Yeah Red, I'm fine. Thanks for the concern mate. Most of that stuff is in the bush and small towns. It's only a matter of time though before the fires start encroaching on the newer estates that back themselves onto the scrub.
Just been reading about the fires and the areas affected. So sad that places I've visited have been badly affected, Bombara, Nowra, Batemans Bay and Mogo. The latter was just small on the Princes Highway, had a couple of great craft galleries and shops and one of their main attractions was the nearby zoo. Dread to think what has happened to the animals - they had white lions, red pandas and some adorably otters.
A close friend of ours only recently went out to Australia on a 12 month visa. She is stuck in Mallacoota. Amanda has bee keeping in close touch but lost contact at 5am this morning. Very worrying
Disastrous effect on wildlife https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/worl...l-have-been-killed/ar-BBYCJi5?ocid=spartandhp
Whilst many were evacuated, her boss insisted they stay and as she didn't know anyone she stayed. However, eventually she decided to go it alone and managed to get to Melbourne for a flight back home. Smoke filled skies, looted stores, raining ash etc. What was going to be a wonderful lifetime experience quickly turned into a nightmare However, I'm sure when she gets over the distress she will realise she was one of the luckier ones
Stuff like this can't be fought. Some crown at a couple of hundred feet. https://www.news.com.au/national/wa...-fires/video/e1cc9cef5e699d0b3ecb62b0c211de6b
A work mate of mine emigrated to Australia, must be 30 years or so ago, because he seriously thought it was the safest place to be. Can't remember now whether it was a Nostradamus prediction that scared him or just the belief World War 3 was coming. He's doing fine having set up a business in Perth soon after he got there. Another work colleague took early retirement around the same time and took up employment as a Computer Operations Manager in Adelaide. Haven't heard from him for ages. I gather, despite the vast distance from the raging fires we have been seeing, they are not completely immune Hopefully you aren't getting the smoke drifting over your way Cyc. Have the fires been contained in the area 20km from you?
Yeah mate, those fires flared for about a week, but are finished. As for the air quality here on the Sunny Coast, it's fine. Thanks for the kind thoughts Ron.
Cyc, my thoughts are with you and your fellow citizens in Australia right now. Someone suggested that an appeal be put out for retired fire fighters to volunteer to go to Australia to help with this disaster that affects all of us. The U.K. government should sponsor them. I should imagine they have the skills you need right now.
No foreign exchange available through Travelex, nor any company that uses them (eg Virgin, Sainsbury's and First Direct) due to hackers https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/new...-access-its-own-it/ar-BBYHmrW?ocid=spartanntp