When Carlos left us we got on with cleaning up. While I am relieved for myself and my family that nothing happened to us and our STUFF, I know that others are suffering as they have lost and are currently loosing to wild weather and flooding.
After giving generous help to Australia in the past couple of months, New Zealand is suffering their own very scary natural disasters as an Earthquake has shook their city and taken the life of many.
I know how scared the people of Christchurch must be. As a 10 year old I experienced an Earthquake in Bali. I was asleep in a bed full of Balinese kids away from my mum as she slept alone in a hut further down the track. The whole room shook so hard. I cried and yelled out "Are we being attacked" - They not understanding what I was saying yelled out "Yes". I was so scared. My mum found me in the chaos and explained that it was an earthquake after she understood this herself.
Since having Dolly 3 years ago, natural disasters worry me more and more. I can avoid places of conflict and war but I can't prevent all other hurtful things happening. Being a mum has changed so much of me. The party girl who wanted to be in conflict and risky zones now craves safety and assurance. Gone are the days of wanting to run to war torn lands to help with my bare hands. Gone are the days of squatting in empty buildings with bad boys and guns. I just want to shield my baby from all the bad things in the world.
Instead I am determined to try and teach her resilience and action, as I feel these will help her more in an uncertain future. One book I have read to her this week to expand her understanding is Wild Weather Soup. A story about unusual weather, the hole in the ozone and turning off the gas. A light take on protecting the atmosphere perfect for my 3 year old to ease into discussions about weather and how to care for our planet.
Does the over exploitation of the planet, atmosphere and other places further afield worry you too?
Our Frugal Lifestyle
- Frugal Down Under
- Passionate about eco-frugality. I used to party hard, clubbing my way from pay-packet to pay-packet. Never getting ahead, just getting by. Then came our much wanted baby with no savings in the bank - only an old car. Changes were made to our lifestyle and we didn't turn back. In the past 6yrs we purchased a flat, found employment, lived below our means, built an emergency fund, purchased a reliable car and saw the financial benefits of our frugal lifestyle. Our only debt is our mortgage. Our aim is to manage our cash flow wisely, pay off our home quickly and eventually work for pleasure, not necessity. Join us on our journey, share insights, tips and tricks to help us and others to get ahead while having a good time.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Carlos Has Left Us.
Carlos came like a whirlwind into our lives and town and left a trail of destruction.
Those of you who saw these photo's of the 1 tree down in my local park on Wednesday morning:
Both magnificent trees were down as are hundreds of trees in the Northern Territory.
Many roads were blocked by fallen trees everywhere. Impressive magestic trees had fallen on roads, houses, fences and cars. Our local park will seem bare without these beautiful trees. And the play equipment has been heavily damaged too.
Carlos has been downgraded from a cyclone to a tropical low but may be picking up strength again as he makes his way across Western Australia. Western Australian waters has also has Cyclone Dianne at present to feel weak at the knees by.
All these cyclones make the heart beat faster and it's not for the love of them. But that is the price we pay for living in beautiful tropical surroundings. And as global warming increases so will the severity and frequency of cyclones in my part of the world.
Last month Cyclone Yasi damaged Australian banana farms which supply 90% of Australia's bananas. Large supermarkets have promised to not import overseas bananas as this caused further hardship to farmers after Cyclone Larry in 2006. This is a good move but also means prices will skyrocket. No problems for us... we have bananas in our communal garden.
Sadly this was our suburban backyard Thursday morning. We lost most of the banana and pawpaw trees.
Have you had crazy weather too lately?
Those of you who saw these photo's of the 1 tree down in my local park on Wednesday morning:
May be interested to see what happened by Thursday morning.
Many roads were blocked by fallen trees everywhere. Impressive magestic trees had fallen on roads, houses, fences and cars. Our local park will seem bare without these beautiful trees. And the play equipment has been heavily damaged too.
Carlos has been downgraded from a cyclone to a tropical low but may be picking up strength again as he makes his way across Western Australia. Western Australian waters has also has Cyclone Dianne at present to feel weak at the knees by.
All these cyclones make the heart beat faster and it's not for the love of them. But that is the price we pay for living in beautiful tropical surroundings. And as global warming increases so will the severity and frequency of cyclones in my part of the world.
Last month Cyclone Yasi damaged Australian banana farms which supply 90% of Australia's bananas. Large supermarkets have promised to not import overseas bananas as this caused further hardship to farmers after Cyclone Larry in 2006. This is a good move but also means prices will skyrocket. No problems for us... we have bananas in our communal garden.
Sadly this was our suburban backyard Thursday morning. We lost most of the banana and pawpaw trees.
Have you had crazy weather too lately?
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Carlos is His Name
Last night was crazy windy.
I drove The Rambling Expat to work so that he could pack up his computers, I saw fallen trees everywhere. Roads were blocked off by great big trees, power lines were tipping over and traffic lights had shifted positions causing dangerous confusion. And Cyclone Carlos hasn't even hit us yet.
This is in my street at 8am today, there was a lull and it felt safe-ish to wonder for a few minutes. Thanks to The Rambling Expat for the pics.
It was a scary windy night. But we have been lucky so far. People had trees on their homes and cars. Others needed to evacuate as their homes flooded. Others have had sewage backing up into their homes.
In the past year I have asked for the removal of all large trees too close to our side of the building. In 2010 we also had new bedroom and office windows put in at great financial cost. It was worth every cent and has left me much more relaxed. There is no way our windows would have survived last nights winds.
Here goes to another windy night and maybe a direct hit tomorrow.
Fellow Bloggers Saying Hello to Carlos:
Here and Here.
This one Here hasn't said Hello to him yet. She's probably busy sampling the food in the cyclone kit. Tim Tams or Kingstons???
I drove The Rambling Expat to work so that he could pack up his computers, I saw fallen trees everywhere. Roads were blocked off by great big trees, power lines were tipping over and traffic lights had shifted positions causing dangerous confusion. And Cyclone Carlos hasn't even hit us yet.
This is in my street at 8am today, there was a lull and it felt safe-ish to wonder for a few minutes. Thanks to The Rambling Expat for the pics.
It was a scary windy night. But we have been lucky so far. People had trees on their homes and cars. Others needed to evacuate as their homes flooded. Others have had sewage backing up into their homes.
In the past year I have asked for the removal of all large trees too close to our side of the building. In 2010 we also had new bedroom and office windows put in at great financial cost. It was worth every cent and has left me much more relaxed. There is no way our windows would have survived last nights winds.
Here goes to another windy night and maybe a direct hit tomorrow.
Fellow Bloggers Saying Hello to Carlos:
Here and Here.
This one Here hasn't said Hello to him yet. She's probably busy sampling the food in the cyclone kit. Tim Tams or Kingstons???
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
6 Hours of Clearing and Spinning.
I know I had promised to Post soon after my return. But excuses got in the way.
1st I was super jet lagged with Dolly getting up at 2am every morning ready to start her day. She had naps in the day while I was at work trying to keep my brain focused and eyes open. After 2 weeks she was back to normal and I was going to Post....
....But then Yasi headed towards my family and friends in El Arish, Tully and Mission Beach. I was sure my aunt was going to die as she stayed in her house. I cried most of the day and stressed all night, I knew she was a goner in her old house. I just knew her roof would rip right off and windows smash. But I got a call at 4am saying she had survived, the roof had stayed put... some broken windows... she stated she would never ever stay again through another cyclone in her home.
My aunty Pat she's a tough lady, born and bred in El Arish from hard working sugar cane farmers. She has been through many cyclones and never bats an eyelid, but Yasi was the 1st to put the fear in her. She was real scared and at one stage my Macho Uncle Robbie and Cousin Boydie had to put all their weight on the door to prevent it flying off. That was over and I was going to Post....
....But my coughing fits became more and more intense causing dizziness and vomiting. So I handed over my $$$ to the doctor and found out I had Whooping Cough! 7 days of antibiotics and I'm starting to mend. The coughing is less severe but still a nuisance in my life.
Tonight I posted!!!! Yeah... I also spent 6 hours of tidying junk, packing necessities and spinning my clothes in the washing machine. My back is aching and I just want to toss all the suffocating junk away. It's been raining heavily since Sunday night, the wind is strong and on the scary side. Today we were issued a Severe Storm Weather Warning. This was then upgrade to a Cyclone Warning by the afternoon!!!
It's small, nothing like Yasi. A category 1, maybe 2, expected to hit tomorrow. But it came out of the blue and the rain and wind has made it difficult to get ready. I had 5 loads of washing on the line Sunday afternoon and the rain came late Sunday and hasn't given me a chance to have any dry clothes. So I have been spinning clothes in my washing machine hoping to get most of the water out. I have clothes racks in the lounge room but the moisture in the air will make them difficult to dry and will encourage mould to form. This is the beauty of the tropics.
I am a official shelter volunteer for the Government. I don't trust my home, it's old and dodgy. I prefer a shelter... so I might as well be useful while in it. I packed blankets, clothing, food, water and entertainment for Dolly. We also have a small dome tent, this can be set up to give privacy and a room for sleeping if need be. The shelter is big and spacious so the tent wont hinder anything. If I get the call that the shelter needs to be set up then I'm taking my family with me. No splitting up in times of uncertainty.
The wind is raging outside and every once in a while my heart beats hard with a little fear. I look outside and see lots of knocked down branches and a few fallen trees and the cyclone isn't here yet! The banana trees are sadly sagging and the pawpaw trees look snapped. My cat is stressed and the green tree frogs sing a great loud tune whenever it subsides.
So Goodnight for Now.... I'm off to bed for a jumpy, edgy night as I listen to the howling of the wind and the snapping of branches.
1st I was super jet lagged with Dolly getting up at 2am every morning ready to start her day. She had naps in the day while I was at work trying to keep my brain focused and eyes open. After 2 weeks she was back to normal and I was going to Post....
....But then Yasi headed towards my family and friends in El Arish, Tully and Mission Beach. I was sure my aunt was going to die as she stayed in her house. I cried most of the day and stressed all night, I knew she was a goner in her old house. I just knew her roof would rip right off and windows smash. But I got a call at 4am saying she had survived, the roof had stayed put... some broken windows... she stated she would never ever stay again through another cyclone in her home.
My aunty Pat she's a tough lady, born and bred in El Arish from hard working sugar cane farmers. She has been through many cyclones and never bats an eyelid, but Yasi was the 1st to put the fear in her. She was real scared and at one stage my Macho Uncle Robbie and Cousin Boydie had to put all their weight on the door to prevent it flying off. That was over and I was going to Post....
....But my coughing fits became more and more intense causing dizziness and vomiting. So I handed over my $$$ to the doctor and found out I had Whooping Cough! 7 days of antibiotics and I'm starting to mend. The coughing is less severe but still a nuisance in my life.
Tonight I posted!!!! Yeah... I also spent 6 hours of tidying junk, packing necessities and spinning my clothes in the washing machine. My back is aching and I just want to toss all the suffocating junk away. It's been raining heavily since Sunday night, the wind is strong and on the scary side. Today we were issued a Severe Storm Weather Warning. This was then upgrade to a Cyclone Warning by the afternoon!!!
It's small, nothing like Yasi. A category 1, maybe 2, expected to hit tomorrow. But it came out of the blue and the rain and wind has made it difficult to get ready. I had 5 loads of washing on the line Sunday afternoon and the rain came late Sunday and hasn't given me a chance to have any dry clothes. So I have been spinning clothes in my washing machine hoping to get most of the water out. I have clothes racks in the lounge room but the moisture in the air will make them difficult to dry and will encourage mould to form. This is the beauty of the tropics.
I am a official shelter volunteer for the Government. I don't trust my home, it's old and dodgy. I prefer a shelter... so I might as well be useful while in it. I packed blankets, clothing, food, water and entertainment for Dolly. We also have a small dome tent, this can be set up to give privacy and a room for sleeping if need be. The shelter is big and spacious so the tent wont hinder anything. If I get the call that the shelter needs to be set up then I'm taking my family with me. No splitting up in times of uncertainty.
The wind is raging outside and every once in a while my heart beats hard with a little fear. I look outside and see lots of knocked down branches and a few fallen trees and the cyclone isn't here yet! The banana trees are sadly sagging and the pawpaw trees look snapped. My cat is stressed and the green tree frogs sing a great loud tune whenever it subsides.
So Goodnight for Now.... I'm off to bed for a jumpy, edgy night as I listen to the howling of the wind and the snapping of branches.
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