There's a page on Facebook called One Day Closer to Rain (Drought). Or there was. I'd link to it, but today it was taken down by Facebook. It's a support page, for people struggling with the drought here in Australia, and it's a place for people who aren't from rural areas to be able to … Continue reading One Day Closer to Rain
Natural Disaster
Drought
I've written before about the drought we're currently experiencing. Today we drove from our home in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, to Roma in Queensland. As we went west and north, it got even drier. It's dry at home - really dry. When you dig, there's no moisture in the soil at all … Continue reading Drought
Dear Retailers….
Dear Retailers of Australia, It is not Black Friday. You have emailed me repeatedly about your sales that do not encompass Black Friday at all. You've also flooded the television with your ads. Are you confused? Why are you doing this? In case you're having calendar malfunctions, I'd like to inform you that it will … Continue reading Dear Retailers….
Tomorrow
If you look at the image above, you can see the fire danger ratings across NSW tomorrow. We live in number 3. The Greater Hunter. Tonight isn't hot, just comfortable, and there's no wind. Tomorrow's forecast is for 36-38 degrees (C), and high winds. It's going to be hot, windy, and the fire danger is … Continue reading Tomorrow
Remembering
Tomorrow is Remembrance Day. At 11am, we pause to Remember. From its beginnings as Armistice Day in memory of the First World War, to a time when we remember the both the dead and all of those who have fought, and still fight in conflicts across the globe. Yesterday was also a significant day for … Continue reading Remembering
A Country of Contrasts
I'm sitting here in NSW, in a drought stricken town, refreshing my browser intermittently to check on the status of Townsville, in far north Queensland, where our daughter lives. It's so dry here that many of our local farmers have sold the vast majority of their stock. Our watercourses are dry, and the landscape fluctuates … Continue reading A Country of Contrasts
The Resilience of People
We've just arrived home from a two week holiday in New Zealand. It's been a few years since we've been there, and this time we went back for a family wedding, and then took off in a camper van (Wilderness Motorhomes are the best!) for nine days. We headed off to Hanmer Springs, and then … Continue reading The Resilience of People
Drought and Spiders
Yesterday morning I got up and went outside to check the rain gauge. We'd had some rain forecast, and there had been a light sprinkle when we went to bed. It's been dry - really dry here. Total rain for 2018 - 120.8mm, compared to an average at this time of year of 395.6mm. Even … Continue reading Drought and Spiders
Drought, Governments, and City-Centric Focus
I live in rural NSW. Although I'm not a farmer, I know quite a number who are, both in my personal life and my professional life. As a town dweller, I can bemoan how dry the countryside is, but it doesn't have quite the same impact on me that it does on my farmer contacts. … Continue reading Drought, Governments, and City-Centric Focus
Storms of Future Past
Cyclone Debbie is bearing down on the north Queensland coast as I type. It's a funny feeling. We lived in one of the most cyclone prone areas of the world (Pilbara region in WA) for many years, but have now lived in NSW for the last fifteen years. It's sort of weird, because now our … Continue reading Storms of Future Past
Leonie Rogers 