We awoke this morning to the smell of smoke. Within 20 minutes or so we could hardly see the end of the garden through the smoke haze. Troubled, we walk down the garden to greet neighbours and discuss the smoke. It is agreed that this must be smoke from the bushfires in the mountains or a fire nearby and there was no cause for alarm as yet.

After swapping telephone numbers, in case our neighbours need to call us in an emergency, we wake our son Geoffrey and tell him of the smoke and smell of burning and give him instructions to keep the animals within the house for the day. We run through the 'what ifs' with him in case of fire - he is well grounded and nods and mutters the priority list, 'animals, paintings, photographs, toby jugs, plates' in case he has to evacuate the house. We tell him that self and animials are more important - the list is just in case he has time. 'Call us immediately if there is a fire in the vincinity and we'll try and make our way home. Load the car beforehand, stay as long as you can to hose things down - don't take chances, if you're told to go, go.' We know if there is a fire we'll probably not be able to get through to the house and Geoff will be on his own. He grunts and nods and rolls over back into sleep. He's an old hand and training to be a Park Ranger so he knows the dangers.

The smoke haze covers Melbourne - visibility has been reduced to just three kilometers by smoke from fires bruing in Victoria's noth-east. It's eerie and silent. Hardly any wind at the moment. The temperature is crawling up. Everyone talks in the office about the bushfires that have destroyed 368 houses in our Capital City, Canberra. Fires are burning out of control in the mountains of north-east Victoria. The town of Mt Beauty is surrounded by fire and is threatened. A pine plantation, the cause of the smoke in Melbourne, burns in Wodonga.

I watch the Reuters screen closely, listening to the radio and pray that Victoria will get through this day without a major fire in the hills that surround Melbourne. My eyes constantly run, the smoke has found its way into the air conditioning system here at work - its going to be a tough day.