Aussie bush fires make it to NZ

2000 kilometers. Taken on our property in Auckland around 3 pm, no filters. Street lights on now in town.

I'm very sorry about the fires in Oz, it is big news in the UK and on the main National TV news nearly every night, we too have had tinder box dry fires here, but nothing on the scale down under. I sometimes wish someone had a magic wand to send some of our rain down under in exchange for some of their sunshine! Hope you get some heavy rain soon that will put out all your fires soon and hopefully life returns back to normal. Sad to say that on the UK news this morning the number of victims of the bushfires has now risen to 24, my condolences to all their familys and friends.

Our relatives are in the Penrith district emu plains, 40 degrees hotter than here, so are keeping us updated as to their welfare and all other Aussies. Our thoughts are with you, for all the help that is ! I did offer to send warm Brit beer to calm things down. Good humoured profanity was the answer. Fingers crossed for a wet New Year.

A guy being interviewed about the fires in Australia was wearing a Norton T shirt on the Sunday Morning ABC news.

The Australian government knows it is almost impossible to prove a negative and their claim about arsonists setting fire to the bush is an example. Who could prove it does not happen ? If we admit to ourselves that it might be happening, that makes the LNP conservatives the victims and takes the heat off their lack of energy and climate change policies. It is interesting that while this crisis is happening, most media outlets are covering the fires, while Murdoch's Sky News is only putting sport to air during the day, and a couple of evenings ago showed a documentary about 'The Miracle Election'. The miracle was that Labor went to the last election with a raft of policies while the LNP had none. All the LNP had to do was attack Labor on the basis of those policies.

Happens in Canada too , creats work maybe .... although most man started fires are reported to be by accident .....

During an earlier bushfire crisis in Victoria, there was a young guy on a fire-fighting crew who got bored. He started lighting matches and flicking them onto the ground, then stamping out the fire. It got away from him and started one of the really big fires.