On New Year's Day for the first time since I arrived here in 1983 I awoke early at 05:30, the Currawongs were piping their slightly melancholy tunes in the close-by trees, with the taste of wood smoke in my mouth.
Not pleasant.
This region has been severely affected by smoke from the ferocious, deadly fires in NSW. From 29 December the smoke has been bad, the air quality poor, entirely justifying the use of P2-rated masks while outside.
This too has never happened in the near 36 years I've been in Australia. Not even during the deadly 2003 Canberra fires has there been smoke as heavy.
Yesterday while very hot - Canberra's hottest ever - at least was generally smoke-free until the hot North-westerly wind moderated and shifted to a cooler southerly. The smoke then rolled in heavier and thicker than before.
This morning at 07:00 with the bathroom lights on it looked black through the frosted windows.
By 08:00 the outside looked orange, changing to a dark yellow within a few minutes. A mask was needed outside. Then some rain sounded promisingly steady for about 45 seconds then it stopped, unfortunately.
We need so much more and not just here
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