What a Relief!

[AussieMick]

Hi, thanks to you all for your best wishes. Its very heart-warming to think that people across the globe care about so much.
I live in a Melbourne suburb so we are quite a way from the current fires. I have a daughter that lives close to one of the minor (!) fires which was quickly quenched ... that scared us a bit. Opening the door in the morning and being hit by the smell of smoke brings it home too.


I know other countries including the US and France and Greece and Spain for example get their share of bushfires/wildfires. Australia does seem to get quite horrific ones too. The eucalyptus trees (with all their oil in the leaves) of course seem to explode suddenly. When the flames run up a hillside, carried by the wind, its impossible to out-run and of course the smoke makes driving dangerous with branches etc across roads.

We do acknowledge that Australia has always been prone to fires and its something we have to deal with. Many of our
fauna (*) can only regenerate by being subject to fire. Sadly politics comes into it. Activists claim that Climate Change is causing the increase in fires. Some of the people on the 'Right' assert that the Greens prevent burn-offs to occur during winter. ( Burn offs reduce the amount of ground fuel and keep the fire trails clear). Some Greens insist that burn-offs create carbon dioxide and kill native animals.

( * whoops , I always get those mixed up ... I mean flora, not fauna)

Before I forget ... I must acknowledge that firefighters come here from the US and Canada and NZ to help out and put their lives on the line. There was one guy on TV being interviewed that was from the US who had come out here before Xmas and was missing his family but he was helping to fight the fires.