Not a Happy Birthday

Today is my birthday and I won't remember it as a very good one , not because I didn't get any presents or anything like that ( and my girls made the cards and bought me the delightfully colourful footstool), but because I am shocked by the magnitude of the devastation and death toll of the bush fires last Saturday some of which are still continuing to burn. I shall be digging deep to send money and will also donate a quilt to the raffle which will be run by Vic Quilters for the duration of AQC to help raise further funds. Please dig deep if you can afford to- it will take an enormous amount of money to help the people who have lost everything to re-establish themselves, if that is in any way possible given that so many have lost family and friends and their townships.

And if you cannot help in any other way think of doing a rain dance- although Queensland which has had terrible floods would be crying no no - but we desperately need rain here.It keeps on looking as if it might rain but nothing happens.

Also spare a thought to the volunteer firemen, DSE officers and police and their families who have had the dreadful task of dealing with the fires, and then with the clean up- it must be one of the most gruesome and heartbreaking tasks that they will ever deal with, and all the other volunteers who have come to help in any way possible. We are a lucky country that we have people willing to give so much of themselves to help others.I hope that this selflessness will create the fabric for reconstruction with the input of much needed money