It has been a couple of months since I updated the blog.
Left the caravan at a park in Lithgow ($58 per week!) and took a very cheap train to Sydney Airport - all of $13.50 for a 2.5 hour stress-free trip. Flew home for my sister's 70th birthday and a lovely visit with my best friends. Rather cold and wet but lots of fun. 
Back to Aus and a 'quick' trip across to Perth. All of 4000 km and only 4 weeks to get there. A bit different doing 1,000 km a week instead of my normal 200!!!!! Good trip though.
Managed to spend a few days with BlazeAid in Grass Patch working in the kitchen then down to Albany to stay with a friend who was house sitting. On up to Yanchep, and Perth for Xmas with family and the granddaughters from NZ. Even managed to take them shopping at Meyers one day. That was fun. 
Decided to head south again after New Year - Greenbush and back to Albany via Manjimup, Bridgetown, Mt Barker. Bad fire at Waroona so will go there when BlazeAid starts. Back to Albany then my friend and I decided to go to Tozers bush camp and explore Bremer Bay for a few days. Lots of thunderstorms in the distance but still having trouble taking photos of the lightening! Great sunsets with the fire smoke.
From there up to a friend with a farm but due to the rain only stayed one night. Got out just in time - the road was closed later that day. Went to Broomehill CP then up to Wagin waiting for the BlazeAid camp to start.
On 27 Jan joined Jim at Waroona Oval and started getting organised. Rang lots of farmers once I had made a data base from all the info collected at farm meetings. We have a great facility at the Memorial Hall with plenty of room and a new kitchen - but nothing other than crockery!!!!! Had trouble getting a hall key for a while - DFES had been here during the fire and hadnt returned the keys. We had all their left over water, milk etc which had to be sorted and stored. Off to Bunbury the day after the official co-ordinator arrived - picked up 6 new enclosed trailers and lots of tools.
Had 2 nights out dining with locals - lovely people. Finally got keys sorted then stuff started arriving!!!!! Fridges, freezers, pots, cutlery meat, vegies, cooler rooms - and volunteers. What an amazing organisation this is. No-one gets paid so all donations are spent on setting up camps, buying equipment and feeding the volunteers. BlazeAid now comes in to help after floods and droughts also. Several are heading up to Julia Creek for the winter to spend time with drought stricken farmers - just to be there for company, and to do odd jobs.
A few more fires around the area - deliberately lit we hear! I can understand how the big one spread so fast though. Massive winds some nights come over the scarp to the east! Hard to sleep when the van is shaking so much!
We had one trailer stolen a couple of days ago. Miserable hounds. Luckily it only had a basic kit in it and the word has spread on social media like wildfire! The the Lions turned up with a new box trailer for us, and another group has rung in to say they will buy us another fencing trailer.
Our cook wanted a couple of big pots - more Lions with money bought 4 of them at around $200 each. The generosity of service clubs and ordinary people after a disaster is very humbling. The locals are starting to learn about BlazeAid and are quite overwhelmed that a team of 3-5 will turn up and help them do a job in a day or 2 that may have taken them a week on their own.
Will probably stay here for a month or so - the camp hopefully will close in April then all the trailers will be stored over in WA for future use.
Went for a drive out to one of the farms near Yarloop. Had to go through the roadblock but with the BlazeAid badge that is OK.
There is so much new growth on the trees now and the grass is starting to grow so looking a bit better than it was a month ago. This farmer still has no access from his shed to his house without going through his paddocks as the road bridge is unsafe - fire burnt the wood under the road. He was so lucky not to lose his house. It had started to burn at the back of the shed!
Had boys from Aquinas college helping on a couple of Sundays. They are loving it. We are also helping on vineyards - cutting all the smoke affected grapes off so the vines can recover properly.
Easter has become a slow period - not what we expected as people like to be able to come for 4 days. Unfortunately the weather is against us. Had Wednesday off as it was too wet. Saturday is forecast to be wet also. Huge wild cool winds for the past few days. Recycle bins sent flying and bottles blown across the lawns. Very 'shaky' nights in the vans and so noisy!
Have been 'upgraded' to Kitchen staff now as our lovely cook is leaving. Do have someone to get up early and put breakfast out - whew! Will still do the admin - but that has slowed down considerably also. Hope to close camp on 24th and then spend a few days packing up and getting everything into storage.
Massive final Farmers night - 120 people and the Navy cooking.
Had a busy few weeks winding up the camp. Also went to Anzac Dawn service at Yarloop - rained the whole morning! Am now farm sitting near Waroona. Not sure how long I will stay but really enjoying the quiet - and visiting people I met in the district.
Our cook wanted a couple of big pots - more Lions with money bought 4 of them at around $200 each. The generosity of service clubs and ordinary people after a disaster is very humbling. The locals are starting to learn about BlazeAid and are quite overwhelmed that a team of 3-5 will turn up and help them do a job in a day or 2 that may have taken them a week on their own.
Will probably stay here for a month or so - the camp hopefully will close in April then all the trailers will be stored over in WA for future use.Went for a drive out to one of the farms near Yarloop. Had to go through the roadblock but with the BlazeAid badge that is OK.
There is so much new growth on the trees now and the grass is starting to grow so looking a bit better than it was a month ago. This farmer still has no access from his shed to his house without going through his paddocks as the road bridge is unsafe - fire burnt the wood under the road. He was so lucky not to lose his house. It had started to burn at the back of the shed!Had boys from Aquinas college helping on a couple of Sundays. They are loving it. We are also helping on vineyards - cutting all the smoke affected grapes off so the vines can recover properly.
Easter has become a slow period - not what we expected as people like to be able to come for 4 days. Unfortunately the weather is against us. Had Wednesday off as it was too wet. Saturday is forecast to be wet also. Huge wild cool winds for the past few days. Recycle bins sent flying and bottles blown across the lawns. Very 'shaky' nights in the vans and so noisy!Have been 'upgraded' to Kitchen staff now as our lovely cook is leaving. Do have someone to get up early and put breakfast out - whew! Will still do the admin - but that has slowed down considerably also. Hope to close camp on 24th and then spend a few days packing up and getting everything into storage.
Massive final Farmers night - 120 people and the Navy cooking.
Had a busy few weeks winding up the camp. Also went to Anzac Dawn service at Yarloop - rained the whole morning! Am now farm sitting near Waroona. Not sure how long I will stay but really enjoying the quiet - and visiting people I met in the district.
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