Fires Continue To Be All The News

The death toll from the bush fires in Victoria is currently 173. Fires are still burning. The Melbourne Newspaper "The Herald Sun" website is here for people outside of Australia to catch up with the very latest. This touching photo has been taken from the 'Herald Sun' website as was the photo below.

All our friends and relations in Victoria are safe. Russell who lives down in Drouin not far from where the fires were spent much of Saturday afternoon on his house roof with a hose putting out burning sticks as they fell from the sky from the incredibly hot fires nearby.

Our daughter Kate said the fires were within a couple of kilometres of her suburban home. Trish's brother lives at Beechworth in North East Victoria where the fires are still burning out of control. Fortunately current winds are blowing the fire well away from the township so they are safe for the time being.

The same cannot be said for the town of Healesville not too far from where I used to teach many, many years ago. The town is under threat right now as I type. Healesville is where you find the world famous "Healesville Sanctuary". Here is a link to their website.

Meanwhile on the Sunshine Coast we have had our hottest day for the summer with 33 degrees (about 94 Lou Ann) yesterday but the almost 70% humidity made a feel a lot hotter than that. The pool was a great spot to spend much of the afternoon.

Last night we watched the movie "Australia". We found it entertaining. The movie covered a huge number of story lines: the stolen generation', the attack on Darwin by the Japanese, Aboriginal folklore, Australian scenery, racism, Australian outback life. As long as you didn't take it too seriously it was a fun yarn. I am not sure there were Japanese troops on an island just off Darwin at any time during WWII let alone at the time of the bombing of Darwin but as I have always said, "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story!"

The cricket is on TV again this afternoon so I will be happy. We also expect to have a rainy night tonight, it has been quite dry for the last week or so.