Fire Update

So, yesterday proved to be a bit exciting. The fire generating the smoke plume pictured in my last entry got quite a bit closer. Within about 10km, actually. I had a clear view as it came over the ridges around 5pm yesterday.

( Photo below the cut )

No official order was given to evacuate, but there are a couple of traffic choke points that can make getting out of the area difficult when there are a lot of people on the road. We also wanted to make sure we got the dogs to safety. So we left early and headed to the in-laws, a few suburbs away. They'd just made dinner and had enough for us too, bless them. Sahaquiel and I had been too busy packing up to have a proper meal.

We stayed the night. By this morning, the alert had been downgraded from Emergency to Watch and Act. So, we've headed home again for the time being, Sahaquiel staying home from work. When we went to pack up the car at the in-laws place, we found it had a light dusting of ash. We found burnt leaves in the yard and on the stoop when we got home.

Although there's no immediate risk, the fire is still out of control. Temperatures this week are set to climb steadily. Today is expected to reach 35°C/95°F, ramping up to 42°C/106°F on the weekend. So we're not out of the woods yet. I'm monitoring news sources.

But first, a nap. All the fuss left one of our dogs quite anxious (even though he frequently spends time at the in-laws place). He was determined to sleep on my face, so I didn't get a whole lot of sleep either.

Fingers crossed for better luck from here.

Currently Wednesday: 29 January 2020

Current Alert
Woke up from my nap to discover the fire had been further downgraded. This means we can probably breathe easy until the weekend, when conditions are set to be at their most catastrophic. With luck, the fire might be more or less out by then.

Currently Reading
My reading is a bit all over the place at the moment. I started Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell but left that with my evacuation supplies at the in-laws, since it is a giant tome that is a pain in the ass to lug around (maybe I should just give in and buy it again as an e-book).

I have also been dipping into Uncanny Magazine, Issue 20 and Late in the Day: Poems 2010-2014. The latter is by Ursula K. Le Guin and I'm finding them delightfully domestic so far.

On audio, I've been listening to An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield, narrated by the author. This is a little bit motivational-speaker for me, but it has been a fascinating look into the training, mindset and experiences of an astronaut. I found it reassuring to listen to while preparing to evacuate, since it is a lot about preparing for worst-case scenarios (even if they don't eventuate).

Currently Watching
Down to the last three episodes of Love in the Moonlight. I can't say that the heroine has been any less passive. However, I am interested to see how they can possibly wrap everything up in the time they have left.