In Sickness And In Health

I haven't blogged in an age.

We've had a turbulent time of late with the wife being taken seriously ill and being flown down to Melbourne for treatment. I'm mightily pleased and relieved to report that the medication she's been given appears to be working and she's been back home for over a week now after being in St. Vincents for a fortnight.

It gave us all a hell of a shock and, once again, made me long for the familiar surroundings of home and family. The support we received from 'home' and from our friends and work colleagues over here was overwhelming and I thank everyone for their well wishes and kindness during this time. It was really, really appreciated by both Pauline and myself.

It's going to be a fairly long road to recovery for Pauline and life will never be completely the same again, but that's a small price to pay.

At least she's here.

Victoria Burns

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.

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.

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.

The Heat Is On

While the U.K. has been enduring freezing conditions over the last few weeks we've also been experiencing a cooler summer than normal.

I'm not complaining, temperatures in the mid-twenties suit me fine. It's been fairly windy too, which has been nice. Some nights we've even needed long sleeves outside. On NYE we dusted off the brazier and fired that up for extra warmth. But the best thing about this weather is that the flies have been virtually non-existent.

This time last year they were the bane of our lives. There were so many of 'em, it was unbelievable. Without warning, one day in late November, they just 'arrived'. In their masses, making our lives a misery until the end of January. Every aspect of the outdoor Aussie lifestyle that we'd moved here to enjoy, was hampered by their constant presence. They were the ultimate pest and I seriously considered turning around and heading home.

Perhaps the cooler temperatures and the breeze have kept their numbers down. That's all changed this last week or so though. It's been in the high thirties all week and today it's 42 degrees.

It's cracking flags as they say back in Blighty.

Cheap Is Good, Free Is Better

Happy New Year to all my readers, I hope you had a good one.

Ours was fairly quiet by usual standards. Hed and Arrrnabel had arrived a couple of days before and we walked down the road to the golf club and had a few drinks while the kids went on the rides and ran around the ninth hole with their pals.

The festivities culminated in a firework display at ten o'clock. We then headed off with friends to our house, where we watched the fireworks from Sydney on telly and saw in the New Year. I had a shift at the gaol the next day so I turned it in shortly after one o'clock. Boooring! The good folk from home will be shaking their heads in disgust. Rightfully so.

New Years Day saw the return of intrepid explorer Neil, to the Dong. He had been scheduled to fly from Sydney at 9.30 in the morning but, due to a heavy night, missed his flight and didn't arrive in Albury until five in the afternoon. He had a ball on tour, but his finances have suffered extensive damage and he has begun his search for gainful employment in the area.

Hed and Arrrnabel returned to the Gold Coast yesterday and seemed to enjoy their stay - we certainly enjoyed having them around. We managed to get a few days out with them, including a day at Albury Races and a trip to Rutherglen's wineries.

It was fortunate that I had a fridge full of home brew as Hed was in thirsty mood during their stay. It was full to the gunnels on their arrival but looked severely depleted on inspection this evening.

Hed's drinking performance surprised me somewhat. I've always considered him a bit of a lightweight when it came to the noble art of knocking back the amber nectar. Clearly what's been holding him back all these years is the fact that he's had to pay for his grog - when it's free and gratis, he turns into the love child of Ollie Reed and Bangor Lil.

You can take the lad out of Rhyl...