We were awoken around 6.30 am by our daughter peering out the bedroom window. "Oh, oh guys. Something's up," she said chirpily. Something was indeed up. Overnight the sky had turned to mustard yellow and outside the world looked like Kansas when the tornado was about to whirl Dorothy away to Oz.
It is a strange feeling to see the city you know so well transformed overnight by Mother Nature and the biggest dust storm the city has seen. You feel awed at the power of how quickly she can leave you vulnerable. In 24 hours Sydney has gone from a stifling 30 degrees to below 20 as a wild storm approached – thunderstorms and gale-force winds with gusts over 100 km/h.
State Emergency Services advised to keep children indoors away from windows. I didn't need their recommendation as I didn't want to struggle through the world of dust and disrupted services. Daisy and I stayed home to do craft, read fairytale books and hold birthday parties for her toys. The sound of the winds was soothing and womb-like although the world had become slightly eerie.
And recently in Glebe (boho suburb where the Scribe and I shared a one-room bedsit when I was art school) a 1.8m bull shark was spotted in a park canal. Glebe and the word 'shark' don't normally go together but there it was - swimming nonchalantly along as people gathered to watch.
Mother Nature is playing tricks with Sydney Town this week.
Wizard of Oz image source:
Glebe image source:
