Yasi is a huge, dangerous cyclone

[kiwigeo]

What makes it worse was that I heard Bligh spruking that anyone seen to be gouging on the misfortunes of Queenslanders would be dealt with accordingly Apparently that means ignoring the airlines response to peoples plights. Heard on the ABC local radio that in the lead-up to Yasi, the cheapest Qantas flights out of Cairns were over $1000 and Virgin over $700 - cripes Anna!, if that ain't gouging, what the hell is???

I heard Virgin had actually capped their fares while Qantas were charging full last minute fares.

If you expect anything less from Qantas you've got your head in loo loo land.

[Cliff Rogers]

The gouging does happen....

There are 3 servos, one was closed, one was letting people book up their fuel & the other was 'cash only' & 7 cents a litre dearer.

[Cliff Rogers]

I heard Virgin had actually capped their fares while Qantas were charging full last minute fares.

If you expect anything less from Qantas you've got your head in loo loo land.

All depends... we were booked to fly to Tassie on Friday, the Cairns - Melbourne return leg was booked with Qantas & the Melbourne - Hobart return leg was booked with Virgin.
We had to change our flights.
Qantas charged $13 to make the change & said that they would refund it.
Virgin charged $177 to change the flights & I had to fill out a form to request a refund & I won't know for 10 days if I was successful.
The problem is because we were not joining one of their flights from within a cyclone affected area.

[Dengue]

Yes!!! Last night at at 6.07pm, 3 hours short of 5 days without power, it was finally restored. I was really looking forward to a hot soaking shower and an airconditioned bedroom last night.

The pool is looking terrible, a dark murky green, courtesy of the neighbourhood leaves shredded into tiny bits - there could be crocs lurking in the bottom for all we can see. The pool filter will be running full time the next few days. Have vacuumed it all out this morning, got 1/2 garbage bag full of small cut up leaves

Will be interesting to watch TV, after a 5 day absence, and see if we have missed anything.
Bought a pizza for tea to celebrate, and tomorrow going on a grocery shopping spree to fill the fridge and freezer - look out!

Floor people came today to inspect the damage to carpet and new timber flooring, and will give quotes for replacement. Have ordered 3 Windworker roof vents to replace the useless whirlybirds

[Cliff Rogers]

We got ours back at 4:15pm yesterday, the was just over 5 days, ours went off early at about 2:30pm last Wednesday.

[RETIRED]

Not a bad effort on the part of the electric company considering the damage.

[Dengue]

The thing that annoys me about the electricity utility is that we are only 500m from the zone substation, and people nearby had power on the Saturday

[AlexN]

Will be interesting to watch TV, after a 5 day absence, and see if we have missed anything.

Hi Jill,

Actually, it's been mostly about you people (with a bit of Victoria, WA and Egypt thrown in to round it out ;).

Great to read that you guys and gals all appear to be getting going again :).

Cheers,
Alex.

[derekh]

The thing that annoys me about the electricity utility is that we are only 500m from the zone substation, and people nearby had power on the Saturday

Jill,

If you're on Facebook, search for Ergon Energy and join their page. They have lots of information on the progress of the restoration effort and can answer your questions. I'm not associated with the Network Operations part of Ergon (I'm in IT) but as I understand it, their ability to reconnect you is not on physical distance from the substation but what sub-network you are on. As with the Brisbane floods, one side of the street had power the other side not. Be assured, they are doing their best to have everyone reconnected asap.

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cheers
Derek

[wally peat]

Sorry if this comes across as a bit of a rant, but only another woodie would understand what I am feeling right now.........ok, that was a bit of a blow we had. I had the biggest poltofren (sp?) tree come down in the back yard and lost a lemon scented gum out the front. No wind damage to the house, but the tidal surge sent 8 inches of salt water through the house and a foot through the workshop.

No dramas, we were warned to expect a 3 metre surge and had prepared accordingly. All my machines had been stripped of electric motors, all power tools and precious hand tools were upstairs, as was the furniture, so the damage was limited to wall sheeting, a couple of floating floors and mud right through the shed.

I can live with all of that, even the $30k quote I got yesterday to resheet the walls downstairs and the fine print in my insurance policy which says I am covered for any kind of flood except the ones with water in them.....but today I got some really bad news!

For the past five years I have worked at the university here in Townsville, and every day I have walked past a big eucalypt near the student mall and silently drooled over the biggest burl I have ever seen in my life. We are talking about a burl at least six feet up the trunk, about four feet across, and a metre thick. So yesterday I'm back at work and as I walk the well worn route there's something missing from the skyline.

Sure enough, three blokes are standing over the fallen gum and chainsawing it into chunks for the truck. (there's only about a thousand trees down across the campus, so it's just another tree to them) I'm onto the head gardener immediately and we do the deal. He tells the blokes to just cut the trunk off above and below the burl and leave it there. Then he says I should come and get it soon 'cos the clearup crew is pretty efficient.

My son has my van for the day and I don't think it will sit on the tank of the motorbike, so I'm back on campus at 6.15 this morning with chainsaw and lifting gear, drive into the spot where the tree came down and everything is still there except the burl. Ground as clean as a baby's bum. We've had a couple of inches of rain overnight and there's not a tyre track or footprint to be seen, so the deed's been done yesterday.

Back over to the grounds crew for a quick interrogation, and they confirm they left it all there when the finished cutting at 3.30pm yesterday.

SOMEBODY STOLE MY F*@#$ING BURL!!!!!

It wasn't mine, I didn't grow it, the tree had been there for a hundred years before the uni was even built, but I feel as though I've had a death in the family. Come to think of it, there's a couple of family members I'd willingly swap for a burl that size. Not just for me, this thing was big enough to spread around quite a few woodies here. I'm just glad I didn't have time to ring them up and share the good news before it wasn't any more.

I'm screaming in cyberspace here, and hopefully nobody's standing close enough to get hearing damage. I don't know why it's such a big deal, but missing that chunk of wood hurts far more than any other damage the cyclone did.

Tell me doctor, is there a cure for my condition?

[RETIRED]

's'nough to make ya spit.

[Ironwood]

Well thats just downright WRONG .

May all their chickens turn out to be roosters .

Seriously though, I can feel your pain, I wonder if they were tipped off by the guys with the chainsaws.

[wally peat]

Well thats just downright WRONG .

May all their chickens turn out to be roosters .

Seriously though, I can feel your pain, I wonder if they were tipped off by the guys with the chainsaws.

Nah, if I' ve been drooling over that bump for five years, how many other woodies are there in an institution of over 1000 employees who were ready with their utes for the moment it came down. I just hope I don't meet someone who skites about the burl they scored.....a man can only have so much self-control

[TTIT]

Keep your eyes peeled Wally - Karma may see you right yet Once upon a time, a tree-lopper out here offered a big log of Burdekin Plum to a club member here - all he had to do was turn up with his truck and load it on. Got there and the cupboard was bare - one of the loppers employees had decided he wanted the log and dumped it on the roadside on the way to dump so he could pick it up later (apparently). Unfortunately for him, another club member spotted it and the lads picked it up straight away. Karma - The log got to where it was intended and I'll bet that lopper is still scratching his thieving head

[rsser]

That's a sad tale Peter.

I hope Vern's Karma theory is right.