Gardens, and a motorcyle crash

Hi everyone,

I'm typing this in the Shepparton Library on Tuesday afternoon.  It's been a challenging few days and I'm glad of the peace and quiet.

I've at least had some work over the last week, as a gardener's labourer.  It's certainly better than inactivity.  And it lets you have a sense of achievement: the biggest of the jobs went from this -

to this -

And from this -

to this -

I spent most of Saturday just gone cutting firewood with and for the old boy.  For perhaps the first time ever he didn't object to me wielding a chainsaw and firing up the blocksplitter.  I dunno... I think he may be feeling his age.  Family can be maddening, of course, but I do worry about him.

Things have been relatively quiet on the SES front.  Late last week in the evening we were called out to search for a gentleman who had gone missing in the bush near Shepparton (he was found safe and well by police the next morning).  On Saturday afternoon we were asked to assist police at the scene of a motorcyle accident offroad near Shepparton.

As the Shepparton News put it -

The man was travelling south along a bush track in Shepparton Regional Park near the Reedy Swamp area about 3.30 pm on Saturday when it is believed he struck a large gum tree off the dirt track and was killed. The man was one of five experienced trailbike riders who were travelling along the unsealed bush track.

They also included some video footage which gives you an idea of what all of the emergency responders who attended were facing. 

I was back in Shepparton last night to help deliver a peer support briefing to our colleagues at that city's sister agency.  SES is probably taking up a disproportionate whack of my life right now.  Certainly when things go wrong or I have a sense of letting the team down, I feel it much more deeply than is probably healthy.  On the other hand, I look at the life I used to have - urban, suburban, city and office - and I can scarcely believe that was me.  I'm far from persuaded I could ever go back to it.

Not much more to add.  Sorry this post is all over the place.  Somehow I'm not thinking so clearly.  Happily my next stop today is the Blood Bank.  Regular readers know how good that makes me feel.  When the time comes for me to leave this world, hopefully I'll be allowed to go to the Blood Bank, have them hook me up to the machine, and tell them to just leave the tap set to 'on'!