Tag: Heatwaves

Dogs, weather and former leaders.

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs
Playing with a new lens – settings not right yet.

Sunday and I am tired from very little sleep. Max is, as I have already said, very overweight and the problem with that is the noise he makes. He woke me up several times last night with loud snoring and other noises so, really, I am more exhausted than tired. It’s daylight and now he’s quiet. In three hours I have to be at church but when I get back home I  will get changed and try and get some sleep.. I have not been out walking much as I would be with Benji so, as I said, my fitbit steps are way off. I didn’t even make half the standard yesterday. Go out without Max – just me and Benji – well yes,  I tried that and Annabell suffered by having to listen to his  complaining – he was not happy at us going out without him and made his feelings known. He’s a lovely, lovable dog, but he’s hard work.  Took them to the lighthouse yesterday and this time I let Benji out of the car and closed the door before I let Max out. I have to lift him into the car – and he’s heavy!!!  Was trying out a new lens yesterday – a wide angle lens – and I still haven’t got the setting quite right and ended up sending most of the shots I took yesterday to the trash – best place for them! Sometimes I get frustrated and slightly short with people who advocate all kinds on on-line courses. I have tried them and gave up.  It just didn’t work for me. Yes I know, they work for most people but I am not most people.. We used to have short-term  community courses for many things at the Tech. College here and although they still hold photography courses in Adelaide, they don’t here any more. Actually, they don’t do much here any more! – Yes I know – I am living in the past. Well, the music was better then!

I was thinking about a recently former President of the United States the other day. Why this should be, I have no idea,  but for some very strange and odd reason the following came to mind –

“How many times can a man look up,

before he sees the sky?

And how many  ears must one man have,

before he can hear people cry?

And how many deaths will it take ’til he knows

that too many people have died?

I check the  Covid updates released by governments throughout the world every morning and I find it very sad to see that the USA will reach 500,000 deaths within a month. The UK as a whole is over 1600 deaths in the last 24 hours, which is the highest in Europe. People are dying in their thousands and how any rational person can say that this is fake news and that Covid is not real, beggars belief. And people outside of hospitals in England chanting that Covid is not real and harassing nurses trying to get in to attend to their duties, is just not acceptable.

Taken yesterday morning – out with dogs 06:10. Looks better on the phone.
Just Because

This last week we had a heatwave from 33c up to a top of 46c. The top temperature was yesterday (Sunday) Today –  Monday –  the day started off quite well, humid but not too bad. I was out with the dogs and then shopping for Annabell. In the afternoon, the  thunderstorm hit and the rain came crashing down. It is now 5pm and it’s still going and by the sound of things likely to go into the night. Sorry boys – no walk again tonight  – same reason – different aspect.  Had a look at the satellite and it might be clearing shortly but the Yorke  Peninsula and then across to Adelaide  could get a bit of a hit. Tomorrow, however looks nice.  The rain stayed away and I took the dogs out – well I took Benji out. I started off with two dogs and had only gone  about twenty odd feet when he started  sitting down and wouldn’t move, so as soon as he did move I turned around back to the house put him inside, took off his harness and left with Benji and we had a good walk together. Annabell suggested that I just go out without him but that presents problems in that I take them out at 6am .If I go out without him ( as I did once)  he  whines, barks and makes a racket which will waken Annabell and that’s what I don’t want to happen, so I just take him with me in the morning. He should be going home this Thursday.  He is a lovable big soul, but he is  really not too much, but I have concerns about Benji. I mean  yesterday Max came and sat down beside me. Benji got up and was making straight for him – and I got up and put myself between them, facing Benji. He stopped, then turned and went back to his mat. It’s a worry.

***UPDATE. The Western Australia / South Australia Border has been closed – Max may not be going home on Thursday ***

Fires, Dust Storms and the Gate of the Year.

by edgar62, posted in House, Garden and Dogs

Overall it’s been another heatwave week with temperatures reaching a high of 45c.  Today this was accompanied  by a hot wind off the desert and it really was a hot and strong wind – walk outside and it really hits you.  Hot days are bearable but when there is a hot north wind like there was today, it makes life a bit more difficult.  Took Benji out for a walk at 05:30 this morning and the wind was starting to develop along with the heat, but still ok for walking, not dark but no sun either. However we had not gone too far when he  was sick, so  I took him back home. Fortunately we were only about a couple of hundred yards from home. I think over this last week there has been little relief from the heat an night ( I’ve not had much of a sleep) – even with the fans on, so perhaps the heat was starting to get to him.  Having brought him home, he went into his bed and I kept an eye on him. He seemed to be ok. However, Annabell was unwell and we had to get an emergency appointment with the doctor, so Annabell had to be attended to. The clinic is in partial closedown  but  we managed to get an appointment and see the doctor on duty.  From there we drove to the shopping center and the chemists for medication. She too seems to be doing fine for the moment but I have kept one eye on each of them  :o)

This afternoon
The sun almost blotted out.

The high winds continued throughout the day and we had dry thunderstorms, lots of crashing, bashing and flashing (no splashing)  and the wind did  start the inevitable dust storm. Not as great as previous weeks since much of the dust has already been blown off. I did take Benji for a drive into the  Hummock Hill, but being exposed to the gulf, the wind was gale force and difficult to walk. I  did go down off the hill to the foreshore, but it wasn’t all that much better down there. I decided that the best course was just to come home again.  As the evening has progressed Annabell is starting to feel unwell again, so I will have to keep  a watch on her. Fortunately I am a lightish sleeper so I’ll know if she gets any worse during the night.   I was due to go down to Adelaide on Thursday with John, but I think I might give it a miss .  I’ll talk to John tonight and we will decide. I am not in any great rush to get down there at the moment. However, I’ll see how she is come Thursday. Over and above that we will also need to see how the weather conditions are beyond Port Pirie. Last thing I want to do is get stuck down there because it’s not safe to drive back up – although having said that, the major fire is at Cudlee Creek which is in the Adelaide Hills a fair way from the Main North Road and the Port Wakefield Road.

Victoria (the State) is in a bad way with fires burning out of control and over 4000 people being evacuated to the beach. The Royal Australian Navy is on standby ready to evacuate the  people if and when it becomes necessary. New South Wales is not much better and lives are being lost. Generally we complain that it’s  hot particularly on a day like Monday with the hot wind coming in off the desert. But most of the land around here is empty bushland with the only trees being the trees that  the founders and the succeeding councils have planted around the town. Outside of the town there’s really not a lot to burn. The Adelaide Hills are a different proposition altogether.  The terrain makes it very difficult to  tackle any fires in the hills and surrounding areas.

Well here we are. South Australia, 9pm on New Year’s Eve. A few hours until the end of the year and the end of the decade. I wonder what 2020  and the new decade will bring?

Piper’s Lament
“The Flowers of the Forest”

“and I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year

Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.

And he replied, go out into the darkness and put your hand

Into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than a light

and safer than a known way.

 

I hope you all have a lovely. joyful and peaceful New Year