I often think of @HildaW in South Africa and compare our troubles with hers. She lives much the same way we do. Weatherwise.
Although I'm something like a 90 minute (normally) car ride away from the nearest fire I have all my photos in a crate ready to be put in my car, they have been packed for several years. My house is fairly close to the bottom of the escarpment slopes, several years ago a fire came over the top of the escarpment and threatened to come down the slopes. This was pre 1967 and I was at work, my boss told me and another guy we should go home it was considered that serious, fortunately the fire was contained. Since then the photos have been packed in a "liberated Milk Crate", other irreplaceable items identified and their place of location noted so that I can pack the car quickly and away. And if that darn dog Chance doesn't stop digging holes all over the place in the back garden, in an emergency she might find I leave her to guard the house, laughs evilly, although I expect my daughter might have something to say on that matter. Chance's score this week:- A small Azalea pulled out of it's tub, twice. Tub now moved from the back garden for safety. A large Rock Orchid clump dragged out of it's place and left on the back lawn. Two holes in the garden strip bordering the back lawn. One hole in the back lawn. Chance has now received a severe warning that if caught in the act of vandalism, retribution will be harsh.
I fear Chance is well named.....’if by Chance you do it again, Chances are you won’t have any Chances left and soon there will be no Chance’ We have a few ‘liberated’ milk crates. Great for standing on to wash the roof of the SUV. When we could use water i.e. When my ancestors had that land on the escaparment, a place named Sherbrooke on Bulli Mountain, they had numerous bush fires up there. They also had a saw mill up there. Which I guess didn’t help matters.
Please could you think of @Shellymac, she is in the middle of all this devastation at Ulladulla and I don’t think she is well. I do hope she is doing OK. It’s been a while since we have heard from her.
The temp today here in Canberra reached a record breaking 44 degrees, but both Friday and today we have been free of the choking smoke, until about 10 pm tonight, it is back. Daughter in laws mother who was out of communication for days finaly made contact when her phone line started working again, she and the neighbours in her street stayed in their homes and they were lucky, their street escaped, she is not too worried now as she said theres not much left to burn, The devastation that we see on the news, im told is only a fraction of the reality, and the latest news is that there 162 fires burning in NSW, of them 80 are uncontained its so hard to comprehend. Our firefighters are doing an incredible job and we have firefighters from Canada America and New Zealand here helping. We are expecting only 28 degrees tomorrow and the temps on the coast went down when the southerly came through, but that in itself is a danger, the wind can fan the fires anywhere. Has anyone heard from Philippa, I know she is the other side of Canberra to me, I was wondering how she is going with all the smoke.
We have gentle rain falling in our Sth. Aust area [ Adelaide ]. I so hope it's heading for Victoria & Tasmania next. I don't think it's going to NSW.
Lucky duck. I have you on my weather thingy on the phone. So I have been watching those little sliver lined clouds over Adelaide. On a better note. My sister couldn’t decide to go down to the harbour or stay. She stayed but things are much nicer around her at the moment. She sounds a little happier. It’s a wait and see now but her area should be OK. Penrith, an outer western suburb, just in the shadow of the lower blue mountains was the hottest place on the planet yesterday. Another area to the south west of Sydney, Campbelltown wasn’t far behind. However in saying that both these areas are heavily populated with new housing developments, concrete, metal dividing fences and houses built on top of each other. And now a new airport being built near there. So new roads, trees flattened, more concrete. I hate to think what it will be like when the airport is up and running. So looking forward to the snow out here come winter.
I'd not recognise Penrith now, we occasionally went there for shopping in 1976 ish when we lived at Hobartville near Richmond. Is it Badgery's Creek airport you mean? I earlier mixed area names when hoping rain moves on, Kangaroo Island is the spot in dire need now, but Tassie has had it's own share of fires.
We are also receiving light rain in Victoria with some of it extending to some of the areas impacted by fire. Unfortunately it is not heavy enough to extinguish the fires though it may make it slightly more comfortable for the firies. One of the fire chiefs was reported as saying it can also make things more hazardous as the ash on the ground turns to mud.
Yes, Badgers Creek...sorry I have no idea how to highlight a particular sentence on the ipad. I heard last night that although the Penrith temp was a record at almost 49, Richmond which is north of Penrith on the same river, different name, had a temp of 48 80 years ago. Back then quarter the population 3 times the tree cover. No Wendy, you wouldn’t recognise Penrith now. We get down the mountain arrive in Penrith, look at each other and say’ let’s go back home’. It’s just an extension of Sydney.
We just got some rain too. But not one drop landed in the rain gauge At least we know that it IS capable of happening. One day.
Excellent,the first bit was just to remind you of what it looked / felt like, watch out for slippery under foot leaves etc.
And there’s lots of leaves. The trees are so stressed they are shedding. I think we may lose our Manchurian pear. It looks terrible
I'm still OK here nothing has changed except the smoke haze has gone, I think, trouble is my sense of smell is rubbish, there has to be a strong smell for me to pick it up, which although a great disadvantage can be useful. The weather forecast is predicting rain for the south eastern part of Australia, which encompasses our part, a 100mm in some areas, it wouldn't they say put the fires out but I would think it would help even if only slightly. Today looking up at the sky I could actually see the clouds rather than just smoke.
Hi Archie's Mum and everyone on OZ ... we have been extremely fortunate this summer as our rain started in November and has been weekly downpours ongoing, so far it looks as if we might be coming out of our drought. Any bushfires we have are nothing compared to OZ, we only have a few eucalyptus trees close to towns and in controlled plantations. Most of SA is grassland except for down on the southern coast. They did have a big fire there a couple of years ago. Kruger Park has had some good rains and there is better grazing for the plains animals that in the last few years, there can be fires in Kruger, lightning or poacher's fires but they are mostly quickly contained. We have been watching the fires on the BBC news and feel so sad for those that have lost homes and the wildlife that have had their little paws burnt .. heartbreaking all round. Our wish is that you get a week of soaking rain and that the new measures to be put in place will stop fires like these in the future. Keep safe.
