Fires in Sydney - Checking in on Prinsendam/AussieGal!

[bepsf]

I just read about some wildfires on the outskirts of Sydney that has stranded motorists commuting to work...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2007/01/22/international/i071105S87.DTL

Here's hoping that our friends down under are OK!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Brian I believe they are both no where near. Jennie lives in Melbourne and Stephen will be boarding the Statendam today.

[Aussie Gal]

Lisa and Brian,

 

Thanks for thinking of us down here.

 

You are correct. Stephen is in Wellington N.Z. and will be sailing on the Statendam across the Tasman to Tasmania and here. We hope to catch up with him next Wednesday when he is in Melbourne. In Sydney he doesn't live near where the fires are burning on the North Shore of the harbour.

 

We live in Melbourne so are not near the Sydney fires but are close to the fires which have been burning in our State since the beginning of December.

 

We have been fortunate that we have had firefighters from N.Z., Canada and California helping our wonderful men to try and put them out. Over the weekend we did get a small amount of rain which has been beneficial. We thank you all for sending us down so many willing firefighters to help us, plus the use of California's wonderful helicopters which have helped enormously.

 

Jennie

[PRINSENDAM]

Lisa and Brian,

 

Thanks for thinking of us down here.

 

 

Jennie

 

 

 

 

Thanks from me too!!!!

 

As noted I'm on board STATENDAM right now.... well, not quite, I'm sitting in an internet cafe in Dunedin.

 

Nothing has changed on the ship in the past three months. Not sitting at the same table but one right next to it so I still have the same waiters and wine stewards. Most of the crew that were on board for the Pacific crossing are still here.

 

I'm afraid that I have just one disappointment to record. Dutch dinner last night... green pea soup has been dropped from the menu.:( Instead a 'bean' soup is offered.... a simple broth with a few pieces of string beans. Tastes damn good, but no substitute for green pea!

 

The ship is under Code Red right now. A plane coming in from LAX to Auckland brought along 175 STATENDAM passengers who were exposed to the 'virus' during the flight. The outbreak on board the ship was almost immediate, but it has been tackled with the usual ruthless efficiency and now appears to be under control.

 

Stephen