21 May 2009

It's Been a Trifle Damp Lately

So much so that South East Queensland has been declared a disaster area. I've never lived in a disaster area before...unless you count my home (sometimes, that is). We've had the rain bucketing down with phenomenal amounts of raid...300 mm plus in some areas. Naturally, there have been floods, hair raising narrow escapes and rescues, flooded houses with people frantically moving stuff to higher ground, if they have it. If not...


According to Anna Bligh, Queensland Premier, the drought is officially over. The dams are steadily filling up, which is good to hear...until the next drought. However, we are still on water restrictions in that we can use 230 litres per person per day, which is a fair amount really. But we're not allowed to wash cars, boats, houses, etc, with hoses, nor hose down driveways. But there will always be some people who think that these measures don't apply to them...there always are. When they get caught, they whinge and moan and carry on about the unfairness of it. After all, why take responsibility for one's actions...it's every one else's fault.

Unfortunately, due to the wild weather, the beaches are getting a pounding and as they haven't really recovered from the last bout of wild weather back during summer, the erosion is pretty bad. So sad to see the beaches without the lovely white sand.

Apart from the above, life has been pretty quiet really. I went to my writing group last weekend, which is always a lift. I've not been swimming lately. Even though the water is heated, it's damn cold getting out into the freezing change rooms. So instead, I've decided to start linedancing again. I used to do it years ago in New Zealand. It's so addictive I was actually going seven nights a week. As you can imagine, I was pretty fit.

I have been watching my eating lately...well for the past six months...and I have actually gone down two dress sizes. I no longer have to go to the big sizes anymore. It's such a nice feeling. I took five bags of fat clothes to the op shop and have been buying nice new smaller things. Yesss!

So with that little bit of showing off...I'll finish. Below are a couple of photos showing the flood waters.

This lady rescued these four horses from flooded paddocks. It didn't say whether they were hers or not, I guess it doesn't matter in the long run.

One rather wet soccer field...closed for some reason or other.

The spectacle of a flooded creek near the city. What's the State Government tourism campaign slogan? "Queensland- beautiful one day, perfect the next." Yep, that's about it...

Photos courtesy of ABC News.

10 comments:

Ellen Whyte said...

Would like to see more of Oz - only seen Sydney and that was YEARS ago.

Down two dress sizes??? I'm so jealous!

Gattina said...

Australia really hasn't been spoiled weatherwise lately ! Last week we had a little thunderstorm it rained cats and dogs over Waterloo, but the next little town 18 km farer was completely flooded ! the little lake went out of his bed and the ducks suddenly swam between the cars ! Strange. I also have an invasion of snails in our garden ! that had never happened in the 33 years we live in this house ! They ate up all my petunias, geraniums and other plants ! Now I declared war and put a product everywhere, they are so disgusting to pick up when they are still alive. Ewwww ! and as I don't know what to do with them I throw them in my neighbors garden (don't tell anybody) because I don't like him, I only like his wife. See I am bad !

Gattina said...

Congratulations that you lost so much weight !

Hootin Anni said...

Oh my gosh...here you're getting flooding, and we in coastal Texas are so dry you can hear the grass break as you walk on it.

Obsidian Kitten said...

What weather! Wow.

Linedancing sounds like such fun.

btw, i *love * your "Lucky" the Cat widget!

Merle said...

Dear Robyn ~~ Wow, what a lot of rain you are having up there and in NSW, and down here we are having lovely weather ~~ most of this week has been around 20 and 21 and No rain at all.
I am so glad Rex is over the op and let ud pray, the pathology results will be good. Glad you enjoyed the jokes esp the 1-2-3 for one. Very clever one that.
Good luck with the line-dancing
Take great care, Love, Merle.

Peter said...

Yee-Hah!!!!!
I guess now that you are slim and svelte you won't want to have coffee with us large people anymore.

Jeanette said...

Gday Robyn.
You are getting, having a lot of rain up there ,
the last photo was in the Melbourne papers yesterday.I hope your well away from floods and out of harms way.
Wow!Great for you down 2 dress sizes.
HEHEHE Im size 14 and Dr told me yesterday he wants me down a few kilo's. Then I come home had a chocolate teddy bear with my cuppa.LOL.

Angelo said...

whoaw that's a lot of rain! At least the drought is over, hope the next rainfall isn't so bad. Congrats with your diet :)

Liz Hinds said...

Those floods sound dreadful. Hope you're keeping safe and dry. (Outside at least!)

Well done you for losing that weight! You're the second person I've heard of recently who's gone down 2 sizes. It's an incentive for me who's only at the start of the diet (or lifestyle change).