Water

This summer has been cloudy, or rainy or stormy and after so much wet the water has nowhere to go. This morning's photo is similar to any I could have taken over the past four months. 

I feel so sorry for the many who have had their homes destroyed by the floods and who are having to wait such a long time for help from our tardy governments, state and federal. I live on a hill but even here we have had an overflowing stormwater drain that is causing problems. The drain is broken and blocked, probably ever since the NBN was installed. My neighbours tell me the pit was open for months and now the storms are here that is the very place causing problems. 

I've been washing the stones my predecessor put along the wall. They had become slimy and smelly in standing water. I left an empty bucket outside last night with stones in the botzom - it became a sort of rain gauge.

Australia, land of extremes

After months of fires, the East Coast of Australia now has floods. During the fires the Australian Broadcasting Service (ABC) did a wonderful job of keeping people informed about which areas were under threat, when they should leave adn where they should go. Yesterday afternoon and evening  the same team were again giving evacuation advice, but this time for floods. After two days of torrential rain,  300mm fell on many parts of Sydney overnight  and 500mm on the Blue Mountains. Transport is in chaos today and people are being advised to work from home today if they can.

I read now that south coast people now approach ABC staff to thank them for help in desperate times. In many cases, with power off and no wifi, these people were dependent on battery radios for their information and the ABC was the outstanding performer.

It is hard to believe, but our far-right wing government favours a commercial station over their own ABC, paid for and owned by the Australian people. They have cut the ABC and cut it again, and more cuts are planned. They don't like having a broadcaster that is neutral and tells the truth. Who cares that they are the best source of information by a country mile? Woe is us.

Some trickster has doctored a photo of the harbour bridge to make it appear like a waterfall. Probably some will believe it, such is fake news in our era. If you want to see a real waterfall, search for Wentworth Falls on google. Those falls in the Blue Mountains are bucketing down the cliff after so much rain.

Fake floods - tricksters phototshopped image

Real floods in Sydney yesterday (photo: ABC)

Cyclones, sharks and pouring rain

Rain ... surprisingly hard to capture in a photo

Cyclone Debbie has smashed its way through northern Queensland and is now bringing floods to Queensland and heavy rain to NSW. Even here, just north of Sydney, it is belting down but fortunately the rain clouds are forecast to move offshore during the night.

People are warned constantly not to try to drive through flood waters, but still they try and still they need to be rescued. Fortunately no drownings have been reported as a result of Cyclone Debbie. (Addendum 3 April: three people have been reported drowned.)

Perhaps the warnings will be better heeded now that a picture of a shark washed inland during the cyclone is being circulated. There is is, sitting in the street waiting for dinner. 

From ABC news online:
the caption reads
'Authorities have warned
people not to swim in floodwaters'

Rain rain rain

The rain just about washed away Easter on the Central Coast and I imagine many campers left early. The rose didn't seem to mind though. This is the little valentine's rose I rescued from Aldi in February when it was on its last legs. I re-potted it and it was so grateful it burst into mass of healthy foliage and produced 10 flower buds. Sydney is usually too hot and humid for roses but this one is doing fine.

What happened to February?

14C Gosford, 15C Sydney, 15C Dunedin, 3C in Hamburg

Fifteen degrees? In February? In Sydney?

It is nearly nine o'clock and 15C (feels like 9C with wind chill factor said the radio announcer). Dunedin is 15C too but it is 12 degrees latitude further south.

[Dunedin is at latitude 45° 52' South, Sydney is 33° 52' South]

In Sydney February is usually so hot and humid you think of moving elsewhere, like Dunedin. Today you would move to Dunedin to get dry because it is not only cold in Sydney it is raining solidly.




A lot of Sydney events will be washed out. Who wants to see Opera in the Park in pouring rain? The poor performers will have to wear woollie jumpers.

The garden though is happy and sighs with relief. A long drink is very welcome after six dry months and so much heat.

wet wet

Burnt by 46C 2 weeks ago and happy with 14C and rain today

Bottom of the rainbow

It is raining hard here but in bright sunshine, so we must be right at the bottom of the rainbow. Now where is that pot of gold?

Bright sun, rain

Raindrops

Rain Rain Sun Rain Rain

Rain rain rain. Then out comes the sun for five seconds, shining brightly before it is blotted out by the clouds again. Rain rain rain.

Drowning not burning

So much water! It is raining almost everywhere in Australia as a huge cloud band makes its way across the country. The Bureau of Meteorology  radar charts make compulsive viewing as we try to assess the possibility of floods in our area.

Radar loop ... we are under the cloud somewhere there

Local radio stations have become full time arms of Emergency Services. We seem to have learnt a thing or two after the uncoordinated and chaotic response to the last big fires.