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Permaculture Diary: 11th January 2008

Copyright © Beverley Paine

Thanks to the huge amount of fruit we're receiving from our friends, we spent most of today processing fruit. We now have two small boxes of dried fruit packed into small bags and labelled, as well as two shelves of chutneys and jams. We're opting to pack the dried fruit in small plastic self-sealing bags (3c each, and recyclable) just in case we get an outbreak of mould. This way we won't lose a whole jar. Plus, we're short on jars!

Back to focussing on our bush fire plan... Here is a copy of the notes I put together the other day:

Each member of the family should have a survival box. Have permanently packed in an easy-to-access location in the event of fire. The survival box should contain the following:

  • Protective clothing:
    -- heavy-duty drill cotton overalls (preferably fire retarded)
    -- sturdy shoes
    -- long cotton/wool trousers or jeans
    -- long-sleeved cotton shirt which does up to the neck
    -- cotton underwear
    -- strong brimmed hat that can be tied on
    -- woollen balaclava that covers face
    -- leather or canvas garden gloves
    -- protective goggles
    -- water bottle for misting eyes and face
    -- eyedrops or 'artificial tears' to prevent eyes from drying out
    -- smoke-filtering respiratory mask, or cotton handkerchief, nappy, flannel
  • A pure wool fire blanket , or textured fibreglass blanket which should be large enough to cover you completely when crouched or lying down.
  • Drinking water
  • All required prescription medication if needed
  • A tube or zink cream or reflective skin cream to protect the forehead and nose.
  • A small first aid kit .
  • Spare keys to house, car, shed and other important places.
  • Spare wallet with identification, credit card and/or some cash.
  • Flashlight with plenty of extra batteries
  • Battery-powered radio

On high fire risk days with a total fire ban

  • Go over evacuation plan with everyone
  • Listen to battery-operated radio for reports and evacuation information.
  • Put on your protective clothing
  • DRINK PLENTY OF WATER . Even when you are not thirsty.
  • Get car ready, facing in the direction of escape, with key in the ignition, windows wound up.
  • Put valuables, survival boxes, fire blankets and plenty of water in the car
  • Give pets lots of water, remove straw and debris.
  • Prepare bushfire fighting gear for readiness
  • Stop downpipes and fill gutter with water
  • Remove outside furniture off veranda (put on lawn)
  • Close windows and doors
  • Put up protecting screens on windows
  • Take down bamboo blinds, move furniture away from windows, paper/books away from windows
  • Drape woollen blankets over other flammable items that cannot be concealed
  • Move furniture away from windows and place apart
  • Put non-flammable draught stoppers at doors and in keyholes
  • Close all internal doors to help prevent fire spreading should an ignition occur in one of the rooms
  • Take down hanging baskets
  • Clear guttering of leaves
  • Connect garden hoses to garden sprinklers, ready to turn on
  • Fill buckets and place around on paths near house
  • Fill metal containers with water and place at vulnerable points around the house
  • Fill bath and sinks with water
  • Clear yard and under the house of rubbish and other flammables

WHEN FIRE APPROACHES

•  Start fire fighting pump and activate sprinkler system
•  Turn on garden sprinklers
•  Check animals, open cages
•  Stay inside until fire front has passed, then put out spot fires.

This updates the poster that our youngest made for us about a decade ago!

We've been watching a few zombie movies lately: The second in the Resident Evil series is the latest. We've been fans of Milla Jojovich since The Fifth Element. The next on the list to see is Resident Evil Extinction. Like most movies in a genre, zombie movies build on a common set of myths that grow more concrete with each new story. Because we recognise elements from one movie or story to another we don't have to stretch our imaginations to accept the weak and implausible plots. We sit back and enjoy the action without needing to think! It's lazy story writing and film-making, but the director and producers seem less interested in the story than on creating new and fascinating special effects. Modern filmaking is truly magical: it makes the dreamt 'real' before our eyes. I'm only glad that attempts to include smell in the movie experience hasn't come to fruition yet!

I'll leave you with a link to our Best Ever Favourite Zombie movie, the very quiry and hilarious, Shawn of the Dead.

 

 


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Our ever-changing view!
Moonset ~ Roll Cloud ~ Sunset

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Copyright © Beverley Paine 2002-14. Article from this website may be downloaded, reproduced, and distributed without permission as long as each copy includes this entire notice along with citation information (i.e., name of the periodical in which it originally appeared, date of publication, and author's name). Permission must be obtained from the author in order to reprint this article in a published work or to offer it for sale in any form. Please visit Bungala Ridge Permaculture Gardens for more original content by Beverley Paine.