Where there is smoke

The differences in the days couldn't be more pointed. Sunday started off overcast. By the time I reached the beach it was over 30 degrees. The sea was dead flat. Horses roamed the beach, reined in by their handlers after a quick swim. There was a magic in going into the water which was cooler than air. It took a few minutes to submerge, but once we were in, the calm came. 

By lunchtime, people were hiding from the heat. The roads were deserted. When it gets to that sort of heat, all you can do is hide. Shopping centres, swimming pools, the beach, the movies. Thankfully the high temperatures were only going to stay for a day or so. Adelaide is known for it's hot stretches that last for weeks. 

That night, after a run in with some roast duck, and having trouble sleeping, the first whiffs of smoke came. The fires were not close enough put us in danger, but there presence was unnerving. Making it a little more urgent, family friends staying in a caravan on the front lawn had their son living near the fire front. Thankfully all are fine now, but it was somewhat scary last night. 

So I tossed and turned and waited for sleep to come. 

Yesterday, I drove down to Adelaide, grateful for the change which took the temperature from early forties to the mid-twenties. As I made my way over Sellicks Hill, things changed. The thermometer on the car dashboard rose, setting around 35 degrees. I thanked the god of car manufacturers for standard air condidtioning. 

But what became apparent was the smoke. It wasn't the smoke of last year when half the country was on fire, but it was smoke. My eyes began to itch, my chest began to tighten, and the memories of last year and the horrors of the big fires came back. These fires are now part of the zeitgeist - a whiff of smoke and we're set on edge, hoping whatever is happening will pass quickly. 

By the time I'd met my friend and had lunch, the change had come, rain was gently cooling the streets. The ambient heat stored in the wet asphalt was releasing, making the atmosphere steamy. By the time I reached my sister's place in the hills, it was pelting down. Adelaide receive over an inch of rain in the hour, drowning the fires and getting them contained. 

And life felt a little better again. 

The fires altered my route home, no longer taking the hills route through picturesque towns like Meadows, Echunga and Kuitpo. Instead I travelled through Strathalbyn and joined the freeway at Callington. Easy driving, but not as pretty. At least there were no road closures that way. It's a flat and boring drive. The cat was in his travel cage. I think he preferred straighter route.

I'm back home now. No smoke, thank goodness, but I'm trying to get the heat out of the flat. The cat is back on the windowsill. He seems to have forgiven me for the 10 hours in the car. 

Today's song: