Third Time's a Charm

2014

2015

2016

It's that time of year again. When the public converges on Cottesloe beach to witness "culture".

It just wouldn't be right if I didn't bring my readers my third annual Sculpture by the Sea.

Besides, 3 is supposed to be a lucky number.

The crowds were the same. 

The comments were the same.

(little boys saying "but that's just a pile of dirt, it's not art")

The beach was the same. 

The sculptures were different.

The hits this year, as rated by the amount of people taking photos were...

 A bulldozer

A cave made out of books

Some ribbons in the sky

The silver van complete with its resident storyteller

There were the more realistic sculptures 

And plenty of more abstract sculptures

And after three years, this is still my favorite sculpture of all...

A Flammable Country

This week was the official start of Autumn in Australia. Soon the 40C and 35C degree days will become sparse, and before you know it, we'll have rain again. Which will mean an end to bushfire season. But that's not until May. Because Australia is flamable. Seriously. Gum trees are "Gasoline trees". They thrive in bushfire environments.

You pretty much can only have a campfire between May and September. The even have fire rating signs. During a total fire ban, even tradies can't use tools with sparks, so when a power line went down in Mundaring during a total fire ban, everyone was without electricity to power their air conditioners.

The beginning of this 2016 bushfire season saw a devastating fire south of Perth in January. It wiped out the entire town of Yarloop. 121 homes completely gone.

This is a before and after image.

But a few weeks ago, the threat was a bit closer. From our office windows, we could see smoke billowing over the treetops.  Luckily no one was hurt, but they evacuated a school and a retirement complex.

We even got an email about it at work.

It was a bushfire in my favorite urban bushland. The ones I discovered and walk or run through once a week on the way to work.

My white gum trees with green leaves, home to black cockatoos and kookaburras, are now turned brown.

It's a bit ironic that firework season coincides with bushfire season with fireworks almost every night from my window.

And I'll be enjoying the last hot days of early autumn when there are no bushfires and plenty of water...