A change in the weather

I can't believe the change in the weather the last few days. At the moment it is about 20 degrees, I have a polo neck jumper and jeans on and I'm cooking a stew for dinner now if that doesn't sound like winter what does.

On another note the fires are still raging in Victoria and people are on high alert as the threat of fires is so unbelievable. The town of Toolangi is under ember attack some residents have evacuated and others are preparing to leave. The owners of a Tavern there have opened their doors to the firefighters, workers and locals and have provided them with food, accommodation and even a beer all free of charge. People have given their services as well to help the owners out with generators and volunteers are helping as cooks and waitresses. There are many stories of people helping and giving so much for these people that have lost everything.

I have abandoned my veggie patch at the moment with so much going on but it has been doing well with all the heat and now the rain. The only thing I will have to worry about is getting my stove reconnected, because Dave disconnected it when he moved it in the kitchen, and start making my tomato sauces and relishes with my booming crop of tomatoes :)

Jess has also moved down to Sydney to start a TAFE course so things have been quiet around with out her and we have both missed her. There will be the holidays coming up soon so she will be coming back to spend time with us. Hopefully by then the kitchen and bathroom will be finished and back in order :)

I appologise for the video below of the rescued koala not working as I am hopeless on these things but have now fixed the problem so if you you want to see this video please tried again :)

Koala Rescued

Victims of the bushfires are also the wildlife, livestock and pets. Up to a million animals have been killed or injured. Here is a video of a koala being rescued by one of our firefighters click on the link below.



Koala Rescued

Please keep the Victorian people in your thoughts and prayers as well as all of the injured animals and the people helping and caring for them.

What a crazy night!

After a hot stinking day in the shop with all the machinery outside digging and pounding the earth I was packing up to go home and I felt the shop building shaking so I went out side to see what machine was doing what. One of the workers on a big roller came over to me, he must have seen the look on my face and he told me that if I feel any vibrations to let them know, well I told him the building is shaking in its boots and he said he will let his supervisor know. A few days earlier a young man came in and took photos of the walls and any apparent cracks in the building just in case more cracks appeared while they are working.

Anyway I left to go home and had to pull off to the side of the road because I was been pelted with hail stones the size of walnuts along with leaves and small branches. This lasted a good ten minutes and I notices a number of cars had also pulled over. So once the hail stones stopped I was off again on my 45 minute drive home and notice further down the road smoke in the air , a bushfire was over on one of the ridges. My thoughts went straight to the Victoria fires but this was no way in comparison to that but as I drove through one of the small suburbs I noticed the fire trucks were all out. When I got home the wind was picking up and a storm was moving in with thunder and lightening, it eventually came and dumped on us 10mm of rain which was very refreshing.

Not long in the evening a neighbour came up and told us he seen a horse running full bolt down the main street, not knowing if it was my horse Buddy who should be safely up in the back paddock I was not going to take any chances so I grabbed a lead and Dave and I went out looking for this crazed horse. By this time some of the people where congregating around the fire sheds talking about the two fires burning in the area, we waved and went on in pursuit of the horse but as it was dark and the weather was a bit wild we were unable to see it . On the way home we stopped at the next door neighbours and seen his pig out and pulled over then noticed the neighbour pulling up behind us. He told us that it was his horse that had been chased out of the gate by one of his dogs and he was out looking for it as well. Well we decided to wait till morning as the conditions were not good and left to go home for a good cup of tea.

Devastation!

There is no other word than devastation as our country is coming to terms with the loss of 108 people in Australias worst fires in history. There have been over 750 homes destroyed, whole towns destroyed and there are still fires burning in Victoria and NSW and the threat is still there. We ask for your thoughts and prayers be with the Australian people that are living this nightmare and for the task ahead of them to rebuild there shattered lives.

Some of the stories that are coming through the news are horrific and just thinking what these people went through makes you feel sick and your heart ache. I can't write about these as they are horrific but there are some stories of survival like a mother her son and dog as well another neighbour huddled in a wombat hole and put a canopy of wet sheets and curtains over themselves and hid in the burrow for protection until the fire past, this had saved their lives. Another story of fire fighters putting woman and children in the safety of the fire house and putting themselves between the fire and the building, their incredible courage had saved them all.

We have also been devastateded with floods with two thirds of Queensland flooded and more heavy rains forecasted. Some areas the water has receded but in other areas people might be isolated for another month. Some people are missing and a young boy might have been taken by a crocodile.

In my own town the temperatures have been in the high 30's and the last few days in the mid 40's and we have had no relief of rain this year so the ground is drying and the dams are evaporating. This week has been forcasts as a lot milder and the possibility of rain so please prayer for some relief and for the Australia people.