The joys of living in Australia

[Keith Webb]

As we head for a top temperature of 43C (almost 110F) today, and after yesterday's heat of 39C I was having some trouble sleeping so decided to make a culpa around 4AM.

The moon had set and the house was in warm darkness. Walking down the hall to the kitchen I trod on something the cat had brought in, a baby rabbit or mouse I thought as it made a distinct squelching sound as I trod on it.

Turning the light on I was surprised to see nothing at first, then a movement caught my eye on the hall runner. It was a tiger snake, about 18" long looking at me but obviously not in the best condition. The cat was pleased as punch, rubbing me and purring with pleasure.

Think I'll lock the cat flap from now on and he can become an outside animal until hibernation time has well and truly set in.
I'm now having that calming culpa.

And the snake? They are protected here, so let's just say it died of it's injuries which started with multiple puncture wounds from the cat, then helped by being trodden on (I was in bare feet). If if had any fight left in it I'd probably be in hospital now, they're one of the most venomous snakes on the planet.

But I still wouldn't swap Australia for anywhere else!

[Little Jo]

Hi Keith

What an unpleasant surprise. Funny it's something I always seem to think about when I go outside at night in my thongs. You are a lucky man, an 18 inch snake bite is just as bad as the full grown. Just one of the joys we have living in the country.

We had 42.1 C yesterday here in SA and 43C predicted for today, Wednesday and Thursday but a lovely cool 40C on Friday. So stay cool old chap as we are sending it all down to you in Vic.

Cheers

Tony

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Some saw it as a punishment ....

But maybe I am madder than you are, living below sealevel in a sodden country with more people per square metre than any other country in the world

H.

[Keith Webb]

Yes, thanks for the heatwave Tony! It will be Saturday before we have any relief too.
And you can keep your snakes too, we have more than enough here!

Pity we can't export some to our Canadian friends, I'm sure they would enjoy the experience.

[Gordon Yeo]

The prospect of venomous snakes in the house isn't some thing I would want to live with. I'll take four cold snowy months of winter, in the lee of Lake Huron, and be glad. We get four seasons here in Canada, winter is the one that cuts out the venomous snake and venomous insect population. Makes winter seem less of a burden in that context.

Gord

[David Dunlop]

Are they still draining polder in Holland, or has that project ended now? Seems for a while a few years back, the Dutch Military were constantly being called out to deal with uncovered aircraft and vehicles lost during the wartime floodings.

David

[Marc Montgomery]

Hard to think which is a bit harder to take...40 degrees, or =30

With 40 there are possible options of moving slowly to keep from heat stroke etc, staying in shade, jumping in a pool, and of course old reliable -cold beer. ( or G&T)
And then there's the fact you dont wear much..not bad if there are shapely women in the area...

with -30, you have to shovel out the driveway when the snowplough passes and piles up mounds of snow at the end of the drive after you/ve just spend an hour or more shovelling, even with a snow blower..

Then if theres been lots of snow, you might have worry about shovelling off the roof.
Then you hope the car starts, coz at that cold an old battery gets pretty weak.
And of course for clothes you need thick everything, boots gloves, scarf, mits, hats etc.. of course once in awhile there's an ice storm that knocks out power for a few days....which makes things very uncomfortable with no heat in the house..

BUT at no time are we really in danger of crocodiles, freshwater biting fish, very limited risk of sharks, almost no chance of poison spiders, snakes. and no chance of cane toads..

[rob love]

I just got back from a week in Cuba. Kind of the best of both worlds there. Nice temps (daytime highs of 28, night time lows of 21) and they have long since killed any natural living creatures on the Island...either poisonous or edible.

Only downside is the food.....bland bland bland.

Just so nobody gets jealous of my vacation, I'll let you know I did manage to sunburn my ankles.

[Little Jo]

Hi Guys

The 40'sC temperature is bearable if you are doing nothing, having a cool beer in a nice air conditioned room watching a good old WW2 movie on TV. However I am constantly looking out the window for smoke on these hot days with strong northerly wind. I asked my dad once after we immigrated from Holland if he missed the snow, his answer was, nice to look at, but he said he will never miss it. The downside is I am in the process of replacing the head gasket on my 1942 MB Jeep and it is so hot in the garage I had to give it up and stay indoors with the air conditioner set at a nice cool 20C.

Sorry Keith, no respite until next Saturday. Like your snake, hibernate with a nice coldie and hope those firebugs stay indoors

Cheers

Tony

[Ken Hughes]

And i was complaining about bloody rain.
Spiders and snakes is why i never moved to Australia from NZ back in the 70s when i had the chance,also cant handle the heat!,
With the extreme temps you guys are having I WONT COMPLAIN AGAIN,cheers guys.

[Keith Webb]

It's now 43C here, the car thermometer is a couple of degrees out, there is a grass fire out of control at Kangaroo Ground just to the north of us, so we are keeping a close watch on what's going on.

[Little Jo]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

It's now 43C here, the car thermometer is a couple of degrees out, there is a grass fire out of control at Kangaroo Ground just to the north of us, so we are keeping a close watch on what's going on.

Hi Keith

We hit 45C today and the weather forecast is for 45C tomorrow, 46C on Thursday and 43C on Friday, so my friend I am sorry but it will hit you the next day. I suggest you stock up with cold drinks and stay indoors with the air conditioner. We are receiving reports of bush fires due to lighting strikes.

Cheers

Tony

[hrpearce]

A nice barmy 36.7c here today. I had to add hydrolyte to my water a couple of times spraying in Betty's hills.
Lucky escape Keith, so far I have only sprayed one eastern brown this year to get him to change direction.

[Wayne Henderson]

We had this lovely weather last Friday. Saturday was 43-46 depending which suburb you live in.

Some little charmers started a fire in bushland in the western suburbs that burnt out a few sheds including a storage area for a charity group.

Saturday saw 50+ home destroyed in the Stoneville and Parkerville area, Fire fighters fought that one in 45 degree heat but it may have been hotter next to burning houses...

The same old chestnut will pop up again about people building in semi rural areas and not clearing trees away from blah blah blah.

I love it and wouldn't live anywhere else (apart from Belgium in a mansion between a whisky distillery and a Finishing School for Young Ladies.)

Stay safe.

[Marc Montgomery]

Whenever I hear about these massive floods, or disastrous fires I always wonder if any restored or restorable vehicles are lost.

Unfortunately news of the massive fires in Oz in the past few years is not widely broadcast in Canada, probably even less so in the US?

ya know- a few years ago I would be more interested in the finishing school for young ladies, but now id be more interested in the old whiskey

PS- Rob...did you try the passion fruit...man I looooooove that stuff but cant afford it here.

[Dianaa]

Yes a number of restored WWII vehicles were lost in the recent Winmalee (Blue Mountains) bushfires. Second time the owner has lost vehicles in fires.

Another Vietnam vet lost a captured NVA AK47, I believe from the Long Tan battle.

[Barry Churcher]

I can't believe how nonchalant Keith is about stepping on a snake. It takes a better man than me to still be staying in the same house. Janet gave me the heads up about a harmless garter snake she spotted going into a brush pile that I had just made. It's been three years and I still haven't gone near that pile.
Hats off to the Aussies.
Cheers,
Barry

[Dianaa]

Originally Posted by Barry Churcher

I can't believe how nonchalant Keith is about stepping on a snake.
<snip>.
Hats off to the Aussies.
Cheers,
Barry

We have a couple of pet red bellied blacks in the hay sheds.

They keep down the mice numbers and being territorial seem to keep the tiger snakes in the creek away from the sheds.

When we take a bale of hay off a pile, you sometimes find a joe black sleeping, so you put the bale back down and pick up the next one. Much rather be bitten by a black than a tiger or brown. (Nasty pieces of work those browns.)

[cletrac (RIP)]

On the weather network the other day they had to come up with a new colour on their maps for the above 50 C temps just for Australia.
I'll take the frozen tundra over that.

[Ryan]

Sitting in the 40+ degrees again here today. Geelong to our east last night copped a 30 minute bucketing (rain) at about 11pm but all we got was the edge of the storm which had no rain but lightning giving us 3 spotfires in inverleigh. All dealt with terrificly by the CFA.
Dry again today with another storm passing to our north, some thunder.

[hrpearce]

41.4c here at the moment I went to work for five hours and no snakes sited they probably stayed in the shade today.

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

And the snake? They are protected here, so let's just say it died of it's injuries

What about the cat?!!

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Tony Wheeler

What about the cat?!!

Hi is hale and hearty and having honed his snake relocation skills will no doubt be planning more. Would you like to borrow him?

[Marc Montgomery]

Barry, on the Rideau two years ago, A bunch of people were staring down into the lock.. I went over and there on the other side a big black snake was slithering carefully down the iron ladder .....into the swirling turbulent water as the lock filled and swam across to the other side where it slithered up the iron ladder to where we were...when it got out. it was at least 6 ft long! A black rat snake... it dried in the sun a bit and then nonchalantely slithered off down the grass and into the woods..

Now that was one BIG snake... fortunately black rat snakes- which are the biggest in Canada...are non venoumous...though I dont think id like to test their bite ( BTW they climb trees too )

Ive seen the odd water snake around there as well, not quite as big..

[Little Jo]

Hi Guys

Well according to the weather forecaster, who we know are never wrong, Ha Ha Ha. Our heatwave over the last 5 days will end tonight with the maximum of only 42C forecast for today.

Keith. Sorry mate, but you will have to wait a little longer for your respite and I will be thinking of you tomorrow when we have a cool 28C max.

Marc. A rat snake, is that because they like rats, if so we have a few politicians here we could feed them. Hell mate I can recall as a kid on hot days when we used to go skinny dipping in the creek, both boys and girls, on our way home from school we used to see heaps of snakes joining us in the creek, that's how I learned to swim fast ending up in the school swim team. Ahh those wonderful memories of innocent youth.

Cheers

Tony

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

Hi is hale and hearty

I'm not sure I would have been so forgiving!

[hrpearce]

Just hit 42c, I worked a bit this morning and won't start again before 17:00.
At this rate the snakes will be lining up for sunscreen.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

Are they still draining polder in Holland, or has that project ended now? Seems for a while a few years back, the Dutch Military were constantly being called out to deal with uncovered aircraft and vehicles lost during the wartime floodings.

Seeing Tony's Threadjacker 2000 is up and running again these days , I migh as well take this off topic:

David, I assume you are referring to the Flevoploder which was made in the IJsselmeer (formerly Zuiderzee)? This project lasted from the 1950s through the 1960s, and when draining those polders many aircraft wrecks came to light. This was because during WW2 every day & night our skies were filled with bombers flying over to Germany on their bombing missions. Many were shot down over Dutch waters, only to be found when the Dutch started making polders after WW2 and water turned into land.

It has been decades since the bulk of these aircraft were recovered, often they had to wait until the former sea floor had dried up enough to trod on. The purpose of these recoveries have always been to recover the remains of the aircraft crews. The side catch of these recoveries was that parts of the aircraft were saved for mementoes in museums; but it must be said not everything could be saved from the scrapman.

In rivers, lakes and at sea off the coast, every now and then fishermen still drag something to the surface. I'm sure there are still many airmen waiting to be found in their watery graves....

Here are some useful links:
http://home.scarlet.be/ed.ragas/awsrecoveryhistory.html
http://www.arg1940-1945.nl/engels/indexgb.htm
http://forum.keypublishing.com/showt...682#post466682

HTH,
Hanno