So,
Joys of Summer..
Twice-daily water runs; checking for bogged animals in 3 or 4 dams, and a number of water-troughs.
Sunrise run is always pleasant.
Sunset run is always stinking hot.
Most afternoons have been above 42 degrees this past fortnight, so still nudging 40 when I head out around 5:30pm.
On the bright side, usually a bit of Hot Pork to share the love with.
On the bleak side; usually an animal or two that need a bullet for kindness.
It's pretty freaking dark, when the kindest thing you can do for a month-old lamb who's lost his Mum, is a bullet...
Brought another lamb home yesterday morning; pretty sure he'll perk right up with some lucerne and lamb pellets.
Currently running a 3-lamb yard, and somewhat hopeful we see enough storm rain to get some green pick happening for the lambos, so I can release them into the wild.
Moving on...
The dry, fire-starting thunderstorms started in earnest the past 3 days.
We've had a few fits and starts over the past month, but the serious stuff started mid-week.
There's been about a half-dozen bushfires in a 100kms radius around us, in the past 4 days alone.
Fire last night was just 28kms North of us; day before was a fire about 27kms SE of us.
Couldnt attend the one last night(in our brigade), due to 25mm of sideways rain here, just before the fire started.
Zero chance of getting anywhere; there's a freaking lake where we usually park the work ute.
Other brigade members were able to get around the rain, and had it out by late evening.
Also; no (grid) power at the house since 6:45pm last night.
I'd nearly bet we lost a pole on our section of the SWER powerline that feeds us; about 11 customers off.
Running on home-grown electrons, from the Monsta-Genset.
Looking at the lightning that landed after our power went off, I'm not sure we didnt get a better deal by going off before that.
Fingers crossed the power people get the power restored, before the next tranche of storms turns up late this arvo..
Best guess is we burn around $7/Hour in diesel, but the Monsta-Genset happily runs the house without complaint for that.
Might be looking at a run into town for another 400L pod of diesel, tomorrow morning.
It's interesting seeing the lightning that seems to start the majority of fires in this area.
The big, fat, eye-watering bolts of lightning that take out a tree or a power-pole, arent usually what starts fires (in this area, at least).
The fire-starter ones are usually thin, and often 'stitch' their way across the paddock in multiple strikes in the one bolt; like watching a sewing machine stitch fabric.
They are often barely visible, and yet do the majority of the fire-lighting.
Weird.
Summer in the Bush; The Serenity...
At least I get to shoot things, most days...