Choking, Dodging, and In The Weather

Well, as you know we have been hot and dry down this way.  We hadn't had rain of any kind since June.
I posted a few weeks ago about a nervous few days and nights as a bushfire got very close.
Ever since then we have been living in a cloud of smoke.
Not from that fire, but from other much larger fires about 16km (10miles) to the west.
Not really close but not far in deteriorating conditions.
The main fire is in pretty inaccessible mountains and despite RFS crews and water bombers it grew from 800 hectares (2,000 acres) to 2,000 ha, then 5,000, 8,000 and is reported today at over 11,600 ha (29,000 acres).
With prevalent winds in the west the smoke was frequently choking.

To give you an idea of what it is like: I took this piccie just after dawn on Saturday.
That isn't a morning mist the sun is shining through. It's a blanket of smoke!

Then the promise of relief, rain was forecast for yesterday and today.

Only it didn't just rain. Instead we had pounding hail and spiking lighting.
Poor Lilli alternated between hiding under Deb's desk and trying to climb onto my lap.
Labradors are not lap dogs!

At the height of the storm lightning struck very close and blew our land-line phone off the wall!

As I write this this afternoon, clouds are moving in again, this is one of my favourite shots, looking down the valley. As you can see one of the joys of being in the mountains is that you are really up in the weather.
A joy, but a bit unnerving sometimes.

So, finally some longed for rain, and hopefully goodbye fires (for a while at least)

 Postcript: Poor Lilli is under the desk again, and lighting is stabbing down all around!