One day holiday

 Barwen Heads near Al's house

December1 2017

OK.   I think this valley can now say we are feeling the effects of climate change.  Last week it was really hot and now we are having a weekend of tropical type storms.   More rain has fallen in a shorter period than any I can recall.  In practice this means that all the dams and tanks are over flowing (good), the risk of bush fire is nil ( good), The water has worked its way through several rooves so that the donga has a leak  in the small bedroom soaking mattresses etc because the pan I put in overflowed in the night.(bad).

In the house the water is coming down the stove chimney.  Creosote flakes have washed down and blocked the chimney and water has collected in the stove so it smokes rather than heats water (bad), at least we now know the smoke alarm is working (good).  The big goat shed is half flooded for the first time.  The goats solved their problem by jumping out of their accommodation and raiding the feed bins (bad).   Now the shed is a total muddy mess (bad), and all the feed is gone. (bad).

On the good side the drives have stayed in tact, and the dry creek bed has taken flood water away from the house to the dam so that the house has not flooded.  The dairy and cheese room are also OK. That leaves my wood stove. Obviously it has filled with water and needs help before we can have hot showers again. 

I am being fairly philosophical about all this because I have had a holiday this week.  Al was working in the Yarra Valley on Tuesday and Thursday so I cadged a lift with home with him and spent Wednesday  down by the sea.  It was amazing!.  We had an evening meal in a restaurant on a peir over the ocean and on Wednesday I spent the day in Barwyn heads relaxing reading a book on the beach and exploring the shops. Pip and Al met me after lunch and we drove to a surf beach for a swim and enjoyed really hot sunny weather. Looking back it seems another life time ago.

I can see why Al loves his new location it is a sea side area that is not developed or over exploited yet and offers surf beached and native wetlands.  He is working on expanding their house to include an office for architecture and a clinic for Pip’s Chinese medicine.  The new extensions have got shape but no roofs yet so I hope this tropical down pour has not done too much damage.

Edd took Bo back to her surgeon this week and he has  given her he all clear to drive an automatic car.  This is a big improvement and saves us the time involved in getting her boys to and from school.  She is looking much better too but she still needs crutches.  My mum has had a 97^th birthday this week ,  which she has enjoyed. Everyone sent her flowers and she had cake and visitors.  She actually sounds really on top of things at the moment.  I am more worried about Pip’s father who is still sick after contracting thunder storm asthma.  He is an amazing man who we all love so we hope all will be well.

I have put the goat Annie back in the herd.  We needed the space in her pen because of the floods and her leg has mostly healed.  She got rather pushed around at first but seems to have coped.  Usualy I mend broken legs with poly pipe splints and cotton wool but this time I had to substitute with bamboo and sheep’s wool. At least I know this is now possible.