On a brighter note

While Victoria was savaged by heat, wind and fire, we were making the most of Tasmania's cooler weather.

We had a BBQ with all my friends from my mothers group. The kids had a great time as Jodi's house is set up with everything they could wish for. It's hard for us all to get together with people working, so we made the most of it and had a great time.

Here is a photo of Ryan and his little friends.

Fires cont...

Meanwhile, the area just north of them, the towns of Kinglake, Kinglake West, Marysville and so on have disintegrated...the loss of life is devastating, they didn't have a chance and you wonder how they will ever get over it....I don't have any words to explain the grief we all feel.
Another fire at Bendigo threatened many of my friends and relatives, and tragically locals lost their lives there too. Bendigo is a large regional city, this fire swept in and destroyed homes only a few k/m's from the city centre...how does this happen.
Many more large fires around the state have claimed so many lives, and continue to burn. We can only pray for rain, but I think Victorians have forgotten what rain is...
Leah, my cousins in the north east of the state and my brother-in-law's family in central Victoria are still on alert, as things can change fast with wind direction.
I experienced the Ash Wednesday Fires in 1983 ( I was a little kid) and still remember the blackened sky, smoke and death toll....never thought I would see it again in my lifetime...

Victorian Fire Tragedy

I write this with a heavy heart. I'm supposed to be doing a million things this morning while Ryan is at Childcare, but find myself glued to the TV and internet keeping tabs on these raging infernos, crying and wondering what I can do to help. My biggest concern is my sister Leah, as the small town of Healesville she lives in is not out of danger. It all started Saturday, the government, fire authorities and media had warned it was going to be a day from hell. After a few weeks of record heat, most days in the 40c plus and the ground and trees shrivelling up, and no water supplies due to the ongoing drought, the state of Victoria recorded it's hottest temperatures ever, 47.9c at Avalon which is not far from Naomi, although Dad said it was 48c at their house in Castlemaine. Most fires started later in the day. I got a call from Leah, her husband Cam had left to fight a fire at the winery he works at in Yarra Glen. They did what they could, but had to flee to an adjoining winery and sat and watched the fire engulf the vines and equipment shed. When they returned later, unbelievably the cellar door and winery buildings were saved, everything around them blackened. Meanwhile, Leah was at home packing the car with photos and a few important items as embers flew over the house. But with the100k/m winds, a large tree fell over the driveway and she couldn't leave, so she sat out a very nervous few hours with Viv and Eliza. They were lucky, many of their friends have lost homes.

Super Bowl XLIII

Well I'm not sure if it's the pregnancy hormones, but when Jennifer Hudson sang the national anthem I was absolutely bawling my eyes out.... no, I haven't become a patriotic American, but to belt out a tune like that on the biggest sporting stage in America after having your mother, brother and gorgeous little nephew murdered just tore at my heart strings.
I watched the game whilst doing the housework, mainly because aussie Ben Graham, an ex-Australian Rules footballer was playing for Arizona. I have to admit, I really do love watching sport, but I still don't understand this game...and I just can't get past those tight Lycra pants...

Cruising the seas

I have been to the shops this morning and noticed there is another cruise ship in today. Just imagine...boarding a cruise ship in New Zealand or Tahiti....sailing into beautiful Sydney harbour, then onto Melbourne and your next stop is Burnie Tasmania...Well, over the summer about 24 cruise ships arrive in this little place as it has one of the deepest ports. The local mayor dresses in his mayoral robes and formally welcomes all the visitors, the local highland pipe band plays a tune or two and hundreds of local volunteers are tour guides for the day (including Kaye)

Thousands of tourists pile onto buses and venture off to visit all the tourist attractions of the North West of Tasmania, hoping to spot a Tassie Devil. They also bombard the city centre, spending all their hard earned cash and giving the local economy a real boost.....

You will also notice the large pile of wood chips, they export these all over the world. Tasmania has a large forestry industry which I'm okay with if they harvest plantations, but I'm totally against logging old growth forest, although I'm not about to grow dreadlocks and live in a tree for months on end...just try to be a better recycler and limit paper use..