Amongst the victims of the heat were two wee baby birds who had just hatched in their nest in our lemon tree. I had sheer thrills of delight - like when I was a kid, on our 2 acre property amongst the nature there - observing the mother native wattle bird tend her young. Their little beaks would appear over the top of the nest when she flew back to deliver their food.
They're dead now. One gone and the other blown out of the nest in high winds preceding a freak lightning storm yesterday morning. Its condition indicated it had probably perished days ago. I was really distraught, not so much for just these birds alone (and the poor mummy bird, who hasn't been seen since the heatwave, probably no need for her to stay around anymore), but for all the creatures - including the leafy varieties - left to fend for themselves in this relentless heat. With no water or shade. Not a pretty way to go, heat exhaustion.
Changing tone now, another victim this week was our TV. What you see here may appear to be harsh punishment ("You! Turn around and face the wall and don't you ever let me see you show us Tyra Banks' talk show ever, ever again!") but it was in fact what the doctor ordered. See, yesterday morning, a storm came through the valley here. A really intense storm with lots of lightning hitting things on the ground. I swear, if the dogs had been outside I wouldn't like to have thought what might have happened. As it was, Steve and my brother were out on the deck "enjoying" the light show and the rain. The LGBB was cradled in my arms, quite alarmed but not really petrified, and we were singing My Favourite Things (because she is now a life long fan of Freulein Maria and sings that movie's musical score randomly throughout any given day).
And then, the most enormous explosion I have ever heard rocked my house. It pulsated the floor. I bit my tongue in surprise. The girls all cowered and the telly.... well, bow your heads, readers.... it went ftzzz. And is now fast asleep. Along with its friends, the amplifier, speakers and dvd recorder.
We had no idea where the bolt had struck. Steve and my brother were rolling about on the deck in fits of shocked laughter, squinting their eyes (probably to check they were still seeing) and mouthing at my sister in-law and I through the window, Did you SEE that??? Oh my f***** dog! It was loud.
Later that day, an SES truck pulled up out front of the neighbouring house. The boys sprinted through our house down the back, following the SES worker's path down our fenceline - they guessed they'd turned up to inspect property damage related to the storm, which had now passed. And they were right.
The SES worker stopped, hands on hips, gazing up at the massive oak next door (adjacent to the LGBB's room, somewhat alarmingly). The big old tree had taken the force of the blow. It had travelled down the trunk and blown the bark clean off the tree. This is the best shot I could get over our fence.
I guess we'd better break the news to the LGBB when she wakes.
The TV is poorly. And it can't play her "the Monsters one" or her beloved Maria until further notice. Wish me luck, folks *cracks knuckles in preparation for some toddler sized heartbreak fallout*
