• What a year of rural living. Three high floods, a haystack explosion 100 meters from us, and a mouse plague. lol, It is ALL cleaned up inside and even the renovations from the damage fixed up and we are now in a lovely position to enjoy the benefits instead of the yucky bits of rural living, :-). We saw a dozen Emu in the paddocks today, black swans nesting, I can begin walks instead of just cleaning for exercise tomorrow :-)

 Living in the country as we do, I cannot protect against forces of nature but I can make sure I have a great roadside assistance program. 

The haystack explosion was caused by the farmer harvesting the hay while it was still damp.  It composted in the centre and generated so much heat it exploded outward, burst into flame as soon as it came in contact with air. It was like a fire ball forking outward. 
I thought it was a lightening bolt. There was a boom over our heads and a flash like lightening went into three of my neighbours homes, We were protected by the big maple tree in front of the house, it hit the tree and sent the foliage flying, it crashed branches out of the maple trees and sent them flying everywhere. Then the haystack was on fire. It had exploded from inside apparently. It was very dramatic. I had never seen a haystack explode before. I heard they could do this.
It gave me an idea for a scene I could use in my Australian novel.

I illustrated this post with a gift card of Mirinatwa Gap,  Grampians Victoria, created from the original oil painting by myself, Kathy Shell.  Art & Art Print Gifts can be viewed & purchased from :-
Kathy Shell

The full clean and redecorate of my home continues and in the moving things around I broke a TV cable so I am heading out today to look at computer video cables.

More news from near my summer home today.  Life has been tough for the orchardists and those who earn thier living from the harfvests in this district and importoing apples if just another kick in the teeth for the hard workers of Shepparton district.

My friends and neighbors in Sheppartin in the heart of the fruit growing district of Victoria are protesting today about the lowering of safety standards to allow fruit to be imported into Australia from a country with a fruit crop disease that is not in the Goulburn Valley fruit growing area.
The protesters set fire to a huge pile of hay and apple branches to protest against concerns about fire blight.

About 1,500 people gathered in Shepparton, in northern Victoria, to protest against the importation of New Zealand apples.

Fruit growers are worried the apples will bring the disease fire blight into Australia, which they say could devastate apple and pear industries across the country.

Protesters set fire to a four metre high pile of tree branches and hay to symbolise what will happen if fire blight control measures are not improved.

Fruit growers from Victoria and interstate were joined by SPC workers, local politicians and concerned residents calling on Federal Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig to stop the planned imports of New Zealand apples.

The president of the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF), Andrew Broad, says it would cost the Australian economy hundreds of millions of dollars if fire blight got into Australia.

"The most disappointing part about this is that our Prime Minister stood in the New Zealand parliament and said she's going to bring apples into Australia," he said.

"She should be the Prime Minister of Australia, not the Prime Minister of New Zealand."

A lonely Bull without his Cows.
Bernard is a prize bull and he is getting a bit cranky, celibacy was not the life he had planned for himself.

Cranky prize bull marooned by floods

I have been following this story with interest as it concerns a lonely marooned  bull not far from my own summer home in north central Victoria.
Bernard the bull has been trapped on a newly formed island in Lake Buloke since January, when floodwater washed through western and central Victoria.

His owner, Graeme Hodge, is hopeful someone will know how to reunite the bull with the 100 cows he usually grazes with.  Graeme is boating in feed for his bull and has been told it might be 8 years before the water level drops enough for the bull to reunite with his cows, if left to his own devices.

Farmer-appeals-for-help-to-rescue-frisky-bull 

Interesting to see how when we have strange seasons of weather some creatures thrive and others decrease.

This increase in the hooded plover must be very rewarding for those volunteers who give so much energy to protecting the environment where the plovers nest. Volunteering for the national parks and wildlife is a great way to keep fit :-).
I do it the lazy way...though writing and spreading the word for them

.Record numbers for hooded plovers
www.campfire-yarns.com

Wildlife, Campfire Yarns, an Campfire Yarns, Australian Nature, stories about life and the land

I love being woken by magpies corralling that is my idea of a good Black and Mild.
I love watching the Rosellas in overhead eucalyptus trees.  This is what greeted us here at Eastern Beach, Lakes Entrance, Victoria.

We are currently staying at Eastern Beach Tourist Park at Lakes Entrance.

Loving it here. Lots of bush and beach walks.  We will take a trip up into the mountains, to Buchan caves while we are staying here.  So many places to visit from this region, a one week stay will be barely enough to see it all.  The beach is huge.  I should get a lot of exercise and Reg is loving the fishing. The caravan park amenities here are excellent and I highly recommend this park as a place to stay for a while. 

“For every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise, and a blessing in each trial”. Irish blessing

We drove home from doing my 1 kilometer run fitness test along the pathways of the Goulburn River and saw a wonderful sunset near outr summer home. 

This is a little about my fitness activities today, as I posted it on my Kathy Shell page on facebook.  Please feel welcome to join me there.

Kathy Shell I hit my 3 target goals on my BodyMedia FIT today, after I finished running my 1 kilometer time trial for Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation I made my minus 1,100 calorie, 10,000 step and 90 minutes of moderate exercise personal goals for day :-). Had my bone density scans, got the blood tests done, even managed the push ups with the bad shoulder I get ultrasound-ed and XRayed in the morning. lol, having friends to do it with helps

Dogs do not have problems expressing affection in public.
Dogs miss you when you're gone.
Dogs feel guilty when they've done something wrong.
Dogs admit when they're jealous.
Dogs are very direct about wanting to go out.
Dogs do not play games with you-except fetch (and they never laugh at how you throw).
You can train a dog.
Dogs are easy to buy for.
The worst social disease you can get from dogs is fleas. (OK, the really worst disease you can get from them is rabies, but there's a vaccine for it and you can kill the one that gives it to you).
Dogs understand what "no" means.
Dogs mean it when they kiss you.

I am happily writing my novel tonight with towels on the floor and to the doors and buckets in place, my husband has headphones on to hear the TV so I only have the sound of the drumming rain for company and I am well into the second draft of chapter two.

Yasi is no longer a cyclone, but is a storm, pouring water across an already partly flooded country.  Here in the pretty Goulburn valley this is our fourth flood in six months.  I happen to love this part of the country in flood, it is beautiful.

Anyhow I am far from houseproud and even this whip from Yasi's tail will not stop me writing tonight. I am looking forward to getting well into my early chapters between mopping up flood waters this weekend.  It is actually less distracting that the TV used to be ad now with Reg wearing head phones to here the TV, that distraction has been solved. 

I am happy writing to the accompaniment of noisy  Yasi. I hope everyone and their homes stay safe during this storm surge.


A super-cell thunderstorm has hit Victoria, bringing widespread flash flooding.

The State Emergency Service has rescued 12 people from raging waters and received more than 750 calls from residents in Melbourne and Mildura.

SES spokesman Lachlan Quick is urging people to stay off the roads.

See More ->Super-cell thunderstorm pounds Victoria 

Happy Writing :-)
Cheers Kathy