Hello Mary Sue,
We are so relieved to read that you are not
affected by the dreadful fires raging in parts of California. They sound
really terrible. As a fire fighter myself I can relate quite vividly to
the events occurring south of you.
Just a couple of what I guess are "off topic" notes. The Romulea
that you mention although a dreadful weed are not all bad. The local
Galah (pink and gray cockatoo type bird) as well as some other species
avidly dig up and eat the bulbs. Some how they have learned that these
bulbs are good tucker.
On the subject of wild fires. Last year we had one fire that
covered 2.5 million acres or 1.2 million hectares and if I remember
rightly no one died in the fires, there was one vehicle accident
fatality. Our biggest asset is the residents who stay to fight the
fires. It is interesting the different philosophies that are applied in
different places but here in Victoria we have a slogan 'People save
houses, houses save people' and residents are encouraged to stay and
fight the fires. Having said that they are asked to consider well ahead
of any event to consider whether they will stay or leave and at an
appropriate time residents are advised when they have to decide to leave
or stay. Evacuation centres are set up in every town to accommodate
those who prefer to take refuge in a relatively safe haven. The
government also conducts instruction sessions for all rural residents on
how to best protect their houses and property. These instruction
sessions are carried out by the fire brigades on site.
Whichever way you decide to go I certainly wish everyone in the
affected area well and hope they come through safely.
Regards
Don Journet
Victoria, Australia
Mary Sue Ittner wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> My husband and I returned from four weeks in Australia last week, but still
> haven't caught up with everything yet. .....................................
> ........................................
........................................... I'm not sure when I'll get
around to it,
> but check the recent changes pages every now and then as I'll try to work
> on it as I can find the time.
>
> Mary Sue
>
>
>
>
>
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