Summer and fires

[zebra363]

Last weekend's weather and nearby fires finally brought home to me that in those conditions it would be impossible to protect my house, or quite possibly my life, with nothing more than garden hoses and mains water. Last Saturday it was 44C (111F) when I got home at 2pm and the wind so strong it felt like it was melting my eyeballs. I went out to

Comments

[zebra363]

My guideline for interpreting Fahrenheit temperatures is "Anything under 60 (as a daily maximum) is not somewhere I'd want to be." 44 is a lot colder than "cool" in my book! My place gets down to -2C/28F or so overnight on the coldest nights in the winter, but winter days are rarely colder than 14C/57F and usually 60+.

I have some relatives near Chicago who wrote recently that it was -10F, and I really have no idea what that means. Why do people live places like that?? :)

It does sound like investing in whatever you need to make sure you don't get trapped in a burning building is a good idea.

You would think I might have figured that out before now!

[victorian_tweed]

I'm so sorry to read about the horrible heat and the fires! I hope you get rain and soon!

I'm looking into rain water tanks too. Does WA offer rebates for them?

That book sounds interesting, and revolutionary! I might have to take a peak.
I bought a magazine called ReNew about alternative technology, but Mr Tweed ran away with it, and I haven't been able to read it yet. The magazine has a website though, in case you are interested: http://www.ata.org.au/

(I know you are far more on the ball with these matters than I, but just in case it is any help etc!)

[zebra363]

Our fires have been nothing like yours so far this summer, but they lost a bunch of homes south of Perth last week. I haven't had any really close to me yet, which is good as I am woefully underprepared. The woman who was killed was about 20 minutes from here - a young teacher at the local primary school, very sad. It's terrible when it takes something like that to spur you into action. I'm counting the days until I can get that tank installed and filled with water!

The guy who wrote the book was on Australian Story a couple of years ago, though I didn't see it. There's a transcript here and here.

Thanks for that link. I'd love to make my place more self-sufficient. If I put in big enough tanks I should be able to provide most of my own water, as well as keeping a reserve for fires. Solar panels are definitely on the list and my BIL keeps mentioning windmills, too.

I will definitely have to come visit you in Daylesford. It's such an alternative area it must be full of good examples of this stuff.

[shrydar]

I was about to point out the Australian Story appearance - it was an interesting episode. Inspirational in terms of what he's learned and achieved, but also frustrating for his tendency to make his life so much more difficult than it needed to be.

I didn't realise you were so close to where that woman was killed - all the more heartbreaking knowing that the house she was evacuating was actually spared.

[zebra363]

I wish I'd seen it. I'm trying to decide whether I should spend $66 to buy it from the ABC.

That woman was near Toodyay, which is about 20 minutes away. I wasn't clear - I meant that she was a teacher at her local school, not mine. Still much too close for comfort! They say you should decide to leave your property early or else stay put and I guess what happened to her demonstrates why. Still, I can easily imagine panicking as the fire approached and trying to make a run for it.

[bluebrocade]

I just wanted to say how much I enjoy reading about your life in the country, taking care of your land and the alpacas and llamas. It fascinates me. It's so different from my life. I don't think I could ever work as hard as you do. I can barely keep my apartment clean.

[zebra363]

It's so different from my life.

That's my No. 1 favourite thing about LJ, even more than the fannish stuff. I love getting to read about all the lives I'm not leading. Everybody else's is interesting to me.

This place is kind of my hobby, as well as my residence, so it doesn't usually feel like work. When it's not the rainy season (winter/spring), there's not really all that much that has to be done. This time of year, I mostly just watch the trees planted in previous winters grow, wish I'd planted more, and hope they don't burn down!

[juffles]

I have to admit, I love farming vicariously by planting stuff, lifting heavy things and patting llamas at Zebra's place. It's not at all practical for me to live that far from Perth, but getting out there and digging holes is a great change of pace. :)

I also greatly admire the way she's moulded her life around this property, and made both the life and the land work.

[zebra363]

Heavy lifters and planters are extremely welcome at all times! As are llama patters.

I'm a long way from making the place work by the standards of that book and am currently feeling slightly daunted, but I have Plans!

[juffles]

My, who IS that strapping young lad nobly propping that young tree up? :)

My only consolation is that my land blocks access to that property from my street, which is presumably why they're offering so much.

Good! Sit on it and frustrate the damn developers. *grumble*

He says: slash weeds, but don't kill them

Curious...does he say why?

[zebra363]

My, who IS that strapping young lad nobly propping that young tree up? :)I'm hoping he doesn't mind his picture being used

[doctor_k_]

I've always found Paterson's Curse so pretty (as a citydweller) - I'm curious to see there are people advocating having some around.

[zebra363]

This makes me laugh, coming from someone who ignores car colour!

Beekeepers love Paterson's Curse, also.

[kremmen]

A developer has just offered me nearly three times what I paid for the land the alpacas live on. No! No! Go away!

Is that a real "go away"? Surely they'll offer you more as time goes on, so at what point do you take their offer?

[zebra363]

Surely they'll offer you more as time goes on

I wouldn't think so - it's a fairly small property that just happens to be strategically placed with regard to the much bigger one they've just acquired. It wouldn't be worth a development project on its own. We're not talking all that much money here, certainly not enough to buy anything better closer to the city. So where else would I go? Land appreciation is not of much importance if you don't intend to move. This is my home, not a trading asset.