Sudokuaholics Anonymous 7

I know you are out there somewhere and waiting to steal the TOPP.

Heidi, I agree wholeheartedly with Mamacita. I suspect I would be raging at the world right now, and you are off doing what has to be done. Your posts sound unbelievably positive. I will borrow Mamacita's imaginary hat and take it off to you too.

Hehe Tami! Good TOPP! I was too busy typing. My brain is in slow mo this morning and I couldn't find words - so I stole/borrowed Mamacita's...

I agree Suzy, If I were Heidi, I probably would have given up a long time ago. She is one tough woman to put up with everything going on right now. Susan is tough also. I would not want to have to clean up after a flood either. Makes me appreciate what I have.

Suzy, If you have time, we can chat on MSN.

Susan, the same goes for you as for Heidi. Faced with the prospect of more flooding, you head off to the shops and celebrate dry clothes. Amazing! Theoretical hat off to you too!

Tami, not logged in yet, give me a mo...

There's not much good in raging at the Fates. I have to look at anything positive that I can. I do want a good night's sleep, though. I couldn't sleep last night. My tummy was acting up from stress.

I don't think Pepto would be enough to deal with that kind of stress either Heidi! I hope tonight is better.

Heidi, hope your tummy feels better today. I really hope you get a good night's sleep. I know you need it. Keep looking on the bright side.

Got up to bring the paper in because it was raining.
Big mistake...the rain promptly stopped!!
Mama... well said. I second everything you said and take my hat off to you for be able to put that so succinctly...
My brain feels like mush today...too much heat...back to bed for an hour or so...catch you all later.

WE NOW HAVE RUNNING WATER!!!!! And it's running where it's supposed to run. We have to leave some of the holes in the wall open to let the sheetrock dry out, but I can live with that.

At least 25 people have died in the Victorian bushfires, they're saying it could actually be 40, guessing that's including missing persons.

That sounds like the death toll here in Kentucky, Suzy. Horrible. I think fire might be worse than freezing or carbon monoxide poisoning.

Suzy...I am glued to the paper....there are no words to describe my feelings right now...

http://www.theage.com.au/national/day-of-horror-as-inferno-rages-20090207-80fs.html?page=1

A lot of these areas are part of our urban sprawl [Kinglake etc.]

There are few things that make me cry these days, this is one of them...

I have the Australian open, will switch to the Age as a Victorian paper would be more appropriate

As I have been watching the news of the bushfires in Victoria, my thoughts are with those who have lost family and homes.
Devastated to hear that the townships of Kinglake and Marysville have all but been wiped out. Shocking.

Reading about the wild fires down under. Is any leaving near them? I hope not

Oh no...haven't read about Marysville yet...this is such heartbreaking news...bloody hell...
My brother lives just north-east of Yea...anxious time for him.
My sister was trying to traverse the disaster struck area yesterday...traveling from Warrandyte to Swan Hill...was greatly relieved to hear that she had made it safely. It is dangerous enough driving in that heat without the roads being cut by fire. All those people killed trying to escape the fires by car...

Fertree Gully is a bit close to you Gail....were you getting embers? Ash Wednesday we were getting pretty nasty fallout here in town but not yesterday...I can smell it tho on the breeze....

Tami, our area is sort of surrounded by the fires in two directions but because of the direction of the winds, we were alright here but on very high alert. They are about 30kms as the crow flies from us. The scariest thing about it is the embers and the distances they are travelling. Embers fell into the outer suburbs of Melbourne and started a grass fire that moved so quickly that a housing subdivision was caught unawares and three houses were lost there.

In all, at this time, 400 houses have been lost in many areas and 25 people are confirmed dead.

No Bean, no embers here from Ferntree Gully, no winds at all.
Yesterday was extremely frightening. We were checking the fire incident site all day and keeping abreast of where the nearest fires were. We were clouded in smoke but the winds were so fast that we were copping the smoke from the Kinglake etc fires. We loaded up the two cars with valuables and keepsakes and got out of the area at about 5 last night but returned when the change came through.
As hubby said, selfishly we are glad the winds have turned away from us, but of course that means that other towns are in danger.

I got a call from a friend last night. She lives in Alexandra, a town about an hour away from us and in the path of the fires. She had left the town yeaterday to come and take her children who live in Cockatoo away to a safe area. When she went to return to her town last night, she couldn't get through due to road closures. She came back and slept here last night, but left this morning to try and find a way back to her town. She has been advised to use an alternate route which will take her about three hours to get home, but if she doesn't, she was told that it could be days before she will be able to get home.
She is in my thoughts and I hope to hear from her soon to know that she is safe.

Gail, thinking of you and your friend. I hope everything works out. It was my mom who posted earlier.

Oh Gail, what an awful night you have had. I don't know what to say about your friend. All this is leaving me speechless - and you know how rare that is!

Suzy, you speechless?? never.

What a nightmare there! Isn't there any way to prevent these fires? And I think of the poor wildlife that can't escape.

Just sold 6 young ewes.... 2 of which were visibly pregnant.

Watching the updates on TV, and crying. Heidi, how do you prevent idiots from starting fires? Some are started by lightning, too many by people either deliberately or by carelessness.

I was thinking about having strips of land bare of brush to serve as fire breaks. I know in California now they're starting to use goats and hair sheep to clear areas of brush for fire control.

we get fires near me also but not quite as bad. I find it hard to imagine being so close. just watched the video on a link that Suzy sent me.

Thank you Trouble's Mom. Sorry, with your same avatars, I got very confuzzed! As if that would be hard!.

Suzy, I was very choked up when I was watching the news too. Tears were rolling down my cheeks.

Heidi, a huge question to answer. I will have to give it a lot of thought. The problem yesterday was the weather, very extreme high temps with gale force winds blowing at 70-100kms an hour, so no-one had any control over those conditions.

What link was that Tami?

To all the Victorians caught up anywhere near the fires - my thoughts go out to you - what a tragedy. I know the area well having lived near Whittlesea back in the '80's, a lot of my rellies came from Yan Yean & around that area & to those in Nth Qld hope the water resides sooner than later. God works in mysterious ways - fires one end of the country - floods the other

http://www.theage.com.au/national/day-of-horror-as-inferno-rages-20090207-80fs.html

You know the area well then Lee. The fire north of Melbourne is called the Murrindindi Mill fire. It stretches from Kilmore through to Healesville. Even though it is a lot of spot fires, they have grouped it all together and called it one.

Right, thanks Suzy, I had looked at that already.