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From: PaulineG
Date: 01-17-2007, 04:49 PM (1 of 23)
While you northerners (hemisphere - not states) are shivering, drought and high temperatures have contributed to the worst bushfire season ever in Victoria - (most important  state in Australia). On the news this morning it was announced that over 20% of the state has been burnt by bushfire - this equals a land area a bit bigger than the combined total of New Hampshire and Vermont. Thankfully most of this area was bushland so property damage is minimal (although I wouldn't feel it was so minimal if I lived closer I'm sure). Most of Australia is having similar problems.On the whole I'm sure that you guys have more (both inconvient and dangerous) problems with extreme weather - I certainly couldn't cope with all that ice and snow - but I thought a look at the other side of the fence might make you feel a bit better while you're freezing. It's not just fire either - water restrictions are also quite severe in some areas - maybe Soph could comment better on this than I. Soph, what sort of things can/can't you do at the moment? Pauline
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User: PaulineG
Member since: 09-08-2006 Total posts: 901 |
From: esrun3
Date: 01-17-2007, 09:29 PM (2 of 23)
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Wow brushfires sound really bad down there. We get our share of fires and some seasons are worse than others but thankfully we don't get really big ones too often! Keep safe....... Lyn
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User: esrun3
Member since: 12-02-2004 Total posts: 2345 |
From: lendube
Date: 01-17-2007, 09:36 PM (3 of 23)
I am on that side of the fence waaaaaaaaaay too often!  But then again I don't get the tremendous cold that so many do. No place is perfect but I live in an area that's awfully close. Believe me, there's not a day that goes by that I don't appreciate it!Good luck with your fires, Pauline. May they be done for the season and may your air conditioning hold out. Lennie |
User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: PaulineG
Date: 01-18-2007, 12:05 AM (4 of 23)
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Aircon seems to be doing okay but the power has runout (seriously - statewide) a couple of times on the hot days. Really I'm with you on the satisfaction thing most of the time (and personally I do pretty okay) but when you look around sometimes it seems crazy that on opposite sides of the world are such absolute extremes.
Pauline
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User: PaulineG
Member since: 09-08-2006 Total posts: 901 |
From: Sherri
Date: 01-18-2007, 12:28 AM (5 of 23)
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We mostly have to seasons here Cold and fire. There is a third short mud season. So I feel for you. Nothing scarier then seeing the flames on the horizon at nightime and knowing (or not knowing) they are coming your way!!! Sher My website
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User: Sherri
Member since: 02-07-2001 Total posts: 357 |
From: material_pakrat
Date: 01-18-2007, 01:28 AM (6 of 23)
Well here in Ballarat, not only to we have the awful heat, but no water to go with it. We aren't allowed to water any of our gardens, unless it is with your own tank water or grey water. The grey water is fun - shower surrounded by buckets, and water your garden with it.  You cant wash your car unless you use one of the registered car washes, which has its own problems. It's recycled water, and unless to hand dry it all you end up with white spots all over your car. Forget topping up your pool if you are lucky enough to have one. And if you have sensitive skin you are best to not use the water at all if you can help it. Because the water is so low they have to add more chemicals to it, which means it smells like chlorine when it comes out of your taps. So we buy bottle water to drink and cook with, or you end up sick in the stomach. But I would be happy to have to put up with it for another 6 months if it meant that we could put all of the fires out. To get an idea of the fires check out this link. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/indepth/section/0,,5010763,00.html Cheers, Soph.
I'm happiest when I am sewing! |
User: material_pakrat
Member since: 12-13-2006 Total posts: 220 |
From: PaulineG
Date: 01-18-2007, 01:44 AM (7 of 23)
It sounds like you've got it all there Sherri.  From the sounds of it though what you're suffering from isn't just the weather but also lack of resources to deal with it - am I right in guessing that you're fairly remote?Sometimes when you live too far away from "civilisation" its cost prohibitive for the powers that be to do the simple things others of us take for granted - 1. clear some firebreaks/trails (or in the case of the suburbs just build some more houses) - this would help a bit in fire season 2. plough and salt the roads - this would help in snow season 3. and maintain (or even put on tar or asphalt or whatever you guys call it) the roads - this would help in mud season At the end of the day though - would you live anywhere else? There's obviously something pretty special about where you are - or why would you be there. Pauline
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User: PaulineG
Member since: 09-08-2006 Total posts: 901 |
From: Sherri
Date: 01-18-2007, 10:18 AM (8 of 23)
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At the end of the day though - would you live anywhere else? There's obviously something pretty special about where you are - or why would you be there. I am blaming it all on my Husband. Would love to visit you all some time. I think I will wait until the fires are out. Sherri My website
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User: Sherri
Member since: 02-07-2001 Total posts: 357 |
From: DorothyL
Date: 01-18-2007, 10:25 AM (9 of 23)
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At the end of the day though - would you live anywhere else? There's obviously something pretty special about where you are - or why would you be there. Almost anywhere it is warmer. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: material_pakrat
Date: 01-18-2007, 11:02 AM (10 of 23)
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[QUOTE] At the end of the day though - would you live anywhere else? QUOTE] hmmm With all of these fires and water restrictions I would say the middle of Western Australia - 1. Too dry for anything to grow, so nothing to burn. 2. No water restrictions in the towns we lived in because they are on bore water - could water your garden in the middle of the day if you were so inclined But there were the cyclones and associated floods that could leave you isolated for up to 2 months to deal with.  Is this why the thread is called grass is always greener??????????
Cheers, Soph.
I'm happiest when I am sewing! |
User: material_pakrat
Member since: 12-13-2006 Total posts: 220 |
From: weezyrider
Date: 01-19-2007, 08:50 AM (11 of 23)
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I guess we don't think that stuff that happens in the States happens elsewhere. It was big news in the astronomy community when Mt. Stromlo burned. And that's the last we heard. I can sympathize with the water - we lived in unincorporated Colorado and had a water problem. We ran out and the board would shut the water off. I got caught with a machine full of baby clothes more than once. We would haul water up from the creek to flush the toilets. When the water came back on - it was MUD. Here in the Springs, you are not allowed to even have a rainbarrel to catch water for a garden. Weezy 
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User: weezyrider
Member since: 08-19-2003 Total posts: 218 
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From: Pudge99
Date: 01-19-2007, 11:56 AM (12 of 23)
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I just had to jump in here. Just in case anyone is curious. If a fire is hot enough it can even survive a 2 day ice storm. We have an interesting fire burning right now. Technically you could call it a brush fire. On Christmas someone thought it would be grand to light a pile of brush on fire. Well it is still burning today. This was no little pile of brush. You know when they plow down all the trees to put up new housing developments? Well this was the pile of those trees. http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/D_IMAGE.10fe4f5d140.93.88.fa.d0.2ff5c4d5.jpg This is less than a ten minute drive from my house. The day after Christmas I thought we had gotten snow because my van was cover in ash. They were trying to put it out but neighbors of the fire are complaining about groundwater contamination so they have stopped efforts until they can test all the wells of the complainers. They say if left to burn out this fire could easily burn for a year or more. Gina
Pictures of my successes and failures Pfaff 2040 Janome Mylock 134D Singer Futura CE-100 w/ Autopunch Husqvarna Viking 3D Sketch |
User: Pudge99
Member since: 10-30-2001 Total posts: 1375 |
From: lendube
Date: 01-19-2007, 01:25 PM (13 of 23)
Wow, Gina! I thought it was a lovely hillside covered in fog. How nasty. I'm sure they're keeping a close eye on it. Fires like that are almost impossible to put out. It's like those horrible rubber tire fires in junkyards.  Lennie |
User: lendube
Member since: 08-06-2006 Total posts: 1548 |
From: material_pakrat
Date: 01-19-2007, 04:31 PM (14 of 23)
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That is amazing Gina. I thought it was fog too. Looks like it will keep burning like a coal fire. I would hate to be living next to that.
Cheers, Soph.
I'm happiest when I am sewing! |
User: material_pakrat
Member since: 12-13-2006 Total posts: 220 |
From: DorothyL
Date: 01-20-2007, 09:19 AM (15 of 23)
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Ahh.. But did you see the smoked beef? BARBEQUE!! Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: Pudge99
Date: 01-20-2007, 08:39 PM (16 of 23)
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Funny, you should mention barbeque Dorothy. That is what it smells like in my house right now. There must be a high amount of mesquite in that pile. This is just a no win situation. The air quality here is so poor right now, but this pile sits inside our aquifer recharge zone so they have to be very, very careful what they do with the run-off water. So they can't leave it burn, but they also can't continue pooring water on it without risking contamination of our water supply. I think whoever authorized them to place this pile in the recharge zone is gonna be in big doodoo when this is all over and done with. Gina
Pictures of my successes and failures Pfaff 2040 Janome Mylock 134D Singer Futura CE-100 w/ Autopunch Husqvarna Viking 3D Sketch |
User: Pudge99
Member since: 10-30-2001 Total posts: 1375 |
From: weezyrider
Date: 01-21-2007, 11:21 AM (17 of 23)
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While you northerners (hemisphere - not states) are shivering, drought and high temperatures have contributed to the worst bushfire season ever in Victoria - (most important state in Australia). On the news this morning it was announced that over 20% of the state has been burnt by bushfire - this equals a land area a bit bigger than the combined total of New Hampshire and Vermont. Thankfully most of this area was bushland so property damage is minimal (although I wouldn't feel it was so minimal if I lived closer I'm sure). Most of Australia is having similar problems. On the whole I'm sure that you guys have more (both inconvient and dangerous) problems with extreme weather - I certainly couldn't cope with all that ice and snow - but I thought a look at the other side of the fence might make you feel a bit better while you're freezing. It's not just fire either - water restrictions are also quite severe in some areas - maybe Soph could comment better on this than I. Soph, what sort of things can/can't you do at the moment? I see we are sending teams from Colorado. With our past fires, they should be experienced! Hope it's out soon. Weezy |
User: weezyrider
Member since: 08-19-2003 Total posts: 218
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From: DorothyL
Date: 01-21-2007, 12:55 PM (18 of 23)
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Call off the fire fighters -- all they need is for Pauline to do her rain dance. Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: PaulineG
Date: 01-27-2007, 07:13 AM (19 of 23)
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I wish Dorothy - I think I'm like Eeyore - the little black rain cloud just follows him around but doesn't rain anywhere else. I know it rained elsewhere but was reading in the paper on the 4th day of our holiday (by which time the rain was over for us) that none of the "deluge" had fallen into the dams. It did help with some (not all) of the fires - but apparently didn't top up catchments at all. Unfortunately although some areas are good at the moment we still have 6-8 weeks of bushfire season left. I'm not sure if your guys are coming over to help with fires still burning (I don't think there's a lot at the moment) or just to relieve some of our guys (nearly all volunteers and they've been working solidly for several weeks now with very little rest) in case we get some more fires over the next few weeks. BTW - it stopped raining on our holiday the day we went out and bought an umbrella each. Who's heard of Murphy's Law. Pauline
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User: PaulineG
Member since: 09-08-2006 Total posts: 901 |
From: material_pakrat
Date: 01-27-2007, 10:02 AM (20 of 23)
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Isn't it always the way Pauline. We have been lucky - we have managed to get a fair amount of rain in the last 2 weeks. I have green grass again, and I actually have to go and do some gardening. But they say that there was little to none go into the water storage (hmmmmm very hard to believe) I still cant work out how the town can have over an inch of rain fall in one day and none goes into the water catchment??? Maybe that is why we have very little water in the first place, and not El Nino?? On a personal note - if anyone reading this knows of anyone who is either coming to Australia to fight the fires, or is in Oz and is fighting them - THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. Cheers, Soph.
I'm happiest when I am sewing! |
User: material_pakrat
Member since: 12-13-2006 Total posts: 220 |
From: PaulineG
Date: 01-27-2007, 04:08 PM (21 of 23)
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THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.[/SIZE] I should hang my head in shame Soph for being so remiss. You are absolutely right. Time for me to add my heartfelt thanks to any and all putting in to help out. There have been firefighters from all over coming in to help. Maybe Soph when you go looking for a new house you could be lucky enough to find one that has a decent tank system set up. Alternatively throw all of your umbrellas and raincoats out - sure to work. And yes it is nice to have green grass - we came home and the first thing dh said was "I have to mow the lawn." Pauline
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User: PaulineG
Member since: 09-08-2006 Total posts: 901 |
From: Magot
Date: 01-28-2007, 02:26 PM (22 of 23)
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How it works for us Sphie is that the ground is so hard when it rains it doesn't soak in to fill the aquifer but is lost as runoff - down the drains and straight out to sea!
love and kisses, Jan
Guts-R-Us Cells a Speciality DNA to order. |
User: Magot
Member since: 12-22-2002 Total posts: 3626 
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From: material_pakrat
Date: 01-29-2007, 08:02 PM (23 of 23)
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It's probably the same here - but Istill say there is a design fault in the runoff system here. Basically none of the town water in Victoria is aquifer based, which is why so many people have put a bore in their backyard. Pauline - I went one better than throwing out the brolly. I sent all of my woolly jumpers to Mum for washing. (Yes I can do them myself, but for some reason she still does them before the start of every winter.) And now that I have done that, it has got colder and we have had more rain. I think everyone realised that me doing the rain dance was next, and was VERY scared at that possibility. Cheers, Soph.
I'm happiest when I am sewing! |
User: material_pakrat
Member since: 12-13-2006 Total posts: 220 |
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