A Christmas Eve to Remember

The Plan was:

7:30 Overland Train from Adelaide arriving Melbourne 6:50 pm after a relaxing day watching the Scenery pass by. 

 

After which we would take the Local Tram and walk home from the Terminus.

You can probably Guess by now that it's not how the day unfolded.

"Sorry Folks, we have been delayed leaving the Terminal - But Good News is we will be making up time over the Day."

Everything was fine.  

The Train travelled on through the South Australian Countryside and across the Murray River

Once we were in Victoria we started noticing that they had had "A bit of Rain".  

What we didn't know was - 

We were travelling behind a Massive Storm 

Our First unscheduled Stop was ... 

"We have been advised there is a Problem with the Signals ahead we have to wait for a Technician to arrive to fix them before proceeding - He will be an Hour....."

Which turned into TWO hours.

Finally on our way again when, an hour later ....

"Sorry Folks - We have been advised that a Lightening Strike has taken out the Signals ahead - 

It's going to be another 2 Hours..."

Fortunately, We had tickets in Premium Economy and we were comfortable.  

And everyone was well looked after. 

Some of us got a bit bored and went for a walk - 

Finding people to Chat to, 

and a Santa to have a Selfie with.

We finally pulled in to Southern Cross station at 11:01 pm  

It was Christmas Eve.

Everyone was in Good Spirits

We had missed the Storm 

and were kept Safe

Arriving Home (By Taxi) 

just before Midnight.

Merry Christmas to all

(Especially the Staff at 

Journey Beyond)

And To All

A Good Night.

Old Tech - New Tech

I have a Storm Glass.

 
DD made it for me when she was doing her Chemistry Degree.   

Last night I noticed that The little Storm Glass was forming Crystals in the bottom of the Tube.

This means - It was going to be Frosty!

Today I checked the Weather Report on my Phone - and well look at that!

1.5 Deg Celsius

With a "Feels Like" Temperature of -1.6℃

I wander across the Street to the Playground  - (where I am sure to get a good photo)

and BEHOLD!

There is Frost!

* * *

And I have the greatest respect for the driver that left my Veggies on the Porch at 1:18 am this morning.

Whoever you are - THANK YOU.

Catching Up

Life in Lock-down has been far from boring.

Some of the local shops are making tentative steps to reopening.

The "Great Toilet Paper Debacle of 2020" is over.
And restrictions on grocery products are slowly being lifted.

 In the meantime I have had my heart firmly planted in 2019 - memories flooding back with every block. 

All 365 are now together.
It is certainly colourful in a Temperate Teal kind of way.

All that is left to do is the borders.

And another 10 special blocks for when we were on Holidays to be worked in somewhere. 

My Sewing Room has been conscripted to "Study from Home" needs for Three Days a week so that DIL2B can continue with her Theatre Costume Design Course.

So, While I can't sew.

I have pulled out my knitting bag.

And pulled out my knitting and yes, pulled out my hair as well when I realise I am SO rusty I have to look at Video tutorials to remember basic stitches.


Maybe I should start that EPP project instead?

Fry-day

They said it was going to be 41℃ today
So I got out early and gave my new Garden beds a good watering to help them through the day.

The water mist looked beautiful in the rising sunshine.

It didn't get to 41℃

No, currently it is sitting on 42.8℃

Good to see that someone at the Weather Bureau thinks it  "FEELS  like 38.2"

[FYI: as I am doing a Temperature Quilt, this day last year, we had a Min of 17℃ and a Max temp of 22℃]

And for all my readers in the Northern Hemisphere that may be snugly tucked up with a cosy fire and some hand Quilting
I have done the conversion for you....

There is another dust storm on the way
followed by Rain
and a Bushfire outside of Ballarat

I managed to made a weeks worth of my Temperature Quilt Blocks before the air-con decided it was too hot to work so "downed tools and packed up for the day"

It is too sticky to sew anyway.....

Just as well we have some good old fashioned fans as backup, only problem ... 

the cat is frightened of them!

What Goes Up ...

Jan 19th, 2020

"An Intense Dust Storm has swept through a huge area of South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria, reducing visibility and prompting a warning to drivers on outback roads"

It looked like a scene from "The Mummy" -only this is not CG Sand and this is not a Movie. This is the Heart and Soul of Australia. This is Red Outback Dust!

Jan 20th, 2020

Then we had a bit of Hail - NSW and Canberra had what was being reported "Golf Ball Size" hail.

Melbourne also copped a battering - these ones were not Golf Ball Size... and they made quite a mess of anything caught out in it.

Jan 23rd, 2020

And then it Rained.  We need Rain...

But, as they say - "What goes Up Must come Down...."
We slept to the sound of rain on the roof and woke to what can only be described as "A Generous layer of Topsoil evenly distributed ... EVERYWHERE!

That night it rained MUD.

...and Our Famous Upside Down Yarra was turned into something that looked more like -
Willie Wonka's Chocolate River!

Jan 26, 2020

The Weather I am relieved to report has been delightful since. Perfect for being 'Out and About'
And Friday it is going to be....

41℃  (that's 105.8℉)

They need your Prayers ...

We need RAIN

I remember Ash Wednesday
I remember Black Saturday
Each one was devastating, Each one was worse than the other.

This Fire Season, Starting in September 2019 with Months of Summer still to come is unprecedented. There is already more than 12 Million Acres burnt.
They are beginning to Call this Maelstrom: Black Summer

Our wonderful CFA Volunteers, International Firies, The MFB, and ADF are battling multiple infernos across the Country.   My own State of Victoria is on Fire.

Everyone needs a Fire Plan.
Our Fire plan is:- 

Evacuate and Let the Professionals do their job!

Temperature Quilt Update

My opening line for this post was to be
"My Temperature Quilt is Plodding along - slowly..."

But then I realised how daft that sounded for, by it's very nature, this is actually a Mystery Quilt that will take all year to complete!

And this project is to be a Quilt for the bed - my walls are warm enough!

I am faithfully recording the Top and Overnight Low temperatures each day and making up my blocks when I get a chance to - usually each week/fortnight....month...
OK well, I have done a month and a half!


The weather has been Beautiful - which means there is not a lot of variation in my blocks and I Have been praying for rain.  Not just for the Water Catchments, or the Bushfires, or even my own Garden..

I am also including an "Atmospheric" component as my background fabric and unless we get 92 days of rain (defined as "Did I get wet today?") I am going to run out of my "Dry Day" background fabric!

I do have a backup plan of "Dreich" a Scottish term for Dull and Miserable for those truly terrible days.
This fabric could add a Windswept element  to the quilt.

It is looking interesting so far - but I am debating with myself...

Should I sew them together in long strips of 22 patches - OR perhaps make up Blocks of 9 patches and sew these together in big chunks?

Decisions...decisions!

Cyclone Debbie

The Bureau of Meteorology hasn't ruled out the chance it will turn into a category five cyclone and has warned it will be the worst storm since Cyclone Yasi in 2011.

Our Thoughts and Prayers are with all who are in her path.

Snowflakes.

Through Children's eyes - the World is new and every day's a fresh surprise.

Written for the International Year of the Child, the Song "Through Children's Eyes" has always stayed with me - especially as I watched my own children grow and encouraged them to see the world around them and the beauty of God's creation.

Today I received a photograph -

this time, it was her time to show me.

First snowflakes on the rail outside the window- captured with a macro lens.

Yesterday....

I thought this was the photo of the day -

Thank you Thrifty Car hire ... The impossible was achievable.

(That was a LOT of weeds)

And then we passed this tree

a massive broken branch

they fall without a sound, without warning -

 Known in Australia as a "Widow Maker"

was this my photo of the day?

And as we neared closer to home

we encountered a little bit of water across the road ...

so we stopped and surveyed the scene in front of us.

The spillway at Edwards Lake in Reservoir 

was unable to cope with the volume of water.

I have never seen it with much more than a trickle, 

behind that fence is a 10 foot drop which is now full of water 

and overflowing the road.

It certainly was a LOT of water

Water aerobics anyone?

If it was this bad here - we wondered what Coburg Lake looked like

a small diversion to see perhaps

The photos of the day

The spillway

The bike path under the bridge.

Yes, we got a bit of rain yesterday.

You know it is hot when ....

.... you go OUTSIDE just to work out if the Air-con is actually working!

It is a neat little trick and always makes me feel cooler.

But then I noticed the Christmas Candle that was left outside 

Yup - it was a little hot....

So - what was the temperature?

(That's 111 deg F)

And now the 'cool change' is on the way bringing winds strong enough

 to break the *Spirit's moorings 

and a big dust storm as well.

That's my Melbourne!

*Spirit of Tasmania crashes into pier at Port Melbourne