Bushfires (and netball)
It's been a few days since I last wrote as there hasn't been much to report beyond settling in at work. In fact, Saturday has been fairly quiet too, with the morning occupied by doing laundry and other tasks I've been neglecting.
However, when I went to hang my clothes out to dry this afternoon, the strong winds (sustained at about 25mph, gusting to 60mph) carried the smell of smoke. As the afternoon wore on, the smoke got more visible in the sky, ultimately turning the sky orange by late afternoon.
In the meantime, we entertained ourselves by watching the Commonwealth Games—basically the Olympics, but for countries with ties to the UK—with one of the highlights being netball; a sport akin to basketball, but without a backboard, that is seemingly only played in Commonwealth countries.
As the day has worn on, the fire has moved southeast, toward us. Overall, the Rural Fire Services (RFS) have been keeping the flames away from populated areas, though the blaze jumped a major road a few hours ago, fueled by the high winds.
Since, we have been keeping up-to-date with things through news reports and messages sent by the Shire and RFS. We had dinner and watched "The House" with Amy Poehler, though also packed up valuable items at the house and have unrolled a hose in the front yard, in case we need it.
Bushfires are fairly common in Australia, and the high heat and strong winds of the last few weeks are ideal conditions for them. Paul said that this area hasn't been threatened with a major fire in 25 years or so. Of course, it would happen just after I have arrived; this brings the expression "trial by fire" to a whole new level.
Aside from the excitement tonight, things have been relatively quiet. I am getting ready to move into the city next weekend, and am getting caught up to speed at the office. On Friday, I gave a talk at the office to introduce myself and explain the Industry Doctorate Program I am involved in.
Overall, the work promises to be engaging, and I spent much of Friday familiarizing myself with a few sites I will be working on in the coming months.
With midnight come and gone, I plan to get some sleep, though it promises to be an interesting night. With phone alerts, we are all set to keep up with what's going on with the fire conditions. I'll update everyone if anything changes!
However, when I went to hang my clothes out to dry this afternoon, the strong winds (sustained at about 25mph, gusting to 60mph) carried the smell of smoke. As the afternoon wore on, the smoke got more visible in the sky, ultimately turning the sky orange by late afternoon.
In the meantime, we entertained ourselves by watching the Commonwealth Games—basically the Olympics, but for countries with ties to the UK—with one of the highlights being netball; a sport akin to basketball, but without a backboard, that is seemingly only played in Commonwealth countries.
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| Smoke from the fire, seen from the backyard, as of 3:15 this afternoon. |
As the day has worn on, the fire has moved southeast, toward us. Overall, the Rural Fire Services (RFS) have been keeping the flames away from populated areas, though the blaze jumped a major road a few hours ago, fueled by the high winds.
Since, we have been keeping up-to-date with things through news reports and messages sent by the Shire and RFS. We had dinner and watched "The House" with Amy Poehler, though also packed up valuable items at the house and have unrolled a hose in the front yard, in case we need it.
Bushfires are fairly common in Australia, and the high heat and strong winds of the last few weeks are ideal conditions for them. Paul said that this area hasn't been threatened with a major fire in 25 years or so. Of course, it would happen just after I have arrived; this brings the expression "trial by fire" to a whole new level.
 |
| One of the emergency alerts I have received on my phone this evening. |
Aside from the excitement tonight, things have been relatively quiet. I am getting ready to move into the city next weekend, and am getting caught up to speed at the office. On Friday, I gave a talk at the office to introduce myself and explain the Industry Doctorate Program I am involved in.
Overall, the work promises to be engaging, and I spent much of Friday familiarizing myself with a few sites I will be working on in the coming months.
With midnight come and gone, I plan to get some sleep, though it promises to be an interesting night. With phone alerts, we are all set to keep up with what's going on with the fire conditions. I'll update everyone if anything changes!
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