On the up side…

Apropos of  yesterday, this is what our farm looks like now that it is slashed to prevent fires. The word ‘Sahara’ comes to mind.

Bear in mind that 8 weeks ago, this was IRISH green!

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Sheep as safe as we can make them in the home paddock we call the Ski Run.

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When my son delivered a ute load of square bales of hay (24) to the collection centre yesterday, Rebecca White (State labour member for Lyons. Good pics on her https://twitter.com/bec_white link)  almost hugged him, saying, ‘SMALL BALES! Can you spare any more as we have no way of feeding out all the donated round bales on the damaged farms. All machinery is burned.’

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The fact is we have hay to spare, so at 6.30 AM today, OH was at the gate waiting for the large horse-truck that came to collect –

a lady and her father who have horses of their own have donated their own hay as well, and their truck to cart fodder for this initiative.

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They took 80 bales and are collecting another 80 from us tonight.

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Whilst loading, they were telling my husband about human nature – the generosity, the kindness, the belief that ‘There for the grace of the Fates go I’. Of course there are the other less profoundly kind beings, like the horse owner whose property wasn’t burned, whose stock was fine, but who came to get a freeload anyway. The horse owners who are coming in DEMANDING special grains, mixes etc. (like this is a time to be picky!) and the supermarket in a town where trapped residents have existed for almost a week and which gouged its prices ever upward. It just makes you realise that the generous folk are all the more special, doesn’t it?

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They then joined up with all the other providers of water, food, pet supplies, generators, fuel etc. on the Sorell football  oval to head in a police convoy to the Peninsula.

Three cheers for them all!