Warm days and fires!

Over the past few days and especially today there have been bush fires in the State of Victoria, Australia  (across Bass Strait from Launceston) with loss of homes, and still going strong. Here in Tasmania in some areas there has been uncontrollable fires, all now under control thank goodness.
Temperatures in some areas in the State of Victoria, Australia were 41degC (105.8) today with gusty winds and of course the winds changing. We here in Tasmania experienced similar but not quite as hot. We had a few spits of rain later this afternoon and now the sun is shinning.

Today was the Hobart Cup a horse race, it was postponed due to the high winds, and from news reports many a roof was lost and blown onto a Highway and surrounding areas in Hobart which is about 200km (124miles) down south from Launceston.
Down south a man lost his life when a tree hit his car and killed him whilst the wild storm was passing through.

 A bit of debris at the venue of the Hobart Cup today.

Keeping Cool!

It's a warm day today. It's 35 degC (F 95).
I got up at 5am when it was cooler and did the vacuuming, ironing, cooking, then the dusting. Didn't have to iron many things, but was getting a bit behind with the normal housework. It's all done for a day or two.

So what do we do in warm weather!
Many people go to the beach, and being on an island we are at no point less than 250km from the sea, apparently, but there may not be a beach there, or the sea may not be safe.
Other's go shopping to A/C.
Some sit under a shady tree in a park, or sit in the shade of a breeze way.
There are some people who put their feet in a bucket of ice, and the list goes on, what ever you have to do to keep your body cool, that is what you do.

In this house we turn the A/C on which is fortunately ducted to each room, and I have that set on 25 degC (F 77), I don't like it any cooler, I like to know it's summer.
Went outside, the pavement is extremely hot, would burn your bare feet, and could easy cook an egg on the pavement.
Tasmania is a bad place for burning the skin, so we are advised to cover up and or use sunblock as most of Australia.

Before it became too warm this morning our youngest grandchild came for a visit, I captured this photo of her.  In a few months she will be 2 years of age.

View in the morning!

Wonderful to wake up with the sun shining in the bedroom window, and looking out to the Agapanthus blooming, then looking down to the water lilies in the fish pond.  

The smell of fresh warm air is a delight.

So this is the view from our bedroom window.