Too close for comfort.

I don't want to harp on about the same old thing but this is what is taking up most of my attention for the moment.

This is a 'spot' fire 5km north of the town.

There is another one like it further east but thankfully they seem to be both under control thanks to the 'firies' - the hard working volunteers of the Rural Fire Service, and the many water helicopters that are buzzing overhead with their buckets.

They fill up from Woodford Lake then strategically dump their load on the fire front.

They are only looking to contain the path of the blaze away from populated areas because the main fire front is too difficult to get to .

The heat and the smoke all adds to the tension that's everywhere but so far (cross fingers) no lives or property have been lost.

The damage done to the beautiful Grose Valley is another thing. I know that bushfires are a feature of the Australian bush and that some plant species rely on fires to propagate but there must be a lot of plants and animals that don't survive a firestorm like this.

Tonight the southerly has kicked in sending all the smoke away from the house. Unfortunately this also means that the main fire is heading North East to Tomah and the Bells Line of Road.

A big thank you to all those men and women who are out there in this stinking heat doing the right thing - next time you have a cake stall or a doorknock collection to raise funds for a new truck or fire pump I'll be putting a lot more in.