Footy

Dear all,

By Thursday evening we were all pretty worn out.  It had been almost a week of trying decipher the warnings, the weather forecasts, the departure of friends / neighbors to other locations, and even the clouds (smoke or water?).  The good news was that the weather seemed to be holding and the early predictions of dangerous shifting winds appeared to be incorrect.  Yet, for our sanity and peace of mind we decided to take Helen and Guy's (the homeowners) incredibly generous offer to stay with their son in the city for the weekend.  

Then, just to prove what sports Australians really are, Helen and Guy joined us for an Australian Rules Football (aka, "Footy") game in downtown Melbourne on Friday evening..  

The evening was wonderful.   The weather was beautiful, a cool breeze, clear sky, and a red moon shining overhead (a reminder of the smoke we had left behind in the hills).  The seats were great and the game was fast paced and exciting.  Essendon beat the Western Bulldogs in the last minute of play.  And, fortunately, Helen avoided being showered in beer during a wild scramble for the ball that landed in the stands near us.

The next day we went to a cafe where one of Margaret's school friends works and then to the Art Museum.  The Art Museum (National Gallery of Victoria) was really quite incredible and free (!!!).  I can honestly say that all the family enjoyed it ... and that says a lot about an art museum.

By the end of the afternoon we felt like we had had a real vacation from our last week and had a much more positive attitude as we headed back to Yarra Junction.

Good progress continued to be made against the fires over the weekend and it looks like next week will allow us to breathe easier - in multiple ways.

I will leave you with a few photos from the past week.  First ones from our house, then a few from the local area that have been sent around.

Be well,

Nord

This photo was taken early in the afternoon on the first day of the fires (Saturday) as the smoke started coming in from the surrounding hills.

This is a bit later in the afternoon - when there is still supposed to be full sunlight.  The sky above Lincoln and Margaret is black from the smoke coming from the hills behind the house. 

 

The final three are pictures of some of the fires - it certainly gives you a sense of how incredibly fortunate we are.