There was one over the Blue Mountains on Monday:



And last night we smelt strong smoke at home; no bush fire but a nearby commercial laundry went up in smoke:









We live downwind of where the fire was and the smoke and stench from burning tablecloths and bed linen was amazing:



We could still smell it this afternoon.

There are sometimes uneventful days here, but yesterday was not one of them.

Pretty sunset. The insurance premiums must be high.

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Quote:

The insurance premiums must be high.

They'll be going up, but more because reinsurers are bleeding from global catastrophes like the Christchurch NZ earthquakes and the Japanese tsunami. The bicycle shop next door to the other night's fire has more of a problem:



They've sustained some smoke damage and are having a cut-price sale of existing stock. You can have a bicycle any colour you want, as long as it's matt black.

In the meantime, pessimists look down into the earth:



... while optimists reach for the sky: