You don’t appreciate something until it’s gone. Water. Power. Peace and quiet.
Last night, the wind didn’t politely rustle the trees, it came tearing through like it had a grudge. By the time it blew itself out, the power was gone, pot plants were on their side, and a grain auger had blown over on Jamberoo Mountain Road.
That’s not where I live, but it’s the road that connects Jamberoo to the Highlands, and when something blocks it, it matters. Especially when it happens at 4 o’clock in the morning. Our local RFS crews were out there in the dark, again, answering the call. I think there were nine callouts in our area alone. They don’t clock off. They don’t wait for daylight. They just get on with it.
Photo Credit Jamberoo RFS
Here at my place, the damage was minor. A few pot plants got knocked over. I went to stand them up and realised some had rooted into the ground, poor things. They might not survive the shock. But if that’s the worst of it, I’m grateful.
I came from out west, where the weather has its own brutal personality but wind wasn’t really part of it. I lived on a farm there too, and I can’t remember the power going out once. But here on Saddleback Mountain, nestled in rainforest, the trees fall like bowling pins in high winds , and with them go the power lines.
Usually it’s our side of the mountain that loses power. This time, the whole village went down. No lights, no heating, no water, unless you’ve got a generator or a gravity-fed tank system like I used to. These days, I rely on a tank and a pump. And while the dairy up the road was whirring along thanks to its generator, I was standing in my kitchen staring at the tap and shaking my head.
I headed into town to buy some water, only to find the shop I’d planned on was closed. Of course, no power, no till, no open door. But then I ran into Warren at Kings Patisserie, who offered to let me bring down containers to fill with water. I would have, if I had anything other than a few jars.
Instead, I bought 24 bottles of water, which Warren sold to me at a very generous price. That’s the kind of neighbour you want in a blackout.
When the power came back on, I was bundled up on the couch like a retired snowman, debating whether to light a candle or eat another biscuit. I heard the fridge click. The TV blinked. The lights came on, and I wandered around my house flipping switches like I’d never seen electricity before.
It’s amazing, isn’t it? How much we rely on the things we rarely think about. And how quickly we remember our luck when they return.
So here’s to the power crews. To the RFS out before dawn. To Warren and his water. To the neighbours with tractors who clear fallen trees.
And to the humble joy of a working espresso machine.
#SaddlebackMountain #Kiama #RFSheroes #OutageAftermath #WindyNight #GrainAugerDown #WarrenToTheRescue #KingsPatisserie #RuralRealities #PowerPerspective #CommunityKindness