January 28. Day 28. Memories come flooding back

I got sunburned today. This is an insane situation because

1)                  Sun safety is a real passion of mine and

2)                  Brisbane is flooding and for most of my walk I was having to protect my camera (and myself) from rain.
Yep, this is a nation of extremes. It is so true that it never rains but it pours.

Oswald was nothing special as a cyclone but after being downgraded to a tropical low he really packed a punch. Belting rain and terrifying winds have been hitting Queensland finally letting up just a bit this morning.

So we went out for a walk and it was hard not to be immediately hit by thoughts of 2011 and the massive floods that hit the city. Then, like now, it was after the sun came out that the worst of the flooding hit from water coming down the Brisbane River from further upstream.

We are reassured that the levels will be nothing like what we experienced last time but everyone was talking about it. Today at West End along the river there was clear evidence of flooding. The Citycat terminal was under water, parks and roads were inundated and residents were starting to sandbag units in preparation for the worst of it from noon tomorrow. Water logged birds were emerging to try and dry off and get a feed.

My Mum is still without power and while the lights are on at our place there is no phone, no pay TV and (gasp!) no internet. While the teen considers the lack of technology to be an intolerable hardship we know how lucky we are. Our thoughts are with those who are not doing so well.