A drive-by posting cos we've been cut to dail-up till the 15th. Grrr! Just to let you all know that we're ok. The fires were under control by the time I found out about them. The school didn't send the kids home, so I guessed it couldn't have been too exciting. :~P Kids didn't know anything about it. But when I went to hang out some washing later, the sunlight had that orangey sort of bushfire glow, and I could see a thin layer of smoke over the sun (shafts of sunset-like beams coming from the sun) despite the blue sky. Not sure where that was from. :~( Another hot day forecast for tomorrow, and the rest of the week. Everything is going BROWN fast. *sigh*

*wishes she could move to Tassie.*

In case anyone missed the link from cleolinda 's journal, I'm posting it here because it is brilliant.

"So if your news service starts with the question 'what went wrong' and answers it with anything other than 'nature is a fucking bitch in Australia', please tell them to piss off in your best Hugh Jackman tones."

I feel incredibly privileged to have such wonderful friends on my flist.  I want to hug all of you. 

The fires here have been utterly devastating.   And came way too close for comfort!  Back in 1983, during the Ash Wednesday fires, ash and embers were carrying all the way from Anglesea to the city centre.  I remember standing outside work (in East Melbourne), watching the ash fall.  It scared the shit out of me then, and felt like the end of the world.  So I was well aware how far ahead of the main fire the ash and embers could fly... and we were definitely in range this time.   Fortunately for us, the wind was blowing it east of us, but what a subjective fortune.  :~(  The lives lost are almost inconprehensible. 181 people dead so far.

My friend, June, who breeds birds, and whom we bought Buffy from, had only recently moved to Kinglake West, lost her house, 3 cats, an eclectus, and a 4wk old sun conure.  But thankfully she and her family are alive, as are most of her flock.

I found out tonight, that a friend of a friend, who no one could contact for days and we were all imagining the worst, finally got through on the phone.  She and her family are fine, and they managed to save their house!  But their neighbours were not so lucky: they fled at the last minute and were part of the 4 car pile-up on one of the roads.  The tragic irony is that the neighbour's house survived.  So if he had stayed with it, he'd still be alive.  :~(



This photo was taken from Carmel's house by her daughter a couple of nights ago.  Bushfire cloud hanging overhead.

The cool change came through, and the temperature dropped YAY!( the cut I always forget. )

ETA:

14 dead in Victoria bushfires

I'm really concerned about friends in Kinglake and the Bendigo area.