I awoke this morning with the plan that after dropping my Godmother's son at school, we would head for the train into the city where I could spend the day wih my Godmother doing a few more touristy bits and pieces; exploring the alley ways and getting the tram etc. Unfortunately though, I came down for my morning cup of tea to be told that most of Victoria had been put on a total fire ban i.e. no one could start any fire or use machinery that could create sparks as there was serious risk of fire spreading due to high winds and hot weather. My Godmother was nervous about leaving the property and their dog alone for so long when a fire could start at any time. To understand this better you must realise we have had the highest temperatures on record for March since the 1930s with barely any rain to moisten the vegetation leaving many areas vulnerable to catch alight.

With this in mind, she made the decision that we would instead not stray so far from home and she took me off to Montsalvat, an area that was the first artist colony in Australia, established in the 1940s. Justus Jörgensen, the founder, bought the land to create french provencial styled weekend cottages for artists to escape to and were built by the artists themselves. Many artists still take up residence there, but only for their workshops not for living.

We walked across the grounds and through the many galleries and building that are made up of a mish mash of so many artists quirky building ideas and styles; a few pieces of stained glass here, a bit of gargoyle sculpture there and you get the idea. But the peacefulness and quietude that emanates from the buildings and gardens is just so inspirational and makes you understand why the colony was set up in the first place.

We were told that we could walk around the cottages that were still in use by artists today and that if their door was open, knock and they should let you in. So after a few unsuccesful attempts to pry into the workshops and studios, we ended up in Chris Wynne's guitar making workshop and had a great chat about the english weather and tasmanian wood (Don't ask me why).

By this time the temperature had risen into the late 20s so we went to the cafe for a cup of tea, but after a little while we realised the wasps were not happy; they began to attack but fortunately we got away without being stung.

The weather only got weirder this afternoon as thunderstorms were predicted and the mugginess set in. It had got so unbearably warm after a few hours in the mid 30s that we decided to go for a dip in the pool so with raindrops spattering down and the warm wind rushing around us we had a chance to cool down slightly. I now sit with the breeze blowing through the living room and the rain falling every now and again while checking the County Fire Authority website to make sure no warning have been put up for our Fire Agency District. Thankfully the rain has continued to fall in spurts and the temperature has lowered significantly so no such warning should be given for us.