DS32

I'm building a fireproof ark...

It's been quite mental round these parts of late - monsoon's causing record flooding in Queensland (I read somewhere that half the state was flooded, and as it's seven times bigger than the UK, that's a fairly big chunk of land), and massive bushfires killing hundreds in Victoria (some of the fires were eighty miles long, and I try to imagine putting my boot down in a car and driving for a hour to get from one end to the other).

On top of that, a lass here at work threw herself off the building this morning, and my usual entry door into the office was blocked by a blue tarpaulin with her body under it. Coppers had taped it off and told me to walk round the other side of the building and go in the other door, it was well dark. I work on the ninth floor and if you look out the window there's a open air terrace on the seventh floor that you look out over. The canteen's on the seventh and there's tables and chairs on the terrace for you to eat your lunch at etc. Apparently the lass came in early this morning, got the lift up to the seventh floor and jumped off. When I came in and looked out the window a chair she'd used to climb onto the ledge was pushed up against the wall, with her shoes next to it. Her boyfriend works down the corridor from me and her sister works here an'all. There was bizzies all over the shop, and we've now had talks from psychologists and counselors, quite a few folk on my floor knew her as she used to work in my department, though that was before I joined and I never met her myself. Pretty weird topping yourself at work, and there's been more than one terrible joke crossed my mind about the famously bad grub they dish up in the canteen...

It's been quite an odd few days... take care of yourselves out there!

HH32

We all live in... Townsville

Absolute madness.

Townsville's 800 miles north of Brisbane. There's nothing there except tropical heat and things that'll bite you to death.

An early insight into the behaviour of the gifted landlord can be seen in this press conference video when he visited the middle of nowhere Townsville last month. Fast forward to 03:15 for the good bit...

Phewwhatascorcha!

It's properly roasting here, has been for the past few weeks and it's set to continue. Melbourne and Adelaide are having it silly, as it says here in the Guardian, but it ain't shy here either, and will apparently get hotter.
Which makes talk of massive snow and 'coldest winter in 13 years' sound very weird: one in five not making it in to work, none of London's 8,000 buses on the road, even the transfer deadline being extended! The pics on Dan's facebook are mental, and the Guardian's got a big gallery that looks pretty amazing an'all - any days off work or weird things like that to remind you of being at school?
The picture is of Bondi (not my pic) and shows why I never go near the place on a hot day, there's normally about as many surfers in the water an'all so getting a wave is impossible. It's all about Maroubra, there's never half as many folk there.