Thank you all so much.
I actually have been back to the mountains, SRS. Sadly this fire was so intense it burned the rocks. There is new life but there are some plants that are gone forever. Some birds living on the edge may not recover either -- then there's the rare wallabies. Some Australian ecosystems don't recover after fire and this was a rare and special place. An isolated outcrop in a sea of introduced pasture. Still -- it's good advice, thank you, Maggie. I know you can't walk in your own special wilderness anymore -- except to hold onto that flood-plain. I'm not alone. And I'm alive!
My heart stopped and I'm still alive.
Just got me a copy of my ECG. One bit. There are about a dozen bits the same. Flat lines for 10 seconds or so. No wonder I'm leaving out letters when I write. Bit of a shock to something deep inside me.
Top of the class in cardiac rehab. though. Because my heart is undamaged my fitness level is unchanged. Straight from intensive care to our usual evening walk.
Thank you so much. It's such a special place here.
Joy