Not Sweating the Small Stuff

Things That Usually Happen Only In Nightmares

A number of people have emailed me about the recent flooding in the state of Queensland here.

And I've been thanking them for taking the time to ask and feeding back a bit about the disaster.

The worst inundation has been about 500 miles north of Sydney and, while the loss of life and the damage to property is obviously horrific, the full and tangible impact of the catastrophe only became apprent to me today, looking at a set of photographs taken on a farm at Heidon as the Lockyer Creek ran it's banks.

As you can see from the time on each image, the surrounding countryside was submerged in just 22 minutes - 3.16pm to 3.38pm.

Like in a nightmare where legs turn to lead and you can't escape trains bearing down on you, or approaching thugs intent on robbery ... I can too easily imagine the feeling of helplessness in the face of such rapidly on-coming waters.

Some of the footage of people telling of loved ones lost and lifetimes' work swept away has been truly heart-breaking.

And I reflected on how easy it is to watch the litany of tragedies around the world on the evening news with chilling detachment. Pause for thought.