Smoked
A little black and white cat comes to visit us on the front deck every morning and Amelia is besotted. There is a gift wrapped (a small rubber ball for chasing) and placed under the tree ready for “Jessie” and she spends vast amounts of time sitting by the front window waiting to catch a glimpse so she can dash outside for a quick conversation with her new best friend.
She can’t sit outside and wait because it’s hard to breath out there. The sky is a pale orange today, and everything smells like smoke. I woke in the night and wondered if perhaps the house was on fire, but then realised it’s still the bush fire smoke blowing across the city. I suddenly started noticing how dry the suburbs are when I was driving around a couple of days ago. Lawns are dead, bushes are dying, dust and smoke hang in the air and inside we are cutting out snowflakes from paper which hang in garlands and dance in the air conditioning.
I am feeling a little tired of 2006, but rather than feeling gloomy about it I am already planning projects (home, web and craft) and resolutions for 2007. Hopefully 2007 will bring some great changes or at least some rain.
The smoke is so bad! We usually have a pretty good view of the Dandenong Ranges but at the moment you wouldn’t even know they were there! Hopefully the fires calm down soon!
Oh yuck. I know how it is, living in Florida. We’ve had several bad fire seasons since I’ve lived here, and my husband is often called upon to help control the fires as he does prescribed burning for the parks service.
Hope the rains come soon and that all of the fire folk stay safe.
Hi Claire,Yes, it’s horrible, isn’t it. I wouldn’t even hang my washing out today. And our garden is just so parched. There is only so much that bucketing out bath and shower water will do. I am not looking forward to our garden in February.
I drove through Blackburn to Box Hill today and the smoke gets worse the further in you drive – I thought it was bad here in Vermont as it seems to pool in Bellbird Dell behind our house,but it was unbearable by Middleborough Road….. wonder what the CBD is like today?
oh, and the weather bureau is predicting four days of rain for Melbourne, beginning Friday, but I don’t believe a word of it!
hi clarei made gingerbread people today with your recipe..thankyou, they were a hit! i put cinnamon instead of ginger (because i had none) which seemed to be fine with my three discerning eaters, + their 8 friends! the smoke..well here in country victoria it is reaaallly bad.. on top of the extreme dryness…we are on a dairy farm and even my 8yr old daughter is feeling sad for the cows because they have no green grass to eat.. she’s hoping santa will bring rain 🙁 (as well as a nintendo ds 😉 ). anyway..i’m a regular loobylu-er…thankyou for sharing and im hoping for the breath of fresh air next year also.. i hope you get yours 🙂
Hi ClareFrom Brunswick we can’t even see the city which is only 5kms away and usually we have a great view! We tried your gingerbread cookies yesterday and they were delicious. Thanks!
I live in Southern California, so I know what you mean about dry weather, the fires and for me the horrible dry skin that goes with it! I’m a transplant from the UK, so I’m used to being moist all year, and will never get used to Christmas on the beach!! Bah hambug! Really enjoy your site, and Kiddley too, I’m a long time reader/lurker, but had to say hello and wish your family a merry Christmas.
): oh dear. wishing you some rain!!
happy holidays. xo 🙂
Oh, I had a little cat friend when I was Amelia’s age too! She belonged to a neighbor and would come visit me at my window. Those friendships between kids and animals are so special. 🙂 Hope the air clears up soon.
We too have been getting the smoke, and we could smell it yesterday as soon as we woke up. No washing today either, as it is still lingering. I hope we do get rain over the weekend, and lots of it as everything is really drying out. I think things will get worse when we go to stage 4 water restrictions though.
I cannot explain the joy having a cat brings to your life! I think every little girl must have one at some stage of her childhood!
Hi Claire,I know the feeling! 🙂
I’ve only just recently moved to Canberra, and its quite a bit smokey around here as well. Last week we had an “ash shower” instead of rain. Sadly my whites were all on the line… Napisan here I come!!
I just noticed how dry south canberra was the other day. Things look SO… HOT … It worries me. Let’s all rain dance a little tonight in the shower and hope for wet and soggy changes.
Btw, Merry Christmas!
– Clebs x
I am a so *over* this darn smoke and the dryness. I lost 7 plants in the front garden and all the grass too.
Lets hope that the rain will come tomorrow and give some relief to the fire fighters.
Isn’t the sun an odd colour and the shadows on the ground, just shows the size of the fires.