Happy New Year from a slightly soggy north-east Downunder.

A Happy New Year So pleased you are safe and well Bernie.......if rather damp
I have been viewing the devastating floods on TV with horror, it is a heartbreaking time for the poor folks there - a terrible start to 2011
Take care <<hugs>>

Bernieh:

Happy New Year!

Glad you're safe-and-sound! My heart goes out to all the people of Queensland and New South Wales.

The whole state of Californian has had severe flooding also (the ending of Dec. 2010)...with billions of dollars in damage. Actually, the flooding pic above looks like many areas of California. Luckily, I only had only minor water damage because I'm located on a hill (some of my neighbors weren't so lucky).

Stay safe and dry in the new year.

Hi Neena .... yes all safe and well here. Actually I've just returned from grocery shopping in the city suburbs and it was strange walking into a half-empty supermarket grabbing up the last of the roma tomatoes and string beans! So many shelves were very light on with goods.

When both the major highway and rail-line is cut off down south, supplies are also cut off for us. We rely on both for petrol supplies, mail and food supplies. Of course, this is a minor inconvenience compared to the sufferings of those who still caught up in the flooding.

G'day Andy ... I didn't know there was bad flooding over your way as well ... obviously our news reporters were pre-occupied! Glad to hear you came through it all OK and I hope the damage to your place can be fixed quickly.

That little scamp, La Nina has a lot to answer for! 2010 was the wettest year in Queensland's history of weather records ... apparently the state's average doubled last year. So that didn't help one little bit as we approached the 'wet' season!

Glad you're safe and dry Bernieh. Happy New Year to you and hope all gets better fast for you guys down under.

Happy new year !
I'm glad to hear you have not been affected by the floods.

Thanks Alexandra and Hywel ... unfortunately it's going to take quite some time for things to recover and get back to normal for so many people and our state's economy will definitely suffer as a result of all this.

listening to the bbc the news is rather depressing for all of us, mostly --it seems-- caused by the weather
hope things improve for you all soon, more snow forecast here but hopefully only a shower!

Bernieh:

It's amazing, Queensland and California 2010 went out with a soggy bang!

Parts of California had the most rain ever recorded in Dec. Also, many cities received between 1 and 3 years worth of rain in one week because of the strong "Pineapple Express" (huge tropical flow of rain coming up from Hawaii and even as far away as Samoa). This weather is not typical of a La Niña year (which tends to be very dry in S. Cal.). It's more like an MJO (Madden-Julian Oscillation) or an El Niño year.

We're officially out of our drought and water restrictions...which is very good news. :>)

Hi Pam, I had thought the snow has started disappearing over your way ... fingers crossed the snowfall is light.

Andy ... the record rainfall for Australia in 2010 is being attributed to a La Nina event in the nearby Pacific basin according to our BOM ... Bureau of Meteorology ... and it's expected to persist into our Autumn, which is March to May.

The previous 14-year long 'dry' for Australia was broken by a rapid transition from El Nino to La Nina conditions and resulted in 2010 being the 3rd wettest year for our country since records began being kept.

Strangely, we're still on Level 1 watering restrictions here ... although I think it's the long drought years previously experienced that makes our City Council a little hesitant in lifting the watering restricitons altogether.

Happy New Year Bernieh, glad you are ok :-))

You must have been reading my mind Bernieh,as I had just posted a comment on Flori's new blog" Sidetracked in Stourhead",wondering if you were ok,and there you were with a new blog...so glad you are ok,but it is so bad for you all.Ours is nothing in comparison,to Queenslands atrocious conditions...I do hope things improve for everyone soon..all those poor people whose homes and livelihoods are affected,,my heart goes out to them...and I really hope it is a Happy New year ..don't think it can get worse,...XX

Glad you're not affected - but we have friends there who are. Serious trouble out there...

Happy New Year Bernieh,thank goodness you are safe and well, like all english folk I am guilty of having a moan about our weather but when seeing the news and all that is happening elsewhere I say a prayer of thanks for where I live, take care.xx....

Happy New Year Bernieh, its nice to know you are safe.

Happy New Year Bernieh, pleased to hear you are fine, I phoned my sister Sunday morning to check that she is safe, she said they are fine but I do believe they have lost the garden, but that can be easily replaced,I just feel so sad for the ones who have lost their homes etc, take care and please keep us updated. xx

Happy New Year Berni, do hope it starts to improve soon for all those affected by the flooding, its good to hear you are Safe and Dry;0)

very glad to hear you are ok bernieh, happy new year ~ i only hope it gets better than this for all of you.

I think it'll be just a flurry Berneih, what you are all having to face is dreadful and the distances involved mindblowing, are the weather folk really expecting it to last for months..... my thoughts are with you and I really hope that they are wrong ! ( they are here regularly:)

Happy New Year! Glad your all ok!

Happy New Year Bernieh.....I wondered if you were ok over there. So glad all is well and some wonderful photos on your blog......

Happy New Year once again Bernieh, so pleased this is not touching you. Great shots whats going on with the world wide weather, it makes me wonder, I watched on you tube about a bloke that studied chem trails, he was watching one lot shortly after the cloud formation after they left altered dramatically, he said it then poured down with rain like nothing he had ever seen before in his life, so it makes me wonder, here is a link of Germany s news how it manipulates the weather as they too along with the usa are using it. On another you tube link, it states it also is killing the bee colonies then telling the people its a brake down in the colony. Hope you can get this link as I know some stuff is barred from you recieving it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaPqCMIuEk4&feature=related

Bernieh:

It amazes me how El Niño and La Niña can cause drought and severe flooding in different parts of the world at the same time.

I can't believe you're still on Level 1 watering restrictions there! With all the extreme flooding there -- you should have enough water for another 14 year drought. The government here tried to keep our water restrictions in place also...however, with lots of feedback from people and the fact that most reservoirs are full and overflowing it was pretty difficult. The water restrictions here were just lifted less than a week ago.

Annella ... I hope you've had a great start to the year!

Hi Bloomer ... apparently things are getting a little worse. The floodwaters are now moving down to northern New South Wales ... and the Gascoyne region in Western Australia has flooded for the second time in a matter of weeks! What can I say? People are really doing it tough over here.

Bamboo ... so sorry to hear that your friends have had a rotten time of it! It's been devastating for so many communities here.

Linclass ... I'm also one that's thankful for where they live right now. It may not stay that way if the cyclones predicted do eventuate ... but right now north Qld is looking good.

Littlelegs ... thanks so much and Happy New Year to you and yours as well. I hope it's a great year for you.

Yorkshire, what a shame your sister has lost her garden. But, as you say, that might be the best outcome when you consider what can happen. It's good that she is safe and sound.

Pansypotter ... unfortunately it's not getting better just yet. Some communities have started the clean-up, which is a horrible affair. Some are still receiving rain, so the waters won't be receding anytime soon for them. Some communities are preparing for the floodwaters that are moving towards them ... it certainly is going to be a long hard road for so many.

Sticki ... thanks for your well wishes. I think many are looking for it all to be over soon.

Thanks so much for your New Year wishes, Red aly ... and the same to you and yours!

Milky ... yes we're just fine here, thankfully. Glad you got a chance to visit my blog ... the flood photos are just so heart-breaking to look at.

Sixpence ... there's certainly been some change in the air with regards to weather patterns lately. I will try your link ... it sounds interesting. Thanks for that.

Hi Andy ... yes we still can't use sprinklers here between the hours of 9.00 am and 4.00 pm. We are allowed to use our sprinklers outside those hours, but only on
alternate days according to our house number. Odd numbers can use their sprinklers on certain days and the even numbers on the other days. We can use hand-held hoses anytime ... but of course it's useless in the heat of midday here, far better early in the morning or in the evenings.

Thank you Bernieh.:o))

very sad to see all these floods bernieh and glad it hasnt effected you, i didnt realise queensland got so much rain, hope it soon goes for these people, happy newyear to you and your family :o) x

Hello Bernieh:

Are you still having to water your plants with all the rain?
Luckily, I haven't had to water any of my plants for over 2 weeks...everything is still pretty wet.

Our restrictions were very similar to yours...however, I was able to water for 10 minutes between 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Thanks, Sanbaz. I hope your beautiful garden flourishes in this new gardening year!

Hi Andy ... I'm only having to water all the potted plants out in the courtyard or in the shadehouse gardens. I've got over 100 of them now, but I only water them every second day.

The largest outdoor garden beds down beside our long driveway have an irrigation system, but I only turned that on 3 times last year ... those areas swallow a whole lot of water so it's used sparingly, and luckily with all the rain last year I didn't have to use it much ... it's expensive when you go over your water limit here!

The garden areas closer to the house have a timed irrigation system ... but I only had to use that every third day when needed but mostly it was turned off for weeks at a time. So all in all, 2010 turned out to be a cheap year for the water bill!

Bernieh:

Has the rain has tampered off a bit? I'm guessing that's why you have to water the potted plants now?

Wow! I bet only having to use your irrigation system only 3 times last year saved you a lot of money. In San Diego the water is very expensive and very, very expensive! lol!
It really makes everyone here crazy...as the cost of water is always going up!

Andy, yes in the last three days we've had no rain at all. The sun is visible once more ... it's been such a long time since we've had a sunny blue-sky day that lasts all day. Of course, it's hot, humid and horrid, but at least the plants are getting some much needed sunshine. They do dry out pretty quickly in the summertime so even after weeks of rain almost every day, as soon as we get a day or two of no rain the poor potted plants are almost as dry as a bone.

Water has become quite expensive here too. We now get a separate water bill every 3 months ... it used to be included as part of our twice a year rates bill. But now they're charging more and billing separately. It's probably forcing a whole lot more people to become far more aware of just how much water they use everyday, but I have to say I am definitely one of the more water-wise people!

thankyou bernieh, i hope so to, but i can see iv lost a few new plants which are a bit on the tender side here, even though i covered them in fleece, will see how much damage once weather improves.

Very interesting to read about the conditions downunder. We have been following them on the News on TV but, as you know, News programmes very quickly move on to something else "more interesting/newsworthy" after a few days. Don't remember having heard anything about the floods for the last 2 or 3 days, after the flood waters were expected to peak on Wednesday.

I have contact with a couple of people downunder, one in NZ & one in Australia. The guy in Oz doesn't seem to be in the flooded area, he lives in a town called Coffs Harbour. Don't know exactly where it is though.

My heart really goes out to all the people, in California as well as in Queensland who have lost everything but the clothes they stand up in. ;-((

Bernieh:

I do know exactly what you mean. Here when the sun is out and it's hot the potted plants have to be watered every day without fail. Fortunately, it's been cool with all the rain...and everything has stayed wet for along time. It's so green here...the greenest I've ever seen this time of year. I've posted some pics...however, will be posting a lot more pics soon.

Us people who live in drought-stricken countries learn quickly to become very water-conscience.

Balcony:

The floods were pretty unbelievable! Many communities in Central California and around the Los Angeles foothills are completely destroyed...mud everywhere. Some of these communities had more than 30in/76cm of rain within one week.

Here's a few photos:

http://www.google.com/images?q=2010+california+floods&hl=en&prmd=ivns&resnum=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=vi&biw=1366&bih=643

I've just had a look at those photos, Andy ... parts of Queensland and Caifornia are exact matches! It's just awful. Over here, the floodwaters are moving south into New South Wales and there's even more heavy rainfall in some of the already flooded areas here in Queensland. I know that it's going to take quite a while for my home state to recover from this.

Just encountered an old friend on Facebook who now lives in Queensland, in a tiny place called Plainland. Close by there is a town called Toowoomba where at least 7 people are confirmed dead due to the floods & they expect to find more. Where he lives they haven't been flooded - yet. Plenty of rain but not inundations.

Balcony, just found this comment. I was worried when I read your comment on my other post. Whew! I'm relieved to hear that your new-found old friends is fine.

Just yesterday I was saying how I had no friends or family affected by this disaster. Well, things are different today!

I do have relatives just outside Toowoomba too, and they're OK. The whole area is underwater though. I also have relatives in Gympie where the wall of water flowed through as well. So far I haven't heard anything from them, so fingers crossed!

How things can change suddenly!

Bernieh:

How awful!!! I hope your family members are safe! I saw the extreme flash flooding in Toowoomba on the television news today. I can't believe it! The heavy rains just seem like they never want to end. Some the areas in Queensland look like inland seas...it boggles my mind! My heart goes out to all the flood victims.

Have the meteorologist said when all the rain may possible end? The reason why I ask -- because isn't February the rainiest month of the year there?

I definitely can't complain about most of the carpet in my dining room getting soaked...and having to remove all the carpet in the laundry room downstairs because of flooding...and some other minor water issues. Seeing all the catastrophic flooding in Queensland and many areas of California puts everything into perspective.

Take care of yourself and stay safe and dry.

Hi Andy. It's just amazing how quickly things change. I was just saying yesterday that none of my family or friends had been affected by the flooding disaster.

Today it's a different story. As you can see from my comment above, I now have an Aunty and Uncle-in-law just outside Toowoomba, Aunts, Uncles and cousins in Gympie ... and then there are my two sons and my grandchildren in Brisbane.

There's torrential rain falling right now all across the south-east ... over 100mm has already fallen in some places. That wall of water that's coming down from the mountain where Toowoomba is located is surging through the river systems on the south-east coast. Of course some of that water is heading straight for Brisbane. So far my sons and grandchildren are all fine, but we'll see how the day pans out!

The severe weather that's being experienced in the south-east today is expected to ease tomorrow, but with the water that's already fallen and the water that's coming down from the Tablelands, there will be flash flooding in so many spots all around Brisbane today.

As for when this will all stop. Yes you're right ... the heaviest falls are usually experienced towards the end of our Summer, so there's a way to go yet. There's also predictions of cyclones to come.

It's on the news again here Bernieh, about the floods moving south to Brisbane, it looks horrific and all those helpless people. Hope you are safe and all your loved ones. x

Hi Littlelegs, yes that wall of water that surged through Toowoomba yesterday is heading for Brisbane now. Both my boys and my grandchildren live there, so we're saying our prayers! Thursday is the day the worst of the flooding is expected in Brisbane, so we'll see how it all plays out!

The rain just won't stop down south and the flooding is just continuing on and on! Three-quarters of our state has now been affected ... and this is one huge state!

It all seems more personal,when we know of friends and family having to cope with all this ,and we feel for you,your family,and everyone affected..I know everyone on here is thinking of you Bernieh,and this is the only way
we can help,by sending you messages of comfort..all our hearts and thoughts are with you...XXXX

I have just emailed my sister again in Brisbane to check she and the family are all fine, its such a worry. stay safe Bernieh, so glad you are keeping us updated,

Bernieh:

Unbelievable! It appears to have gone from devastating to extremely catastrophic! I will send good thoughts and prayers your way, for you and your family.

Do you know if the Brisbane River has flooded into the city? There's been so much news coverage of the Queensland flooding here. Although, they can't cover everything...your state is huge...and the flooding has been so extensive.

Take care and stay safe.

just been watching the 6.00pm news its awful, last year Cumbria suffered dreadful flooding but the scale of this in Queensland is mindblowing my thoughts are with you.....

Got a message from my friend on Facebook this evening & he says he alright at the moment & doesn't seem to be in immediate danger. He lives on a hill, fortunately, but a part of the hill collapsed yesterday & he was a little worried that it might affect his house. Today he says there doesn't seem to be any danger for him from the landslide.

We have seen on the TV news how the waters are entering Brisbane as well now, Australia's 3rd city in size!

We also saw footage of the "inland tsunami" that swept through the region the other day killing at least 11 people.;-(( The Australian PM in a speech had trouble containing her emotions as she spoke about what her government was doing for those affected.

Bloomer, thank you ... you're a sweetheart. Tomorrow is when the flood waters are expected to peak in Brisbane, so we'll see how my boys and grandchildren fare! Keep us in your thoughts.

Yorkshire, so glad to hear your sister is fine so far. Let's hope she stays safe and sound. King Tide there today and peak flood waters tomorrow ... but today, apparently, the sun is shining in Brisbane. Go figure!

Andy ... thanks for your kind thoughts and your prayers. Yes, the Brisbane River has started breaking its banks in various low-lying spots around the city. Some houses and businesses are already under water. The power has been cut to around 100,000 homes and business, mostly around the inner city. It's going to be a trying 24 hours for all concerned.

Pamg ... we sit here getting 24hr vision on the TV and it's just devastating to watch. I don't know how long it's going to take for so many people to recover from all this. But, it's not over yet. More rain is predicted.

Balcony that is good news. Let's hope your friend stays safe ... it's still raining in parts down there. Up here it's absolutely bucketing down again today ... and there's a low sitting off the coast which is not looking good! When you consider that Queensland is over 1,700,000 sq kms in size and three-quarters of the state has now been affected by this flooding disaster, you realise the scale of it all!

thanks for keeping us updated berneih, it sounds a looks frightening, I keep checking for news from my sister but nothing yet, I will have to phone again if I don't hear from her, we are worried sick, are you o.k. out there, dear god I hope so.

I hope everyone is ok out there ---- my thoughts are with you xxx

My friend over there says they have sunshine today where he lives. He thinks they are in no immediate danger of being flooded. I'm rather surprised he still has electricity as many places it has been cut off.

Thursday is supposed to be when the waters are expected to reach their highest level.

Oh dear,Yorkshire,that is so worrying for you..maybe the phone lines are out of action..I do hope you hear from her soon...thinking of you,and sending you a hug...XX

thanks bloomer, still no news.

Yorkshire:

Hope you hear from you sister soon! I'll send good thoughts and prayers to you and your family. Take care.

Yorkshire, the power was cut to over 100,000 homes and businesses in Brisbane yesterday. This has affected communication as well. Ringing my son today, all I got was a 'congested system' message.

At the moment there's so much that's covered by water in Brisbane, everyday life is going to take some time to be restored. Hopefully the phone system will be up and running some time today.

Bernieh:

Queensland is the center of the news here. I was watching the feed from Sky News in Brisbane for several hours on the internet last night. It's was so heart-wrenching! So many people affected...it's just overwhelming. It brought back horrible memories of the super strong El Niño of 1997/1998 (referred to as the Mother of all El Niños [strongest on record])...when it rained everyday for almost 30 days straight in the San Francisco Bay Area (where I lived at the time), causing severe flooding(the worst CA had ever experienced)...and many billions of dollars of damage throughout California and all the western states of the U.S. Some places during the '97/'98 El Niño in CA. had more than 125in/3.2m of rain during that rainy season.

Take care, stay safe and dry.

Thank you Berneih, I do hope you get through to your son today, please let us know, I finally heard from my sister this morning and she said at the moment they are fine, just hoping the rain stops and there will be no other disasters, she said no one is allowed into the city only people that can be of help, I am so grateful to you for your daily updates, good luck today, I am sure your family will be safe, I know what a terrrible worry it is, xx

thats very good news Yorkshire --:o))

hope it is for you all soon

thanks Pam, not out of the woods yet though,

So glad you have heard from your sister,Val,at least you know she is safe..and hoping things start to improve soon,for everyone over there..X

Thanks bloomer, as I said, we are not out of the woods yet but fingers crossed, I do hope berneih has managed to contact her son today, just waiting for the news to come on the telly.

Yorkshire:

So glad you heard from your sister! I hope she stays safe and dry!

Yorkshire, that's great news! I heard from my eldest last night. He and his family are back in their home now. It took them ages to get from the south side to their home on the far north-west side of the city. So many roads are closed and apparently there was a lot of traffic ... people all trying to get back to their homes.

The city remains closed ... it's apparently a horrible mess. The water is receding steadily today, but of course the mess left behind is unbelievable.

Andrew says his home is fine and the electricity was restored yesterday. They had been staying with his wife's relatives and they had no electricity for two days. The phone system seems to be working well now, so things are getting back to some degree of normalcy.

Unfortunately the death toll just from this last week has now reached 15 and there are still 55 people missing, mainly from the Lockyer Valley area.

Bernieh:

Very glad to hear your family is safe and sound! I hope the flood waters go down quickly!

Thanks, Andy. Yes they're all safe and sound. Of course, they're surrounded by mess and devastation in so many places. The water has receded in Brisbane and the rain has ceased for now. The arduous task of cleaning up has already begun, but it's going to take a long time. What a horrible job!

Berneih, so glad you heard from your son, I was worried all day yesterday for you,Yes I realise what a mess they must have there, my sister said the rain was going through all the air condtioning and they were continuously drying up, but thats not as bad as being flooded, once again thank you so much, Thank you Delonix, will be pleased when they are all out of the woods,

Bernieh:

Yes, cleaning up the mess will be a tough, exhausting job. I'm sure it's going to take many months, if not, years to finish. Here in Ca. the clean up continues...luckily, we've had warm and dry weather for over a week now. Although, the mudslides/rock slides are still continuing...and will for some time!

Yorkshire:

It must have been like a heavy weight was lifted...hearing your family was safe and sound. Let's just hope no more rain falls for quite some time!

Those mudslides are the unknown quantity now aren't they? I do hope there's not much more devastation caused over there as a result, Andy.

As for no more rain ... we've got 3 cyclones circling the top half of Oz at the moment. Luckily the two that are off the coast of Queensland seem to be staying out to sea ... we'll see just whether or not we get much more rain as a result.

Bernieh:

Yes, unfortunately, the mudslides can happen even many months after the rains stop.

I've been monitoring the weather conditions there...it wasn't looking very good there for a while with all the cyclones so close. Hopefully, they'll all stay far off the Gold Coast! Take care.