Any farmer will tell you that the Egyptians didn't deal with things too far from what they have had to deal with in the Outback of Australia. You know the 10 Plagues that God wraught upon the captors of the Israelites; water turning red, frogs, mosquitos, flies/rodents, livestock disease, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and finally the death of the firstborns.

Well most of them follow a natural progression which can be explained with algal blooms, leading to frog population explosions, leading to mass deaths of the amphibians and therefore flies, which then attack livestock giving them boils and diseases. Then the hail destroys crops like what occured late last year leading to explosion of rodent populations and the high rainfall increasing locusts swarms....

Well the one thing not mentioned is bushfire...maybe because Egypt is not a land that lends itself to never ending grasslands and scrub. Australia on the other hand is the bush fire capital of the world. It would almost be impossible for there ever to be a day where there is not some fire burning uncontrolled somewhere on the continent.

After an incredible amount of rain last year the Continent is awash with vegetation which grew thick during last summer and died off over the winter and is now starting to dry out and form the perfect basis for without question the worst year of fire risk since white man set up camp on this big island.

So my advice if you live anywhere near bushland....get ready for the mother of all fire seasons.

• get your control burns done now if you for some strange reason didn't get them done during the winter
• cut back bush around houses and sheds
• clean out gutters and have a system ready to irrigate the roofs and gutters and block down pipes
• keep lawns short and green
• ensure water tanks are kept full for fire control
• have drinking water and food supplies in case there are shortages
• ensure the fire fighting pump is ready to go and full of fuel
• keep in contact with neighbours and be vigilant for any signs of smoke
• run through a fire drill with friends and family
• keep the list of emergency services on the fridge

Well there is my two bobs worth...I really do hope that we get through this year without too much loss of livelihoods.