"When are you going to blog again?" asks a friend via email. It's their polite way of reminding me to get off my duff, keep my promise, and post more regularly. Simple enough, so why is it so hard? Like many of you, I fight the battle of perfectionism. I automatically assume that y'all are not going to be interested in my boring everyday life. Oh sure, at first those trips to the grocery store were interesting, because I had to drive on the left side of the road to get there, there were new items like vegemite and "tasty" cheese, and new names to learn like prawns and scotch fillet. but the novelty has worn off and I need new material.
In the absence of the perfect story, I resort to the weather. We've all had our fair share of it recently. I 've read with fascination the Facebook posts about snow and ice in Houston,
Schools destroyed. This used to be a kitchen.
Rescuing beloved pets
and people. This woman was rescued further downstream.
and in Perth we are recovering from severe bush fires in the hills.
not to mention tropical storms Vince and Yasi in our area, and the snowstorms crunching England and the east coast of the U.S. Thankfully we have been spared any tragedy from these events. The worst to happen was a little smoke in the air from the winds which blew the bushfires out of control.
One of the largest fires was caused accidentally, by a resident of the area. He was an off-duty police officer who was using an angle grinder (a massive power tool that cuts through cement and metal) in his front yard. He should have known better since (a) it was windy and (b) there was a ban on using any tools which could carry a spark. Moments later the sparks caught fire and over 70 houses burned to the ground. A warrant was issued for his arrest and he could face a $25,000 fine or up to 12 months in jail.
I saw Australian culture in action as the story unfolded. The man whose actions started the blaze did not know he was the cause at first. The fire spread quickly and his own home was in danger. He and his family fought hard to save their own house from burning down. when he realized what had happened, he became extremely upset about it. He disappeared for a couple of days but turned up at a police station to be interviewed. He will face a formal hearing on march 15th.
Water cooler talk is varied. Some people think the man should have to pay for all the damage he caused, or at least serve jail time. But fellow residents in his community have spoken up for him and asked that he not be charged. Their attitude is that "he did a stupid thing but he shouldn't have to go jail for it." It could have been any one of them. Haven't we all done something really stupid at one time or another (you don't have to raise you hand)? Compassion and forgiveness from his neighbors, who were still cleaning up the mess and wondering whether their insurance would cover the damage. Food for thought: faced with a similar situation, how would you react?
