Hi there

Just checking on our fellow neighbours over the ditch. Lismore, Ipswich and Rockhampton have been named and I know of Mark and Bob are located in the areas. Hope you are all okay and everyone else who has been affected, our thoughts are with you...

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=L8ntiVQnuVo&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DL8ntiVQnuV o

I remember the words of this song I learnt in primary school by Dorothy Mckeller I think.

"I love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains.
Of ragged mountain ranges, of droughts and flooding rains"

I think it was written at the beginning of the last century.

G'day,
She was right, flooding in Queensland and New South Wales for the third year in a row. Big bushfires in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland. This is our sunburned country. These as dramatic as they are a way of life here and brings out the best in people.

Good luck to you boys up mid north Queensland and further south tomorrow and on.

David.

With any luck it might come down low enough to put the fires out, we have lost 21 homes not more than 30/40 miles away, 1 life lost. News has reported that 3 lives lost to the floods so far.

G'day Frank, how are you and Kerry?
I think these fires are now a constant with us most years.

David.

We are OK, the winds are working with the fighters for now, when we get the wind from the north we cop the smoke. We had the big boss's from the CFA and the SES stay at our motel, things seem to be under control for now but rain is the only way they will be put out.

Mybe if we get rid of Gillard it will change the weather, with the rate of hot air and ever growing methane gas from all the BS coming from Canberra and a looming depression and with all their heads in the clouds causes a rough times to the weather ahead..

You blokes can complain about a bad economy, but my neighbor just got back from Sidney, and was agog at the high prices for everything. His daughter and family emigrated there a couple of years ago.

Too bad you hired the DC-10 Fire Bomber in the only wet year in 13, and it sat idle all season. www.10Tanker.com

Hi Rick, we complain about the high prices but it dose come down to were you shop or what area you live in, if you live on the north side of Sydney it is perceived you have money so you can pay more and the shops stick it up the locals and as always people just except it and say very little, if you live in the west or south west you are perceived to be a poor or low wage income and the prices change to what the market can bare, the south side is in the middle and you just shop around and you can get the good price but all the tourist venues are geared up to rip the Japs and Chinese tourist off as they come with their own guides, shop only in there own stores and the company in some case even charges them for taking photos, your friends just need to shop around and do not go to north Sydney...
As for the economy, we must be doing good as we get $1.05US for our buck and I have no time or liking for out government... Ray

Since this is about the floods I really should not go off in another line but it is bad and I have some family stuck in their house in and around Port Douglas and I know how it feels as we had all our precious things packed and was starting to move the cars into town as the fires were only 20 miles away then this rain saved us from any fires but with the good comes the bad. My only grip with this whole thing is how the so called charities and con men collect the money and it never reaches were it was supposed to go or a large amount is taken off to cover collection cost,many are still waiting from the last floods and fires and this is a legal name for stealing which has been shown on the investigation programs and directors just go free.. Ray

We had 31 inches of rain in 3 days (not counting the gauge overflow at night), here where i am in Rockhampton. Upstream creek crossing blocked and it was 'liquid mud" river running through the front garden. One brick off coming into house. Luckily i was at home, couldn't get to work due to closed roads. As Quick as i could stop it from filling the swimming pool, it came around the other side and flooded in. Eventually stopped the flow with bails of Heavy Hay. Yard is cleaned up but still cleaning out pool.

Water lapped floor of shed but didn't get in. So extreamly lucky. Roads south will be cut with river peaking sometime tonight or tomorrow. No Toowoomba Swap for me this year.

Mark,

A close call for you. Glad it didn't get into your house or shed. We are on a hill here where we live, so we have been safe from both of the recent floods. Best regards, John

Glad to hear you arew fine John and Mark. Spoke with Micheal Anderson last night.Thay launched thier own boat to mount a rescue mission to his parents home in Nth Bundaberg. Micheals wife was steadying the boat holding onto the house guttering while mum and Dad loaded with gear hopped on board. A lucky escape. It really is wierd to still have bushfire smoke around while it is so wet up your way!

Warwick,
Thanks for the information regarding the Andersons . I was fearing for them since this flood is a lot worse in Bundaberg than the 2011 one. They only just missed going under in that flood.

Regards, John

G'day

Your are in our thoughts and prayers.

Respectfully submitted,

Hap l9l5 cut off

Hi Guys, the road from Brisbane to Warwick was opened to night with cars able to get through there and into NSW, the army is on the move as my Steven called to let me know were he is. Ray