50 dead 640 houses lost/ burned

That's the word right now 5pm Sunday..there will be more.

Devastating.

We have good friends who live up where the fires are, but we are powerless to do anything.
We are asked not to block the phone networks so we don't ring them, but feel terrible about that.
But we could do nothing for them anyway, they can't get out and we can't get in.
So while we know we can't help and comfort ourselves with that knowledge, we just want to let them know we are thinking of them, praying for them.

But we can't.

Weather in Victoria is always capricious. Interstaters reckon we can have 4 seasons in one day and its true. Yesterday I was sitting in the car dripping with sweat. Today I was sitting in the car dripping from rain. And I was cold.

I'd been on a 2 hour ride along Beach Road. As usual there were loads of cyclists out. The smell of smoke was occasionally very strong. It was very windy and the rain was hard..it stung. The drops were huge and dust laden. I had to shorten my 1st 20 minutes effort by 3 minutes as I rode into the rain and I couldn't see through my glasses, the rain was so hard and into my face. I turned and then made the next effort a 40 minute one.

After the ride I went to work to sort out a problem with our TRAC team flags but didn't stay long as ALL my fingers and thumbs developed a pins and needles type feeling. This has to be either a spinal problem or a vascular one. The spinal option was too bizarre and it just had to be cos I was suddenly so cold. Putting my hands on my thighs confirmed my hypothesis...they were freezing. I needed to get out of my cold/wet clothes and quickly.

Home, change, food and then bed for a Nanna nap. I've just gotta have time off work this week, I'm getting far too tired. And NO! its NOT cos of the training(!) its the heat and TRAC

Crazy, crazy days.

Thanks to all of you who've emailed me your concern is much appreciated.