Heavenly Beverley : Minor (But Remarkable) Miracles

Yesterday was one of those days that I had to search hard for that silver lining. The weather continued hot and oppressive, the humidity was high enough to be uncomfortable and the Gallery just didn't cut it for me as the afternoon wore on. I packed up, left Michael In Charge and put my head down on our bed for an hour.

Surprisingly, a short nap was just the ticket. So, on my return from Cloud Cuckoo Land, I was able to better contemplate what is important. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Climate change is, I think, letting us know its ugly intentions with both barrels. There is no longer any mystery.

Throughout the Black Summer, fires tore through the previously untouched rainforest, houses became undefendable, the infernos created their own thunderstorms and most of the eastern seaboard was under siege.

Just over a month ago, the majority of an entire semi-rural estate on Perth's outskirts was decimated in minutes. One of our artists was evacuating, thinking he had enough time to pack essentials in his car. Then, firies began pulling residents out of their homes for their own survival as the monster exploded with ferocity. He and his wife escaped with almost nothing.

Fast forward a year from the Black Summer and parts of New South Wales are flooding with torrential rain. Sydney's main water supply dam is expected to overflow today. The eastern two-thirds of Australia is expecting "intense" (the weather bureau's language) storms throughout the next week. We've had wet days which is unusual for autumn in the Wheatbelt and the latest heat is wearisome.

Mother Nature has raised her index finger repeatedly in our general direction. We ignore her at our peril.

Since December, we have been rocked by some completely unexpected deaths of fondly regarded residents. David Paull, otherwise known as Dave the Brave, Don Sax (one of our beloved posties) and a young man named Aiden have all left us suddenly in the last three months. I find myself worrying about family and friends. This morning, I dropped into Jan and Greg's house to give their dog Macca his morning medication. Calling his name, I raced around, thinking he'd had a fit. Flying into Jan and Greg's bedroom, there was Macca, in repose on the bed, with a wide smile on his contented dial...

That discovery further cheered my mood. I returned to my quest for the miracle. And with a bit of thought, I struck gold. Alex's need for a reverse cycle air conditioner is slowly gathering attention. His Federal Liberal Member and his State Labor member are actually working together to achieve this goal. They have both been in contact with me and are involving the NDIA, the aim being to release some of Alex's funding for this purpose. While the Great Men in Canberra argue amongst themselves and call each other names and nothing is accomplished, these two relatively minor pollies from different sides of the fence are collaborating for the benefit of Alex, their constituent.

The Beverley Ladies Bowls team won the grand final for the first time in forty years. The Beverley Cricket team won a close and hard-fought grand final against Tammin. Three enterprising locals have replaced the flagpoles at our War Memorial so they are now all the same height! The kittens and Stella are inching closer to an Armistice; Pip has given up his war with the Feline Boys and is quite sanguine about their mutual future.

Michael's sculpture has made stunning progress. He just needs to complete the last ring with its agricultural theme and then weld the final piece into place. It reminds me of the unlocking of the Stargate.

And today, we had a wonderful demonstration by Kim of card making using Kazoo. Michelle was the only enthusiastic attendee, which was marvellous as she was able to produce three lovely cards under Kim's tutelage. We enjoyed tea, coffee and carrot cake over a most pleasant couple of hours.

The afternoon is drawing to a close. After tripping over a power cord in Michael's workshop, I am definitely looking forward to a cool drink and putting my feet up.

Take care and stay safe, wherever you are...