Climate change believer or not, weather patterns certainly appear to be changing.
A few days ago I caught some BBC TV coverage of the record floods in the UK. Moments before I had received the weather forecast and long term outlook for my own part of the world which was in stark contrast. I could see and smell the heavy blanket of smoke drifting across the dying landscape around my country property on the mid North Coast of NSW that was now being savaged by bush fires.
The east of Australia, and probably the rest of the continent, is in the grip of the worst drought in recorded history with some areas not having decent rain for years. Significant rivers are bone dry and major towns running out of water.
The farming community has been hardest hit with stock numbers falling as the suicide rate of our gallant farmers rises.
These are tough times for tough people.
The beautiful and heavily wooded NSW north coast and southern Queensland regions are tinder dry. Established forests and gardens including mine are dying. Temperatures heading towards the 40’s and strong winds spell disaster. The early declaration of the fire season was a sign of things to come. More than 250 homes were destroyed by bush fire in northern NSW last week along with 500 service buildings with many other properties damaged. Hundreds of people have been displaced and turned to emergency centers and we have not entered summer yet.
The carnage now extends to Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia
Regrettably, conditions have snared one of our own.
Peter Knox-Dick (better known as “Rubymorgan” when he last appeared on TM) lives just a little south of me at Hillville.
This fire has been burning for weeks and sometimes I could see the flames and smoke in his area from my southern balcony. I did a phone check in with Peter at 4.19pm on Saturday afternoon and found him in good spirits as his house and property had been saved after 3 or 4 water bombing runs by the fire aircraft over the previous days.
Sadly, Peter decided to once again clean out his gutters soon after my call and managed to fall off the roof cracking his skull and breaking vertebrae. He was air lifted to the Royal North Shore Hospital where he remains in a coma.
Our thoughts and prayers are with him.
Whether your next threat is flood or fire (and I include our friends in bush fire affected US of A) take care Morganeers
Attached are some photos of the fires in our area.(not taken by me)
![[Linked Image]](https://www.tm-img.com/images/2019/11/16/Fire-1.jpg)
On the beach at Darawank very close the popular Forster/Tuncurry township
![[Linked Image]](https://www.tm-img.com/images/2019/11/16/Fire-2.jpg)
The loss of wild life has been horrendous
![[Linked Image]](https://www.tm-img.com/images/2019/11/16/Fire-3.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](https://www.tm-img.com/images/2019/11/16/Fire-6.jpg)
This little bloke was just looking for a safe tree.....
![[Linked Image]](https://www.tm-img.com/images/2019/11/16/Fire-7.jpg)
Exhausted fire fighters
![[Linked Image]](https://www.tm-img.com/images/2019/11/16/Fire-5.jpg)