A haze hangs over the city, and has for the last three days. The smell of smoke pervades, as bushfires in the Blue Mountains have burned for the last 3 days. It’s almost a constant of summer in Australia to have bushfires, but it seems that this year it’s going to be particularly fierce. Twice we’ve been close enough that there was some concern for the house, and it would be lying to say I wasn’t worried about it again this year round.
This all reminds me vividly of the summers of my youth, the baking heat and dry wind making it feel like you’re standing just outside a furnace. All the plants wilt in the heat, save the ever-hardy eucalyptus, and the chirp of cicadas plays on into the night. From tomorrow, even more appropriately, the cricket will be on, and then there will be no question of summer. I think it’s the first one I’m going to be working through, which will be different for me.
It’s going to be a long one.
Looks like Ponting’s men are kicking some bazooka over there in Brisbane. As for the bushfires, there was a huge haze over Melbourne too. The whole place smelled like ash. Also quite an eery sight to behold.