Beyond belief...

... the weekend has been one of heartbreak here in Victoria - with our hottest day recorded since records began - and one of devastation caused by bushfires...

Words fail me as I write this - I have spent the day trying to get my head around such a truly awful tragedy - again as I write the current death toll is 65 76 people with a rise in in the number expected... There has been approximately 600 640 houses burnt to the ground and one historic town - Marysville - completely destroyed...

I think what gets to me is that some of these places are within an hour or two drive from here - a nice little drive on a Sunday - in fact we were due to go out to lunch today to a pub which as it turned out was not far from one of the fire fronts - of course we didn't go and I doubt very much whether it stayed open for very long...

I cannot begin to imagine what it was like for people who woke up yesterday morning probably starting out their weekend as they normally did knowing that the day was going to be an 'over the top scorcher' - they would have been mindful of a bushfire threat - most people who choose to live in these semi rural communities have fire plans... Ironically I was speaking to a customer on Wednesday who lives out St Andrews way about her bushfire plan - today I wondered if she was one of the ones who needed to put it into action... But by the end of yesterday some of those people had died and many, many more would be homeless...

The day was hot from the word go 30C by nine in the morning and steadily rising throughout the day peaking at 46.7 at about 4pm before a cool change in the early evening... The problem was that yesterday was a dry heat which was accompanied by a very strong wind... While the firefighters were expecting some outbreaks - things had been under control to this point -they possibly weren't expecting - or perhaps were praying that the firebugs wouldn't be out today... But their prayers weren't answered and someone(s) set about lighting fires which aided by the heat and wind quickly turned into an fast moving inferno - impossible to catch let alone contain...

Unfortunately there were not enough fire fighters or units to be everywhere and people in the more isolated areas had to fend for themselves - they had to decide whether to stay and try and save their homes or flee - unfortunately for some it was already too late no matter what plan they had in place...

As I hear the updates there is more disturbing news... One of Melbourne best known news readers is missing - feared dead - his wife's body has been found and one can only presume he has died too...

I can't write any more - it is too distressing... I sit here and wonder if there is something I could do to help - even in a small way...

'NEIGHBOURS' in the neighbourhood...

If you have never heard or not a fan of 'Neighbours' this post will be of no interest to you... But if you have't ever heard of 'Neighbours' I will have to wonder where you have been for the couple of decades...

A couple of weeks ago we received a letter from FremantleMedia informing us that one of our neighbours had agreed to their property being used as a location shoot for the popular TV soap 'Neighbours'... This - it said - would be Tuesday 27th Jan - the day after the Australia Day weekend. At that point the exact property was not disclosed...I guess we were all a little intrigued to who owned the 'Neighbours" house - even Matilda - our new kitten- kept watch for clues...

We all tried to guess which house was the likely candidate and had agreed that there was a possibility of two - one - two doors down and the other - more or less directly opposite us - our street isn't a neighbourly sort of street so we just had to wait and see which neighbour was a Neighbour...

Love it or hate it most people would agree that 'Neighbours' has been an iconic Australian series that has opened us up to an overseas viewing market - I won't go in to its history but rather provide a link to its homepage here .

But back to our street 'invasion'... Tuesday morning dawned with the promise of an extremely hot day - the first of nearly a week of 40+ Celsius days (113 degrees in the old measure) ...Initially the street was as quiet as it usual is at that time but about 7am it became a hive of activity- there were people in fluro vests 'directing traffic' so to speak - trucks and cars rolled up furniture was unloaded - and there many and various people wearing headsets, carrying clipboards and lugging all sorts of things down the street passed our place...




The house in question was the one nearly opposite - so we had a ringside seat to the proceedings... But as they say one picture tells a thousand words so here are a few my daughter shot literally from our front gate...

The three actor/characters filming that day were Scott Major/Lucas Fitzgerald -Stefan Dennis /Paul Robinson -Pippa Black/Elle Robinson & not to forget the extras - a group of children who played a group of children at a mockup school crossing...

We rang a family member who is a fan and she sat on the front fence enthralled that the action was happening right in front of her - I later realised that this series had begun a couple of years before she was born.

I remember the very early days of it and how the critics bagged it suggesting it wouldn't last... So here it is in its 24th year -numerous awards - many celebrated actors breaking into 'the business' via 'Neighbours'... Kylie Mignoe and Jason Donavon - two of the most celebrated... I often giggle when I see re-runs of their wedding - it was the church I had been married in 13 years prior...

Even with the soaring heating E said they went through the same scene again and again until it was perfected - the not so glamorous side to acting... At a guess, for all the footage which was shot, only a few minutes, if that, will be seen by the time it has been edited... We rarely watch Neighbours but I am sure that we will tune in to see 'our street' when the episodes go to air...

Of course there were lots of fans who came to do what we were doing - watch the action - E said that everyone without exception amongst the cast and crew were extremely patient and posed for photos and signed autographs...

I missed most of the excitement as I was at work - but as I was leaving home the location manager was walking passed and we had a bit of a chat - he seemed a nice guy who was genuinely concerned about disruption to our privacy...

E commented that once again she met our neighbours - the last time being five years ago when we had a 'one in a 100 year' storm which 'drowned' the park opposite us - turning it into a lake, submerged cars and flooded homes and surrounding roads - we were all out in the street about 3am inspecting the damage... As you can tell we aren't too neighbourly - a direct contrast to the series - where everyone knows everyone...

Around about 1pm filming finished and within a short time the street returned back to a quiet backstreet... But... they are to return at a later date to do some more filming - so once again we will become 'Neighbours'...

Relaxed enough...

I just couldn't resist when I saw Matilda stretched out on our bed after a heavy day of playing... Even when the flash went off she could barely raise an eyelid let alone anything else... She has become so much bigger - more cat defined and less of a kitten - she will be three months old in a couple of days and we will have had her for a month...

She can be a 'wild child' when she really gets going - but P and I wouldn't have her any other way...

Last day...

... of my holidays today... A couple of days ago when we went up to Yea we stopped for coffee and cake... P and I both had what the cafe called bloodplum sponge slice...

Today I made my own version - perhaps not as classy looking as theirs - but tasted pretty damn good according to P - remembering I haven't got a sense of taste - I have to go by what he tells me - but then again he might be biased...

And of course an updated photo of the 'new addition' - known as - Matilda -or 'Tilda or Tilly or 'that damn cat - just wait until...' She has grown, well, like a kitten does - she is longer in the body and has quite long legs and of the last couple of weeks has learnt to put her ears back if something doesn't please her and swish her tail - to her own astonishment (and our amusement) when she chases it round and round... She can now leap most things at a single bound as she gets stronger and stronger... Her most endearing quality is her purr which is still much bigger than she is - although we have come to dread hearing it when we are lying in bed in the morning - as it usual means 'I'm WIDE awake and up for a play - coming ready or not' - she pounces on protruding body parts - fingers and toes being the most at risk - especially when you are half awake. I said to P the other morning as we heard her coming - her purr is like the music from the film Jaws - making you aware that danger is lurking and ready to strike...

The world is her plaything and she takes full advantage of it. While she hasn't lessened the pain of us losing our beloved Edith - our hearts are learning how to love again...

97 today...

Today was my father's 97th birthday...

We took him here for lunch...

My eldest daughter M...

Later at home we had cake...
And a glass of sweet wine...

E - my youngest daughter - painted this last year...

Today...

...P and I took a drive out to SugarLoaf Reservoir... As much as I hear how short of water we are it really gave me a reality check to see how low this particular reservoir is...

We took these shots as went on one of the walks to the dam wall... You can see where the water level should be and of course where it is... It was a sobering picture...

But on the way back to the car we were lucky enough to see those who had been watching us...

We had gone out on the spur of the moment and had not thought about lunch etc - next time we are coming back armed with provisions and perhaps our books or for me my stitching- it was so lovely and quiet...

We then drove on to Yea and along the way saw the controversial pipeline - I am at a loss to know what to think - when I saw the trees felled and land cleared to make way for this massive project I wondered if we aren't making a bad situation worse... Yes I am the first to agree we desperately need the water and the time frame is past critical - but it saddens me nonetheless to see what we are doing... Surely the water levels were well and truly monitored and the effects of this drought were anticipated long before it got to this stage... It just didn't happen overnight... I just hope we don't regret this move somewhere in the not to distant future...

This land and all its creatures are equally important....

And so this is...

2009. Well, the lights have ceased to twinkle, the Christmas tree is 'naked' and down, the last crumbs of the Christmas cooking have been swept away and I heard on the news that Easter eggs are already appearing in some supermarkets along with their counterparts hot cross buns - no wonder we have such little regard for our religious icons - they are pushed way into the background from the almighty god - commercialism...


I am not a religious person by any measure but it does make me cross to see such a blatant disregard and to justify this early appearance of Easter by saying that the PP (paying public) demand it!!!! What a load of rubbish!!!!! Ok, I will get down off my soapbox now...


I would like to wish my readers a very belated Happy New Year - may it be safe and prosperous for you... May your resolutions be achievable, your horizons broad and your challenges surmountable... Take care all...