Record rainfall

As I sit here typing the sun is shining after a very wet few days. We've had a bit of a weather bomb dumped on us. I'm fortunate in that it hasn't affected me or my family but not everyone has been so fortunate and at the moment nine homes have been red stickered with possibly more to come.

Early in the week we were forecast for one months rain in a period of two days. As it turned out we had two months rain in a couple of days. The rain started on Wednesday morning and we woke on Thursday to be told 80 families had been evacuated from their homes overnight.

 The worst of the flooding, but not all, was out in South Dunedin which is mainly built on reclaimed land. Thankfully the Silverstream at the bottom of our street didn't breach the flood bank, but it came close. But not all the damage was done by flood waters, some was through land slips. 

Eventually the rain stopped late on Friday night, the city having recorded it's highest rainfall for over one hundred years. Roads were closed or cut off to the north, south and west with the sea on the east.

I am very grateful to have escaped this weather bomb unscathed. We didn't even get much water lying around in the yard which is unusual in heavy rain.

The rain has stopped but now the cleanup begins.

That's it for today. 

Keep well, keep safe and I'll be back in a few days.

Diana

A nice day for a short walk

The sun was shining, there was only a slight breeze, a pleasant day for a short autumn walk. I went to the top of the street and turned right which takes me out into the countryside. Well almost. It's rural shall we say. Plenty of autumn colour, the leaves are starting to turn now.

Autumn coloured hydrangeas.

Half grown calves watching me .

A few yards further down the road there is a small orchard.

The traffic was starting to get a bit heavy and no 

designated walking paths so I didn't go much further,

 just beyond these trees.

Nearly home again, about 30 feet to the corner 

and we're back in town.

I love living on the edge of town, I have the best of both

 worlds to pick from when I go walking.

I hope you've had a good week. 

Until next time,

Diana

 

one, two, three - thanks

Like Kim at nannykim's place I have

been following Ann Voskamp's1000 gifts principles,

that is to give thanks for 3 things each day for a year.

I meet a friend for lunch every Monday and

 we share our three things for each day of the previous week

with each other, that way we are accountable.

It is fun.

It is quite surprising to see what our separate

interpretations of each days three things is.

Sometimes we are coming at it from a totally different

perspective, but that makes it all the more interesting.

It is a great place to kick off our prayer time together.

Today the first thing to give thanks for was something in the sky and although this photo was

not taken today it is fairly typical of a Taieri sky

 at this time of the year - summer believe it or not.

As our summer sun is really vicious because of the hole in the ozone layer over us, it is great to sometimes have

some cloud cover. And this year our southern farmers are experiencing drought conditions so if the clouds

are a precursor of rain that is even better.

(As long as it falls at night time :)

Secondly we are to give thanks for one thing from my memory.

Well what can I say, I give thanks for my

childhood memories a wonderful time 

spent in the outdoors with cousins and friends

and in an atmosphere of utter well being. (The 50's)

The photo above is one we took when we were back in

 the ol' hometown last year.

These are the memorial gates from outside my

old primary school. The school buildings are long gone

 but the gates were saved and are now at the entrance to  Dixon Park which has a children's playground and

a creek running through it. A real symbol of my childhood.

The picture above is a representation of the third thanks -

one thing that is ugly-beautiful. This is one of the steam punk sculptures we saw in Oamaru near the end of last year.

 I'm not sure about the beautiful part of it but they sure

were ugly. I think they probably emphasised the beauty of the lovely white Oamaru stone on the buildings round about them.

Well that's it. I'm keen to meet up with my friend on

 Monday so we can share God's gifts with each other

 and have a bit of a giggle.

Goodnight all, and have a good week.