SUMMER IS HERE
The temperature is climbing. More opportunities are arising and Christmas is coming. In this post, I am talking about our first experience with preparation for evacuation, job opportunities and everything else that happened in the last week.
HEAT AND FIRES
Even though where we’re staying is not particularly high risk for fires, (everything is happening north of us) there are still small fires around here.
On Thursday last week, the temperatures reached 39°C and the winds, 50km/h. This combination is never good. It means that fires are more likely to happen and they spread quickly.
There is an app called VicEmergency that people use to set up their location and get an automatic notifications if a fire appears in the area. It tells you where it is, the size of the fire, whether someone is responding, whether you need to evacuate, and when it’s safe and under control.
Last Thursday, the app alerted us to a fire that was quite close to us, and the wind was blowing our way. We prepared all the dogs, some water and essential things we would want to save like passports and laptops to evacuate and kept an eye on the app. In the end, the alert disappeared so we didn’t have to actually evacuate. The next day we found out it was a false alarm, but it’s better to be prepared.
It is normal for people to have fire bunkers here. It’s a special bunker for people to hide in when it’s impossible for them to evacuate on time. Usually the bunker would be used when there is a fire wave coming which only takes about 10-15 mins to go through.
It was certainly an interesting experience, not a comfortable one. As in Europe, fires are not something that happen as regularly as in Australia, it’s hard to imagine what it feels like for all those victims.
JOBS
It seems like the hardest part will be finding time off, not finding a job.
Charlie and I both work on a farm 3 times a week delivering fruit and vegetables to local businesses. The cherry season is about to start which means we will transition to picking and packing the cherries. The season only lasts about 5 weeks but can possibly earn us 2 or 3 times more an hour than any other job. Fingers crossed, we are good at picking.
We still have to work one person’s full time hours at the place we’re staying at. It’s pretty exciting, we’re turning an old caravan into an office. I am the creative mind trying to figure out where everything will go and Charlie is the technical guru so he makes it happen.
At the weekends I’m helping in a restaurant for a few hours. And on top of that, with any spare time I have, I am preparing to publish my book in about a week. Wow, it already seems hectic and it’s about to get crazy.
We got another offer for occasional help in a cafe, but that depends on how much free time, and extra energy we’ll have. Lol. A few extra one off jobs had appeared in the last week too. Charlie drove a dog back to her owner who is about 5 hours away.
It’s been super busy and it starts to show up on our energy, but it is so much fun to do such a variety of jobs. It really helps to give us time from each job. Everyone here is so friendly which makes everything much more enjoyable. Plus playing with puppies is the best stress therapy.
It’s always about how you approach challenges. You can either feel sorry for yourself or stand up to it and figure out a way to deal with it. I’m so grateful to have Charlie next to me as my teammate in this challenge. I could not ask for a better partner.
What challenges are you going through this season? Let me know on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to hear what’s on your plate right now.
Interesting fact: Rain speeds cherry riping up.
With Love
V
