After the storm

The rain eased off today, but a visit to the beach revealed last night's high tide had eaten away a further half-metre of foreshore. It had, though, returned tonnes of sand gouged out by the torrent from the creek and, on receding, had left the beach flat as a pancake again. Inland, two landslides on the King's Highway blocked the road over the mountains to Canberra, but no-one was injured. However, the body of a man was found at Lake Coila, a little south of us, after his wife reported he had not returned from an overnight fishing trip. He was a friend of the son of people we know well, and leaves a wife and two children. Our friends' son had declined an offer to go on the trip because of the "dangerous seas" warning I mentioned yesterday.

There's no doubt we're into winter now and feeling a wee bit of a nip. Walking home, I noticed the few neighbours who continue to burn open fires or wood stoves had decided it was time to light them. Any of you who makes a comment about the election of a pope will be chopping tomorrow's logs.