Toadfish Monastery

Quote from: Swatopluk on January 11, 2010, 10:43:41 AM
I read there is snow in Florida too.

There was a bit of snow in Orlando, more like frost than real snow, but that is big news here in FL. Windchill below freezing now and in the evening at around 0C/32F with windchill below -5C and -10C. How do I know? I had to take my uncle and family to the airport at 3 AM...

mmmmmelting

43°C (109°F) yesterday,  was 33°C (91°F) at 6 AM this morning, going for 40°C (104°F) today before a much awaited cool change.

There has been a total fire ban since yesterday and critical fire danger in various parts of the state yesterday and today.  So far we have escaped without any major blazes, just hoping we can keep it that way.

I look at all the reports of snow and ice I see on the TV and even here, and I think that there might be some attraction to it.  At least it is possible to keep warm with appropriate clothing when its cold.  There is only so much you can take off when its hot and even if you were to run around starkers you will still be too hot.  All I can say is when sleeping thank (insert deity/concept of your choice) for ceiling fans!

Hey there Blue, I was wondering about you and the family down under with the reports of fires we've been hearing. Glad you're okay.

We're freezing our toesies off still. But temps are expected to go above freezing about mid-week, thank the Great Everything.

Quote from: Opsanus tau on January 11, 2010, 09:42:01 PM
Hey there Blue, I was wondering about you and the family down under with the reports of fires we've been hearing. Glad you're okay.

We're freezing our toesies off still. But temps are expected to go above freezing about mid-week, thank the Great Everything.

LOL!  I think on the balance of things I'll stick to the hot weather.  It really only hits us for a few days a year, whereas you can probably rely on a month or two (or more) of cold weather whether it snows or not.

As for the fire, so far there have not been any near us - there were some in Western Australia - that's like worrying about something in California if you live in Manhatten.  There have been fires in New South Wales, but even those have been the best part of a thousand kilometres away.  Hardly a risk here.  I have some family in NSW, but they were not near the fires either.  Nevertheless we have our own risks here.  I spent some time on the phone yesterday and today to my local council talking to them about an area of bush just behind the houses on the other side ofthe road to me.  This is a strip of land, maybe 10 acres or so planted as a reserve between my housing estate and the Lilydale Lake reserve.  The council has done precisly zero mainenance in this area sinc we built our house here about 8 years ago and it is very over grown with tall dry grasses, dead trees and shrubs both standing and fallen over.  The coucil says that they have assessed it and according to their rules it is OK so long as they have cleared it to a distance of 20 metres from people's houses.  What a load of rubbish.  If some dimwit were to light a fire in there, the embers would pose a serious threat to all the houses nearby, certainly within 200-300 metres which includes my house (the distiance would be less than 50 m to my place).  The council officer I spoke to said he would arrange a meeting with the local CFA (Country Fire Authority) rep and re-assess the situation and let me know the result.  I wait with bated breath.  After they tell me it is all right, as no doubt they will, I will start making a bit of a noise about it.  I think I'll start off with a local residents petition and then a letter to the editor campaign in the local rag.  If nothing else this will ensure that the council will not have a leg to stand on if that dimwit does cause a fire and there is any property damage.  In that case if we can prove that the council was warned and failed to act they leave themselves open to a liability suit.  Not what I want to happen, but perhaps a stick to use if necessary.

Anyway, time to climb down off mysoapbox! 

How likely is for you and your neighbors to organize and do some cleanup yourselves? Not that the council shouldn't do it, but if your house is at stake what other options do you have?

If we went in there and cut anything we would be prosecuted for it.  The council has us in a no win situation.  The same council prosecuted one resident in the more rural parts of the Shire and fined him $10,000 for clearing vegetation from 40 metres around his house - on his own land - for fire risk management purposes.  The council seems to be beholden to a cotery of extremists who do not want to cut any vegetation no matter what the risks.  So going into the reserve would be asking for it.  Frankly all we can do is try to agitate to get the council to clean it up and to make sure our insurance is up to date, and also keep records of our attempts to get them to do it so that in the event that the worst happens they will be caught by their duty of care.  Really not a satisfactory way to have to go about it, but there you go.

Is there a way to get an independent assessment? (I dunno how expensive something like that would be though).

I do in part understand how allowing people to clean could be a highway to deforest but there has to be a balance.

I'm sorry things got to the point of document and prepare for the worst. 

Stockholm has been all dressed up in white lace today, as frost has covered every tree, fence, wire, antenna and all other unheated surfaces in the city. Spectacular, especially as the it was all glittering in sunlight for a few hours!



Some days this city is really pretty!

Same here Darlica. Exquisite frosted trees. Took my breath away. Had to take some photos from my window.

Sea change this morning.  7AM dense fog, 0C so much black ice car traction control warning light flickering away, 9AM heavy rain 3C all the snow and ice gone. Yay! The Atlantic weather is back.

For now.

Started snowing when I was coming back from grabbing take-out (still hotel-bound), probably will be slippery tomorrow.  Temperature has been reasonable for the past week or so (anywhere from -2 to -20, biased to the cold side a bit).

6 degrees and all snow gone. As Beagle says, back to norrmal.

We are up for 9 degrees tomorrow. Warm even.

Snow changing slowly to snow rain announced for to-morrow with temperatures going above zero duirng the day and below during the night. I expect chaos.

We had the same here (freezing rain, turned to snow).  Roads were not pretty. I got passed by pickup trucks going >100 km/h several times on the way to and from the site.

Had a bit of a near miss on the way up here driving straight ahead on apparently dry roads (but bloody cold, so it was invisible ice), and have been driving 20 under the limit in 4wd ever since. Saved it easily enough, but was thankful there was no traffic in the oncoming lane.