The first fire of the season broke out in Budgewoi today. It was in the grass and dry eucalypts of the little island at the North end of Budgewoi channel. Near MacKenzie Reserve across that bridge from the Lions Club Park.

I first saw a big black cloud rising from behind houses across the Halekulani Bowling Club. Brett and Shar smelled it before they went out and had a look.

When I went over and looked there were a lot of people milling about this side of the channel while a small grass and scrub  fire was being observed by a couple of police who were yelling a conversation with a group of teenagers back this side while they awaited the Bushfire Brigade’s control efforts to be effective.

It is a small island with little serious woods or tree cover so nobody looked too alarmed although the wind was gusty. As I rode back down the streets it looked like a strange convention of sky- sniffing people.

The worst of the smoke had blown away leaving the streets in a white haze and a lot of people had only just noticed their Saturday football was being interrupted by eye-biting smoke. They were standing about in streets silently looking at the sky. Most of us feel this year has the potential to be a bad one so people are edgy about smoke and ashes falling from the sky!

Of course I had left the spare batteries for the camera at home so it ran out of grunt after three photos. A guess might suppose the fire was started by an arsonist. There is no information available but it may have even been a controlled burn although you would expect some local to know about it. The people along the channel looked concerned as you would expect and with any luck it is out by now

It has been a strange week for spiders as well.

This particular spider was discovered crawling up the back of my leg while I was at the keyboard of my computer.

There was a little tickling sensation. It was ignored until it began to move up the calf of my leg.

I have learned to move slowly when I feel things on my body and not to just reach out and swat them so she was brushed off onto the floor and then captured in a bowl. It didnt seem to fluster her much so she was photographed and placed outside among the bushes by the garage where there is more chance of prey which suits her.

It is the second time she has been in the house. The first she climbed over my hand while I was washing dishes. I figure she must be old because she is huge for a white-tail. 30mm long. She might be old and looking for a safe place to hang out. Maybe she even has some form of spidery old-age dementia, who knows

All in all it has been an interesting week. This bird, a female Butcher bird up turned while the Coors were booming out of the stereo. She visits a lot, usually for a drink or a snack and has often sat and whistled back to me when I have copied her call. This day she went off!

For three whole tunes she sat and chortled,warbled and cackled with the music. She ended up right by the door and the house rang with her calling and the music. It was a wonderful thing to witness.

Eventually she seemed to realize where she was was and maybe that she was acting as prime cat-bait making all that noise while she was on the ground and she left.

One of those moments a vid cam would be great!

The garage is a bit cleaner, the back room a bit roomiere and for the rest of the day I need to be horizontal, Exhausted and sore! I notice this entry is a bit scattered, like my thoughts when I am tired. It has been a big week and the next few days will be rest and reading a book