Yesterday

... was a horrible, horrible day.

It was VERY hot and VERY VERY windy.

Actually, according to Lindsey's outside thermometer, it probably didn't get much above 35 or 36, which isn't unusually hot for this time of year.  It was much hotter in other parts of the state.  The wind was worrying, though.  It was a swirly, twirly wind that made the trees dance.

From Hill House you can see right across the plain as far as the Grampians.  If there should be a fire in that direction you would be able to see it well in advance.  You can't see any fires coming up behind you, though.  The Hill is in the way!

In fact, there weren't many fires near us.  A couple of small ones that weren't particularly concerning. We needed to be watchful, though.  We didn't want to be trapped at the top of the driveway, not able to get off the property.

I was very worried about the wind. Hugo kept going outside and lying down under one of the trees. I could see why that would be enticing if you happen to be a Great Dane.  He, however, was not remotely concerned that a large branch might blow off the snow gum and squash him.  Or, indeed, that the tree he was lying under might squash him.

Had I realised that the fire danger rating for the day was Extreme, I might have bundled everyone into the car and gone away. But by the time I did realise I could see a cool change coming across from the west. Anyway, as far as I could see the whole state was rated at Extreme.  There didn't seem to be anywhere much safer to go.

It was somewhat surreal, though, when I got a breaking news alert to say that residents of Bundoora, Mill Park and Greensborough were under immediate fire threat and that some parts of Bundoora had been advised that was too late to leave.  Bundoora!  That's near the surgery.  It's a suburb of Melbourne.  It's true that it used to be a semi-rural area and then became an outer suburb.  But it isn't now. It's been well and truly swallowed up by suburban Melbourne. Fortunately, all was well. It was all a bit bizarre though.

In the end, the cool change reached us on Hill House.  It brought some rain with it.  Not enough to trouble the rain gauge at our place when I checked it this evening (although I don't really know how much it rained at the bottom of the hill). Enough, however, to reduce the risk of grass fire round about us.  I poured a glass of wine, sorted out a chicken salad for dinner and relaxed.

It's much cooler today and the forecast is much, much better.  We were lucky. Much luckier than the people in East Gippsland.  Conditions there remain horrendous. I must say that had I been holidaying or even living there, when "They" called for people in East Gippsland to evacuate a day or so before the expected fire storms - I would have gone. It is very, very unusual for an early evacuation warning to be issued for a whole region.