of the PM for meat pies should not be taken lightly by the ABC.

ONE of former NSW Premier Mike Baird’s promises was to establish more country weather stations, so Orange should put up its hand.

The only country stations now are at Cobar, Wagga, Moree and Coffs Harbour and although they don’t employ a big staff, they’re important in keeping the name in the national spotlight.

National TV weather maps do the same so it’s disappointing Channel 9 took Orange off and replaced us with Bathurst to go alongside Dubbo and Mudgee.

Most towns throughout the country would give anything to get on the weather maps on the national TV stations because it’s an excellent promotion for them that’s seen by thousands of viewers every day.