Thanksgiving in Australia

Australia, for obvious reasons, does not celebrate Thanksgiving.
But some communities and families, particularly American expats do.
These celebrations can take place around the American Thanksgiving date or be adapted to fit the Australian calendar ie. moved to a weekend to accommodate work schedules or the Australian spring season.
Interestingly the Australian external territory of tiny Norfolk Island is an exception, as it does have its own public Thanksgiving holiday on the last Wednesday of November.

The holiday was brought to the island by visiting American whaling ships way back when.

Norfolk Island has quite an interesting history.

The island was uninhabited when first settled by Europeans, but evidence of earlier habitation was obvious. Archaeological investigation suggests that in the 13th or 14th century the island was settled by East Polynesian seafarers.

The first European known to have sighted and landed on the island was Captain James Cook on 10 October 1774 on his second voyage to the South Pacific.

When the First Fleet arrived at Port Jackson (Sydney) in January 1788, Governor Phillip ordered that a party of 15 convicts and seven free men lead by a military commander to take control of Norfolk Island and prepare for its commercial development.
As early as 1794, the Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales suggested the island’s closure as a penal settlement as it was too remote and difficult for shipping and too costly to maintain.

In 1824, the British government instructed the Governor of New South Wales to reoccupy Norfolk Island as a place to send "the worst description of convicts". Its remoteness, previously seen as a disadvantage, was now viewed as an asset for the detention of recalcitrant male prisoners.
The British government began to wind down the second penal settlement after 1847, and the last convicts were removed to Tasmania in May 1855. The island was abandoned because transportation from the United Kingdom to Tasmania had ceased in 1853, to be replaced by penal servitude the UK.

The next settlement began on 8 June 1856, as the descendants of Tahitians and the HMS Bounty mutineers, including those of Fletcher Christian were resettled from the Pitcairn Islands which had become too small for their growing number.

The Pitcairners occupied many of the buildings remaining from the penal settlements, and gradually established traditional farming and whaling industries on the island. Although some families decided to return to Pitcairn in 1858 and 1863, the island's population continued to grow. They accepted additional settlers who often arrived on whaling vessels.
The island was a regular resort for whaling vessels in the age of sail.
The first such ship was the Britannia in November 1793. The last on record was the Andrew Hicks in August–September 1907.
They came for water, wood and provisions, and sometimes they recruited islanders to serve as crewmen on their vessels.

We have done Thanksgiving once at home in August to avoid the hotter month  of November.

And on two occasions with extended family in the USA.
I like the celebration there a lot and just not the huge amount and great variety of food.

It’s always an experience for an only child with no immediate family, apart from a daughter, to be witness to such big family gatherings.

Australian Time Zones

Australia has time seven zones if you include the island territories of Norfolk, Lord Howe, Cocos Keeling and Christmas.
The mainland states plus Tasmania normally have three.
There are a few oddities.
Broken Hill in New South Wales chooses the South Australia zone as it’s closer to Adelaide than Sydney.

Central Western Standard Time is an unofficial, albeit clearly signed, zone that applies at roadhouses for some 340 kilometres of Western Australia up to Border Village roadhouse on the Nullabor near the South Australia border.

But all that changes on the first weekend of October when daylight saving time kicks in until the first weekend in April.

The Australian mainland plus Tasmania now has five.

Both Queensland and Western Australia plus the Northern Territory rejected the concept.
A bit inconvenient especially for those living on the heavily populated coastal region of the New South Wales/Queensland border.

But it is what it is.

Some Local Beaches (before the summer tourist invasion)

 

Gannet Beach

Bawley Beach 

                 Murramarrang Beach

Fence Repair After Flood Damage Done (Almost).

After a couple of weeks delay due to ongoing extreme wet weather, a friend came down to help with the flood damaged fence repair.

And even then we had a day housebound when the heavens opened up once again.

Rain total for July and August in our area was just under 600mm (24 inches).

The average rainfall for those two months is 150mm (6 inches).

Record rainfalls have been noted all over of the state.

The lower end of the western boundary fence needed a new strainer and stay and wires restrained.

The western creek bank fence also needed a strainer/stay plus interrow steel pickets redriven and wires strained.

Before:

After:

We decided not to make the western boundary/creek bank fence one continuous unit to potentially reduce any collateral damage to the former during the next inevitable flood.

Five days later, after four days of gale force winds, a large tree fell on the creek bank fence.

Another repair job pending.

The western end of the southern boundary fence needed a new strainer/stay and wires restrained.

Before:

After:

All went without incident apart from marauding leeches enabled by the super wet conditions.

A good spray of Aerogard on exposed limbs and clothing seemed to deal with them.

We also began removing flood debris from the collapsed part our northern boundary fence.

The conditions for work in the area were not good.

Water was still lying there and a heavy matrix a sodden grass, logs, branches and other unidentifiable stuff was ‘woven’ into the fence wires.

We only got about two thirds done before calling it quits.

It’ll have to dry out more before another attempt.
The area has been electrified off the prevent cattle escapes.

And to finish off, we cut down dead trees that were leaning over the eastern section of our southern boundary fence. They were supported by their crowns so had not done any fence damage to date.

But if left they would eventually fall and take the fence with them.

That all went without incident. Chainsawing up trees with their trunks and branches under pressure always needs care.

So it was a 5 days of hard but rewarding work. 

But our 79 and 80 year old bodies were grateful for it to be finished.

Dismantling Vineyard Infrastructure

In August 2019 I posted about ceasing my vineyard activities.

The plan was to just let the vines do their own thing and any subsequent occupier of the property could start things up again if they so desired.

What I didn’t take into account was that when the cattle were brought up to eat down the grass in the rows during the growing season, they would also eat the vine leaves.

So after a number of years of this happening and, with their ‘engine room’ continually removed, the vines eventually died.

Only now have I decided to dismantle the vineyard infrastructure after removing and burning the dead vines.

This involved removing the inter row posts ie.star pickets, some of which will be recycled into fence repairs. Some had been originally driven into our sandstone subsoil and refused to budge. These were broken off and what remained driven further into the ground.

The future of the vineyard specific inter row posts is up in the air.

Maybe they would be ok recycled into fence repairs.

Then came the rolling up a few hundred metres of high tension wire.

The wire strainers were removed from the end posts most of which will be used for firewood, a few for fence repairs.

The wire and strainers have been offered gratis to the neighbours, an offer already taken up by some.

Two blocks completed.

One to go.

Preparing for Fence Repair after Flood Damage

Back on the 7th July I wrote about the damage an east coast low weather system caused with flooding and gale force winds.

Logs and debris washed down our creek and across pastureland taking fences with them.

Trees also fell across fences.

We had to wait for things to dry out before initiating the repair program.

The first part was to cut logs, some quite big, and fallen branches off wires and assess the materials required ie. posts, star pickets and strainers.

Our first priority was the south west corner of the south paddock where the cattle could easily disappear into the bush. With feed at a minimum during the winter they do tend to want to ‘roam’.

In the interim we protected the area with an electric fence. 

Seven thousand volts is a quite a deterrent.

Having been zapped accidentally a few times I can vouch for that.

An East Coast Low / July 2025

What is an east coast low?
East coast lows (ECLs) are intense low-pressure systems that occur off the east coast of Australia. They bring valuable rainfall to the east coast and tablelands. However, they can also bring damaging storms and cause coastal erosion and flooding.
They can occur at any time of year but are more common during autumn and winter, most frequently in June.
East coast lows often intensify quickly over 12–24 hours. This makes them one of the more dangerous weather systems to affect the eastern coast.
The bureau of meteorology (BOM) was very concerned about the intensity of one forming on the weekend of the 28th June.

They were expecting the cell to impact the New South Wales coast from Monday lasting through until Thursday.
Torrential rain and damaging winds were predicted.
They advised the cancellation of discretionary travel.
Monday night it started to rain here and didn’t stop until Wednesday night.

Tuesday we were forced to stay inside all day.
Rain pelted down. 

Over 250mm (10 inches) in 36 hours. 310mm (12.5 inches) in total over 3 days.
Then in the evening the wind got up.
Over 105 km/h (65mph) gusts. Amazingly despite a few light flickers, our electricity stayed on. Others in area were not so lucky. Some had a power outage for 3 days.
Around 10pm, I heard a big bang just outside.
I thought one of our trees had fallen.
I ventured out onto veranda with a torch and saw that our very old spare metal water tank had virtually exploded. Obviously it couldn’t handle the volume of water going in despite the overflow outlet working ok.
There was metal strewn about the front yard. Worse, 10,000 litres (4500 gallons) of water had been let loose thankfully away from the house.
Next morning, Wednesday, I was up at sunrise to take a look. Thankfully our main tank, plastic, was undamaged. 

Our bottom paddock was awash as was the side one. The creek was in full flood.
We assumed the lake our creek runs into was open to the sea as the surf was huge. 8m (25ft) waves reported. So we were hopeful to see the water drain away quickly but it was slow at this stage.
Other places around us were flooded. Our state emergency service were issuing evacuation orders for homes around Lake Burrill.
With the huge surf and high tides, the storm runoff couldn’t get out of the lakes.
They were still doing food drops into the area on Thursday.
Thursday dawned sunny.
I did as much of a boundary walk as I could.
The flooding in the paddocks was gone and despite the creek being back within its banks I couldn’t get over so didn’t know what damage had been done on our southern boundary. It was a very deep fast flowing torrent.
But on the north side of the creek in the southern paddock there was considerable fence damage. Huge logs washed downstream, now left stranded by the receding water, had taken fences down.

Friday morning another boundary walk. Northern and part eastern ie. still our side of the creek. Eastern fences ok despite being piled high with flood debris and a big tree down but supported by the top wire.

Part of the northern, not so good. Flood debris had completely flattened about 50 metres even to the point of pulling wooden posts out of the ground. Big repair job pending there and can only be done when the ground dries out. 

So that section needed to be electrified off.

Got the cattle up to the house paddock and locked them in so they couldn’t escape. There was about a week’s grass for them.

Then I turned my attention to the destroyed tank. Managed to ‘cut it up’ into manageable pieces and move it away from the house.
Sunday I managed to get through to my southern boundary via a neighbour’s property as the creek was no longer impacting them.
And to my surprise no fence damage. Lots of trees and big branches down however.

Then I turned my attention to electrifying the damaged northern fence.
Needless to say we didn’t need all this.
Apart from the fencing damage, the paddocks are now saturated. The grass will stop growing and hay for the cows will need to be purchased.
I will need help with repairs which can only start when the water table drops, estimated to be 2 weeks time.
Got to love life on the land.

Low Sugar Jam

As a diabetic, I am always on the lookout for sugar free/low sugar and low carbohydrate food items.

I wrote about sugar free jams back in 2023.

Unfortunately that brand became quite expensive with high delivery costs.

I reverted to Diabetes NSW recommendation which was a French product. 

It still had 10% sugar content but it was all fructose rather than sucrose so a lower GI ie. 19 versus 65.

Fruit content was 50% which is normal for commercially produced jams.

Then I came across a product range from a family company, Quincey Jones Jelly & Preserves, based in a small town on the Victorian/NSW border.

Their jams and marmalades contain 3.5% sugar and 70% fruit.

They all taste great. 

And I am willing to ‘wear’ that sugar level. My blood sugar tests show I have things under control.

A bit expensive, yes, but order enough and you get free express post shipping.

And they have more than just jams in their range.

I don’t normally recommend businesses on my blog but this one is worth checking out.

The Price of a Cafe Coffee v DIY

Been a lot of discussion lately about the increasing cost of a cup of coffee at a cafe.

Back in the day, $3.50 was normal for a medium sized cup.

Now it’s around $6 and some people say heading for $10.

A cafe owner broke down the costs.

For a standard flat white with a single shot about 12 grams of coffee beans are needed. At an industry average wholesale cost, this comes to approximately 38 cents per cup.
Next, there's the milk. A regular flat white typically uses around 200ml of milk. If you're paying $4.00 for a 2-litre bottle, that's $2.00 per litre, making the milk cost about 40 cents per cup.
Additionally there’s the cup and lid, which usually cost around 20 cents together. 

Therefore total ingredient costs for a single cup of coffee come to roughly 98 cents.

Labour is one of the most significant costs in making a cup of coffee.
Consider a full-time, permanent barista working an 8-hour shift from 6 am to 2 pm. The award hourly rate is $27.17.
Adding in superannuation (401k) at 11%, holiday pay at 7%, sick pay at 3%, and workers' compensation at 3%, the total cost to the business per hour is $33.75, or $270 for the entire shift.
If a barista can make 200 coffees during this shift, the labour cost per cup is $1.35.
However, this cost can increase on weekends, reaching around $40 per hour on Saturdays and $50 per hour on Sundays. Therefore, how much it costs to make a cup of coffee can vary significantly based on the day and the number of cups sold.

The gross profit from a cup of coffee involves subtracting the ingredient and labour costs from the selling price.
Assuming a flat white sells for $5.00.
First remove the 10% GST (goods and services tax) which is 45 cents, leaving $4.55.
Deduction of the 98 cents ingredient and $1.35 labour costs leaves final gross profit per cup is $2.22.
Out of that the café then has to pay for rent, power, insurance, and other operational costs like cleaning and garbage disposal. These costs can add up  per week. The combination of profit from the coffee and other items sold at the café all have to contribute to covering these expenses.

We hardly buy coffee out anymore.

It’s now considered a treat.

We do it ourselves at home ie. DIY

We bought a reasonably sophisticated manual cappuccino machine for just under $1000.

This is the third of the same brand model each subsequently updated we have bought over the last 20 years.

So machine longevity is about 8+ years.

Our imported Italian beans cost retail $36kg or $0.72 for a 20 gram double shot.

Milk $0.35 (supermarket home brand)

Labour $0

Overheads $0.20 (machine/power)

Total cost $1.27 cup.

Why would you buy cafe coffee on a regular basis these days?

The above figures are all in Australian dollars.

$A1 =  $US0.65

$A1 = £0.48

$A1 = €0.56

Australian Federal Election 2025 (25/09/25 Final Update 😮‍💨)

On 3rd May, Australia went to the polls for a federal election after a relatively short 5 week campaign period. None of this 12 month stuff.

This happens approximately every three years. There is a maximum period of government but no minimum. The government in power can call an election at any time.
Voting is compulsory.
Voting was for the entire House of Representatives (lower house) 150 seats, and one half of the Senate’s (upper house) state representatives and all four territory representatives.
The Senate is a state house of review with state Senators enjoying a six year tenure and territory representatives’ tenure tied to the term of the lower house.
There are a total of 76 senators: twelve are elected from each of the six states regardless of population, and two each from the two territories.
The main contenders for government were the current incumbents, the Australian Labor Party (democratic socialists) and the opposition Liberal National Party (a coalition of urban and rural conservatives*).
There were also a large number of minor parties (30!) eg. The Greens, One Nation plus others and Independents contesting.
It is interesting note how Australia has voted ideologically since 1946.

We have predominantly elected conservative governments apart from the early 70s and mid 80s.

Notable is the fall of support for the two major parties over time with smaller parties eg. The Greens, Australian Democrats, One Nation plus a myriad of others and Independents syphoning votes.
This time around it was a landslide victory for the Labor Party led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
They won an increased number of seats.

On 10th June all seats were declared although there were still rumblings about the seat of Bradfield.

(see latest update below)

PM Anthony Albanese

The conservatives have been decimated.
The LNP opposition leader, Peter Dutton lost the seat he had held for 24 years.
Up until early March polls showed a certain LNP victory.
What happened?

Part of the reason was the so called ‘Trump Effect’

Australian had watched somewhat bemused as the USA started to descend into what was considered an autocracy from January.
Prior to the 2024 USA election, 73% of Australians surveyed preferred a Democrat presidential victory.
When the USA imposed tariffs on Australian imports despite a trade balance in the former’s favour in April our Prime Minister labelled the US actions as ‘unwarranted’, and ‘not the act of a friend’.
The majority of the population agreed with him.
However Dutton said that if elected he would cut public sector jobs - more than 40,000 by some estimates. This reminded voters of billionaire Elon Musk's DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency, which has slashed US bureaucracy.
Dutton later walked back the plan but it was too late.
The Coalition even appointed a shadow minister for government efficiency. And images of her wearing a cap with the words MAGA became a key talking point.
Dutton also said Donald Trump is a "big thinker and a deal maker" with a "genuine desire to see peace and stability" in the Middle East after Trump had proposed to "level" the enclave and rebuild a "riviera" under American control.
Shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash praised Trump as “a man of action”, promising Australians “they’ll get the exact same attitude under a Peter Dutton government”.
Chris LaCivita, Trump’s presidential campaign co-manager, told undercover reporters he advised on ‘structural issues’ related to Peter Dutton.
However the Coalition denied LaCivita was involved in campaign in any way.
But there were other major factors as well.
The Coalition’s nuclear energy policy was toxic to voters, delivering big swings against their candidates in electorates chosen to host reactors, while support for Labor grew in many places it chose for massive offshore wind farms.

It was hoped the LNP would tailor some policies towards women. It was clear it wasn’t a priority.
The policy and messaging on work from home and the failure to acknowledge how hard women’s lives already are, without lumping them with more, was nothing short of disgraceful.
It brazenly highlighted that the party was still disconnected from the everyday lives of women.
Housing affordability has long been a priority issue for voters at federal elections, but as the “great Australian dream” of homeownership slips out of reach, both sides amplified their property policies.
Most economists were cynical about the measures, saying these will simply increase demand for housing in a market where the supply of new homes is constrained because of government regulation and the high cost of construction.
The expected result of both party policies?
Higher house prices and more risky debt levels.
The LNP went to the election with an economic policy of tax rises and two years of bigger budget deficits, built on a guarantee that the economy would instantly improve merely because they would running the show.
Most voters treated this flimsy assertion as a joke.

It offered nothing positive and forward-looking on workplace relations and improving productivity.
On defence, it pledged to spend more but could not nominate on what.
The cost of living crises was met with similar shady policies.
In the final weeks of the campaign, the opposition doubled down on stoking fear and division, reviving culture-war rhetoric, attacking diversity initiatives, and once again turning Aboriginal people into political targets.
And of course there was Dutton himself.
The opposition leader was well known for his "tough guy" persona, developed off the back of years as a police officer and later as immigration and home affairs minister.

Peter Dutton

Many voters thought he presented himself as strong, but he also came across as a bit of a bully. Many voters said they were sick of blokes engaging in "strongman" politics.
In the end it was all more than the electorate could bear and it responded accordingly.

The Senate

The Senate count has also progressed well with more than 6.1 million Senate ballot papers having completed their initial returning officer counts.
Nearly five million Senate ballot papers have been received at state-based Central Senate Scrutiny sites now and this is where the process of capturing and validating the hundreds of millions of Senate preferences occurs.
While some Senate positions are known now, the full Senate count is always a reasonably lengthy process with final positions not known until the full distribution of preferences some weeks after election day.

Senate Result:

Labor will have 28 senators in the 76-seat upper house, with the Coalition having 27, the Greens with 11 and One Nation with four. The remaining six are independents or from minor parties.

In other news, sitting Greens senator Dorinda Cox has quit the minor party to join Labor in a shock defection.
A total of 39 votes is needed to pass laws in the Senate, meaning Labor can ensure passage of bills with the support of just the Greens or the Coalition.

*Update 23/05/2025: Liberal and National Party Coalition Split.
Nationals leader David Littleproud has sensationally announced that his party has split with the Liberal Party for the next term of federal parliament.
Littleproud spoke in Canberra on Tuesday morning after he and new Liberal leader Sussan Ley held discussions over the past week to try to come to terms, but were unable to do so.

The policies at the centre of the dispute are nuclear energy, divestiture powers against supermarkets, boosting phone connectivity in the bush, and a regional investment fund.

Update 24/05/2025: Liberal and National Parties Making Up 🙄

The Liberal and National parties are inching towards reforming the Coalition after Liberal MPs gave their leader Sussan Ley in-principle agreement for most of David Littleproud’s policy demands, but speculation is growing about Littleproud’s future as leader of the regional party. Ley convened a party room meeting on Friday afternoon at which her MPs gave their leader the authority to strike a deal with the Nationals to create a joint shadow cabinet 
by the time parliament resumes, days after Littleproud sparked chaos by splitting from the Liberals.
Update: 28/05/2025: Liberal and National Parties Reunite.
The Coalition is officially back together after Liberal leader Sussan Ley and Nationals leader David Littleproud struck an agreement to reunite. They both have announced their combined shadow ministry.
What a circus!
Update 10/06/2025: Battle for the Last Seat
Teal candidate Nicolette Boele has seized the once blue-ribbon north shore seat of Bradfield after a recount, beating Liberal hopeful Gisele Kapterian by just 26 votes in one of the tightest elections in history. Boele’s win will mark the first time in 75 years that the seat is not held by the Liberals but despite the Australian Electoral Commission declaring Boele the winner, Kapterian has not conceded and has indicated she would consider taking the result to court. The Liberal Party’s NSW branch will have until 40 days after the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) returns the writs to do this ie.before 19th July

Update 02/07/2025: Liberals Considering to Challenge Bradfield Seat Result.
NSW Liberal members want party bosses to fund a court challenge and indemnify Bradfield candidate Gisele Kapterian in a bid to have her failed election result overturned and prompt a byelection in the country’s most marginal seat. However, there is increasing concern from some within the Liberals that a court challenge would be a risk financially and politically for a party trying to recover from a devastating federal election loss which reduced its seat count in NSW to six. Polling also shows successful teal candidate Nicolette Boele would increase her primary vote if Bradfield voters were forced back to the polls in a byelection.

Update: 14/07/2025: Liberals Challenge Bradfield Seat Result.
Liberal candidate for Bradfield Gisele Kapterian has ended weeks of speculation and will on Tuesday appeal against the election outcome in the once blue-ribbon North Sydney seat.

Update: 13/08/2025: Court Case Begins.

Ms Kapterian’s legal challenge in the Court of Disputed Returns began on Friday 8th August, with Chief Justice Stephen Gageler referring the trial to the Federal Court in NSW.
“The trial will primarily be concerned with the formality of in excess of 150 disputed ballot papers,” he said.
The ballot papers will now be re-examined to ensure all numbers were legible.

Update: 22/08/2025: Legal Teams Given Access the Disputed Ballot Papers.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/no-photos-no-copies-the-strict-rules-for-792-ballot-papers-produced-in-the-battle-for-bradfield-20250822-p5mp1c.html

Update: 25/09/2025: It’s over: After 145 days, the MP for Bradfield has been decided.

Liberal hopeful Gisele Kapterian has conceded defeat in Bradfield more than four months after the federal election, abandoning a court challenge over the validity of 151 ballot papers. Kapterian, who has a junior shadow cabinet position on hold for her in Canberra, said it was clear that the correct result had been declared and teal MP Nicolette Boele was rightly elected to the once-blue-ribbon Liberal seat in Sydney’s north.

Anzac Day 2025

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

 

Bushfire Hazard Reduction / Burn Piles

Australia is very bushfire prone.

Every year authorities perform hazard reduction burns in state forests, national parks and other bushland, mainly during late autumn, winter and early spring.

Land owners are encouraged to do the same.

During the critical bushfire season, September to March, land owners require a permit to burn.

They have very strict requirements.

From April to August you have to advise the local fire authorities of dates between which you intend to burn and give neighbours 24 hours notice.

This prevents false alarms and unnecessary fire brigade call-outs.

Here were do simple wood pile burns where fallen timber is collected during the year reducing the fuel load should a fire come through the property.

There are still some strict requirements .

Hazard reduction burns have many times got away and turned into major fires.

We experienced one from a neighbour behind us in 2009.

Burn piles should be constructed according to Rural Fire Service guidelines (see below).

You have to be aware of weather conditions that may negatively affect the behaviour of the fire.

It is necessary to have suitable tools readily available to control a ‘runaway’ eg. rake, hoe, backpack sprayer.

The fire needs to be attended at all times.

The fire needs to be completely doused before being left.

RFS legal process officers can issue cautions and fines where permit conditions are breached or fires cause damage to others properties.

Winter Firewood Delivery

It’s that time of year again.

We always get in early before the order rush begins.

Ordered 10am, delivered 2pm.

A shout out to Gardenhaven Nursery whose service never wavers.

Same price as last year too!

And excellent quality well seasoned eucalyptus hardwood.

Was a lot to put away but only took a couple of hours a day over 3 days.

Used it as part of my fitness campaign.

Usually we don’t need fires until well into May.

Even now it’s been a summer like autumn.

Today was 28℃ as an example.

The Currowan Fire / Five Year Anniversary

A few days ago was the five year anniversary of the extinguishing of the Currowan bushfire.
The fire started on November 25, 2019 from a lightning strike and went on to kill three people, destroy hundreds of homes and burn through 500,000 hectares (1.25million acres).
People lived with the threat of this fire until mid February 2020.

We were evacuated for a week but our home was saved due to the bravery of the men and women of the NSW Rural Fire Service with flames coming to within a meter of our house. We lost fences, a machine shed and all our beautiful bushland, since mostly recovered.
The smell of smoke still haunts us and our neighbours today.

The Gateway sculpture on Ulladulla harbour commemorates this disastrous event.

Australia Day 2025

Australia Day, 26 January, is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove, in 1788.

This was the beginning of the British colonisation of Australia and the dispossession of country of the original inhabitants who had been here for at least 65,000 years.
We take no part of any celebration of this day in solidarity with our indigenous population.

Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a neurological disorder that results in slowly progressive weakness and loss of feeling in the legs and arms. 

It is caused by the body’s immune system inappropriately reacting against and damaging myelin. 

Myelin surrounds the peripheral nerves and acts like an insulator so that the nerves can conduct impulses properly.
CIDP can occur at any age and in both sexes, but is more common in men than women.
Symptoms include tingling, numbness or altered feeling which often begins in the feet and hands, weakness of the arms and legs, fatigue and aching pain in the muscles.

Because CIDP is rare, it’s often hard to correctly diagnose the disease, at least at first. 

Healthcare providers can confuse its symptoms with those of GBS (Guillain Barre Syndrome) because of the similarity between the diseases. If symptoms last longer than 8 weeks, a provider may suspect CIDP.

After taking a medical history and doing a physical and neurological exam, a healthcare provider may do two or more tests to confirm a diagnosis. These may include:

-Blood and urine tests.
-A nerve conduction study and an electromyogram to look for myelin damage in peripheral nerves. This involves using mild electrical currents to test nerve and muscle function and response.
-A lumbar puncture to see if levels of certain proteins related to the disease are higher than normal. 

To do this, a small needle is inserted into the back and a small amount of the fluid that surrounds the spinal cord (cerebrospinal fluid) is withdrawn.
-A nerve biopsy to look at microscopic changes in the nerves. This test is rarely done.
-MRI may show inflammation of the nerve roots. The roots are the part of the nerve where it branches off from the spinal cord.

Video:

https://www.csl.com/we-are-csl/vita-original-stories/2024/video-the-science-behind-cidp

Treatment for CIDP is aimed at suppressing the immune system. 

First line treatment is usually with intravenous immunoglobulin.

If this is not available, plasmapheresis (plasma exchange) or oral medications which suppress the immune system such as steroids may be used.

Physiotherapy may improve muscle strength, function and mobility, and minimise the development of contractures.

The course of CIDP varies widely among individuals.
Some may have a bout of CIDP followed by spontaneous recovery, while others may have many bouts with partial recovery in between relapses. 

The disease is a treatable cause of acquired neuropathy and initiation of early treatment to prevent loss of nerve cells is recommended. 

However, some individuals are left with some residual numbness or weakness. 

More information:

The Klim Foundation

The Klim Foundation CIDP Handbook 

The Sound of an Australian Summer / Cicadas

Back in the late spring of 2020 I posted about cicadas.

This summer season they’ve been very loud for months.

Experts have put it down to the wet winter season resulting in a mega hatching.

It’s a background noise most Australians are used to.

This year it seems to come in waves, going from virtually silent to a crescendo and back to silence.

Very unusual.

Some Australian Cicadas

Australia’s Christmas Beetles

There are 35 species of Christmas Beetles all of which are unique (endemic) to Australia with 21 species found in New South Wales. 

At least 10 species occur in the Sydney region, more if the Blue Mountains west of the city are included.
They are also found in forests and woodlands in other parts of southern and eastern Australia.
Anoplognathus viriditarsis is the largest of the Sydney Christmas beetles.
They have vibrant colours and the adults emerge close to the Christmas period.

The beetles come into Sydney from surrounding woodland where the adults feed on eucalyptus leaves and the larvae feed on grass roots.
In the past adults occurred in large numbers, sometimes completely defoliating trees.

But where have they gone?
I didn’t see one this year or in recent years for that matter.
It has been reported that total number of Christmas Beetles in the Sydney area has declined over the last 3 decades as the grassy woodland areas get used up for housing.
Sadly a sign of the times for our native wildlife inhabitants.