It's freezing!!

We are embarrassed. We were being boiled and over heated. Most people were complaining about the heat and many were suffering from the excess heat. I woke up this morning to 13 degrees. Given we have had overnight temperatures in the mid twenties and in the thirties...that is cold. I was freezing. People in Adelaide have dived into the cupboards for their jumpers ,trackies and fluffy slippers. It is crazy. We do not like it this cold. So now we are embarrassed because we have become whingers and we are trying not to complain...but it is bloomin' cold!! I hate it.Some people are getting sick because of the drastic changes in temperatures and some people are battling with hayfever and allergies. There doesn't seem to be a nice, even middle ground anymore.So we are looking for the warm food and the creature comforts. Past being cold, my first thoughts this morning were also for the people in Victoria. Some of them are still under threat. They are our neighbours. We are talking about them all the time. These days it is more about the new information and what we have done to help or what we are thinking of doing. In the midst of all this trauma we have discovered how to get Australians to donate blood. Most people at work are going to do it. Why? Because the burns victims need it. So we shall give blood because it is for our neighbours and we know where the blood is going. We do personal very well. We've been to Victoria. We have family and friends in Victoria. This is very close to home. We know what bush fires feel like. We know what the horror and the pain and terror is like. As I drove to work I listened to Victorians in the area which is still under threat. I had nothing but admiration for them. They are circumspect, honest, clear headed and very courageous. They are capable of making some tough decisions. I also heard from the people whose lives and land have been wiped out. Anything I was about to do at work was going to be a doddle. All these people wanted was to see their burnt out houses and land. They just wanted to see it so they could start again. It was just so amazing they could be that strong. They couldn't see their land because it is cordoned off as crime scenes. People had a good understanding of how this all worked but you know, the arsonists responsible hold these lives to ransom. Of course the police have to pursue their investigations carefully and slowly and in an uninterrupted fashion. But the owners just wanted to see...some of them desperately needed to know the state of their animals. One man had gone a back way to his property just to reassure himself his sheep were okay. They were. They hadn't been shorn and the woolly coats had protected them. So as we listen, we learn. We learn what they are going through and we learn what they need. With satellite technology we ought to be able to provide them with pictures if they are not allowed back yet. With videos,digital cameras and laptops we ought to be able to show them. Seeing it for themselves is important in their healing. So yes, at the moment , I want to know how they are doing and then I want to know what the new initiatives and discussions are. There have been some great discussions and some great moves to help this situation. Maybe others have had enough and don't want to know. I do. They are my neighbours.