Summer Rains, 15 years of Drought, and Bob's your Uncle

Being here in another country, I am slowly acclimating my mental perception, physical presence and intellectual ear. While the intellectual ear has been the most enjoyable aspect of my acclimation, whether its trying to understand someones Australian accent, or trying to remember the vernacular of Melbournites, the most important acclimation has been to the needs and concerns of the Australians themselves.

One of the most basic of needs for life is water. Here in Melbourne, water, the lack of, the collection of, or the distribution of, is on everyones mind.

The facts are this:
1. Melbourne has a population of approximately 4 million people (and growing)

2. The average yearly rainfall 653.1mm (26.12 inches), the current rainfall is at 605mm

3. The Dams (which store Melbourne's water supply) have a capacity of 1,810,500 megalitres (approx 476,477,368 gallons) are collectively currently at 37.9% full

4. This November, Melbourne's low temperature is approximately 5ºC ABOVE average, and the high temperature is approximately 6ºC ABOVE average

5. Melbourne has had drought conditions for about 15 years.

Melbourne is at stage 3 water restrictions which include:

1. no watering of lawns at any time

2. no hand held hoses on vehicles

3. you can use tap water to clean your vehicle's windows, mirrors and lights

4. you can use dripper systems or hose (must have a trigger nozzle) for gardens between 6am and 8am, and 8pm to 10pm (even number houses can water on Saturday and Tuesday, and odd numbers can water on Sunday and Wednesday)

5. Every person is asked to use no more than 155 litres /day (about 41 gallons). The restriction may increase to 100 litres/day (about 26 gallons), but voluntary action is preferred to actual legislation.

Now for the good news.

1. Although the Water Storage is at 37.9% capacity, this is up from 33.8% last year.

2. This November is shaping up to be one wet month (about 75mm or 3 inches) so far. Rather than getting lots of gentle rainy days though, we have had massive rainstorms which do not always fill the reserves, but do green up people's lawns and gardens. Last Sunday, many suburbs (townships like Coburg) of Melbourne received a month's worth of rain in one day. Today, Thursday 26 November, we have had several strong storms move through the area, including a couple of thunderstorms.

3. Many people install tanks to capture rain water from their gutters. Throughout the neighborhood, you can see signs saying “Tank Water In Use”.

Melbourne is not necessarily leading the “Green” charge, but solar panels can be seen on people's roofs, recycling is commonplace, mass transit is available (buses, trams, and trains), and most roadways have bike lanes. The politicians argue about setting CO2 emission levels (most electric is generated via coal power), and what legislation should be set concerning global warming.

But what is interesting is that climate change is front page news. I'm not saying every Australian believes that we are in the midst of a dramatic global climate change, but the newspapers cover climate change as real and news. In fact, in Wednesday's paper (I am referring to 'The Age' newspaper), pages 4 and 5 are dedicated to climate issues and how the government is going to deal with business and personal demands and cost. It is refreshing to see a country of 20 million people dealing with environment concerns in an open manner. Right now, the leader of the Liberal party (which, I have learned, is the equivalent of the Republican party in America) is under tremendous pressure because he is siding with the Labor party's (loosely like the Democrat party in America) emission trading deal. The Labor party is the party in power right now in Australia. Only time will tell if the government will enact laws to restrict emissions and conserve resources. Considering that the government is saying the population of Australia is slated to increase by 15 million people by by the year 2056, every move is critical.

OK...now for the lighter side of life here in Melbourne. A Few of my favorite expressions from OZ....

Bob's your Uncle (don't worry Dad, I know you are still my father!) - this means “everything done and dusted” according to my expert translator, Yasmin Horsham.

Take Away – as it pertains to food; we Americans know it as “take out” food

Football – during the Australian winter this means AFL or Australian Rules Football. No pads, no helmets, no stoppage of play. Soccer is called soccer. If you are from NSW or Queensland, football refers to Rugby. Go figure.

Feral – gross, yukky, dirty, stinky, etc.

Give Way – on a street sign it means “Yield”

Way Out – Exit

Tomato Sauce – Ketchup

Ta – thanks

Darling – used in place of 'Honey' or 'Sweetie'

No Worries – used in place of 'no problem' or 'you're welcome'

Ahhhh, relearning 'proper' English according to Yasmin! Will write soon...see you later...love from the land of Oz.