Early Morning Run/Walk on Thursday, 30th January 2014

From now on Peter would like to have a walk/run on this oval about once every two weeks. On Thursday he managed ten rounds on this grassy oval. Each round is 400 meters! Of course he wore his toe-shoes again. He likes to wear them on grass. This time the grass was not wet for it was well cut short. It was nearly nine o’clock by the time we got there, this meant any morning dew that may have been there, had already dried off. It was a clear sunny morning with a little bit of a breeze.

I occupied myself exploring the surroundings and taking pictures.

I noticed a lot of signs in the area.

Peter is happy he finished what he set out to do.

Last Week of January 2014

On Monday, which was part of the Australia Day Weekend, we had ice-cream in Enmore, an inner suburb of Sydney. We went to the Cow and the Moon. They make terrific ice-cream. For $ 6,50 you can have three different flavours. And they give you a very generous helping of each flavour in a little plastic cup.

The yeast cake that daughter Caroline had baked for our visit, was very good. She had put fresh plums and crumbles on top and served it with beautiful fresh whipped cream. She baked such a big tray full. Lots was left over and so she packed up a few pieces for us to take home, which we did eat pretty quickly. It was so good! Yummy, yummy. Not so good for our intentions of not putting on extra weight, though! Matthew made us lovely cups of coffee to go with the cake.

Today is the middle of the week, Wednesday. For this afternoon I have an appointment with Scott again. He is the guy who’s helping me to have a pain free New Year! He is a FINCH THERAPY therapist. He makes me do a lot of exercises at home. I think my mobility is getting better. I don’t get puffed out so easily anymore. And this FINCH THERAPY is supposed to help when you have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. So I thought I give it a try. My right hand is much better now after the operation. However I feel that my wrist needs strengthening a bit more. I am very happy that I can do with my right hand so many more things now that I could not do before the operation. (I can pour hot water into cups as long as the water jug is not filled up too much to make it too heavy for me! I can tie my shoe-laces, I can even fasten the hooks at the back of my bra and I can cut my toe-nails!)

I love to wear my toe shoes for a walk on the grass in Lakelands Park. The grass gets cut regularly by the council workers. Last week it was pretty short. In the meantime it has grown again a lot. At seven o’clock in the morning Peter and I went there for a walk. We both had put our toe shoes on. Peter had warned me that the grass might still be wet this early in the morning. But I pointed out that the sun had already been up for a while, that it hadn’t rained for several days and that the sun would soon get very hot. But Peter was right: There was a real lot of morning dew! We felt like walking through a wetland and our shoes became very, very wet. Peter did not enjoy this at all. After a while he became very grumpy. He blamed me for making us leave this early in the morning to walk over the grass. He said that never, never again was he going to do this. He felt just terrible. On top of it his knee started aching, and he couldn’t walk properly anymore. Poor Peter!

Coming back home, we noticed our shoes were full of grass bits. We brushed these off and left our shoes outside to dry. Peter rushed to the toilet and I made some coffee and toast for us. Peter soon felt happy again. I think next time when I see the grass being this wet I won’t go out on it but wait till it dries off a bit. Sorry, Peter, for making you walk on it today.

This picture was taken about a month ago. The grass was much shorter then.

Heatwaves in Australia

Extreme heatwave conditions can be difficult to cope with. It is all explained here.

This is how the explanation starts:

“For the first time, the Bureau of Meteorology has provided a national definition of a heatwave.

Many Australians have kicked off the new year in sweltering heatwave conditions, with the mercury soaring to record-breaking temperatures in several states.

The bureau says heatwaves have taken more Australian lives than any other natural hazard in the past 200 years, but until now it had not given a national definition of just what constitutes a heatwave.li
A heatwave is now defined by three or more days of unusually high maximum and minimum temperatures in any area.”

To read more, please find the link under ‘here’ at the top of this page.

Picking up Rubbish

Picking up rubbish – I guess Americans would call it trash. During my past few morning walks I had noticed that someone had dumped some rubbish in the park. I took a picture of it the other day. Today the rubbish was still there.

On my walks I had noticed some other rubbish near a street where probably a box had fallen off a truck. Pieces of foam, large and small, were to be seen along the footpath. Today I looked whether there were still any pieces left lying around. I had one large plastic bag and a rubber glove with me. And sure enough, I was able to fill my plastic bag with the left-over foam pieces to discard them in our rubbish bin at home. On the way I also happened to see a couple of discarded glass bottles which I took along too to dispose of them in our recycling bin.

Here now are a few more pictures I took already yesterday.

Yesterday, Friday, I took another picture of this seat which I love.

This drainage pipe to the creek is not far away from 'my' seat. — This drainage pipe to the creek is not far away from ‘my’ seat.

In the past some huge rainfalls must have caused this drainage hole which was then covered somewhat.

Some of the lantana and wild fennel that grows near the footpath.

There are still some puddles left from the rain.

There are a lot of forest fires in California at present. This is surprising for it is winter there, isn’t it? I just heard on the news that California has at present a very serious water shortage. Some farmers are already in danger of going out of business. We here in Australia live on the driest continent. We know about the desirability of having adequate amounts of water. These dry spells can be horrific. Let’s hope that California is going to get some good rainfalls soon and also that some neighbouring states can help out with some water where needed.

The Rain has stopped

The rain has stopped. This morning I had another beautiful walk along Cambridge Road. I took the same walk yesterday morning too and also the day before that! That means I’ve been walking the same route for three days in a row.

Yesterday I did not take my camera along. But today I did. I’ve been taking pics on these morning walks so often! However, I always spy something else I want to capture. I hope I don’t make it too boring for you to show you some more of the pics I took.

The area along this fence is meant to be a public access to the creek.

This is what I see looking down from the bridge where the creek should be!

More and more stuff grows where supposedly some time ago a creek was happily flowing along.

When I reached Lakelands Park the sun had come out a bit.

It’s raining

This morning I ventured out into the rain for a leisurely walk to take some pictures. It was just a drizzle and absolutely calm. I was able to walk with an umbrella without having to fear that some nasty wind would rip it apart. The bush smelled lovely after being slowly soaked with beautiful warm rain. Yes, it’s still in the low twenties, Celsius I mean. For me this is still a very pleasantly wet summer day.

Some Footpaths in Cambridge Road remind me a bit of the tracks we used to walk along at Sussex Inlet.

This is near a bridge over Brooks Creek.

There still isn't much water to be seen in this part of Brooks Creek. — There still isn’t much water to be seen in this part of Brooks Creek.

And then I walked back via Lakelands Park.

Brooks Creek 'flows' along beside the wooded area on this side of Lakelands Park. Someone tried to build an access here for walking down to the creek. — Brooks Creek ‘flows’ along beside the wooded area on this side of Lakelands Park. Someone tried to build an access here for walking down to the creek.

This is the place opposite our front door.

My umbrella did get only a little bit wet. So I decide to take it inside to dry.

As I enter the living-room I can see Peter being busy with the computer.

A Bushfire-Report published by the ABC

I just discovered this report on the ABC’s news page. Hopefully we won’t have any extremely high temperatures for a while.

. . . . . Today is forecast to be the first day in a week where some part of Victoria will not reach 40 degrees Celsius and the Bureau of Meteorology predicts the mercury will not get up to 40 again for at least the next seven days.

However, Commissioner Lapsley says that does not mean Victoria has seen the end of dangerous fire conditions this summer.

“This is the start or the changing point in this summer,” he said.

“We don’t see any rain, we don’t see the break in the weather and we certainly see warm conditions for the month of February.”

Lightning strikes flare NSW bushfire concerns

Fire crews in New South Wales are battling a number of fires, including a big blaze in the Riverina in the state’s south.

The blaze is burning uncontrolled in Murraguldrie State Forest area, south-east of Wagga Wagga.

It has burnt more than 2,500 hectares and overnight residents in Carabost were evacuated when erratic winds pushed the fire towards about 30 homes and at least one home was lost.

Fire burns around Minjary in NSW
PHOTO: A bushfire burns around the NSW town of Minjary, near Wagga Wagga. (Facebook: NSW RFS)
The Rural Fire Service (RFS) spokesman Joel Kursawe says there are a number of reports of properties being damaged in the fire.

“We do have unconfirmed reports of a number of properties that have been damaged or destroyed right across the fire grounds. It is too early to tell,” he said.

Lightning strikes overnight have ignited around 50 new fires in the Riverina and in the central west at Orange and Bathurst.

RFS deputy commissioner Rob Rogers says he is alarmed by the number of fires which are breaking out.

“Obviously we’re concerned about new fires again that would have come from lightning. The number of fires that we’re trying to deal with is just going up alarmingly,” he said.

IT IS REALLY AMAZING HOW QUICKLY A LOT OF BUSHFIRES CAN DEVELOP BECAUSE OF LIGHTNING.

WE KEEP OUR FINGERS CROSSED THAT MOST OF THE NEW FIRES CAN BE BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL BEFORE THEY REACH BUILT UP AREAS.

Australian Bushfires Jan. 2014

I think just about every Australian would have heard by now about all the bushfires that are raging at present.

If you are outside of Australia you may perhaps be interested to find out how we are faring with the bushfires at this time of the year.

I am sure a lot of information can be found in the above ABC’s write up.

This morning I heard on the ABC radio news that a lot of aircraft is at present surveying new outbreaks of bushfires within the southwest of New South Wales.

The ABC’s Transcript about Bushfires:

LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: Southern Australia is heading for the fourth day of an intense heatwave that’s brought record-breaking temperatures.

The scorching heat has put a strain on electricity supplies and stretched ambulance services.

Tomorrow Victoria is potentially facing its worst bushfire threat since Black Saturday.

Strong winds and temperatures over 40 degrees are forecast across the state and South Australia has also issued a severe bushfire warning for tomorrow.

Lisa Whitehead reports.

LISA WHITEHEAD, REPORTER: Retired kindergarten teacher Kate Porter is used to living with the threat of bushfires. For 49 years she’s lived on this bush block on Melbourne’s northern fringes.

Kate, do you brace yourself every year for bushfires?

KATE PORTER: Oh, you have to. You never know what’s going to happen. You just have to be prepared.

LISA WHITEHEAD: Her two-acre block backs on to state forest in one of the highest bushfire risk areas in Victoria. Two days ago, a grass fire took off in nearby kangaroo ground and was burning out of control.

The phone tree in Kate Porter’s street swung into action. Two of her neighbours who were monitoring the blaze rang and advised her to leave.

A thousand fires ignited across Victoria in the past three days as the state baked in over 40-degree heat. In SA it was a similar scenario, with 350 fires breaking out across the state and there could be worse to come.

GREG NETTLETON, COUNTRY FIRE SERVICE CHIEF OFFICER, SA: We’re confident that we’ve got sufficient resources to deal with the current situation, however, that could change quite rapidly tomorrow, particularly when the hotter weather and the winds come through.

LISA WHITEHEAD: 39 fires are still ablaze in Victoria today with most concern focusing on the Grampians in the state’s north-west.

CRAIG LAPSLEY, FIRE SERVICES COMMISSIONER, VICTORIA: It’s a fire in very steep bush country. It requires aircraft, significant aircraft, and not many firefighters can get into the exact area of the fire, so it’s difficult in that sense. So it’s causing us concern and will continue to do so through the night and into tomorrow.

LISA WHITEHEAD: Severe fire warnings have been issued for tomorrow as strong winds and searing 43-degree temperatures are predicted in parts of Victoria.

Is tomorrow the worst conditions we’ve seen since Black Saturday?

CRAIG LAPSLEY: It’d be up there, without a doubt. It’s not the same conditions as Black Saturday. It’s not a code red day. Across the state, it’ll be severe and extreme fire danger ratings. It’s got potential.

LISA WHITEHEAD: Today, Adelaide’s temperature soared to 44.2 degrees. It’s recorded three consecutive days above 43.5 degrees for the first time.

The intense heat in Melbourne has played havoc at the Australian Open. When the temperature topped 42.1 this afternoon, the tournament’s heat policy was finally activated. Roofs were closed and play was suspended on outside courts.

A Climate Council report released today says the number of hot days across Australia has more than doubled and that climate change is making heatwaves more frequent and severe.

SARAH PERKINS, CLIMATE COUNCIL REPORT CO-AUTHOR: There’s certainly a fingerprint of climate change in the trend in heatwaves that we’ve been seeing. So this means that the change in average temperature that we’ve seen, which is due to human-induced climate change, has had an impact in the severity and frequency of heatwaves that we’ve been experiencing.

CRAIG LAPSLEY: In emergency management, I think we’ve known for some time that there is a whole heap of challenges. Some will argue whether climate change is a reality. I think it’s quite clear. We’ve got challenges in climate, we’ve got land use that’s different, we’ve got different farming scenarios, we’ve got people that have taken tree change or sea change. It’s a whole heap of things.

LISA WHITEHEAD: With no relief from the extreme temperatures in sight until Saturday, the elderly, the sick and the young are being urged to continue to stay indoors, stay cool and drink plenty of fluids. But some householders have struggled to cope after experiencing blackouts as the heatwave and increased peak demand impacts on electricity supply.

In Melbourne’s northern suburbs, Nelum Soysa lost power in her Coburg street for eight hours on Tuesday night.

NELUM SOYSA: It’s like an oven, it’s like a furnace. We couldn’t open the door because it was just so hot outside.

LISA WHITEHEAD: The local GP says she was concerned for her elderly neighbours.

NELUM SOYSA: Elderly people get dehydrated. They can get confused. They get irrational. They can get tachycardia and then they get heat distress and that’s very difficult because they sometimes can’t ask for help or don’t know to ask for help.

LISA WHITEHEAD: Ambulance Victoria is warning people to prepare for yet another sweltering night with the overnight temperature in Melbourne not expected to drop below 29 degrees.

PAUL HOLMAN, AMBULANCE VICTORIA: What happens overnight unfortunately is the body doesn’t get enough time to recover. So we’ve had one night, then two, then three and now four and that’s – so people that are already ill or the elderly, they’ve now got a cumulative effect and their body’s not getting enough time to cool down.

LISA WHITEHEAD: Kate Porter isn’t taking any risks with her health or the weather conditions. A Baptist church agency that regularly checks on her welfare found her a place in respite care.

KATE PORTER: If you’re not able to defend your own home, that you should actually leave. I don’t think it’s wise to stay, because you don’t know how fierce the fire’s going to be. Every since I’ve lived there, I think every year, “Well, if it goes, it goes,” and I go.

Vegetation around our Home in Jan. 2014

These Fennel plants are spreading a real lot in some parts of the bush along Brooks Creek.

I took these pictures of Brooks Creek on one of my early morning walks.

The right Time to go to the Pool

Yesterday morning (Thursday) it promised to be a hot day again. I actually was able to talk Peter into going to the pool with me. And he actually dared to go for a swim! This time he did not complain that the water was too cold.

I took a picture of him as he came out of the dressing shed. Then I asked him to take a picture of me. He obliged. I did sit on a bench as I had been waiting for him when he was changing. This picture that Peter took of me tells me that I definitely have to loose some weight!

However the swim yesterday morning was very enjoyable. We left early to go to the pool. By eight o’clock we were back home. At ten o’clock was the start of the funeral service for L, our neighbour, who had passed away last week. We made it in time to the funeral parlour. More than a hundred people turned up for the funeral. We did not stay for refreshments afterwards.