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Over the past days – since Saturday in fact – Dh and his exservicemen friends have been keeping in touch. Some of these Mates live out of the suburbs and this is their way to make sure those in the fire zone areas were accounted for.

Its a long entry so if you would rather not read thats fine but it does show the concern (sometimes called mateship) men can show in times of trouble that that maybe doesn’t get shown otherwise’

The reference to Teleg is because Telegraphists were the ones who were in charge of communications and supposed to be able to communicate ‘properly’

One of us is missing

I have had no news from Mike and it appears the telephone lines are down or the exchange damaged, as I can’t get through. Aileen and Peter, Trevor and Meegan, Tony and Meg and Gerry and Flo are all OK

I’ll let you know about Mike and Jan as soon as I hear anything. As you may know Mike lives in Clombinane and there has been a death in that area. Haven’t heard from Wilf, as you may all know he lives in the Mirboo area which was badly effected by fires

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Den I contacted Wilf last week, here is his reply.
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Thank you for your concern everyone. I am OK here the fires were about 9km from me to the north.The winds were also coming from the south so the smoke was being blown away from me as well as the direction of the fires.Apart from that Mirboo is in a farming area where most of it is cleared for farming. Most of the farmers had already cut and baled their hay so the fields around were pretty bare.

Here is a map that shows the location of the fires. If you click on the map it will expand.
http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/incidents/images/news_image/20090131_0800_Delburn_Complex_hi_detail_20875.jpg
At the bottom between the numbers 30 and 31 you will see a place called Limonite. There is a road running south I am just of the map there.I have my spa and baths full of water just in case the electricity fails and I have a petrol driven pump that I can pump from the three 5,000 gallon tanks I have They are virtually full.Regards
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There is no news of Mike and Jan. However, the load of work hitting the aid stations where displaced survivors are congregating is huge. The registration process, and the subsequent database that will enable people to be found, could take some time. I guess we will have to be patient.

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Dear all,

Still unable to make contact with Mike, I think I tracked down Jan’s tel number but there was no answer when I called so it’s likely they are both still at Clombinane looking after their home. Mike W checked with Red Cross and got through to the right dept, it was always engaged when I rang, and evidently they are not registered with them so they have no news. Thanks for all the telephone calls enquiring after Mike and Janelle and our other members.

Think a lot of us have been affected in some way by the fires. One of our close friends son lost his two homes in Kinglake with all their possessions and we learnt only an hour or so ago about our friend Colin. He lives in Melb but had an old family home in Marysville they have also lost so much Colin and his daughter are now stuck at Buxton
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Dear all,
Just hung up from talking to Gerry. He and Flo are loaded up and ready to leave Healesville as the fire has resumed in the Mt Riddell area and it could come their way. After looking at recent devastation they are not going to defend their home, they’ll leave the area. Communications have failed so they have no computer access, regular landline is on the blink and they are on mobile but its in emergency mode only. I’ll let you know how things go tomorrow
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Dear all,
Herewith message from Mike

D can you put out a General email thanking everyone for there kind thoughts etc I will answer them ALL when i have more time its still a bit full one here the sirens have just sounded again. My family in uk reported me missing and i have to unravel that.
Regards Mike
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This is the email we received from our treasured mate who has been causing us so much angst over the last few days. Being a teleg. he has yet to discover the delights of ‘caps’. Except in the wrong place, but we still love him.
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Just got power and phones back 5 minutes ago. Can you forward this to all members please. We are Ok but it was a close run thing i can honestly say we spent 18 hours in hell. i did not think at one stage we would survive it. Nearly 50 degrees and 90 klick winds the thing come over the hill and was upon us so fast i could not believe it. All we could see was dense smoke rolling in then about 20 meters from us a wall of flame just appeared it was bloody terrifying but the house and we survived with no damage. The bloody thing got to with in five yards before we stopped it if it had not been for a fire truck from yea and another from Welshpool getting to us in the nick of time we would have lost it. We where on our feet fighting fire from around 3pm Saturday until 7am Sunday morning. The out come was i got blisters on the soles of my feet not from fire but just being on my feet for so long. We are still getting flare ups around us and are still blacking out hot spots but with very little to burn i think the danger for us is over. Some one died down the road don’t know who yet and most of the house and farms going to to mound disappointment are lost but the actual losses we do not know as yet but every where we go and look there are burnt out houses. Saturday and Sunday i do not want to see a repeat off. As I said we are fine perhaps a little traumatized and shell shocked at the moment, but hopefully a good nights sleep tonight will fix that. Thanks to all for your concern it was much appreciated.
Regards Mike

PS he also hasn’t realised that those little dots can make full stops……………………………….My God…….some of those rough entry’s leave a lot to be desired.

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Just had a 20-minute chat with Mike on the phone …………………..so you all know that he is OK. My phone conversation with him confirms that.

Dennis and I will be driving up to see him tomorrow (about an hour north of Melbourne) to deliver essentials. Mike seems to think that beer should be on the top of the list……………is this typical of ex telegs? We will let our imaginations run riot and come up with some other stuff to replenish a house that has been without power for 3 days. In anticipation, we will pass on your best-felt wishes. He is pretty chirpy and jumped at the prospect of visitors……………….we shall give him a hug from each and every one of you………………….

Dear all,
Trevor suggested we take a run up to Clombinane to have a get together with Mike, which we did today. Mike’s and Janelle are still pretty shaken by it all and we could see just how close the fire came. Mike gave us all the detail and it must have been a very frightening experience in deed. We then took a run around the area that still has some roads blocked off and small fires still burning in places. I think what got to us was the devastation of areas and then the odd untouched area, and the collapsed houses with the tin roofs some how moulded like plastic over the remains which were often no higher than a metre or so. The historic Clombinane mansion, which evidently could hardly been seen from the road formerly, is now clearly visible standing burnt out with the tower still standing, this building was one of the oldest in the area which was named after it, and probably goes back to 1840 odd has survived over the years and now gone, this leaves Mike’s home which was built in 1875 as the oldest in the district.

The intensity of the fires is difficult to comprehend; like many I’ve seen burnt out areas before but this is different, the ground is not blackened but white or grey in colour and has a very soft texture underfoot, kind off burnt to a gypsum like dust. Fence posts are completely gone burnt to dust as are wooden power poles. Postal cable concrete covers are burnt through, we saw a mature gum tree probably two metres in girth which had been blooming with the entire interior burnt out with just the external thin walls left and all the tree top canopy kind of blown of in its entirety and lying complete with leaves alongside. Paddocks which clearly had little vegetation on them before the fire had been burnt out completely and there are miles and miles of burnt out hills, valleys and paddocks and in the distance the entire King Lake district hills are all burnt out and all along the roads fallen trees.

All very strange and disturbing as though a gigantic blowtorch had been turned on the land. Mike said they could hear explosion after explosion through the smoke as gas bottles and fuel tanks exploded but they couldn’t be seen through the smoke but one of the worst things was hearing horse screaming and cattle bellowing as they died in the flames

I fought a fire once but that was different and this has left me feeling strangely disturbed as though something alien has come my way.

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Had to go out to Coldstream this morning and then on to Hoddles Creek via Cockatoo and this is what I saw on the horizon in the distance. Not the best pictures ‘cose I was driving at the time – I know not the safest thing to do either :))

Just looking like a puff of smoke on the horizon these are a small continuing part of the Maroondah Yarra Complex fires threatening Healesville and Chum Creek. If you go to this link you’ll see where I was – you can see see Cockatoo marked on the left hand side of the map. Coldstream is not marked but is further to the left

http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/CA256F310024B628/0/1E299F45432A3D3ECA257559006BACFC/$File/Maroondah+-+Yarra+Complex+Media+Map_20090211_0300_A3.pdf

Click on thephotos to enlarge and get a better view

After I posted on Saturday I went outside and looked at the sky to the left ( North North East) of my deck

Not a pretty sight. 😦

The closest fire to us was about a 30 min drive away, this is not storm clouds but a build up of smoke drifting down across country from more than that particular fire, during the previous night and that day we had winds of over 100kmph so it could have come from way way away. These were taken about 3.20pm

These two were taken yesterday evening about 7.30pm. We’d had what was almost a cold day with no wind but lots of rumbling thunder, quite eerie and such a change from the day before Late in the day but those clouds of smoke are still visible.

We’d just had a short shower of rain and – can you see the rainbow 🙂

The next two were taken this morning about 10.30am. That blue sky is very deceiving ‘cose soon after that the skies were cloudy again.

The next few days are forecast to be pleasant 20c plus/68f and but life is not that pleasant for all those people caught up in the fires and the ensuing damage. Its not over yet as they are still ‘raging’ in lots of areas here in Victoria as well as another state New South Wales.

I don’t normally ask for this sort of thing but prayers and loving thoughts certainly won’t go astray.

Yes, really embarrassed to say I did what we are all told not to do on days like we had yesterday 😦

I shut myself off and did not keep up to date with weather and fire information. If there had been a problem in the vicinity of my house, and even tho we are classed residential suburban there are many trees in the area so it is possible, I would not be forwarned and therefore at a disadvantage.

Just after I posted yesterday I turned on the radio on and discovered that while I was safe in my cool little cocoon there were fires – you can read here – raging all over our state. Worse of all there had been deaths associated with these fires

This the website of the CFA our volunteer fire fighting service and this is the latest information and warnings at 9.30am

Many of these fires are close by in the Yarra Valley, there is one in the hills behind Dh’s golf course at Healesville, just 20mins away. These fires are hitting tiny communities and larger ones – lots of our main interstate freeways and highways as well as local roads are closed, not a great thing to hear on this Sunday morning.

Most of the northern half of Australia is under water, down here in the south on fire and so many places in the northern hemisphere having their coldest winter ever – what is happening, what is going wrong?

Is anything going wrong or is it just one of those freaky years? Lots of things to think about

Daisymum at Notes from Daisy Mountain issued a challenge – to post a photo taken there and then about how you felt at that time

This is Leroy – one of our Burmese cats – and he has found the perfect spot to get away from all the heat of the day. He chose under the deck by the old steps that are now hidden by the floor of the deck and he looks quiet and peaceful and unfazed by the heat.

Early this morning I closed up the house and turned on the cooling – we were expecting 44c/111f.

So for the best part of the day I have been knitting and thinking or reading with no tv or radio on to spoil the atmosphere of a cool quiet house.

Yes like Leroy this is how I feel at the moment, quiet and peaceful and unfazed by the heat

One doesn’t normally say thank goodness ‘its only going to be 33c/91f tomorrow’ but that’s what I’ve been saying all week. After the horrendous time last week these past few days have been a pleasure (if 30c and over can be a pleasure)

BUT

All good things must come to an end and that dreaded temperature (40c) is being mentioned again – this time for Saturday.

These are pictures sent the other day from my daughter’s in laws in Woking, don’t they look nice and cold.

I would willingly swap some of our hot for some of their cold if it was possible – so if you don’t hear from me for a while it’s ‘cose I’ve found a cheap ticket to Antarctica or anywhere else – I don’t mind where – as long as it’s cool.:)

Adelaide on Sunday was as predicted HOT.

Up at the crack of dawn after a fractured nights sleep and at Tullamarine by 8am is not my idea of fun but it had to be done.

Our lovely friends in their lovely cool car picked us up at the airport and whisked us north of the city to the venue, which we had all been assured was air conditioned ‘cept they turned out to be rather old air conditioners that couldn’t cope with the 45c/113f heat and failed miserably in their allocated task which was to keep a hall and the 40 odd people COOL.

One of them packed up altogether and it was like trying to land with only one engine – a bit worrisome not knowing how we would cope – we had to be very stoic and plod on with the lunch and the talk (for the men – all about aircraft) afterwards.

Most of the fellas found comfort in the odd beer or two and us ladies either downed a few wines or cups of tea and just got on with the job of chatting and catching up – nothing different from the usual gathering and getting together of exservicemen and their wives lol

Will talk again soon

Tomorrow we must take a trip interstate.

We are going to – wait for it – Adelaide.

Flying there and back the same day.

The funny thing is the fact that if we haven’t had enough heat for the week we are about to have some more ‘cose Adelaide is suffering the same way Melbourne has this past week. Have look here for what’s forecast for tomorrow Sunday. 40c/104f

Because of the latitude/longitude of the city, Adelaide’s climate is Mediterranean which means they have hotter drier summers than we do with our temperate climate here in Melbourne – but heatwaves are heatwaves and days of abnormally high temps are not good for anybody or anything.

The folowing news reports are about Adelaide but they are so similar to the ones I linked to recently about Melbourne

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/01/28/2476483.htm

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24978392-421,00.html

So as I said – and sorry about the pun – tomorrow -its out of the frying pan and into the fire

I haven’t done much this past week ‘cept for the essentials and one of those has been to drive a 24km/15miles round trip each day to see A Pam who has now moved from the hospital into a temporary high care nursing home. Once again a change in environment hasn’t helped and she has been very confused and disorientated.

All I can say is that there have been an awful lot of angry drivers out there who from necessity have been on the road. My car has airconditioning which mean’t I have been cool and comfortable but I heaved a sigh of relief each time I turned into my driveway and left them all behind.

Seems its going to be another stinking HOT one!!

We set a new record today, the heatwave is causing train lines to buckle, power cuts all over town and fires too many to mention.

So all I want is the cool change to come through and a good nights sleep. The temps next week are going to be in the 30s – 80f and higher but no mentionof 40c.

Thank goodness . Now I’ll quietly return to the TV screen and watch the Tennis.

Last night I saw Roger Federer win his way into the final last night and then watched a ‘fun’ celebrity match between Pat Cash and Mats Wilander.

They play the tennis I like – non of this base line ping pong – they are in, out and around the court. Good shot :))

You must pop over to Frogdancer’s blog and read this post.

She lives in Melbourne so along with several million of us is trying to cope with the heat. If you’ve ever raised boys you will understand completely.

The 98-year-old Mother Superior from Ireland was dying, so the nuns gathered around her bed, trying to make her last journey comfortable.

They gave her some warm milk to drink, but she refused.

Then one of the nuns took the glass back to the kitchen.

Remembering a bottle of Irish whiskey received as a gift the previous Christmas, she opened and poured a generous amount into the warm milk.

Back at Mother Superior’s bed, she held the glass to her lips.

Mother drank a little, then a little more and before they knew it, she had drunk the whole glass down to the last drop.

‘Mother Superior, the nuns asked with earnest,’ please give us some wisdom before you die.’

She raised herself up in bed and with a pious look on her face, said,

‘ Don’t sell that cow.’

THE BOTTLE OF WINE

For all of us who are married, were married, wish you were married, or wish you weren’t married.

This is something to smile about the next time you see a bottle of wine

Sally was driving home from one of her businesstrips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road.

As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride.

With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.

Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman.

The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail,until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally.

“What in bag?” asked the old woman.

Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, “It’s a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband.”

The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two.

Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said:
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“Good trade…..”

THE COWBOY BOOTS

An elderly couple, Margaret and Bert, moved to Texas.

Bert always wanted a pair of authentic cowboy boots, so, seeing some on sale, he bought them and wore them home.

Walking proudly, he sauntered into the kitchen and said to his wife, ‘Notice anything different about me?’

Margaret looked him over. ‘Nope.’

Frustrated, Bert stormed off into the bathroom, undressed and walked back into the kitchen completely naked except for the boots.

Again he asked Margaret, a little louder this time, ‘Notice anything different NOW?’

Margaret looked up and exclaimed, ‘Bert, what’s different? It’s hanging down today, it was hanging down yesterday, it’ll be hanging down again tomorrow!’

Furious, Bert yelled, ‘AND DO YOU KNOW WHY IT’S HANGING DOWN, MARGARET?’

‘Nope’, she replied.

‘IT’S HANGING DOWN, BECAUSE IT’S LOOKING AT MY NEW BOOTS!!!!’

Without changing her expression, Margaret replied,

‘Shoulda bought a hat, Bert.

Shoulda bought a hat.’

It is summer here in Australia and it’s supposed to be hot. We’ve had some hot days recently but the forecast for this coming week is getting a bit out of control.

If this was the back of Bourke it might be the norm but here in Melbourne historically we only get a few days of temps over 40c/104f and they are usually scattered here and there. My suburb doesn’t have a weather station but there are two close by and this is what the weather forecaster has predicted for this week coming.

Wed
Sunny
40c/104f – low 22c/72f
41c/106f – low 19c/66f

Thur
Sunny
40c/104f – low 23c/73f1
41c/106f – low 20c/68f

Fri
Sunny
40c/104f – low 23c/73f
42c/108f – low 20c/668f

Sat
Sunny
41c/106f – low 22c/72f
42c/108f – low 19c/66f

If I had to move I’m not sure which one I’d go to – the one with the higher day temps and lower nights or the other:)

Adelaide is having hot days as well and our weather seems to follow their pattern so there will be more to follow after the weeekend.

Down here we tend to be insulated from the very nasty northern hemisphere winters especially the one you are ‘suffering’ this season so when our weather gets ‘nasty’ we know all about it.

A heatwave it is and I gave in yesterday, turning on the airconditioning early afternoon – it did mean we were able to go off to sleep in a relatively cool house.

Somehow I don’t think I’ll be doing any gardening lol

With all the hot weather making it uncomfortable outside , especially as yesterday along with the high temps we had gale force hot Northerly winds to contend with – but not as bad as other places close to the city who had bushfires as well as well – I have been spending some time indoors looking at lots of blogs

All those Mums fed up looking after their youngsters during this long hot summer holiday time spare a thought for Stoney over at Musings from a Stonehead and see what he has to go through.

You must go over and read this post – it had me in stitches as I know it will you.

All you can say is that Two Legs as he calls himself must really love his pigs and their health and welfare is No 1 priority to him.

Pay him a visit – You won’t be disappointed

Well today is going to be warm, a gentle warm not excessive like the last couple of days so loads of kids will be pleading with parents to go to the beach.

When I was a child we lived in the south of England and all the beaches there seemd to be made from pebbles. You know lots of tiny round stones and not a speck of sand to be seen.

Wonder what these two are saying to each other lol

click on pictures to enlarge

As you know Dh plays golf so some ‘mate’ sent this his way.

Open minds please

… Golf Balls …

A man entered the bus with both of his front pockets full of golf balls and sat down next to a beautiful (you’ve guessed it) blonde.

The puzzled blonde kept looking at him and his bulging pockets.

Finally, after many such glances from her, he said, ‘It’s golf balls’.

Nevertheless, the blonde continued to look at him for a very long time, deeply thinking about what he had said.

After several minutes, not being able to contain her curiosity any longer, she asked
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“Does it hurt as much as Tennis Elbow ?”

Well its January and Summer down here and I’m also after a new look so I’ve decided to give the blog a new look as well.

A cool blue look, blue being my favourite colour and the colour of the sea and the sky. It’s called harbor and as I love being outdoors and also by the beach this is it.

Went off for a long walk today something I hadn’t done all week. I had a funny feeling the first time I started out when Dh was away and came back home. I had a crazy feeling about there being no-one home if something happened to me in the street, – yet I happily went off to the Leisure Centre with no qualms at all. I put it down to the fact there that outside I’d be at the mercy of whoever came by but there’d be trained staff at the Leisure Centre. Funny I know.:))

Bye for now

Dh has been interstate for the past four days and nights. Hel’ll be home later on this afternoon complete with lots of hugs and dirty washing. 🙂

I’ve enjoyed being on my own, being able to do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, also eat whatever I wanted and on those very hot nights not have to share the bed with another body.

He is HOT – Lol in more ways that one – yes, he has a hot body and warm feet and on those hot nights that can cause a problem. ‘Move over’ seems to be the cry half the night as I can feel him radiating heat from near and far.

Not on cold ones tho – not like the one we had last night.

Seems a bit daft to be mentioning cold nights after all the heat we had the past few days but I woke last night about 4am with freezing feet.

Tried looking in the dark for some of my knitted slippers but ended up hauling a small crocheted blanket into the bed and wrapping my feet up in that. It did the job very well ‘cose when I woke again at 7.30 they we really nice and toasty and warm. In fact it seemed a shame to put them out into the cold.

Anyway this made me think about and laugh again at a little post I read earlier in the week on David McMahon’s Blog called War Footing.

You have to read it to believe it – I certainly hope my Dh doesn’t read it tho’ as it might give him ideas :))

Now I’m going to be really brave here and show you something that will be gone in a few months time. Positive thinking here lol

You may not know it but I’ve been putting on a bit of extra flesh here and there around the body. When it came to not losing it I have had all the excuses in the world – lifes been a pain this past year, no time to cook properly, gym membership never used (time element again) too tired (and lazy) to walk etc etc.

Ever since we came back from Bowen in September I have been giving myself pep talks and it worked for a while, but I knew it wouldn’t last so it was down to the local Weight Watchers I trotted.

Nothings easy in my house but slowly a few of the kilos are moving on – I’ve been working at it and have given some away since this was taken at a function in early December last year – Not sure where they are going but they are leaving my house:)

So you might see this outfit again but not that amount of – well what ever it is under those clothes.

Goodness don’t I look old, tired, weary and frumpy, not a good look:((

I am realistic to know I won’t be wearing a bikini again – at least I realise if I did I wouldn’t look like I did back in 1975.

Funny to think that this little lad is 42 years old now, you’ll have to guess at my age :))

Today has been a hot one – so consequently I didn’t get round to doing any gardening as planned

Anyway back to today, spent a while on the phone with granddaughter, she’s (and Ds and the rest of the family) up holidaying up on the river at Echuca. She turned 14 and was thrilled with the books (always a good choice for her) and the cash (also a good choice) She surprised me by saying it was going in the bank towards their trip to Thailand later in the year. Maybe she’s growing up after all – she’s a bit like her Dad and her Grandma in days of old as normally it would have been spent within the week.

Popped out just before lunchtime to Theo’s in Boronia to get the large pearl beads for the angels’ heads. Have to practice lots of self restraint when I go in there – things are literally hanging off the rafters at times just waiting to be popped into my shopping bag. Was very careful and only got what I needed for myself but did find some lace at a good price for a friend.