We live in the countryside, and during the last few days I realised that we were just as vulnerable as those people who have been caught up in the terrible fires elsewhere in Australia. The land around us is dry, bone dry, and it will only take an extremely hot day plus wind and a spark from lightning or electricity lines and hey presto, a fire. And it appears from the fires in the Adelaide Hills that the greenness of grape vines will not be a deterrent to any major fire.
Onkaparinga Council has trimmed everything back; trees, parks, grass, and farmers have only stubble from their crops left in their fields, however fire can still sweep across stubble, as we have seen elsewhere. And we have the scrub behind us, and bush land in the surrounding hills. So we cannot be complacent. We have had a couple of small fires in Aldinga and Sellicks, lit by a silly man, who has now been arrested, but somehow reports of these fires appeared in the English news. And to set records straight for the people overseas, most fires here are not lit by people, but are caused by the extreme heat and sometimes combined with dry lightening or electricity lines touching branches. Eucalyptus sap is highly combustible.
The bright red sun, as it rose over the hills, reflected on the side window of the house, was an indication of a very hot day to come. The smoke from the bush fires also contributed to the redness of the sun. A predicted temperature of 40 degrees, which is not really hot compared to temperatures in the 40s, but still too hot for our back garden. Too hot to swim in the pool.
So I sit inside in air conditioned comfort, as I write this blog. The evaporative air conditioning has been fantastic, cheap to run, and very efficient in hot, dry weather. No good in humidity. We also have solar panels on the roof so during the day there is cheap electricity. If the fire danger becomes extremely high here, the electricity will be turned off, but so far all has been okay.
I take Piper for an early morning walk, ball throw and swim every day. She loves it of course. At the moment Port Willunga is full of holiday makers, all taking advantage of the early morning coolness to spend time on the beach.
It was not a good time for our Hooded Plovers to nest in the sand on the edge of the sand dunes and creek. These birds are an endangered species, and these days not many of the chicks survive. Native predators, such as large birds, lizards and snakes, take the eggs and chicks, but their plight is not helped by humans and dogs. Sadly I noticed that many people ignore the signs and fenced off areas and let their dogs roam freely, rather than keep them on lead when walking past. One chick, out of four, has survived, and has flown away this week. Good news.
The dry grass, and trees, on the hills above us.
I think these hills were once covered in trees, which were cleared for farmland, and then it was found the soil was not suitable for sheep grazing. Progress or not!
Jennie and John, from the UK, visited us on the weekend before Christmas. and it was so lovely to see them and have them stay with us. Great to catch up on all the news, and to share parts of the area, that we enjoy so much. Most of the following photographs were taken by John or Jennie.
A lovely lunch out in Willunga, at the The Golden Fleece Cafe.
John, the hatstand, standing under the bright orange lampshade. He certainly looks the part. Great photo, taken by Jennie.
The Golden Fleece Cafe, once part of a Shell Service Station, has been decorated out as a rustic 1960s cafe, with plastic chairs and formica tabletops, and plenty of orange. It also has excellent coffee, delicious food and very friendly staff.
John and I, resting for a moment in the shade of a huge NZ Christmas Tree (a Pohutukawa). Another very hot day.
We also took Jennie and John to have a look at McLaren Vale, the main street and the visitor centre, where we sat in comfort in the wine cask chairs.
An early morning walk on the beach at Port Willunga. Piper doing her usual running around after the ball, her favourite activity.
Exhausted. The life of a dog. And a very spoilt one at that.
A line up in front of Aldinga Scrub. We did see a few kangaroos on the other side of the fence. No dogs allowed in there as it is a conservation area. We keep Piper on a lead always, just in case the kangaroos jump the fence in search of green grass. A large kangaroo would make short work of Piper if she chased it.
There was plenty of water in the wetlands, which was good to see, and plenty of water birds too.
And now back to the last few photographs taken while Kathy was staying with us last November. Seems such a long time ago now.
We visited Hahndorf. the German town in the Adelaide hills. A kitschy German town in an Australian bush setting. However, I like visiting it, and looking through all the small shops, and spending a fair bit of money.
The main street is lined with large trees so it is also lovely and shady on a hot day.
Kathy and I visited Cleland Wildlife Park, and spent a few leisurely hours walking around it, in mild weather. It is not a place to visit on a very cold day, as it can be bitterly cold there. Amazing to think after all the extremely hot weather we have experienced that two months ago it was often very cold.
A very friendly kangaroo, plus me of course, with food in my hand.
This emu was a bit scary.
Jeff's cousin in Australia. Remember Jeff, the bearded dragon lizard that lived in the Palmer household, and visited us on occasions. Jeff was so friendly. He now resides in a secondary school in south London, and loves to watch the activities of the students from his vivarium.
And finally a walk through the Adelaide Botanical Park.
It was while Kathy was staying with us that we realised the scale of the vineyards and wine production in South Australia. Once the main area was the Barossa Valley, with a few vineyards in the Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and the Coonawarra regions. Now there are vineyards spread out from the hills to the coast. A major industry here in South Australia.
A view across the vineyards towards McLaren Vale. A scene that we see everyday, when living at Aldinga Beach.
And to finish. A few bright red flowers on the New Zealand Christmas tree, the Pohutukawa, growing so beautifully in Willunga, South Australia.
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