It’s the bom

Esther has been telling me about the wonders of the Bureau of Meteorology site (the BOM.), and I’ve liked going there since I came to Darwin – especially after our special cyclone briefing at work in November. So exciting: what will I learn about cyclones today? How close is that one they mentioned over Queensland?

But I don’t want to get too obsessive – and I won’t mention this to Esther. I already have two books about cyclones in Darwin, yes, about Tracy.

Anyway, watching TV tonight, a warning comes up on the bottom of the screen – severe thunderstorm warning over Darwin – go to the BOM site.

Interesting. All quiet here. Well who is really going to take notice do you think? I can’t hear thunder. She pokes head outside the bunker door – nothing. All quiet on the northern suburbs front. But wait – not too long after that thunder rumbles away like an upset stomach – rumbling, flashes of light, more thunder – a bit of excitement, eh! Is my cyclone kit ready she wonders. Bit under-stocked perhaps… Sticks head out bunker door again – ah yes – here it comes – the frangipani tree is waving away like crazy in the wind, the palms are flapping about, the rain drives through.

Hmm, should I move the car in off the street? Well what does it matter: what sort of tree branch do I want to drop on my car? A tall thin palm tree? Or the branch from a massive great humungus – I don’t know – mahogany tree? – which leans over the street and the kids’ playground opposite.

Which way will the wind blow, she wonders? Can she pick it? or will it be like standing in the supermarket queue, wondering if she chose the right checkout aisle, or has she as usual chosen the wrong one, the one where you stand for hours, possibly turning to stone as you wait for that price check . . .

Who knows what is the best choice. What will be will be. You get very philosophical up here. What can you do? If Tracy II comes along, well what can I lose? My car is really the only thing of value I have up here, other than my flute (well valuable to me), and the photos of my sons.

The thunder continues.

Back to the BOM. site. They said the storm would pass over the northern suburbs at 9.50am I think, and it did! Wow! what weather prediction! And half an hour later they have updated the website and say the threat has passed! I love it. Go the BOM!

Earthquake – shaking up the bunker

Here I am again. Lodged in my bunker, thinking about the earthquake last week. I was tired when I came home late from the movies last Saturday night: my eyes were closing in the opening scenes of the film! Anyway, I crashed onto the bed and immediately zoned out into La La land. When I woke the bed was shaking and being somewhere between consciousness and deep sleep, I couldn’t figure out which end was up. Err, the bed is shaking, okay, why would it do that? Maybe those noisy neighbours getting home late are hooning around in a really crazy way, crazier than usual, in that rusty pick up truck, sound system on mega, mega high, transmitting thump-thump music to the whole of the Northern Territory. Well, by the time I roused myself and got out of bed the shaking had stopped – that’s good – go back to sleep. I was back in coma-land pretty quick I reckon.

Now the quake was about 6.4 on the Rickter scale. It’s a bit of a worry when you are so dozy you don’t even know you’ve been through an earthquake! Am I loosing it? she wonders. Haven’t slept through a quake since I was a kid in the Southern Highlands (NSW). They were only occasional then, but when one shook us up a bit, Mum, being a New Zealander, would remind us of how they had them all the time back in New Plymouth, and there’d be ornaments flying everywhere, bookshelves falling . . . These days apparently they stick down precious ornaments with Blu-tack to keep them in place when the Earth Gods rumble around down below. Can you imagine – ‘This is my Limoges porcelain, darling, with matching Blu-tack.’