Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
more news.tuesday march 10
Tuesday March 10th
Yesterday our new start began with our sons, Al, Wayne and Josh, and Wayne’s partner, Delisa, helping us put the plastic cover on the poly tent. Wayne was foreman and he and Josh stood on ladders and pulled the plastic from one end. The ladders were a bit precarious so Delisa and I had the job of standing on the bottom rungs as weights. Neither of us are really built for this job but the ladders stayed upright so we were good enough. Edd and Al fed the plastic from the ends.
It took the whole team to fold the plastic and baton it down at the ends but we did a much neater job than we did four years ago on the one where we dried the barley. Al has started to use his architectural skills to get us working out what to rebuild. We are all agreed that new housing must be energy efficient and fire proof. Edd and I want to be at least partially underground like the cellar that survived so well.
The demolition work continues. On Sunday Mark brought over some friends and they completed the clean up of the ruins. I was extremely grateful for this because my back and knees were giving out under the stress of heavy wheelbarrows. We now have rubbish sorted into piles. Copper, iron and aluminium separate and bricks in piles away from the general burnt rubble. There was very little in “finds”, but I have saved some tiles and broken tiles for mosaics.
Friday March 13th
It is a beautiful Autumn day with clear blue skies and the mist rising from the valley as the sun rose. The air is now clear of smoke and the grass is starting to regrow. Every day another apparently “dead” plant shows signs of recovery. Even the mandarin tree has new shoots so I am still hopeful that other citrus trees might recover.
Mike continues with the clean up and we have discovered that because he started work early we are covered by the bush fire clean up funds. This is good news because only the demolition work on the house and cottage are covered by our insurance. It is amazing how many neighbours were under insured or had no insurance.
We got together with other local residents ( and prefire residents ) for a memorial service for our closest neighbour on Wednesday. Lindy read a really good eulergy and sufficient people turned up to make a good show. Memorial services have to replace funerals because the bodies are still not released and people need some form of closure in order to get on with their lives.
Yesterday it rained . This is big news because rain has been conspicuously absent this year. Josh discovered the lost buffalo lurking with cows on Dave’s property so we hope it is now back home and we are no longer in danger. Josh said it looked pretty intimidating and was not friendly. Our other animals are managing well given the circumstances. The goats are still milking well and the calves growing. Donna the cow has lost weight but her calf is almost round and has legs like tree trunks.
Our next project is to set up electric fencing so that the animals can have more area to move in. Also we need to put the rest of the hay and the goat set up into the dry area under the new poly house. Our big question is still whether to try and rebuild our host farm business or move on to something new , more suitable to people in their sixties. The host farm was great fun and we met wonderful people but all the resources I used are now gone and it was a lot of work to run.
Saturday
It is very early in the morning and still dark. Edd is still asleep in the caravan . I would die for a cup of tea but do not want to wake him up. Life is hard and every bit of sleep possible is precious. A museli bar and bottled water has to do. It is quite possible to live like this but it all takes so much time that forward progress is slow. There is a good toilet available at the tennis courts about three kilometres away and Bo continues to welcome us for showers in Yarra Glen but driving to and fro takes up a lot of the day.
There are also lots of meetings. Jo told us yesterday that politicians were coming to Steels Creek to discuss the problems here . We have no way of knowing when this sort of thing is happening. I greatly miss having the internet as it is my usual source of information. Edd went to the meeting which was good and he raised the issue about the lack of communications. One neighbour said we should just get a sattellite disc but this is not that easy because the company need a permanent building to attatch it to and we do not have one.
I can find no one who knows how to catch the buffalo either. There are so many issues here that are not being dealt with. I am not sure how our own issue with the insurance is going. I rang up earlier this week but did not get anywhere. A lawyer is prepared to help us but I am not sure how to start.
The other issue I need to address is how we are to get back to reliable food. The flies are so bad during the day that we have to stick to things like sandwiches and in the evenings we have had Chinese take away or Bo has prepared something. I am extremely grateful for this but we do need to find a way of preparing and storing our own food. Craig is still trying to get us school buildings to live in for Winter so perhaps if that comes up we can have more space for domestic work.
Yesterday the Council delivered square tanks of water for drinking and washing. This is good but these tanks have a big tap at the base that suits buckets not hose pipes so it is difficult to connect the water to anything . I have decided that if I buy a replacement for my tea urn that I used for cheese making I could put it on the site office sink and bucket water into it. Being an urn I could then even have hot water . At first showers were esssential as the soot made us impossibly dirty but now with all the demolition work it is getting cleaner and a bucket wash could replace a shower on most days.
Also yesterday three men came from a fire research group and got us to tell them our memories of what happened . This was an interesting exercise because I discovered that there are still large gaps in my memory. Until Edd talked about it I had forgotten that I put the taps on and filled the bath with water . He recalls rushing in and out getting buckets from the bath to try and stop the fires. I can vaguely recall remembering at one point that I had not turned the taps off and then deciding it was not important .
Our main feelings now are that there was no clear warning for our area and that over the last few years we had learnt to rely on the radio and internet for information . This meant that although I felt we were under urgent threat none of our guests or Edd saw the same danger and saw no reason to go into immediate action until it was almost too late.
We both feel that having a fire cellar should be compulsory for people building in the bush areas and that research needs to be done on the best and cheapest way these could be constructed. Once again we also tried to explain that reliable communication systems were essential during and after fires. This time the speed with which everything happened left us no time for the usual actions one takes.
NOW A WORD OF THANKS . To all my dear friends who have sent us stuff and offered support and good wishes I hope you will see this and know it is appreciated. I have an old computer here that I can write on and I give Josh my blogs on a memory stick so that he can post them at his friend’s place. I have no printer yet to write you all letters and Life is too hard to do anything but deal with day to day issues. I will get back to you all when we are bit better sorted out so until then please accept our very grateful thanks.
Yesterday our new start began with our sons, Al, Wayne and Josh, and Wayne’s partner, Delisa, helping us put the plastic cover on the poly tent. Wayne was foreman and he and Josh stood on ladders and pulled the plastic from one end. The ladders were a bit precarious so Delisa and I had the job of standing on the bottom rungs as weights. Neither of us are really built for this job but the ladders stayed upright so we were good enough. Edd and Al fed the plastic from the ends.
It took the whole team to fold the plastic and baton it down at the ends but we did a much neater job than we did four years ago on the one where we dried the barley. Al has started to use his architectural skills to get us working out what to rebuild. We are all agreed that new housing must be energy efficient and fire proof. Edd and I want to be at least partially underground like the cellar that survived so well.
The demolition work continues. On Sunday Mark brought over some friends and they completed the clean up of the ruins. I was extremely grateful for this because my back and knees were giving out under the stress of heavy wheelbarrows. We now have rubbish sorted into piles. Copper, iron and aluminium separate and bricks in piles away from the general burnt rubble. There was very little in “finds”, but I have saved some tiles and broken tiles for mosaics.
Friday March 13th
It is a beautiful Autumn day with clear blue skies and the mist rising from the valley as the sun rose. The air is now clear of smoke and the grass is starting to regrow. Every day another apparently “dead” plant shows signs of recovery. Even the mandarin tree has new shoots so I am still hopeful that other citrus trees might recover.
Mike continues with the clean up and we have discovered that because he started work early we are covered by the bush fire clean up funds. This is good news because only the demolition work on the house and cottage are covered by our insurance. It is amazing how many neighbours were under insured or had no insurance.
We got together with other local residents ( and prefire residents ) for a memorial service for our closest neighbour on Wednesday. Lindy read a really good eulergy and sufficient people turned up to make a good show. Memorial services have to replace funerals because the bodies are still not released and people need some form of closure in order to get on with their lives.
Yesterday it rained . This is big news because rain has been conspicuously absent this year. Josh discovered the lost buffalo lurking with cows on Dave’s property so we hope it is now back home and we are no longer in danger. Josh said it looked pretty intimidating and was not friendly. Our other animals are managing well given the circumstances. The goats are still milking well and the calves growing. Donna the cow has lost weight but her calf is almost round and has legs like tree trunks.
Our next project is to set up electric fencing so that the animals can have more area to move in. Also we need to put the rest of the hay and the goat set up into the dry area under the new poly house. Our big question is still whether to try and rebuild our host farm business or move on to something new , more suitable to people in their sixties. The host farm was great fun and we met wonderful people but all the resources I used are now gone and it was a lot of work to run.
Saturday
It is very early in the morning and still dark. Edd is still asleep in the caravan . I would die for a cup of tea but do not want to wake him up. Life is hard and every bit of sleep possible is precious. A museli bar and bottled water has to do. It is quite possible to live like this but it all takes so much time that forward progress is slow. There is a good toilet available at the tennis courts about three kilometres away and Bo continues to welcome us for showers in Yarra Glen but driving to and fro takes up a lot of the day.
There are also lots of meetings. Jo told us yesterday that politicians were coming to Steels Creek to discuss the problems here . We have no way of knowing when this sort of thing is happening. I greatly miss having the internet as it is my usual source of information. Edd went to the meeting which was good and he raised the issue about the lack of communications. One neighbour said we should just get a sattellite disc but this is not that easy because the company need a permanent building to attatch it to and we do not have one.
I can find no one who knows how to catch the buffalo either. There are so many issues here that are not being dealt with. I am not sure how our own issue with the insurance is going. I rang up earlier this week but did not get anywhere. A lawyer is prepared to help us but I am not sure how to start.
The other issue I need to address is how we are to get back to reliable food. The flies are so bad during the day that we have to stick to things like sandwiches and in the evenings we have had Chinese take away or Bo has prepared something. I am extremely grateful for this but we do need to find a way of preparing and storing our own food. Craig is still trying to get us school buildings to live in for Winter so perhaps if that comes up we can have more space for domestic work.
Yesterday the Council delivered square tanks of water for drinking and washing. This is good but these tanks have a big tap at the base that suits buckets not hose pipes so it is difficult to connect the water to anything . I have decided that if I buy a replacement for my tea urn that I used for cheese making I could put it on the site office sink and bucket water into it. Being an urn I could then even have hot water . At first showers were esssential as the soot made us impossibly dirty but now with all the demolition work it is getting cleaner and a bucket wash could replace a shower on most days.
Also yesterday three men came from a fire research group and got us to tell them our memories of what happened . This was an interesting exercise because I discovered that there are still large gaps in my memory. Until Edd talked about it I had forgotten that I put the taps on and filled the bath with water . He recalls rushing in and out getting buckets from the bath to try and stop the fires. I can vaguely recall remembering at one point that I had not turned the taps off and then deciding it was not important .
Our main feelings now are that there was no clear warning for our area and that over the last few years we had learnt to rely on the radio and internet for information . This meant that although I felt we were under urgent threat none of our guests or Edd saw the same danger and saw no reason to go into immediate action until it was almost too late.
We both feel that having a fire cellar should be compulsory for people building in the bush areas and that research needs to be done on the best and cheapest way these could be constructed. Once again we also tried to explain that reliable communication systems were essential during and after fires. This time the speed with which everything happened left us no time for the usual actions one takes.
NOW A WORD OF THANKS . To all my dear friends who have sent us stuff and offered support and good wishes I hope you will see this and know it is appreciated. I have an old computer here that I can write on and I give Josh my blogs on a memory stick so that he can post them at his friend’s place. I have no printer yet to write you all letters and Life is too hard to do anything but deal with day to day issues. I will get back to you all when we are bit better sorted out so until then please accept our very grateful thanks.
Monday, March 9, 2009
*
7.3.2009 Saturday
Life gets more bizarre by the day. Yesterday one of our neighbours dropped in to tell us that one of his buffalo is still on the loose and is not to be approached, as it is dangerous! Then, when I was in the site office in the evening I felt a tremor under my feet. Then the computer started to shake and I guessed we were having an earth quake somewhere. I was a bit cautious about telling Edd when he got back but it was OK because the quake had been reported on the radio. I had begun to think that who ever is writing the scrip round here was going a little bit over board and it was no longer believable!
Yesterday Edd’s friend , Trevor ,arrived on his motor bike and helped Edd clean up in our ruin. Today I went on with this work and we now have the bathroom and toilet clean down to the bricks. That leaves a corner of my kitchen and the patio at the front. Todays work was hard because it was all tiles. the Lofthouse bathroom was directly above our bathroom and both were fully tiled. Tiles are very heavy even when shattered.
Beni came at lunchtime with all sorts of good food and we had a party. She explained how the smoke enters the leaves and is stored in the grapes . It alters their chemistry so the wine tastes awful. It is looking as if all the wineries in the Yarra Valley will have a very hard time this year.
Edd is wrapping up the ribs of the polyhouse with felted tape which needs doing before we put the plastic tent on. The radio anounced tonight that another cyclone is heading into queensland . lets hope we can avoid getting lashed by the tail of this one or we will never get the polyhouse up!
Our remaining buck Rubicon has been very good and has stayed in his own pen even though the fences are no longer any good. He is getting smellier every day which means that the mating season is near. I expect he will feel the urge and break out to look for his does soon. The trouble is that there is so much that needs doing that important jobs are having to wait. Sorting out after your house burns down takes a lot more time than I would have imagined.
Life gets more bizarre by the day. Yesterday one of our neighbours dropped in to tell us that one of his buffalo is still on the loose and is not to be approached, as it is dangerous! Then, when I was in the site office in the evening I felt a tremor under my feet. Then the computer started to shake and I guessed we were having an earth quake somewhere. I was a bit cautious about telling Edd when he got back but it was OK because the quake had been reported on the radio. I had begun to think that who ever is writing the scrip round here was going a little bit over board and it was no longer believable!
Yesterday Edd’s friend , Trevor ,arrived on his motor bike and helped Edd clean up in our ruin. Today I went on with this work and we now have the bathroom and toilet clean down to the bricks. That leaves a corner of my kitchen and the patio at the front. Todays work was hard because it was all tiles. the Lofthouse bathroom was directly above our bathroom and both were fully tiled. Tiles are very heavy even when shattered.
Beni came at lunchtime with all sorts of good food and we had a party. She explained how the smoke enters the leaves and is stored in the grapes . It alters their chemistry so the wine tastes awful. It is looking as if all the wineries in the Yarra Valley will have a very hard time this year.
Edd is wrapping up the ribs of the polyhouse with felted tape which needs doing before we put the plastic tent on. The radio anounced tonight that another cyclone is heading into queensland . lets hope we can avoid getting lashed by the tail of this one or we will never get the polyhouse up!
Our remaining buck Rubicon has been very good and has stayed in his own pen even though the fences are no longer any good. He is getting smellier every day which means that the mating season is near. I expect he will feel the urge and break out to look for his does soon. The trouble is that there is so much that needs doing that important jobs are having to wait. Sorting out after your house burns down takes a lot more time than I would have imagined.
*
Monday 2.3.2009
It has been a calm sunny day and the skies were clear and blue again. The surrounding hills look more naked everyday as the burnt leaves fall to the ground and only blackened trunks and ash coated ground remains.
The demolition gang returned and now both the brewery and the Studio cottage are levelled to the ground. Edd spent the day raking the shed floor looking for tools and the remains of his horse carts and Josh and I worked on the house. Some walls are still standing but the internal walls were too badly damaged by fire to be left in place. Even the bricks have been baked into a new brittle form . It is odd. They were always so tough to drill if I wanted to hang a picture.
Josh carted the bricks outside and I shovelled the remaining rubble into wheel barrows so that I could check it through for any remains. There were slim pickings today but I did find the little pot I used for salt in untouched condition as I worked in my former country kitchen. It was really my best room. I loved the old oak furniture and simple table and chairs. Big shelves at the tops of the walls housed my collection of pots and I liked to have the brick floor gleaming. My poor Aga has collapsed at the sides and spilled out its stuffing and now all my pots are in tiny pieces. I collected odds ceramic scraps. Perhaps one day I will make a mosaic with them like my mother used to make patch work quilts from our old clothes.
Tonight everyone is in a kind of panic because high winds are forecast to coincide with heat again tomorrow. Four big fires are still burning and many local towns are still in danger. At least we now have a telephone working under the big old gum tree so we can stay in touch with family. Yesterday so many friends dropped in that our work slowed a lot. It was really a tonic to see people who we have been missing. Caroline got stuck in and helped me shovel dirt until she looked like a bush fire victim herself. It is very, very dirty work.
Our demolition crew were very considerate and we can have more time to clean up the house. For no reason that I can think of a logic for, I really need to clean the ruin. Sort of a respect thing for what has been a wonderful home and centre for our family for so long. I want even the ruin to look cared for. I think it will be rather nice to have my own ruin . They are really very rare in Australia but I grew up with a lot in the UK and they can be restful contemplative places.
We recaptured our cow and calf yesterday with help from Wayne and Delisa. She was visiting a neighbours bull and he was not pleased.(the neighbour not the bull that is ). The fences are still all down but there is so much else that has to be done that no one has replaced any yet. Now we have power we could by another electric fence unit which would help with containment…..when we get time.
Tuesday march 3.
We woke around 5 am when the winds really got going. I decided being in a van under a gum tree was not a really clever place to be in these conditions. Edd found rope to try and secure the caravan awning and then we fought through the flying ash to replace the tarps over the animal feed. It was hard to see anything as the air was thick and it seemed as if some one had opened the gates of hell and let loose horror. Edd and I felt it was all to aweful to be happening. Luckily Beni arrived with food and cheer and even found time to help us with the tarps. She could not stay long because she was still on active duty with the CFA and it was yet another horror day for fires. She kept repeating that if we could get through the day it would be Ok and things would get better. I am not sure if this was to reassure us or herself.,
We were all worried that more trees would come down and block the road again but Mark , my friend Caroline’s partner, got in with a big truck full of pallets that we needed to keep the hay off the ground. By this stage we had fed all the animals and it was obvious that it would be impossible to do any work so Josh and I followed Mark out and went shopping. Edd stayed on the farm and Wayne joined him. They could not do much work except lash things down every time they sprung loose.
Even in Knox city the conditions were still rough. No one could walk outside easily even there as the winds whipped ash and dust into eyes. I managed to find a handbag and some shoes that I will need to go to the memorial service for Ray on Thursday. She perished trying to save her goats and will be sadly missed as she was always so willing to help everyone.
I was so tired that I was very grateful for Josh’s support. He did the driving and steered me round the shopping centre. I usually get lost on my own. Some how he managed to be extremely patient whilst I selected women’s things. All he needed was food at regular intervals to keep him going.
On our return we found a very dirty exhausted Edd . He said that although he and Wayne wanted to do things the conditions were just too bad. They just sat by the caravan and retied up everything that broke loose. Luckily we managed to do the evening milking and animal feeding before the rain started. That was not forecast either! Now lashing rain and a sudden and massive drop in temperature cascaded us into the next set of problems. It was hard for us but we knew the rain meant massive relief for everyone still in danger from the fires.
Wednesday 4.3.2009
We woke to a new calmness and a back wet sticky world. Yesterdays winds had blown all the fire dried leaves off the trees and every where they piled on the ground covering the blackened earth with ochre and russet. It reminded me of an English winter scene. The tarp we had used to shelter the goats had dipped in the centre under the weight of the dirty water that had filled it. At least all the smoke and ash has dropped from the air and it is easier to breath.
Milking goats in the drizzle was not much fun but cleaning up in our ruin was much less stressful and it was no longer necessary to wear masks. A friend of Edd’s from the Welsh choir arrived and rigged up phone cables so that I now have a phone in my office and the plastic box phone is near Edd’s caravan.
Our dear friends keep turning up with goodies. Today Ingred arrived with a hot chicken and fresh bread for breakfast. It was fantastic. Each day more plants are showing signs of life. At first everything looked totally dead but obviously their life force is strong and the desire to survive great. The apple trees have flowers as well as new buds, Some herbs have new green leaves and things look hopeful.
Thursday 5.3.2009
Today we had the memorial service for Ray in the hall at St. Andrews. Ray was about my age and another serious goat lady. She had always helped me with advise and inspection of goats for registration . It seems so unlikely that such a wonderful warm person could just go so fast . We heard that she was a member of the CFA and knew all about fire fighting. She had a mudbrick house that had sprinklers and underwater pipes so she believed her place could be protected. This fire was in a new category and a new set of rules applied that none of us knew.
A huge group of family , friends and goat keepers turned up to pay their respects. Her family told stories that made us laugh and I expect it was all recorded for her husband who is in hospital badly burnt. I was cold, I had brought clothes for the occaision on Tuesday when it was still stinking hot and at that stage it was hard to imagine it would ever cool down again.
In the evening Josh , Edd and I sat on the floor of the site office and ate Chinese take away with Beni’s fantastic wine. It all seemed very familiar as we did this so often in Alice Springs when we came in from the desert to do our shopping. The only difference was that in our demountable , Donger, home in the NT the dust that blew in under the door was red and what comes in here is black! We are returning to some sort of comfort zone.
It has been a calm sunny day and the skies were clear and blue again. The surrounding hills look more naked everyday as the burnt leaves fall to the ground and only blackened trunks and ash coated ground remains.
The demolition gang returned and now both the brewery and the Studio cottage are levelled to the ground. Edd spent the day raking the shed floor looking for tools and the remains of his horse carts and Josh and I worked on the house. Some walls are still standing but the internal walls were too badly damaged by fire to be left in place. Even the bricks have been baked into a new brittle form . It is odd. They were always so tough to drill if I wanted to hang a picture.
Josh carted the bricks outside and I shovelled the remaining rubble into wheel barrows so that I could check it through for any remains. There were slim pickings today but I did find the little pot I used for salt in untouched condition as I worked in my former country kitchen. It was really my best room. I loved the old oak furniture and simple table and chairs. Big shelves at the tops of the walls housed my collection of pots and I liked to have the brick floor gleaming. My poor Aga has collapsed at the sides and spilled out its stuffing and now all my pots are in tiny pieces. I collected odds ceramic scraps. Perhaps one day I will make a mosaic with them like my mother used to make patch work quilts from our old clothes.
Tonight everyone is in a kind of panic because high winds are forecast to coincide with heat again tomorrow. Four big fires are still burning and many local towns are still in danger. At least we now have a telephone working under the big old gum tree so we can stay in touch with family. Yesterday so many friends dropped in that our work slowed a lot. It was really a tonic to see people who we have been missing. Caroline got stuck in and helped me shovel dirt until she looked like a bush fire victim herself. It is very, very dirty work.
Our demolition crew were very considerate and we can have more time to clean up the house. For no reason that I can think of a logic for, I really need to clean the ruin. Sort of a respect thing for what has been a wonderful home and centre for our family for so long. I want even the ruin to look cared for. I think it will be rather nice to have my own ruin . They are really very rare in Australia but I grew up with a lot in the UK and they can be restful contemplative places.
We recaptured our cow and calf yesterday with help from Wayne and Delisa. She was visiting a neighbours bull and he was not pleased.(the neighbour not the bull that is ). The fences are still all down but there is so much else that has to be done that no one has replaced any yet. Now we have power we could by another electric fence unit which would help with containment…..when we get time.
Tuesday march 3.
We woke around 5 am when the winds really got going. I decided being in a van under a gum tree was not a really clever place to be in these conditions. Edd found rope to try and secure the caravan awning and then we fought through the flying ash to replace the tarps over the animal feed. It was hard to see anything as the air was thick and it seemed as if some one had opened the gates of hell and let loose horror. Edd and I felt it was all to aweful to be happening. Luckily Beni arrived with food and cheer and even found time to help us with the tarps. She could not stay long because she was still on active duty with the CFA and it was yet another horror day for fires. She kept repeating that if we could get through the day it would be Ok and things would get better. I am not sure if this was to reassure us or herself.,
We were all worried that more trees would come down and block the road again but Mark , my friend Caroline’s partner, got in with a big truck full of pallets that we needed to keep the hay off the ground. By this stage we had fed all the animals and it was obvious that it would be impossible to do any work so Josh and I followed Mark out and went shopping. Edd stayed on the farm and Wayne joined him. They could not do much work except lash things down every time they sprung loose.
Even in Knox city the conditions were still rough. No one could walk outside easily even there as the winds whipped ash and dust into eyes. I managed to find a handbag and some shoes that I will need to go to the memorial service for Ray on Thursday. She perished trying to save her goats and will be sadly missed as she was always so willing to help everyone.
I was so tired that I was very grateful for Josh’s support. He did the driving and steered me round the shopping centre. I usually get lost on my own. Some how he managed to be extremely patient whilst I selected women’s things. All he needed was food at regular intervals to keep him going.
On our return we found a very dirty exhausted Edd . He said that although he and Wayne wanted to do things the conditions were just too bad. They just sat by the caravan and retied up everything that broke loose. Luckily we managed to do the evening milking and animal feeding before the rain started. That was not forecast either! Now lashing rain and a sudden and massive drop in temperature cascaded us into the next set of problems. It was hard for us but we knew the rain meant massive relief for everyone still in danger from the fires.
Wednesday 4.3.2009
We woke to a new calmness and a back wet sticky world. Yesterdays winds had blown all the fire dried leaves off the trees and every where they piled on the ground covering the blackened earth with ochre and russet. It reminded me of an English winter scene. The tarp we had used to shelter the goats had dipped in the centre under the weight of the dirty water that had filled it. At least all the smoke and ash has dropped from the air and it is easier to breath.
Milking goats in the drizzle was not much fun but cleaning up in our ruin was much less stressful and it was no longer necessary to wear masks. A friend of Edd’s from the Welsh choir arrived and rigged up phone cables so that I now have a phone in my office and the plastic box phone is near Edd’s caravan.
Our dear friends keep turning up with goodies. Today Ingred arrived with a hot chicken and fresh bread for breakfast. It was fantastic. Each day more plants are showing signs of life. At first everything looked totally dead but obviously their life force is strong and the desire to survive great. The apple trees have flowers as well as new buds, Some herbs have new green leaves and things look hopeful.
Thursday 5.3.2009
Today we had the memorial service for Ray in the hall at St. Andrews. Ray was about my age and another serious goat lady. She had always helped me with advise and inspection of goats for registration . It seems so unlikely that such a wonderful warm person could just go so fast . We heard that she was a member of the CFA and knew all about fire fighting. She had a mudbrick house that had sprinklers and underwater pipes so she believed her place could be protected. This fire was in a new category and a new set of rules applied that none of us knew.
A huge group of family , friends and goat keepers turned up to pay their respects. Her family told stories that made us laugh and I expect it was all recorded for her husband who is in hospital badly burnt. I was cold, I had brought clothes for the occaision on Tuesday when it was still stinking hot and at that stage it was hard to imagine it would ever cool down again.
In the evening Josh , Edd and I sat on the floor of the site office and ate Chinese take away with Beni’s fantastic wine. It all seemed very familiar as we did this so often in Alice Springs when we came in from the desert to do our shopping. The only difference was that in our demountable , Donger, home in the NT the dust that blew in under the door was red and what comes in here is black! We are returning to some sort of comfort zone.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
SOS
27/2/09*
(*Posted in proxy by Josh W. Thank you all for the support, sorry we cannot reply until internet is re-established)
Help. It is almost three weeks since we lost everything in the fire storm. We are in a remote area and we still have no phone access. Friday the fire danger is so high that all schools and preschools are closed but we have no connection to help from here.
We have a phone connected to a builder’s pole that worked intermittently when first installed, but it has now been disconnected. As far as we can make out the underground lines are burnt and there are not enough left to service this area.
We have a caseworker, legal help and plenty of people willing to hug us but we can not contact any one with out a phone. We are in a black spot so there is no mobile coverage. We have been given heaps of mobile phones but they are no use to us.
We do thank the thousands of people who have donate money and tried to help. We are especially grateful to people like Scott and his brother Mathew who have just taken things into their own hands and brought us essentials like stock food and bottled water.
The situation here is like a war zone. Many of our neighbours are burnt out, several are dead and all normal life and income sources are suspended. The Yarra Valley is a tourist area and all the local operators are in financial crisis wether they were affected by fire or
Not.
Any one reading this please contact Get Up Org or political / media people. There was no warning about this fire here and emergency services were unavailable for family members that tried all night to get us help. Australia is totally unprepared for any crisis. Do not be deluded, insist on action now.
FRIDAY.
All schools and preschools are closed as temperatures sore again and the winds return. I woke to a dust filled dull red sky and the now worrying sound of wind. Then before I had boiled the billy the demolition guys arrived stirring up another cloud of dust with their truck. From then on all dissolved into chaos.
Two diggers began symaltainiuos attacks on the remains of the cottage and the twisted wreck of the shed. Dust flew in all directions and huge piles of contorted corrugated iron began to build up. I still had the goats to milk and animals to feed but could not start until the work focus moved to the main house site. Josh handed out dust masks and he and Edd struggled to move the caravan we have been loaned to safety. The diggers ignored our feeble efforts to maintain order and relentlessly plowed ahead.
The remains of our buildings have been something of a comfort. Old paths could be walked along and it merely seemed as if a new reality had super imposed itself like a vale over our former home. Now everything was being destroyed. The last thirty years of life wiped away along with any hope of retaining anything from the past.
I wonder if this is how old villages get their curves and little garden spaces. Old buildings must have collapsed or burnt down and their ruins incorporated into the village topography. Before bulldozers foundations and ruins remained and were recycled as walled gardens and so on.
We still have no phone. Every p0litition for miles around phoned Bo this morning with platitudes but any real action seems beyond anyone. Even the numbers Josh was given by Telstra for sat phone information refused to work. Our lives are dissolving into protracted hell.
Once the animals were done and the caravan moved Josh and I retreated to Bo’s place in Yarra Glen to wash away as much dust as possible. Simon was taking the boys to his parents in Ringwood and Bo and the baby were staying to run the restaurant though there is little hope of many customers today. Josh and I had lunch there to keep her company and then returned to our land with sandwiches for Edd.
Now it is Edd’s turn to shower and I am in the sanctuary of the site office on guard duty. The office is great but we have an ant plague, which needs to be dealt with. They keep running up my arms as I am typing. It is very hot but thanks to the free store in Yarra Glen I now have a sleeveless dress for which I am very grateful. It is so amazing that so many people donated their clothes and stuff. At least I have not had to rush out shopping every day.
Saturday
The wind has dropped and the air cleared. We have the week end to sift through the rubble our buildings now that the corrugated iron is no longer in a position to fall on us. Don has arrived to help and by the end of the day he has the rest of the poly igloo frame assembled . Simon from Steels Creek Estate Vineyard used his tractor to help us move good building materials to our new demolition yard. He has just got his power on today and like us has no phone .
I got extra shovels and rakes from the free shop and Josh and I began sorting through the rubble and wheel barrowing waste outside the “house”. There is little to find. Some of our gem stone collection survived and odd ceramic pieces. Two little ceramic door knobs I brought for my wardrobe look about new. Better finds are part of a brass horse shoe made by Edd’s Grandfather and a letter knife Al made for me at school.
(*Posted in proxy by Josh W. Thank you all for the support, sorry we cannot reply until internet is re-established)
Help. It is almost three weeks since we lost everything in the fire storm. We are in a remote area and we still have no phone access. Friday the fire danger is so high that all schools and preschools are closed but we have no connection to help from here.
We have a phone connected to a builder’s pole that worked intermittently when first installed, but it has now been disconnected. As far as we can make out the underground lines are burnt and there are not enough left to service this area.
We have a caseworker, legal help and plenty of people willing to hug us but we can not contact any one with out a phone. We are in a black spot so there is no mobile coverage. We have been given heaps of mobile phones but they are no use to us.
We do thank the thousands of people who have donate money and tried to help. We are especially grateful to people like Scott and his brother Mathew who have just taken things into their own hands and brought us essentials like stock food and bottled water.
The situation here is like a war zone. Many of our neighbours are burnt out, several are dead and all normal life and income sources are suspended. The Yarra Valley is a tourist area and all the local operators are in financial crisis wether they were affected by fire or
Not.
Any one reading this please contact Get Up Org or political / media people. There was no warning about this fire here and emergency services were unavailable for family members that tried all night to get us help. Australia is totally unprepared for any crisis. Do not be deluded, insist on action now.
FRIDAY.
All schools and preschools are closed as temperatures sore again and the winds return. I woke to a dust filled dull red sky and the now worrying sound of wind. Then before I had boiled the billy the demolition guys arrived stirring up another cloud of dust with their truck. From then on all dissolved into chaos.
Two diggers began symaltainiuos attacks on the remains of the cottage and the twisted wreck of the shed. Dust flew in all directions and huge piles of contorted corrugated iron began to build up. I still had the goats to milk and animals to feed but could not start until the work focus moved to the main house site. Josh handed out dust masks and he and Edd struggled to move the caravan we have been loaned to safety. The diggers ignored our feeble efforts to maintain order and relentlessly plowed ahead.
The remains of our buildings have been something of a comfort. Old paths could be walked along and it merely seemed as if a new reality had super imposed itself like a vale over our former home. Now everything was being destroyed. The last thirty years of life wiped away along with any hope of retaining anything from the past.
I wonder if this is how old villages get their curves and little garden spaces. Old buildings must have collapsed or burnt down and their ruins incorporated into the village topography. Before bulldozers foundations and ruins remained and were recycled as walled gardens and so on.
We still have no phone. Every p0litition for miles around phoned Bo this morning with platitudes but any real action seems beyond anyone. Even the numbers Josh was given by Telstra for sat phone information refused to work. Our lives are dissolving into protracted hell.
Once the animals were done and the caravan moved Josh and I retreated to Bo’s place in Yarra Glen to wash away as much dust as possible. Simon was taking the boys to his parents in Ringwood and Bo and the baby were staying to run the restaurant though there is little hope of many customers today. Josh and I had lunch there to keep her company and then returned to our land with sandwiches for Edd.
Now it is Edd’s turn to shower and I am in the sanctuary of the site office on guard duty. The office is great but we have an ant plague, which needs to be dealt with. They keep running up my arms as I am typing. It is very hot but thanks to the free store in Yarra Glen I now have a sleeveless dress for which I am very grateful. It is so amazing that so many people donated their clothes and stuff. At least I have not had to rush out shopping every day.
Saturday
The wind has dropped and the air cleared. We have the week end to sift through the rubble our buildings now that the corrugated iron is no longer in a position to fall on us. Don has arrived to help and by the end of the day he has the rest of the poly igloo frame assembled . Simon from Steels Creek Estate Vineyard used his tractor to help us move good building materials to our new demolition yard. He has just got his power on today and like us has no phone .
I got extra shovels and rakes from the free shop and Josh and I began sorting through the rubble and wheel barrowing waste outside the “house”. There is little to find. Some of our gem stone collection survived and odd ceramic pieces. Two little ceramic door knobs I brought for my wardrobe look about new. Better finds are part of a brass horse shoe made by Edd’s Grandfather and a letter knife Al made for me at school.
Monday, February 16, 2009
fire storm
Saturday night marked the end of an era. Edd and I fought desperately to save the property but it all happened too fast. A tiny flume of smoke kilometers away on above the distant hills was the only warning. The TV, radio, and internet were already swamped with reports from other areas and the fire moved too quickly for anyone in Steels Creek to have time to prepare.
As we had got our guests off to what we hoped was safety a loud roaring heralded the fire its self. It swept down the surrounding hills in a sheet of flame three times taller than the gum trees. In seconds it had roared up from behind us and engulfed the brewery. The power went off and the Studio cottage blew up , literally. I called all the animals and fortunately all who could came instantly and I led them to safety in the paddock with the big dam. Edd got the fire pump working and I bucketed water from the pool.
When the house lit we opened the doors to call out the dogs who Edd heard barking. Sadly the house was full of swirling smoke and we could not reach them or them us. We have buried them under a big rock next day. When we knew the house was lost we joined the animals in the big paddock and watched years of work vanish in an instant.
Luckily we had camping gear in the cellar and managed to find a tin opener and cans of baked beans . Our poly igloo under the big gum had survived so it now became our new house. Next day it was confirmed that our neighbour and over 20 others in Steel Creek had perished. Hargreaves road is an unrecognisable moonscape of ash covered land and blackened trees. I feel so lucky that we and most of our animals survived. If any guests that are booked in contact me once we get a phone again I will try and sort things out but I see but I see no way we will be in business again this year or in the forseeable future.
As we had got our guests off to what we hoped was safety a loud roaring heralded the fire its self. It swept down the surrounding hills in a sheet of flame three times taller than the gum trees. In seconds it had roared up from behind us and engulfed the brewery. The power went off and the Studio cottage blew up , literally. I called all the animals and fortunately all who could came instantly and I led them to safety in the paddock with the big dam. Edd got the fire pump working and I bucketed water from the pool.
When the house lit we opened the doors to call out the dogs who Edd heard barking. Sadly the house was full of swirling smoke and we could not reach them or them us. We have buried them under a big rock next day. When we knew the house was lost we joined the animals in the big paddock and watched years of work vanish in an instant.
Luckily we had camping gear in the cellar and managed to find a tin opener and cans of baked beans . Our poly igloo under the big gum had survived so it now became our new house. Next day it was confirmed that our neighbour and over 20 others in Steel Creek had perished. Hargreaves road is an unrecognisable moonscape of ash covered land and blackened trees. I feel so lucky that we and most of our animals survived. If any guests that are booked in contact me once we get a phone again I will try and sort things out but I see but I see no way we will be in business again this year or in the forseeable future.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Heat Wave
This has been the hottest week we have experiences in Southern Australia. It has been over 110 C in Melbourne but I suspect it is much hotter out here away from the sea. It feels cool in the house but the thermometer says it is 35C . Having so many plants die is heart breaking . I have nursed an avocado tree I was given for years but one evening I found all the leaves had burnt dry and were dropping off. Josh has rigged up a shade cloth for it but I suspect we are too late.
A clever man with a back hoe dug all the manure out of the sheds loaded it on his truck and took tons of this useful compost down into the paddocks. I got one area cleaned and white washed but it is too hot to complete the job. At least the goats are happy to sleep outside in the paddock. They are still producing lots of milk so we went to an auction and brought three dairy calves to rear. It took a week to settle them onto bottles of goats milk but they are happy now. Sheila has a white shied shape on her face , Grace has a white elongated love heart and Betsy has a brown face. I tie different coloured baler twine on their bottles so I can feed them the right amount over each session in two halves and make digestion easier.
The worst problem is with the chooks who really find the temperature impossible. They all have shady tree and plenty of water but this is not enough. We have to hose them or bath them at intervals and keep an eye on individuals. I have had suffering chooks in the house to try and save them. So far we have lost 10 birds , all over three years old.
Edd brought new Polish and Houdan chooks last week . It is really hard on them adapting to a new home and the heat. Our own youngsters are suffering but so far surviving. My daughter Bo took her boys out to a pool and came back to find her budgy had died . Her house has no air conditioning or much insulation so she has to go out. She brings the kids here some evenings where they love our little above ground pool.
A clever man with a back hoe dug all the manure out of the sheds loaded it on his truck and took tons of this useful compost down into the paddocks. I got one area cleaned and white washed but it is too hot to complete the job. At least the goats are happy to sleep outside in the paddock. They are still producing lots of milk so we went to an auction and brought three dairy calves to rear. It took a week to settle them onto bottles of goats milk but they are happy now. Sheila has a white shied shape on her face , Grace has a white elongated love heart and Betsy has a brown face. I tie different coloured baler twine on their bottles so I can feed them the right amount over each session in two halves and make digestion easier.
The worst problem is with the chooks who really find the temperature impossible. They all have shady tree and plenty of water but this is not enough. We have to hose them or bath them at intervals and keep an eye on individuals. I have had suffering chooks in the house to try and save them. So far we have lost 10 birds , all over three years old.
Edd brought new Polish and Houdan chooks last week . It is really hard on them adapting to a new home and the heat. Our own youngsters are suffering but so far surviving. My daughter Bo took her boys out to a pool and came back to find her budgy had died . Her house has no air conditioning or much insulation so she has to go out. She brings the kids here some evenings where they love our little above ground pool.
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