I am sorry to be writing about this again.  But we spent a good bit of yesterday preparing for the cyclone.  It has not hit us yet and we can still wander around the yard.  The birds have been fed as has the fish.
It feels really weird waiting around for the thing to hit.  It does not help that it has slowed down.  One report yesterday said we could be in for 60 hours of really bad weather. 
Where we are it is the wind that is the most concerning thing.  Although the storm has not reached us yet we had a few gusts yesterday that would be a sign of things to come.  They were unbelievably strong.
We have even brought our stingless bees in.  That involves taking their box off its usual stand and covering any holes with mesh so they can still breath but not escape. That is now inside and down low.
One good thing about the delay is it has allowed time to reassess.  Some things have now come in that were not in.  It is looking at items that could become potential missiles.   Normal winds are one thing but sustained gusts of around one hundred k’s tend to discover anything that is vulnerable to lift off.
Having said that I would just like the event to be over.  I have been through a much worse cyclone before in Townsville where we spent time under the table, and the home next to us was demolished.  Yet I do not remember this waiting like this.
There comes a time where one has done all that one knows to do and all that remains is for the thing to happen.  We are pretty much in that state now. Only time will tell if enough has been done.  All we can do now is pray and ride it out.

Well according to the news the cyclone turned and is heading this way.
So I leapt out of bed and sprung into action.  That is probably put too strongly – not even considering it is not true in any way shape or form.  It would probably be better to say I got groggily out of bed and made my way down the hall.
Anyway today is the day we decided we would do some things to limit stuff becoming a missile.  In an hour or so we will batten down the hatches.  There is a consistent slight breeze which is unusual for this time of the morning.
I must admit it is a long time since I have been through a cyclone.  We did when I was a kid in Townsville.  We were under the table.  The neighbours came over and initially stayed with us.  There home was completely destroyed.  Their roof flew over ours and landed in a vacant allotment the other side of us.  It had dropped some things on our place on its journey.  Also when their house collapsed it impacted the front side of our joint.  We came out of it very well all things considered.
That was Althea which was a much stronger system than this one.  Still I reckon I have seen what they can do so I want us to be ready.
I emailed one of our neighbours asking if there was anything he wanted done.  He didn’t.  He is “fly in, fly out” and said he would fly in this evening.  The other neighours have been beavering away.
I am looking forward to this all being over but there is a few days to go yet.  I am trying to remember all that I need to do.   This is the first time I have been “the man about the house” for such an event.
Still these things “come to pass,” and I am very much looking forward to it passing.  I can hear the wind outside and it is getting stronger and it is ages before it is supposed to arrive.  There are things to do.

The day could not have dawned more beautiful.
I have called off a get together we normally hold at our place tonight saying I will either be left with egg on my face or it will happen.  The cyclone that is.  At the moment I have the distinct taste of egg in my mouth.
The next 24 hours will be crucial.  The cyclone is expected to turn back towards the coast later this evening.  If it does the call will be justified as people need preparation time and it could be raining.
Most in the neighbourhood seem to be heeding the warnings that it is coming.  Merril and I went to the shops yesterday evening and not since the pandemic have I seen shelves as empty.   I had a chat there with two people I know.  One had gotten all their goods for free as the scanner was not working.  The other as wondering if they should buy for an event they are holding as chaplain at a school in the next few days.
We had expected someone over to do some stuff in the yard.  It may not happen as they are lining up for sandbags.
This all could be the calm before the storm.  The cyclone is expected to cross the coast somewhere around the Sunshine Coast.  Which means right about here.  We will certainly spring into action if it looks like coming this way.  I have been looking around the yard to see things that need to go away.
If it does come this way then a get together planned for here on Saturday may not happen.  Along with high winds they anticipate a lot of rain and there is the possibility of losing power.  We got some petrol yesterday for our generator.
Aat present all this preparation seems like an inconvenience.  But if it comes then this will be time well spent.