Thanks to friends in the Canberra Ocean Racing Club, lucky me spent last week on sailing in Tasmania, along the coastline south of Hobart. There, our motley crew enjoyed visiting quaint coastal villages and relished maximums in the 20s, cool nights, fresh air and glorious rain. We were hoping the welcome raindrops were also falling at home.
Alas, our experience was a far cry from those of family, friends and colleagues here in Canberra where the smokewave intermittently continues to blanket the capital, bushfires burn along the outskirts, and a freak storm with hailstones the size of golf balls cut a swathe across the city, damaging property and thousands of cars. As Dorothea Mackellar penned early last century, our wide brown land is indeed one of contrasts, of droughts and flooding rains, beauty and terror. I hope you’re managing to stay safe and to cope with the ups and downs of this extraordinary, record-breaking summer. As the ACT remains in a State of Alert, be sure to be prepared and also to take much-needed downtime when possible.
Reasons to be grateful this past week include, first and foremost, the firefighters and emergency services personnel and volunteers who continue their seemingly tireless efforts to assist communities near and far, a refreshing holiday in charming Tassie, fair weather, good food, great company and new experiences.
