Australia take a bow...

$31,000,000

..thats 31 MILLION DOLLARS !!!!!!!!

The people and businesses of Australia have donated that much money towards the Bushfire Appeal.

That is an unbelievable effort in 4 days.

Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi !!!

I am feeling sad but I am so proud to be an Australian today!

Bushfire tragedy....

The updated death toll from the wild fires in Victoria is now 173 and this will rise.

In hard economic times, it is amazing that Australians have now pledged A$13 million dollars to the bushfire victim appeals. Everyone is digging deep.

Late yesterday afternoon I received a blanket text message (not sure who from) asking for locals to go through their belongings and donate clothing, bedding and homewares. They are to be taken to our Community Club this morning from 11.30am and will then be freighted over to Victoria for distribution.

B15 and I went through her clothing - she had many T-shirts that had been kept from last summer that she hadn't worn this year - all in perfect, clean condition. She thought some things weren't appropriate (still in fashion) but I said, "if it's clean and doesn't smell of smoke, someone will be happy to wear it". We filled a black garbage bag full. She also went through her 'teddy' box and I think we got about 12 small teds - a little something for kids to hang onto and cuddle.

I went through my linen cupboard and found doona covers, sets of single bed sheets (we have king singles in the spare room now), large bath towels, never used, beach towels from 4 summers back, still in good nick. Into a bag they went.

K18 had cleaned out her clothes a while back so she only had a few pyjama bottoms and wind-cheaters to donate.

'A' got home from work and I made him go through his shirts and polo tops and he filled a bag with things he had barely worn.

We won't miss any of these items, they were just hidden away doing nothing but clutter our drawers.

All this made me realise just how much we have and how

very little these poor people have

These people have nothing!

As the death toll rises and I see the distraught faces of these poor people, wandering lost and aimlessly, hoping for news of missing loved ones, good news that won't come, I feel very helpless and so very sad for them. It is a cruel, dark time for country Victoria.

May the souls of the deceased rest in peace. And may they catch the arsonists responsible for this holocaust.

Joolz

Relief and full scale tragedy....

(Agapanthus - Black Magic)

We are enjoying a lovely cooler day here in the Lower SE of South Australia. There is a sea

breeze blowing and it's overcast and coolish.

The news is not good for Victoria - as many as 65 lives lost in the bushfires so far. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are battling the fires and the loss of loved ones.

If you are able, please support the Emergency Services and their volunteers - make a cake, cut some sandwiches, fill a thermos, pack an esky with ice and bottled water and deliver it to the depot and most of all, pat these men and women on the back for a hard job well done.

Joolz

Beautiful sunset....

Two shots of our sunset last night, the evening had started to cool down nicely and the light was amazing.
Early this morning, would you believe we had a really heavy shower of rain. It pounded the roof for probably 2 minutes then stopped but it settled the dust. Two hours of rain would be appreciated right now.

- Joolz

Weekend challenge....

DaisyMum at http://www.daisymountain.blogspot.com/

has issued a weekend challenge - when you read this, run outside with your camera and take a photo of nature, the first thing you see or smell or appeciate.

I happened to take some photos tonight because the sunset was going to be superb, but before the sun actually went down, I snapped some tree silhouettes. They fascinate me.

The first one is our neighbours bare tree in their front yard and the second one is a bare gum tree in our back paddock. Not sure what it is, but tree silhouettes just get me.

That and clouds. Go figure.

Cheers - Joolz

Furniture hunting...

K18 will move to Adelaide on 22nd February to start life as a Uni student. She is doing a Bachelor of Management (Marketing) over 3 years. We have secured a great room in a shared townhouse, very close to the city centre. She will share with a guy from our home town and his girlfriend and another guy. They are a bit older than her but I think she will get on okay with them. They will be coming and going all the time so they shouldn't be under each others feet too much.

Yesterday, we went hunting for bedroom furniture. We picked up a white melamine dressing table with a big square mirror (a neccessity!), a white desk with book shelves attached, a white bedside table and a little cupboard on wheels for her TV stand. We got all this for $240 and it's in really good nick. She will take her queen sized bed from home so she will have that comfort.

It will be quite exciting decorating her room - she has picked out some fabric to cover some art canvases and her large pin-up board - she can pin photos to them and display jewellery/trinkets etc. These fabrics compliment her new quilt cover which is a dark coffee colour and she has a watermelon pink chenille throw rug to brighten it up. I'll post photos when we cover the canvases.

It's much cooler here today, still warm and muggy but not 40C thank goodness. I'm hoping for a quiet weekend of pottering.

Have a nice weekend - Cheers from Joolz

Experimenting...

I have been playing around with my blog background and tried to get a nice new blue back ground but instead succeeded in putting the middle pink diamonds in instead. Don't know how I achieved it but I guess it looks okay. Bit hard to read, though. I'll see if I can darken up the lettering.

Cheers - Joolz - forever learning something!