Watery World

Right now, I think all of our hearts are going out to those in flood-affected areas of Australia. The scale of the disaster is unimaginable for those of us out of harms way; the news images are bad enough. Knowing that its not over yet is a very sobering realisation.

Its incredible to think that this time last year we were worried about water. Just a year or two ago, the Queensland premier of the time was selling the virtues of reclaimed waste water as drinking water. Now dams are dangerously exceeding capacity.

It makes me feel guilty that I'm feeling the inconvenience of not getting my washing dry and of the boys being unable to do outdoor activities this week. Its raining here too and although our local rivers are on floodwatch, there's no imminent danger. The rain is going to continue for the week. Our house is on a hill and at any rate, the situation here will be nothing like Queensland and New South Wales. The humidity, though is over 90%. I'll have to watch the dodgy spots in my house that are prone to mould.

From Inside and Out

We are going to an indoor playcentre today. Probably along with half of Geelong's population! The boys may have outgrown toys and Lego but they're still happy to have the occasional run around, slide on the very fast drop-slide and hang out with their mates while bouncing on the bouncing pillow. Its a funny inbetween age; toys are out but nothing has come along to replace them, save of course video games. None of the things I did at that age appeal to my kids at all (we didn't even have a Commodore computer or an Atari console- only a very few of my friend's had electronic devices of any kind then!) Last night I made them turn off screens at 7:30pm as they'd been playing all day. First there was a tortuous half hour or so as they dealt with the 'boredom'. Finally they got out the balsa wood and craft knives and started making things on the kitchen table. I really do need to schedule more non-screen time for them. If they never get bored, they'll never discover what else is out there.

I think I'll take some knitting to the playcenter. My kid's friends' mums are my good friends so we'll do the coffee and natter thing but I would also like to be getting something done at the same time. At the moment, I'm knitting a 'tribble' courtesy of Ravelry and at the request of my Star Trek mad eldest son. He'll probably want to keep it for a decoration but they can be used as little bath or kitchen scrubbies.

The garden is thriving on this year's rain but so are the snails and slugs. Ants have moved into my apricot tree and it looks like we won't get a single fruit this year. The ants break into the fruit when it first starts to show colour and the birds finish it off. The tomato plants are taking over and need tidying and re-staking. I hope to get out there later this week, rain or no rain.

If any of my readers are threatened by floods, I hope you can stay dry and stay safe.