As I type, fires rage all over Victoria and many Victorians are battling for their lives and the lives of others.
The death toll currently stands at 35, but will surely rise. Hundreds of homes have been lost.
There's a fire burning around Beechworth, where I work, only 40kms from here. I've been called into work as many of my colleagues are involved in the struggle to subdue the flames that threaten their property and their lives.
The skies above the Dong are grey with smoke and the smell of burning is ever present outside.
The CFA firefighters will be doing it tough. The temperatures haven't really dropped as predicted so no real respite looks possible anytime soon.
I've recently joined the service as a volunteer firefighter and many of the CFA staff involved in my training will be on the front-line today, tonight and tomorrow.
May God protect them.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Smokin' Hot
The folks arrived safely in Australia on Wednesday morning.
My mum caused a bit of a kerfuffle at customs by beating the record for cigarettes brought into the country by one person. Unsurprisingly customs officials didn't believe her when she told them they were all for her personal consumption and confiscated the lot. They clearly didn't know what a proficient smoker she has become over the years and thought she was going to open an unlicensed tobacconist in the Dong.
The good news is she can pick them up on her departure in two months time.
My dad's holiday began disappointingly for him, when on Thursday morning me and him got up early to watch our teams do battle in the F.A. Cup.
His face was a picture as Everton scored the winner with a mere two minutes remaining in extra-time. Seeing the Blues beat Liverpool has always given me enormous pleasure but to witness it in such a fashion and in the company of a Red was special, very special. Of course Dad didn't think so and spent the day sulking in the garden.
Things didn't improve for him the next day when the sweltering summer heat caused him to faint, giving us all a scare. He's still feeling a bit weak today but is on the mend. The heat's taking it's toll on the entire state, and it's no wonder mum and dad are feeling it more than most.
Fortunately temperatures are forecast to peak at 44 degrees today and then drop to the thirties this coming week.
It won't just be mum and dad that are relieved.
My mum caused a bit of a kerfuffle at customs by beating the record for cigarettes brought into the country by one person. Unsurprisingly customs officials didn't believe her when she told them they were all for her personal consumption and confiscated the lot. They clearly didn't know what a proficient smoker she has become over the years and thought she was going to open an unlicensed tobacconist in the Dong.
The good news is she can pick them up on her departure in two months time.
My dad's holiday began disappointingly for him, when on Thursday morning me and him got up early to watch our teams do battle in the F.A. Cup.
His face was a picture as Everton scored the winner with a mere two minutes remaining in extra-time. Seeing the Blues beat Liverpool has always given me enormous pleasure but to witness it in such a fashion and in the company of a Red was special, very special. Of course Dad didn't think so and spent the day sulking in the garden.
Things didn't improve for him the next day when the sweltering summer heat caused him to faint, giving us all a scare. He's still feeling a bit weak today but is on the mend. The heat's taking it's toll on the entire state, and it's no wonder mum and dad are feeling it more than most.
Fortunately temperatures are forecast to peak at 44 degrees today and then drop to the thirties this coming week.
It won't just be mum and dad that are relieved.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Elation, Deflation
So much for having a cooler summer this year.
During the past fortnight temperatures have seldom dropped below thirty degrees, even at night. Today, at thirty eight degrees, we're having a cooler day but tomorrow it's back up to the forties as summer strikes back with a vengeance and Australia's most severe heatwave in over a century continues.
My folks arrive in Melbourne in the morning, having left a freezing, snow-bound Britain. I doubt whether they'll have ever experienced such a climate contrast in their lives. From zero degrees to forty plus, it'll be a massive shock to their systems. I hope they cope alright.
We had a nice break from the furnace-like temperatures of Australia's interior last week as we headed for the south coast of NSW for our first 'Aussie' holiday.
We stayed in the resort town of Merimbula and it was quite nice. We didn't do an awful lot really, the girls just played in the hotel pool, Pauline did some reading and sun-bathing while I mooched around the area on my bike, stopping off for a bet and a beer every now and then.
My thoughts during the holiday were dominated by events back home. Just prior to us leaving we had the fantastic news that Aunty Lyndsey, or the Colonel as she is lovingly known, has all but beaten her illness. Although, as I understand it, she's not totally out of the woods yet, things are certainly looking very positive and we were cock-a-hoop to say the least.
Less than an hour after recieving that news our joy was tempered somewhat when a phone call from my dad told us of our son Cory's latest misadventure. He's made some very poor decisions of late and is causing us major concern. Hopefully he'll see the error of his ways before he makes a total balls-up of his life.
While we rejoice for the Colonel, we fret for our boy.
During the past fortnight temperatures have seldom dropped below thirty degrees, even at night. Today, at thirty eight degrees, we're having a cooler day but tomorrow it's back up to the forties as summer strikes back with a vengeance and Australia's most severe heatwave in over a century continues.
My folks arrive in Melbourne in the morning, having left a freezing, snow-bound Britain. I doubt whether they'll have ever experienced such a climate contrast in their lives. From zero degrees to forty plus, it'll be a massive shock to their systems. I hope they cope alright.
We had a nice break from the furnace-like temperatures of Australia's interior last week as we headed for the south coast of NSW for our first 'Aussie' holiday.
We stayed in the resort town of Merimbula and it was quite nice. We didn't do an awful lot really, the girls just played in the hotel pool, Pauline did some reading and sun-bathing while I mooched around the area on my bike, stopping off for a bet and a beer every now and then.
My thoughts during the holiday were dominated by events back home. Just prior to us leaving we had the fantastic news that Aunty Lyndsey, or the Colonel as she is lovingly known, has all but beaten her illness. Although, as I understand it, she's not totally out of the woods yet, things are certainly looking very positive and we were cock-a-hoop to say the least.
Less than an hour after recieving that news our joy was tempered somewhat when a phone call from my dad told us of our son Cory's latest misadventure. He's made some very poor decisions of late and is causing us major concern. Hopefully he'll see the error of his ways before he makes a total balls-up of his life.
While we rejoice for the Colonel, we fret for our boy.
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