Fire, Fire

No photos for this post. Don't feel like it. Farmdoc is off fighting a fire not far from here. I'm worried about him and I'm worried about the fire.

Sharon, our share farmer, and I have just been on the phone discussing what we'll do with our livestock if the fire comes through here. As for our possessions, we both decided we'll walk out the door with almost nothing: for me it's my laptop and my new iPod Touch on which I am playing Scrabble with a stranger in New York. My opponent's in bed now. At least she's stopped making moves and it's late there, and I guess she's female, though why I say that I don't know.

It's not that I don't love all my old pottery, and the kitchen paraphernalia that used to belong to Farmdoc's grandmother, and all the other bits and pieces I've garnered over the years that tell so many stories. My father's rowing cups from before the Second World War, paintings, books, books and more books, my collection of enamel candlestick holders...it's just that I can't be bothered with any of it right now.

I'm just babbling. Call it nerves.

The other thing I'm doing at the moment, when I'm not compulsively typing, is cleaning. Farmdoc will be pleased. I NEVER clean. So far I've scrubbed the back porch wall and mopped the porch floor. Now I think I'm going to go off to sweep and mop the floors inside the house, and for some reason I feel like making jelly. Jelly? Who knows why? Childhood comfort food maybe.

There's very little smoke here so the fire can't be headed in this direction, can it? Though I know a wind change can make a huge difference. Last night's fires were deliberately lit. This one probably was too.

I don't want to ring anyone to talk about it because I don't want to worry them. And besides, there's nothing to worry about, is there?

The Tasmanian Fire Service website currently informs me about the fire at Liena Road, Mole Creek:

TFS and Forestry Tasmania crews are currently on-site, working to contain and bring the fire under control.

OK, which flavour jelly shall I make?

Where There's Smoke

There's fire. This is the view from our house right now. Smoky and growing smokier.


There are several fires burning in Tasmania at the moment. This smoke is probably coming from two fires burning in forest close to Cradle Mountain about fifteen to twenty kilometres from us.

The Tasmanian Fire Service website classifies these fires as: 'A fire has started - there is no immediate danger.'

There have been phone calls flying backwards and forwards but so far there isn't any fire close enough for Farmdoc to be called out with the Fire Brigade so we sit tight and watch the smoke grow denser.

It's a little scary though and I've begun wondering what I'd want to take with me if we needed to evacuate. If a fire came through here the fire brigade wouldn't try to fight it because they couldn't be sure they'd have a safe route out. And no building is worth risking our lives for.