bushfire smoke over Melbourne

Penny had a quiet day today, because the smoke from the bush fires is drifting across the city of Melbourne and we didn't think it was a good idea to go walking.

Here's the view of sunset over Melbourne on 22 December 2013 with the nearby city buildings silhouetted against the sky.

Here's the same view tonight, with the buildings lost in the haze of smoke.

The Moon is red, as it was in the terrible fires of 2009. Thank God no lives have been lost this week, a wonderful credit to the organisation of the fire response, and to the bravery of our wonderful CFA firefighters and the other firefighters who assisted them. It's so sad, though, for the many people who have lost their homes.

walking on a warm but not hot day

Penny and her two humans didn't have to walk at the crack of dawn today, because it's a warm day, not as fiendishly hot as it's been lately.

But a dog still needs to have a drink when she's taking her humans for a brisk walk.

It's best if you can instruct your humans to turn the tap on, so you can drink from running water.

The great thing about this drinking bowl is the hole in the bottom, because once a dog has had her fill, the water empties out along a clever little drain, presumably to be directed to the nearby Yarra River.

We're so lucky that someone had the foresight to create this beautiful bush setting just a few kilometres from the centre of a huge modern city.