A bit of colour to cheer us all up

Last years State festival was held in the park and surrounds..it was lovely a day full of music fun colour and food..i think we all need a bit of colour today..

Many friends or family are having less colourful times at the moment..some sick..some injured..some with pets who are unwell and then there are those people who are drowned in a blanket of snow…
So i share this to share some colour..i do not know who she is…but she was lovely enough on the day to smile for me as i wandered the park snapping away..

I do sometimes snap humans 🙂 just sayin…have a colourful day everyone..

Despite all odds

It started as a tiny little seed..it took weeks and weeks to grow into a little seedling….when the timing was right it was transplanted.. well it was an attempt at transplanting as the whole tray of Hollyhocks  I flipped upside down on the verandah.. cursing the whole time.

Then with the remaining seedlings it was popped in the garden…they struggled.. locusts gnawed some…then the cats dug others up…slowly the amount of seedlings dwindled…they sort of did okay..then the dogs jumped on some….more went to the big garden in the sky and more cursing…the ones left picked up a bit….the snails moved in…chewing them to nubs….I really lost all hope at this point…but a few kept on going…I tried the beer traps…the snail came they drank they came back for more…grrrrrr…then the cats dug them again and the dogs…yes jumped on them…then the heat started….well that was the death knell for some more…I was so beside myself..all I wanted was to have some colour…something that contrasted with the green and grey …but a couple still kept going…I talked to them…watered them and yes they got nibbled by snails  but seemed to fight for life…the heat kept up and in  fierce way….our water bill..which arrived yesterday showed the amount of water we have used trying to save our garden and grass.. over 400 dollars…it is a lot …the fact is our plants trees and grass have cost way more to establish and to let it die would be more expensive..water tanks are on the long long list of must gets…thing is we have had no rain anyway..

So it seemed that in one week all of a sudden I had this stunning flower…at six feet tall it is a standout…it has held firm…it even has some friends that seem to be catching up with it…I have been telling it what a stunner it is.. and every day I have been blessed with more buds opening…I hope I really hope it sticks around..i know it’s a cottage garden plant and I know I live in a rural area in Australia ..but my love of English cottage gardens is strong and I so need colour to break up the bush tones all around me..i present to you my Hollyhock….the toughest little flower in rural Victoria that  know of.

Yes Forrest one you missed!

 

 

THE JOY OF A COOLER DAY

Well the relief this morning to wake up feeling a bit cold was wonderful! To put my dressing gown on…sheer joy!

Yesterday was beyond hideous…the temp was hot the wind was incredibly strong and gusting different directions…we had little sleep and both Hubby and I looked like day of the walking dead.

The day started with the poor pups looking at us as if we could somehow stop the heat,Doc was not coping..Forrest was trying to get comfy..it was not good. The temp started to rise rapidly and Hubby was nodding off due to lack of sleep..so I sent him to bed to catch up on some sleep. I was concerned if we had to bunk out he would be too tired to drive.

While he slept I listened to our scanner..all the firies were checking their comms for the day…they had all been waiting at the fire station the day before..the carpark full so I knew they were all ready to roll.

Then the alerts started a couple close enough to keep an eye on but far enough not to warrant panic,funny some fires further away are more of a risk because of their topography.

When people say the grass is brown and dry it’s not quite right,see at the moment the grass is almost red as if sunburnt and it’s still growing,we can’t slash due to rocks so it’s not a really good position to be in.

Hubby got up and we all just lazed around watching the alerts and seeing the news…I ran a bath and got my bathers on and hopped in with Doc..the heat was radiating off him..took awhile but it did the trick he cooled down…then rubbed himself from one end of the house to the other on any rug or carpet he could find..Forrest was next…carried in by Hubby…no mean feat he’s a big boy 🙂

By 5pm I had to go lie down I was starting to feel sick from tiredness and the heat ..Hubby  woke me at 8pm I could have slept till the cows came home ..bless his cottons he made tea for us and we watched the news …

I will never become accustomed to seeing the ferocity of our bushfires….the main highway was closed and houses on the urban fringe were burning…again our fire heroes out there in atrocious conditions putting their lives on the line for us.

I feel bad complaining with what they are dealing with!!

All in all we had 5000 men and women out there fighting fires..seems we have lost at leats 20 homes,no idea of stocklosses, one dog ,wildlife no clue..fires are still burning tonight and emergency warnings in place for several areas..there was the smell of smoke today but none in sight for us.

When Hubby went to work this morning he had to get off the train and on a bus as part of the rail line is damaged he said it’s a pretty huge area of burnt ground up there..

Tonight it’s 17c outside…thankyou!! I feel like I may be human again ..the girls went outside and stretched their legs and relaxed..happy on the porch in mild sun puddles and the dogs have pretty much slept the day away..

I hope the firies get these fires under control soon as people still have that fear and sense of helplessness I their lives in these areas..may the sun calm down and the winds stop.

PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE

SHORT AND SWEET

Another night of extremes..when I finally went to bed out of sheer tiredness at 1.30am it was still 31c inside and 31c outside..Doc threw up as I think the heats getting to him…we are keeping all the animals cool as we can and well hydrated but the unrelenting nature of this heat is taking it’s toll…he is 11 and as we age we find it harder to recoup. He was sick a little bit again this morning but has had his brekkie and we are keeping a close eye on him for any other signs that somethings wrong. Todays forecast is a doozie…pretty much no place in our state is safe if a fire starts to run.

And that’s us right in the middle in North Central. So I won’t have time to reply to comments folks ..sorry and I am sure you all understand..we need to see this weather out and while it’s early I am just popping this up so you know we are fine but not out of the weather gods woods yet.

And to make it even better the news said this morning Adelaide which is in South Australia to the direct left of this map is having a days break then a week of more bad weather…not good because we get their weather a day or so later.. Looks like no real break in sight for awhile…

Off to wet some tea towels and pop them on as bandanas for the pups..both asleep and both tired….

Hope those of you who have snow keep warm..the cold can be so cruel..hope those with miserable rain get a little ray of sunshine…hope those who have storms batten down the hatches and keep safe…we all have weather systems plating havoc with our lives at the moment and even though I am focused on here I still feel for everyone who has to deal in a different way with what Mother Nature is throwing at them.

Hugs Fozziemum

BIG THANKS TO MY FRIENDS

FIRST OFF ALL GOOD HERE THIS MORNING. WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN AWARDS AND HAVE BEEN WAY SLACK IN GETTING THEM ON HERE…MY APOLOGIES AS I DO APPRECIATE THEM AND GET SIDE TRACKED….IF I HAVE FORGOTTEN ANYONE WHO HAS GIVEN ME AN AWARD PLEASE ACCEPT MY APOLOGIES.. IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER HERE WE GO.. GOODNESS ME THIS IS SUCH A LOVELY AWARD AND I DOUBT I AM THE BEST BUT TWO LOVELY FOLLOWERS HAVE THOUGHT WE HAVE GOT THE BEST BLOG IN THE WORLD!! BOTH BACON AND LITTLE BINKY GAVE ME THS LOVELY AWARD! THANKYOU BOTH SO MUCH AND YOUR BLOGS ALWAYS MAKE ME SMILE AND FEEL PRETTY GOOD  IN THIS CRAZY WIZZ BANG WORLD WE LIVE IN.                                                                                                                                  WE ALSO RECEIVED THIS AWARD FROM SPEEDY AND LOVE THAT HE THOUGHT OF US! HE ALWAYS KEEPS US ENTERTAINED AND WE LOVE TO SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING IN HIS HUTCH!!

THE AWARD IS..

 WE WERE LUCKY TO RECEIVE THIS AWARD ALREADY  BUT STILL SAY A HUGE THANKS TO SPEEDY!

ANOTHER AWARD WE RECEIVED IS FROM OUR NEW FRIEND AT A DAY IN THE LIFE SHE HAS ONLY BEEN BLOGGING A SHORT TIME BUT HAS POSTED SOME BEAUTIFUL PICS AND STORIES AND IS WELL WORTH A VISIT TO MEET HER..THANKYOU SO MUCH FOR THIS LOVELY AWARD ..

SUCH A LOVELY AWARD AND EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE PLENTY HERE!! IT IS SO NICE TO HAVE THIS AWARD …

 

I AM UNDER THE PUMP WITH THE WEATHER AND SO I HAVEN’T THE TIME TO GO THROUGH THE RULES..NAUGHTY ME…SO WHEN THE WEATHER CALMS AND THE TIME ALLOWS I WILL SUPRISE PEOPLE WITH THESE AWARDS…I HOPE YOU ALL UNDERSTAND…SOMETIMES LIFE GETS IN THE WAY…I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I HAD THEM UP AND THANKED THOSE LOVELY BLOGGERS FOR THEM..HAVE A SUPER WEEKEND FOLKS WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED ON HOW WE GO WITH THE WEEKENDS ROTTEN WEATHER. HUGS FOZZIEMUM AND GANG

CONDITIONS ARE GRIM SO SEND YOUR GOOD VIBES

CONDITIONS IN OUR STATE FOR THIS WEEKEND ARE NOT LOOKING GREAT..I WON’T BE BLOGGING MUCH AND I ASK ALL VICTORIANS TO BE AWARE OF THE FIRES SERVICES COMMISSIONERS WARNING…WE HAD THESE WARNINGS IN 2009…LET’S PAY HEED!

SUMMER NEEDS TO TAKE A HIKE..I AM SO TIRED OF LOOKING AT THE PROPERTY AS AN ENEMY…I CAN’T DO TOO MANY MORE SUMMERS HERE..I JUST DON’T HAVE THE STOMACH FOR IT.

 

 

 

 

FORREST AND DOC COOLING OFF IN THEIR POOL

TOTALLY DISTRACTED

These past few weeks I have been totally distracted.. with the heatwave that descended upon us in all it’s fury I was already a melting mess…you simply cannot function when you are so hot .

The house is normally not to bad over summer but day after day with temps around 43-45 c well eventually that heat just doesn’t leave. It would be nice to wear a thin dress and bare feet but too many things make that impractical. The need to be able to get up and go if a fire is nearby, snakes, well you get the picture.

The worst of it is my poor garden..it has been watered incredibly well but this heat…in a 20 minute period my beautiful white roses turned to Pot pourri..literally crumbling in my hands..Salvias, snapdragons, daisies, artichokes, figs, zucchinis, catnip, lavender…the list goes on..weeks of TLC down the gurgler…to say it is disheartening is an understatement.

POT POURRI

POOR SALVIA

While I have been melting and watching my garden dissolve and listening to the scanner for fires I have been working on things for the CWA.

I have been setting up a blog for our Branch as I am the only one who really blogs..this has been a lot harder than anticipated and we have had many meetings and discussions with various ladies from different branches in the area..

The design that at first was decided on I must confess to not really liking, I felt it was not bright enough and had some very different ideas, these ladies are amazing , I have explained my ideas and what I think we need to do to bring our organisation more ladies to it..this I think will be done with a bright catchy header and  a mix of information and fun!

So I was given the go ahead to take the bull by the horns and run with my ideas…some of these ladies are a good 20 years older than I and really keen to learn! So I re-did the whole thing..this has involved hours upon hours of sorting through my pictures that I thought were apt, touching them up to add some more colour and designing the header in a friendly and inviting way.

Also we have some fun bloggie events coming up that have had me pizapping until my eyes were ready to pop 🙂 …and the damn heat!!

Today we have had a mild day..hideous wind and some scary fires around all controlled now …I had an appointment this morning for an ultrasound so had been Fasting( which gets me cranky)  and then back to finally continue with this CWA blog…spent hours again..lost some work..found it again…and finally finished and got the newer and I think poppier Blog up and running..also got the pictures sorted for the cards I want to print out for the CWA with our blog address on them…phew….then finish fine tuning the xmas meeting minutes, the syllabus meeting minutes and do a blog post for the fur babies…

So I am going to have a mini me break for a day maybe..i need to recoup..my garden needs help while these two days ahead are cooler…the ironic thing is I have yet to do another post on the CWA blog….spent more time on the design…I will mull on it I think..

I am going to have a drink and head to bed.. tonight will be a doona night…thankyou !!!

The sooner this Summer says goodbye the better.

 

 

THE HEATWAVE CONTINUES

ANOTHER HEATWAVE IS HITTING OUR STATE AGAIN…WE HAD ALMOST A WEEK OF MUCH MILDER TEMPS AND TO PUT A DOONA ON AT NIGHT WAS SO NICE..BUT IT’S BACK.. LAST NIGHT WAS MUGGY AND STIFLING AND AS I TYPE THIS I AM LITERALLY DRIPPING SWEAT! IT’S 33C AND IT’S 10.00PM…LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER NIGHT OF PILLOW FLIPPING.. NOW I KNOW I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO FLIPS THEIR PILLOW OVER TO THE COOLER SIDE..THEN FLIPS IT BACK AND SO IT GOES AN EVENING OF PILLOW FLIPPING TOSSING SWEATING AND GENERAL UNREST.. THE GROUNDS OUTSIDE AND THE WHOLE LANDSCAPE ARE DRY ..BONE DRY..I DROVE TO A LITTLE TOWN CALLED MARYBOROUGH TODAY AND AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE IT’S BROWN GREY OR BROWN.. THERE WAS A FIRE THE OTHER DAY THAT WIPED OUT 350 ODD ACRES..AND THIS ON A WARM TO HOT DAY WITH NO WIND..I KNOW SOME OF YOU ARE BURIED TO THE ARMPITS IN SNOW AND I FEEL GREEN WITH ENVY, AS MUCH AS I HATE BEING COLD AT LEAST I CAN RUG UP, STOKE THE FIRE AND TURN THE ELECTRIC BLANKET ON. THIS IS MIND NUMBING AND OPPRESSIVE HEAT THAT HAS TAKEN ALL MY ENERGY. COMPOUND THAT WITH A VERY BUSY PROJECT I AM WORKING ON WHICH HAS SEEN ME NOT IN BED BEFORE MIDNIGHT MOST NIGHTS AND I AM STARTING TO THINK I SHOULD SIGN UP FOR AN ARCTIC MISSION…. THE NEWS AND FIRE SERVICES INFORM US WE HAVE NO BREAK IN SIGHT..THE INNER CITY MELBOURNE HAS HAD A COOL CHANGE BUT WE WON’T GET IT , WE ARE TOO FAR INLAND. SO I AM TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH BLOGGIES BUT WITH ONE EAR LISTENING TO THE SCANNER ONE EYE LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW AND BOTH HANDS TYPING DAY IN DAY OUT I MAY FALL A TAD BEHIND…AGAIN…. WHY DOES YOUR OWN SWEAT MAKE YOUR EYES BURN??? ARGHHHH… THE ONLY REAL BONUS IS THAT THE SUNSETS AND SUNRISES ARE DIVINE THIS TIME OF YEAR.. THE SUN RISES IN THE MORNING OUT THE FRONT OF OUR PROPERTY AND SETS OUT THE BACK…HERE ARE SOME PICS OF HER BEAUTY ..EVEN IF SHE IS A BIT OF A BEAST AT THE MOMENT! HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE ..

THE SUMMER OF CHAFFE

DO YOU HAVE A POOL AT YOUR PLACE STAN…?

I CAN’T UPOAD MY KOALA PIC..EVERYTHINGS ON SLOW MODE..ME INCLUDED..IT’S 8.30 AM AND ALREADY IN THE LAST FIVE MINUTES THE TEMP HAS RISEN FROM 30 TO 33 AND RISING LIKE ONE OF MY BEST SPONGES..WE HAVE HAD ANOTHER BAD NIGHT TEMPS NOT LETTING UP LIGHTNING STRIKES STARTING FIRES AROUND THE AREA AND THREE DROPS OF RAIN..THE POOR PETS HAVE HAD ENOUGH AND WE HAVE NO BREAK UNTIL THE WEEKEND..WE HAD TEA LAST NIGHT ON THE VERANDAH WATCHING SMOKE OVER THE HIGHWAY TO OUR NORTH ABOUT 3 KMS AWAY..WE HAD THE RADIO SCANNER ON AND LISTENED TO THE CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN OUR FIRIES…WHILE THE DARK THUNDEROUS CLOUDS WERE OVERHEAD..OUR MOBILE PHONE APPS GOING OFF WITH FIRE ALERTS TELLING US OF ALL THE STRIKES AROUND THE 20-50KM RADIUS.

LISTENING TO HOW HARD THESE POOR BUGGERS WORK IN THIS HEAT AND WITH THE DANGER IS BOTH FRIGHTENING AND AMAZING.

TWO SMALL TANKERS HAD BECOME BOGGED IN WATER CHANNELS..A FRIGHTENING SCENARIO FOR THESE VOLUNTEERS..ALL SAFE BUT THE CALL WENT OUT FOR TRACTORS TO GET THEM OUT..HEARING THEM TALK OF FIRE FLANKS AND HOW MANY UNITS NEEDED..FEELING FRUSTRATION FOR THEM AS GUY LINES FROM THE APPLE ORCHARD (BIG WIRES THAT AFIX THE NETTING OVER THE TREES TO THE GROUND) WERE HAMPERING ACCESS TO AREAS…HEARING WATER AIRCRAFT BUT NOT SEENG THEM MEANS THEY ARE CLOSE AND LOW TO THE GROUND IN LIGHNTING CONDITIONS AND DARK CLOUD..HEARING THAT SPOT FIRES HAD STARTED IN PADDOCKS AND THEY NEEDED PEOPLE TO GET ONTO THOSE..ALL THIS DONE ON A VOLUNTEER BASIS….

OUR SUMMER SEEMS TO CONSIST OF THIS..STRIKE TEAMS..WATER BOMBERS..FIRE FRONTS..WATCH AND ACT ALERTS..THE FIRE WAS FIRST NOTED ON OUR APPS AT 7.30PM AND THEY FINALLY LEFT TIRED AND HUNGRY AT NEARLY 11PM THIS WAS NOT A HUGE FIRE EITHER …

IT’S NOW 34.5 C IN THE TIME IT HAS TAKEN ME TO TYPE THIS..THE DAY IS TO BE BAD AGAIN..STORMS AGAIN…BUT TOMORROW WILL BE THE BIGGIE….BY THEN NO MOISTURE WILL BE LEFT IN THE GROUND FUEL AS THE FIRE SERVICES CHIEF EXPLAINS …THE STATE WILL BE BAKED DRY….

WE ARE READY TO GO IF WE NEED TO WE ONLY STAYED BECAUSE WE HAD FRST HAND INFO FROM THE FIRE TELLING US AS IT WAS  HAPPENING WHAT WAS GOING ON….

AGAIN I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY MORE SUMMERS I CAN DO THIS..THE BOUNCE BACK GETS HARDER..THE LACK OF SLEEP IS DRAINING AND THE FEAR FACTOR NEVER EASES..

I MAY NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A LOT OF BLOG STUFF TODAY..POWER CUTS WERE MADE YESTERDAY AND MANY PEOPLE HAD POWER TURNED OFF DUE TO CONSUMPTION…I WILL BE ON FACEBOOK AS ALERTS COME THROUGH THERE ALSO…

I WILL LEAVE YOU WITH THIS FUNNY TYPICAL AUSSIE CONVERSATION I HEARD AS THINGS WERE WINDING DOWN LAST NIGHT IN OUR LITTLE TOWN AT THE FIRE SCENE.

“OKAY..WE HAVE PRETTY MUCH GOT ON TOP OF THIS UP THIS END HERE..CAN WE PACK UP AND HEAD HOME WE HAVE SOME PRETTY TIRED BLOKES HERE AND WE NEED FUEL ?”

“YEP ..HAVE A VIOLIN HERE MATE WILL START PLAYING FOR YOU ALL…OK PACK UP GET SOME FUEL THEN MEET UP FOR BRIEFING”

“BY FUEL I MEAN FOOD”

“OK HEAD IN THEN…STOP FOR FUEL FIRST ”

35.2C NOW…………………………….SAY NO MORE…HAVE A GREAT DAY

WEEK OFF FOR THE WEATHER

ALL GOOD HERE FOLKS..DUE TO THE SEVERE FIRE WEATHER THIS WEEK I WILL ONLY BE POPPING IN BRIEFLY AS IF I HAVE TO DROP THINGS I WILL…A RESTLESS NIGHT WITH LIGHTNING STRIKES STARTING FIRES AROUND THE AREA BUT DUE TO OUR AMAZING FIRIES AND EMERGENCY SERVICES ALL IS WELL..THE LIGHTNING SHOW WAS AMAZING BUT VERY LITTLE RAIN IN IT AND AN EXTREMELY STRONG WIND HAD OUR MOBILE PHONE APPS CONSTANTLY BUZZING WITH FIRE ALERTS..TEMPS DID NOT REALLY GET BELOW ABOUT 26 INSIDE AND AFTER A DAY IN THE MID FORTIES WE ARE PRETTY TIRED..THE PETS ARE ALL TIRED TOO AND UNSETTLED..THE PUPS DID NOT REST UNTIL I LET THEM IN OUR OOM WHICH MADE THE ROOM EVEN MORE STIFLING AAAAAGH..TODAY WE ARE EXPECTING ANOTHER DAY OF ABOUT 44 45 AND THE SAME TOMORROW AND FRIDAY..FRIDAY BEING THE DAY TO WATCH ACCORDING TO THE CFA…WE HAVE NOT HAD A WEEK LIKE THIS SINCE THE WEEK BEFORE BLACK SATURDAY LUCKILY WE ARE NOT COMING OFF THE BACK OF 13 YEARS OF DROUGHT BUT THE BUSH IS READY TO BURN..SO I WILL POP ON WHEN I CAN AND STILL TRY AND VISIT EVERYONE BUT IT’S A BUSY TIME.

HUGS TO ALL FOZZIEMUM