Smoky morn.

Woodsmoke hangs in the air this morning, a result of the first easterly wind since Victoria's bushfire season exploded last week. Fires continue to burn roughly 40 kms to the north and east of Melbourne. Easterlies are usually moist, but this morning have created a hazy, smoky sky.

Ivanhoe, our new place of residence in Melbourne's northeast, made fire-related news yesterday. I was home making dinner at around 5 pm when Aradhna sent a text asking about a fire in Ivanhoe. I immediately went outside but didn't see or smell anything unusual. Came back inside and grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, flicked through some channels, and quickly came upon a traffic report showing a live aerial shot of a scrub fire in East Ivanhoe, less than 1 km from our place, burning in one of the many parks along the Yarra River as it snakes its way north. Firefighters had it under control. Investigators have labeled the fire suspicious and are seeking a young male suspect.

The mind reels at the mindset of anyone who'd deliberately start a blaze under any conditions, but with a nation mourning the destruction of entire communities and scores of dead at the hands of arsonists, you'd either have to be a superhuman brand of f*ckwit or have a death wish. Aussies are ready to draw-and-quarter firebugs. Justifiably so.