We are trying to work out how to cope with the situation as it is and how we can create a new garden
Coping with the situation has involved getting annoyed with the lack of recognition that we are suffering from the bushfires just as much as those who have had major property losses. We are also in limbo regarding what will be happening regarding site clearance of neighbours' properties and the replacement of fences.
We are also getting a bit tired of being told that we are the lucky ones. The lucky ones are those well away from the muck, who can hang out washing when they want, and open widows to let in fresh air, not ash.
We had a duststorm on Saturday. This is the view of the back garden:
In spite of rushing around closing windows, we ended up with a thin layer of dust and ash throughout the house - again.
Then we had a thunderstorm, complete with hail.
As part of looking forward, I decided to let off a bit of steam, so I sent a letter to the Canberra Times. It may or may not get published (it is rather long) but it helps to put down my feelings. This is the letter
Having got that off my chest, Lyndsey and I started to plan our new garden. We aim to create something that has a decent WOW factor but we wanted to let people know where we were starting from.
So, next Sunday we will be inviting everyone we can think of to our own Open Garden event. If you are in Canberra on Sunday 23 February drop in.
Here is the invite.