Massive Dust Storm Hits Sydney

[Kerry]

Sure enough.

You should get it set up Kerry - I think you'd already have a few pre-orders from here btw!

Enjoy the housesitting btw!

I did sell something on eBay once, as a one-off only, but I don't know how to set-up what you call an "eBay shop." How do I do that? Is it easy to do? I don't suppose you could give me a few pointers on how to set up my own shop on eBay? Is it free to do? Any tips you could give me would be muchly appreciated, Kelda. 

[Kelda]

Its free as far as I believe Kerry!

I dont have a shop as I sell stuff sporadically but you need a payapl account for starters - as people general buy using paypal these days. Here's some links!

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/sell/basics/skills.html
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/sell/basics/faqs.html
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/storefronts/start.html
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/storefronts/seller-landing.html
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/storefronts/openbenefits.html

[Kerry]

Its free as far as I believe Kerry!

I dont have a shop as I sell stuff sporadically but you need a payapl account for starters - as people general buy using paypal these days. Here's some links!

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/sell/basics/skills.html
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/sell/basics/faqs.html
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/storefronts/start.html
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/storefronts/seller-landing.html
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/storefronts/openbenefits.html

Thank you kindly for that info, Kelda. That may give me a bit of a spurt-on.

I'll just go have some breakfast and then look through your links at my leisure. I painted a small abstract earlier this year, specifically for sale on eBay, so I have one painting ready to go in the shop window, when I open my shop. Depending on how successful I am with it, I may paint (and sell) more. Failure, thy name is procrastination!!! I've just gotta get off my backside and get organised! I need an agent! Thanks again for the links, Kelda.         

[Shasta542]

Hi Kerry! I'm glad that you made it okay through the storm! Did businesses or schools have to close?

[Kerry]

Hi Kerry! I'm glad that you made it okay through the storm! Did businesses or schools have to close?

Yep, it was all done and dusted (groan!) in 24 hours, Shasta, but looked like the end of the world at the time! 

I didn't hear of businesses or schools closing. However, many flights to Sydney airport were either cancelled or diverted. Sydney's extensive ferry fleet was mostly cancelled for the day and extra buses were put on to carry the ferry passengers the long way around. On last night's television news it was reported that restaurants and cafes couldn't serve at their outdoor tables. And main street, shop-front stores had lots of trouble keeping their indoor stock clean, 'cause everytime a customer opened the front door, they took a ton of dust in with them, carried on the fierce winds that were blowing. Also, most schools kept children indoors throughout the day and they had their lunch indoors, rather than in the school yard.

I'm glad to see the end of it. Where I'm house-sitting this week, I'm looking after my friend's prized rose garden while he's away. Well, what a mess it was yesterday! All covered in orange dust. But despite the fierce winds, I noticed this morning that only three stems have been broken. All the other roses survived. I gave them a good hosing this morning and they're looking lovely now.

My breathing became quite laboured last night and I had to take an allergy pill, which solved the problem and I slept soundly.

[Shasta542]

Yep, it was all done and dusted (groan!) in 24 hours, Shasta, but looked like the end of the world at the time! 

I didn't hear of businesses or schools closing. However, many flights to Sydney airport were either cancelled or diverted. Sydney's extensive ferry fleet was mostly cancelled for the day and extra buses were put on to carry the ferry passengers the long way around. On last night's television news it was reported that restaurants and cafes couldn't serve at their outdoor tables. And main street, shop-front stores had lots of trouble keeping their indoor stock clean, 'cause everytime a customer opened the front door, they took a ton of dust in with them, carried on the fierce winds that were blowing. Also, most schools kept children indoors throughout the day and they had their lunch indoors, rather than in the school yard.

I'm glad to see the end of it. Where I'm house-sitting this week, I'm looking after my friend's prized rose garden while he's away. Well, what a mess it was yesterday! All covered in orange dust. But despite the fierce winds, I noticed this morning that only three stems have been broken. All the other roses survived. I gave them a good hosing this morning and they're looking lovely now.

My breathing became quite laboured last night and I had to take an allergy pill, which solved the problem and I slept soundly.

The dust storm would have probably looked weird from an airplane--maybe pretty scary too!

Many children have asthma, so that was wise to keep them inside while all that was going on. I'm glad to hear that your allergy medicine worked to help your breathing problem.

And--your friends will be happy to see their roses none the worse for the storm!

Will you have to dust when you get home--or is your place pretty airtight? It would have come in through my window panes and under the door jambs for sure!

Take care and here's to blue clear skies!!

[Kerry]

Will you have to dust when you get home--or is your place pretty airtight? It would have come in through my window panes and under the door jambs for sure!

I sealed my apartment off and closed the blinds before I left but I'm still expecting to find lots of dust to have come in through the door jambs leading out to the balconies. I'm worried about my own plants. I have two 9ft fig trees in big terracotta tubs. I hope they're still standing. Fingers crossed! Most of my plants are quite rugged, except for a beautiful tropical orchid that's recently come into bloom. The perfume is staggeringly beautiful. It's very delicate and I'm expecting to find it in a bad way when I return.   

[ifyoucantfixit]

       You poor people.  That is surely an unhealthy situation for everyone.  I remember when I was a child, we
lived in central California on the west coast of USA.  It was at the end of the valley, and we were in the bottom
end of the bowl.  When we got dust storms, we got all the bad stuff that was carried all the way down the
valley, and built up to at end where  the mountains were.  We were in the swamp cooler zone, not the AC area or time.All along the side of the hallway, there was a black line.  All the heaviest materials were brought in thru the cooler, which was vented into the hall, built up along the sides of the wall, on the light gold colored carpet.  It was horrid.  It
didnt matter how much vacuuming that we did, it was always there.  I know that has a lot to do with the bad
lung problems my mom had, and her husband died from lung cancer.  I sure hope that stuff is gone soon.
        Its definitely spooky looking even if its not dangerous.  All my best for all of you.

[Kerry]

It's all gone now, Janice. It's a beautiful, clear, sunny spring morning here today (Thursday), with just the slightest, gentle, sea breeze blowing. Just like the day before yesterday. Yesterday was a real ring-in. Apparently all that dust had blown from thousands of miles away in outback South Australia!    It definitely had the smell of the Outback about it, and though I have never visited the Outback, I now feel that it has most definitely visited me.  

[CellarDweller]

Yo Kerry!

Y'all better get the city of Sydney cleaned  up before I arrive!

I expect it to be sparking!