Fire in the Mountains...

[Chuck]

thanks Shirley, no news from Chuck today either.

Sorry bout dat... I was holding my breath!

Yeah, hoping that the fires were being contained - but mainly that those choppers with the buckets, oh yeah, & Big Elvis, didn't get any lower to the roof of the house as the pass over. I'm sure the place was shaking - or maybe it was just me.

Slight alteration to what I said in the original pose... the oval 300m from our joint is the refuelling & overnight spot for the choppers whilst fire command is a bit further down the big hill at Glenbrook oval.

Nice bit of rain earlier this morning but now the NW winds are up & gusting, think it's gunna be another busy one for the choppers... heard that Katoomba has a fire in the vicinity!!

Ooops - amendment to the amendment: Katoomba fire has been downgraded to a watch & act, so obviously not so bad as initially thought.

[Dot]

Thanks Chuck, would you take a pic of Elvis please (the water chopper)

[Macca]

Dear CCs- 2 years running with your luck still holding- maybe time to consider moving from the mts up to our beautiful state.

[Kelvin12]

I really feel for the bushfire victims. We have floods up here on the mid north coast but that's the north coast, and that's devastating enough but at least we still have the house, wet and soggy and full of mud but at least we can clean it up and get on with life until the next time..... BUT a bush fire is catastrophic and a total loss of all you have standing and the total loos of all possessions ..... there is nothing left to re-start. Thoughts are with you blokes in the fire areas, stay safe.

Dirk

[Dot]

Don't have to worry too much about Chuck, he could change the wind direction if needed
All emergency services people are priceless.xx

[Shirley]

Priceless for sure & give up so much of their time training for such events too.

Every Christmas Santa comes around all our local streets on the fire truck throwing out bags of lollies to the local kids.

[dream4red]

Several families in our community, dress up their homes with amazing light displays, shake their money tins around and donate proceeds to the local firies.

We love our volunteer firies and have huge respect for all that they do for us.

It is really hard to think it was only 12 months ago that our town was totally under massive alerts and the bush around was devastated. There are very few signs of that devastation now. Amazing how fast mother nature heals the bush.

[Chuck]

Dear CCs- 2 years running with your luck still holding- maybe time to consider moving from the mts up to our beautiful state.

This was the 3rd event - the first in 2001 which came to our back fence - the second burnt out around 200 homes in the Winmalee area - just across the back gully from us & now this one.

We have a black cat living in our hose... maybe she brought us good luck.

As of yesterday the Warrimoo fire is contained & no further warnings anticipated.

[Chuck]

Thanks Chuck, would you take a pic of Elvis please (the water chopper)

T's got a few on her pooter from the other day will get her to send some to ya.

Just talking to the neighbour across the road. He has a new neighbour next to him - turns out he is the boss fireman in Katoomba & was up in Elvis directing things from the air over the last few days.

Shouldn't be short of any fire info in the area now.

[Chuck]

One more thing.

Yesterday arvo had a crew from a tree lopping mob come around to those houses with big gum trees on their properties, offering to trim or remove them if they are within the newly designated 10m from the dwelling.

We have a big old fella on the corner of our driveway that we have been hounding council about removing but they weren't interested. Now with the new ruling we can give them the finger & the loppers are due to arrive around 10am today to cut it down to ground level, then grind what's left & finally paint the residue with summat to stop white ants. Most of the wood will be cut up for neighbours fires & some to be ground up for the garden.

Kay 'n' Bruce have seen it & parked near it... where we normally park our van whilst recovering for the next journey.

It's a twin trunk job & it goes up a bloody long way... cost is $2,500.