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And I didn't get washed away neither.



On the right is Woy Woy (upper dot) and Sinny (AKA Sydney). On the left is Perth, capital city of Western Australia. The blue line is the airbus.



"Fremantle Hospital
Princess of Wales Wing" it says.

One of Freo Hospital's newer bits.

It's a fairly comfortable bit. Good thing too. My mother's in there dying of cancer.

She's been sick for a long time but she suddenly took a turn for the worse and it looked like she had days so all of us ships came back to the shore.

She's stable again now and as comfortable as you can be under the circs. But she's running out of time. Six months left maybe. Next I disappear suddenly that'll be why.


(Old photo)

The Knowle building still stands in the hospital grounds. It was built in 1852 from local limestone (sandstone) and stood on a bit of a rise. Would've had goods views out to sea then. The parts of the hospital on South Terrace still do.

Photo taken from a corridor somewhere. Your guess which corridor is as good as mine. Bloody labrynth Freo Hospital.



Alma Street from Freo Hospital. Quiet little street in old Freo. Or it would be quiet if ambulances didn't hurtle down it at all hours.


(Massify)

View from Freo Hospital out over South Terrace to Gage Roads. Gage Roads is the holding pen for ships waiting to come into Freo Harbour.


Storm damage



Bottom arrow is Sydney, middle arrow is Woy Woy. Top arrow is Maitland & the Hunter, where the floods and the main damage was done. The fallen bit of highway that took out the car is maybe 15 kays above Woy Woy.

The pictures on the news were bloody alarming. Ships beaching themselves (Nobbys at Newcastle), bits of the Pacific Highway dropping off and a carload of peeps plummetting to their doom, ferries stopped in Sydney, flash flooding up Maitland way, and all that sort of thing.

Rang one of the Dear Old Things. She said it was a bit blowy but everyone was all right and she could see my place was all right from her window so I wasn't too fussed.

Nice big map showing major incidents on Suzanne's walkies blog. Thanks, mate.

Cold showers and crosswords by candlelight for the Maroons (Queensland Rugby). They were in town and had to bunk down at Woy Woy Leagues overnight. (Sadly this link contains no pictures of footy players showering.)

Clean up could take yonks says the SES (State Emergency Service, those peeps in orange jumpsuits). Maitland and thereabouts, particularly Hinton, has taken a terrible thrashing. Flooded up to the Khyber Pass and wading in their own shit, poor bastards.

Had a look around outside this morning when I emptied my bulging letterbox. Checked the Dear Old Things had no broken windows and missing roof tiles. Didn't talk to them yet. It's fucking freezing today and they'll be tucked up in front of the telly with the cat and their fluffy slippers on.

There's fuck all damage in my street but I got home in the wee hours and haven't been out for a look at Woy Woy yet. Tomorrow.