LAST WEEK IN OZ

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY, and I will be winging my way back to the US.

As the sun sinks slowing in the West, as the old travelogues used to say. I thought you might like this photo from 58 frames I took over 20 minutes two weeks back (from a look-out just half a mile from my sister's house).

Five months almost have passed. The obbligato to this time has

been natural disasters. The worst floods since the beginning of European settlement in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victorian overwhelmed almost a third of the continent. Thousands of homes destroyed but fortunately, relatively small loss of life. In Parliament today, the Prime Minister paid tribute to the victims, the rescuers, and the many volunteers who have given time to assist in the cleanup. She spoke movingly of scenes she knew of, including the saddest story of a young pregnant woman rescued from housetop just minutes after her youngest child had been swept from her arms by the force of the flood waters.

Much of the flood affected area in Queensland has been hit, in this last week, by a Category 5 hurricane that has sent even more heavy rains. The Prime Minister's announced one time tax levy to assist in reconstruction initially did not meet with the unvarying support I had expected but the sheer scale of the devastation seems to be evoking

increasing support for a huge national program to get the victims and industry back on their feet. In the supermarkets we see part of the economic effect of the flooding and the cyclone. Fruit is of poor quality and produce from the areas affected has disappeared from the shelves.

My daughter and her family were off on a camping holiday in New South Wales during much of this time. They finally gave up, hemmed in on almost all sides by floods or impending flooding, and finally gave up to come home a week early. Only by accessing the Internet (my daughter rigged up her cell phone to their Netbook to get up-to-date weather and flood situation reports) did they make it back safely.

In the meantime, far off to the West, Perth has been experiencing severe bush-fires that destroyed many homes.

For my part, I have been pottering about painting my sister's house and retiling my daughter's en-suite shower. The latter turned out to be a complicated and challenging job. It was with great joy that I placed the final tiles. Now all that is left to do is to clean up and polish the new tiles following grouting. . The latter turned out to be a complicated and challenging job. It was with great joy that I placed the final tiles. Now all that is left to do is to clean up and polish the new tiles following grouting

I have been doing other things, of course, including renewing old friendships and continuing the research for the next project, building my sustainable small home. However, next Tuesday sees me more than all day in planes and airports (the long flight picks up a day as we pass Hawaii). I am looking forward to five or so days in San Francisco with friends and then to taking Amtrak around to Glenwood Springs in Colorado. Only a local bus ride and I will dragging my gear up the hill to my elder daughter's condo in Basalt.

Climbing up and down ladders, long walks and lots of bike riding have done wonders for my knees. My body has become accustomed to doing more each day and has lost the tentativeness of movement I felt on arrival here five months back; I am even feeling pretty fit. The next posting will be from SFO.

Happy Valentine's Day...may you find your true love.