Fire Update 7th December 2009

I haven't been far from home for obvious reasons tonight. Though this afternoon I visited Jims  at the end of Towners Road, the fire was fairly close  but only observed the edge of the thick smoke coming off the strong North North Easterlies. He had made a lot of preparations just in case as he was alone. While we chatted a few dead ash embers drifted down. After I left later I heard from another neighbour that he was starting to get live embers falling, luckly the wind has dropped a bit. The smoke at home has been a lot more bareable than just a little further East and West where it is stinging the eyes and turning headlights into white glowing balls of light.

A brigade truck is continually patrolling slowly up and down Towners road, possibly looking for any spotting. As the fire is due North of here I will stay up until 3:00am and then let the misses take over. It even looks like I might not get to work Tomorrow.... wait and see! At this stage it looks like we might be missing the worst situations, luckily for us, but anthing could yet happen. It is so dry around here the marshes ar tinder dry and the undergrowth in those areas are dead or dormant dry, even the mosses and reeds.

I have heard a bit of hearsay that the fire is not really threatening the area around Sliprails Road. This is the area wfor us to worry about most as that would give the fire front a diect path to reach us with the current winds.

When I drove home at 5:30pm this arvo the rubber-neckers were out in force parked along the sides of Clothiers Creek Road drinking beers and watching the three helecopters waterbombing to save the houses in Tanglewood. It hasn't been confirmed but I was told that none were lost.

The 2 other close loacl fires, Eviron Road and Depot Road I know very little about, except what Marks' misses told me as she was on the way to dropping here kids off at there granparents for safety and that the Eastern smoke plume is from the Depot Road/Camp Wollumbin area.

A Family Day Out

Lots of short rides this last week, a few rides up to the water tower in cabba on the youcan, waddle up to Cabba Cycles along the back track, a few dawdles down the track taking the dogs for a run. A trip to do some fishing down the creek, and one loop on the cypress etc

But today didn't involve riding. I took the family, including grubs boyfriend, to Chowan waterhole for a bit of a swim but there was someone there meditating, camping by the look of it, (who didn't even bother doing anything other than turning their head slightly to acknowledge our presence, quite creepy and eerie) so we went off to Hell Holes. The walk down along Middle Ridge Road was pleasant and the return walk took only 3/4 of an hour!

We made it the end without too much difficulty. There we had our lunch and a swim even though there was only a trickle in the creek. The shrubs along the banks are showing a lot of drought stress, if they don't get a few downpours soon they will mostly be dead! Hope a fire doesn't get started there! At 3:30 we began the walk back to the car.

We returned via the old Uncle Toms Pies servo on a now freeway bypassed section of the Pacific Highway consuming a milkshake and quite a lousy pie, wont be doing that again.

A pleasant day all up.

Todays eXtra

Even with today's dust, west wind and lack of humidity there was still some idiots about. Today was a total fire ban in the area with only 25% humidity and high westerly winds at around school's out time this afternoon there was a fire started on the corner of Round Mountain Road and Coast Road in the Cudgera Nature Reserve.... luckily the firees were able to contain it responding with three engines very quickly. (Joy-ann rang me at work in Tweed to let me know).

What else will we see happen over the current school holiday period? Queenslanders, not that I blame them, are already tented up at Hastings Point and there is only another week and a half to go until the N.S.W ones begin!

"Idle hands are the devils workshop"

At Last - Relief

Issued at 10:56 pm Thursday, 1 January 2009.

Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce large hailstones, very heavy rainfall, flash flooding and damaging winds in the warning area over the next several hours. Locations which may be affected include Lismore, Murwillumbah, Byron Bay, Ballina, Casino and Kyogle.

Tonight's Storm might provide some relief from the thick hot air we have been swimming in the last few days. This storm looks to be a bit different as it's driving in from the North West, so it is unlikely to come dropping a cool Southerly Change and a chance to ride with only a normal supply of water! That will come in the next couple of days, hopefully. It reminds me of the build-up to the wet in Far Nth Qld, drip, drip, drip of your sweat and the ting, ting, ting as the ceiling fan rotates providing the only baby breath of a breeze... I'd hate to be any further from the coast than we are this week!

The lightning and low rumbling is now turning into strong flashes and ground shaking cracks so I might as well get outside and take in natures own New Years Eve spectacle.

Updated:

Issued at 12:28 am Friday, 2 January 2009.

Severe thunderstorms are no longer occurring in NSW and the ACT.

All in all so far a bit of a fizzer for us.... but for some, a weatherzone forum storm chaser named Bodie, got this picture at Kilcoy



and the day after another got this one of the magnificent sunset

C Usual Comment's Attack overnight

Just for a record I'm posting the attacks by spam bots last night, this is the usual crap that the system has to stop otherwise all I would be doing is deleting viagra ads all the time.... so the preventative measures i have in place are working, so far...

Host: 82.215.135.141
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Host: s0106001bb9bc6fc9.wp.shawcable.net
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Host: 58.241.255.38
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they always seem to originate in the usual place, the USA, and then migrate to the Asian bot servers, only occassionally are they from "local" Australian bot servers.

It's a pain in the ass but I think it exemplifies all things within the whole of society (world or local) where many cretans consider they have the right to scam "the system" and so they take, take, take whatever they can, selfish in the extreme, consideration for others zilch zip zero nil... Explanation? I've Got none.

Ignoring, allowing or being a party to inflicting anything onto an unwilling individual soul can only lead to a pretty crap society to live in, as all members will at some point become the victim.  Great heh?, i like having something to look forward to!

A Day Catching Up...

Didn't ride today, unusually! I did manage to get a few tasks completed in the yard and shed which have been on the "todo list" for a while so it was to be a leisure paced day with a few items crossed off the list and a couple of others added, as usual... maintain the status quo

I have a couple of plumbing connections to pick up this week so will see about riding to South Tweed and make a visit to bunnings on the Shogun tomorrow if work commitments allow.

Still Shovelling.....

Well I have finally managed to sieve two of the 8x10 cubic metre truckloads of the Terranora Red. Completed building the first stage of the vegie garden and planted it out... started with seedlings this time mainly as it is a little late to plant seeds for most crops... But have not managed any rides of any length this week... the energy and need has not been there. My arms, especially, as well as the rest of the body aches and groans. The hot weather has also been difficult wearing long trousers and long sleeve shirts in the full sun to ward off any more photosensitivity. I have found usng my bike gear (actually long sleeve ice-hockey shirt) to be the best alllowing the perspiration to evaporate rather than drench me!

Picked up an ALDI Tronica Wireless Cycling Computer for $20.00 for the Shogun. I will see how this very cheap computer holds up and post again later about it!

I will ride a couple of short 10km commutes tomorrow on the Cypress and  maybe a lop to finish off the day. I will post again after the outcome is clear and therefore more concise.

Too much digging!

Well, the last few days has seen me only put together some small commutes for computer system repairs and some of the standard training loops. All the earth moving through the sieve by shovel has created a rather stiff upper back and neck. 50kms and longer rides have been light on the ground.

The standing around in the sun with shorts and thongs ( Note: sifting soil ) has also seen the remergence of my photosensitvity, especially my feet and lower legs, but thankfully, the Aloe Vera lotion Joyann discovered has been a godsend in relieving the itch!

This means I just might have to get the longer night rides happening once again this year now that the evenings are getting warmer! I noticed last njigts moon came up very late and was quite bright.

I've only got to shovel another 7 truckloads of the Terranora Red and I will be finished creating the new massive vegie garden and also maybe ward off the stiff neck/back? A little each day is a good recipe!

Interested in Yehuda Moon?

Yehuda Moon Comics at the Kickstand

There is a podcast available of a radio interview with the Creator/Writer/Cartoonist Rick Smith. If you are interested the URL is http://kxno.com/podcast/kimwest.xml from "the kim west radio cycling show"

rick smith...yehuda moon...joe...fred...thistle...fizz...the shakers...the bike ninjas...the grail...and all the readers. sunday, september 21, 600 to 700pm, central daylight time.

Cheers

Update: the download is 52mb be forewarned!
Dont have Podcast Software? Try podcast software link at http://www.sitecreations.com/podcast-software-list.html 

If you are interested I use Juice for my Podcast needs, getting ABC etc downloads automatically to listen to/watch at my leisure, derrr!

Bloody Telstra

Ever Since Thursday Afternoon when the Whole of Tweed and the Tweed Coast has been having trouble with their ADSL connections the internet has become unreliable with flaky connections. I have done a couple of onsite service calls. Heard anicdotal evidence and been suffering with the same up/down close up/down yo-yo connection status with the speed nearly halved. When you get on to the tech departments it is always YOUR fault and there is nothing wrong reported at the exchange! Well I am reporting it F#$% they would appear to be a facist corporation. You are guilty we could never be doing anything wrong and so innocent. We will never admit there is a problem, you must have faulty equipment that just happens to work reliably for days and days and then everybodys stuff just breaks at the same time it wasnt us so it must be you. Now Do this basic troubleshooting crap then repeat it 4 or 5 times because thats all we are trained to say!

What? you were expecting a service that you paid us to deliver, na we are allowed to say we provide a service but deliver whatever we feel like, and to keep your complaints falling on deaf ears we employ people in other countries to answer you complaints, we never get to hear them! So we have nothing to deal with,  ipso-facto It's just like the big banks. go somewhere else if you don't like the service! or lack of! We are in the business of making a profit for what was once a public utility company and so F@#& YOU... we no longer are required to serve the community that paid for our creation and development with your taxes. just the shareholders need service and only if they have enough shares to be able to make a noise if they decide to sell! Bring on the bonus for the directors they are doing such a great job give them some more OK

Glad I've got that off my chest, as thats all I can do just hollow blow hard noise.

I was told on thursday after being on the phone for service support that I would have to pay for a tech to come and see what the problem was if it wasn't their fault

Out-a-sorts

Today's ride saw me trundle down to Hastings Headland on the "bitsa"...  what greeted me was an inviting ocean. The swell was clean and mellow, a very, very light ENE blowing, the temperature 24°C... and I thought why not! So rode home and changed into my mothballed "springsuit wetty" and grabbed my much neglected board and rode back down, board under my arm, for a pleasant paddle before riding home again before the temperature began to fall. 20km's in all...

While drying off I watched a couple of whales making their way North for some winter birthing.

tribulations rather than trials

OK OK it's been a while since my last...

Anyway lots have been happening but just some to do with two wheels.

 Lets start after the ride through the tunnel, so long ago.... the Tweed council has had a bi-annual rubbish throw-out and unusually there was no rain during the period of local residents building-up their piles along the side of the roads through out the Tweed Coast. Being a long time "sifter & sorter" of  these treasure troves. I went for a number of rides looking for particular spare parts. My right hip has been playing up a bit lately and I have been thinking (and hope) a smaller frame might help by causing less pain when I am dismounting.

The piles of "trash"  were sprinkled with a large number of badly maintained chain store low end MTB's but at one I noticed a medium/low end Royal Royce-Union Aluminum Frame that might fit the bill. It was kitted with badly worn FIS components and A set of very damaged  RSA front forks (bent backwards to an angle that allowed the old owner to reverse them and ride the bike that way!). Anyway I hoisted it over my shoulder and carried it home, riding the 6km without too much trouble or pain. I also found a pre-loved though now neglected Apollo track bike fitted with "Shimano 600"  thoughout, crank, headset, derailleurs, hubs, selectors and brakes. Even though the frame was very rusty from neglect... It's now taking up some space in the shed... maybe someone might see the beauty of the classic gear... maybe not? but I felt I had to save it from the compactors and the prospect of it becoming just a bit more landfill. If space in the shed becomes an bigger issue with my better half I might have to put it on e-bay for an antique collector to see...

Shit! just lost about 60 lines of drivel after a spellcheck. I cannot be bothered re-typing it and so will post this now. Gawd it happened again! and Again! Now I will need to check out that problem!

OK bugger it was mod_security2

Peak Oil Rant

After downloading my "Push-On",  from "Bicycle NSW", newsletter today I visited the primary site and found an article about Peak Oil and the impending doom - Peak Oil Write Up. Although it was informative it did neglect to state anything concerning the Negative effect of Peak Oil on the bicycle itself! As thee was no-where to comment on the site I will write a tiny comment here.

The bicycle needs the tools and materials that Oil provide. Maybe Hydro, Wind or Solar can replace any Fuels required in welding... but the ludrication and so-named rubber tyres and tubes will need some form of substitution as will ALL the petro-chemical based plastic components (even the loverly lycra).

If Peak Oil == Expensive then the cheap form of transport is still going to increase in relative terms anyway.

I ride a fairly cheap(sic) treadly and so far it is still costing me around $1.50 a day.

ie the bike $400,

some specific clothing $100 (some shorts less than annual, but what are they made of?),

helmet $60(maybe considered a 1 off but what is it made of?)

tools and cleaners etc $50,

service: 5000kms service replace chain and cluster

tyres 4-7000kms $35 each (made from??)

tubes time depends upon luck (made from??) 

service: 10000kms (maybe not in one year but very possible!)

lubricants: might be able to use the sheep for this replacement

What else bid i miss? Well you could add clips/shoes, bags, puncture repair kits, lighting, batteries, cable sheath, wiring, brake pads, etc, the list goes on and on... so many things in our daily lives depend on OIL not just transport I think transppport is such a side issue.... why do you need transport if there is no reason to go to the non-existent workplace or shop for those non-existent goods?

Yes many subsitutes can be created or re-implimented but they are not on the future list of whaat we will be doing.

The future list of things to do only includes the one idea! That is to look for a way to keep things the same as much as possible. That is not going to happen if "Peak Oil is the reality".

Some people go all futuristic and begin discussions of biofuels/natural gas/solar/hydrogen/and god forbid nuclear cars as a replacement for Crude OIL. All possibilities but with great cost -- creation of the fuel, emissions, economy and even transporting it!

The humble bicycle is not immune to the effects of "Peak Oil" nor the strangly named "Climate Change" group of effects (global warming, distruction of Ozone layer, distruction of habitats, extinction of species) and those that should be included global village disease (avian flu) and geneticallty modified monotype cropping (anyone remember the movie Soylent Green ?) 

Ok this is enough ranting for today......

Clear Night

Just went outside in the balmy evening (how quaint) and looked towards the dark night sky. It's been a while but tonight the sky is crystal clear, not even a pale ring around the Waxing Crescent (increasing quarter) Moon. There is the slightest hint of a westerly breeze whispering through the nearby tree's branches and leaves keeping the temperature above 22 C but unusually no other sounds- no ocean, no cars or any sounds of the usual night life. Just peace and quiet. A sign of more of the same to come I suppose before the onset of the late Spring afternoon and evening thunderstorms with all the associated night life of mosquitoes, beetles, crickets and of course the onslaught of the bogon moths and the creatures that eat them.

That Bad Tooth

I have decided that an MIA post is appropriate here. To get the Tsunami Warning off the Front page and to let my reader (sic) know that I am not dead yet.
Well the tooth is gone now but not it's effects. Noel, my dentist but we can't show you his face on television,  used his drill today (that is Friday over a week ago) to find out the state of the tooth. With no Anesthetic he ground down through a pre-existing filling into the dentine. No pain! I hardly felt anything at all (rubbing knuckles along the ground for effect), where as I  should of been writhing in complete agony like the wuss I am at the Dentist's. OK only left with  2 choices...

1. Root canal  therapy on the 4 nerve root stems of this particular tooth, taken over 6-8 months of visits with a fiscal payment to match and yet no guarantee of success can be given.

or

2. A week of pain and permanent disfigurement having the tooth extracted.

Only 1 of these options has a semi-guaranteed successful outcome (more like a warranty ), the extraction. Except he did quietly mention that the tooth next to it may have dramas, and something else in the way of complications a possible 'dry socket' and all it's associated dramas.
So be it! Begone! I sat in the chair for a bit of  tug-o-war with Noel being held down by the dental nurse with the strength of Hercules and hands as gentle as any mothers.

Now having done "nothing in the way of exertion" for at least 48hours so no riding working ahem!, until Sunday Night, if everything goes as it should, ie no bleeding and no "complications" I hoped by the end of 7days that all would be well. That was yesterday. So the (self-made) prognosis is good! I have managed to get onto the saddle a few times now, usually late in the arvo when it has been cooler and I think might keep the exertion level down! But the HR tends to be higher than usual, up around 150 bpm and peaking up at 177 bpm on my usual training circuit. 

I have still used my time productively though without performing the usual Spring House and Garden tasks make "physical exertion" a hard thing to avoid.  Sitting down programing and TV watching have been of varied interest during the four days of Antibiotics and strong pain relief and suckable non-sticky food.

I will now try to not mention my teeth again until something NEW rears it's ugly head, Ah! the pleasures of getting older something for the youthful reader to look forward too.

"Look after your teeth. You only get one chance!" said my mum when I was young, makes me think I should of listened closer and those quick and frequent overnight and longer short excursions should of always involved taking a bit of paste and a brush in my wallet. Ahhhhh....., past mistakes!

So much not to do with 2 wheels

Today started unusually, I was up and on site before 8:30am, extraordinary. Used our "Fire Permit" on Sunday afternoon to get rid of all the debris from the Strange August weather we have had. It required me or somebody else, but I couldn't find them when I was looking for them, to watch the fire all night, yes all night! to ensure no embers escaped into the surrounding bushland. So not much in the way of sleep and this was added to the throbbing pain I was in from the inflamed Molar. (It started to become noticeable on Friday night while I was "chewing" some nicotine gum and steadily got worse throughout the weekend of course while the dentist was unavailable). Thankfully, the dentist could fit me in for an emergency appointment at 3:00pm, so working was the smart thing to do to keep my mind off the pain until I could see him.

I was willing to get it pulled. He has other ideas. Take the antibiotics until next week and see if it starts to get better. Sorry, but I've been here before, It will be painful and promising results can only be given a 50/50 chance of success. Ah but I won't get another chance to save the tooth, I have decided not to get root canal therapy on this tooth... If I did it would be 4 teeth getting root canal therapy in the last 18mths..... Shit! I don't need this at the moment!....