SES general rescue exercise at Coffs Harbour

My SES unit (Corindi) was invited to Coffs unit for a GR (General rescue) exercise - a large scale industrial accident. This is the scenario we got (was random, victims scattered around). The bad news for Jeff (team leader) was that we couldn't use chainsaws (Jeff loves chainsaws). It turned out to be one of the toughest - made worse because of a mis communication that we didn't bring our own gear so had to beg hard and long to get anything. We did get him down but it took a long time. I think we learned a lot and I hope I never have to do it in real life (but I hope I have learned enough that I can help).

Winter Garden

 Bed 1 - garlic chive, red potato second generation from Bunnings seed (turns out they sprouted too soon), a rogue tomato, leeks, bunching onion and cabbage.

 Bed 2 replanted onion, coriander, um rogue tomato, capsicum at back. Recently cleared out Chia self seeded, collected some seed.

 Bed 3 Tomato (2 shop bought = mistake can't take frosts), old silverbeet, old corn, a punnet of sweet peas on left side (not visible).

 Bed 4 Perennial bed - Cut down asparagus (one out of synch plant still sending up shoots), strawberries, invisible perennial basil, hopefully aloe vera still alive and rhubarb at the back.  

 Bed 5 Mostly new - carrots, broccoli, silver beet, onion, leek, basil going to seed, and 3 cabbage seedlings.

Front celery from last year (never looked like shop celery), relic silver beet x 2; old dying roma tomatoes.

Phone land line

The trench has been dug and phone line laid though still need to get a boring crew out to bore along the verge to the nearest pit on my neighbours place. I'm planning to get incoming calls only. I also have a new mobile (same number) because all the senior SES guys have gone away this week so I'm duty officer and had to get reception inside the cabin. Of course my old mobile couldn't work with the antennae. I was told it was a $30/month plan, $20 of calls and $10 for the flash touch phone, however just got my bill for the first 7 days of calls, plus $35 for the next month and its $56. Will have to chase it up because it's not what I was sold. I've been unwell for 10 days now - I thought it was food poisoning but its not getting better so heading into Grafton hospital to get it checked out.

Fish and chips

Cathy and William waiting for fish and chips at Yamba.

Shed and Vinnie moved

A neighbour (Rod) wanted to buy my shipping container and as part of the deal poured a new slab next to the house and moved my 3m x 3m shed over. He has done a great job - nice and high, with plastic liner so hopefully it will be alot drier - on the wood floor it was always completely damp. He also dragged Vinnie the camper van over next to the house. I've had a busy time emptying out the huge amount of mostly junk (like 2+ years of recycle rubbish) out of the shipping container.

Storms and snake

Have had a lot of stormy weather - Saturday Coffs got hit by high winds, blew the roof off several houses (including one 92 yr old from a caravan cabin who rang 000 and turned up at emergency on Cathy's shift - nothing acute medically just no roof). Corindi got asked to assist so I turned up at Coffs SES but the rest of the team only got part way before they got jobs in upper Corindi - lots of trees down which took them hours. I headed up to meet them but Paul rang to say duty phone wasn't working so instead I headed to unit to take  calls (didn't get any).

On Monday there were more scattered storm cells - one skirted right by my place and went on to knock trees down on the highway at Halfway Creek. I went out on verandah to call back Paul about possible chainsaw jobs in Coffs in time to see a python disappearing into grass from under the cabin. I think I better do some grass cutting.

 The arrowhead is flowering in the bathtub.

 A pretty moth on my broom handle.