About 9am on a Sunday morning, I hear a noise overhead that sounds like we're being blitzed. I have to say, the fires are getting later and later every year. 5 years ago we'd be over the water bombers by the end of January.

We're the closest water source to fires in the hills, so they come a few times every summer and suck water out of our lake. Living on the "urban rural fringe" as my SOSE teacher described it, it proves to be the most interesting thing happening all summer. Hence all the kids and bogans and neighbours flock to the lake for the morning to see what all the fuss is about and freak the pilots out by parking on the take-off route until the police show up to herd them away. Much like one would chase a bunch of fat ducks to the other side of the park. Except these ones have bikes and utes.

Anyway, I digress. They were so far apart I had to go to the other side of the lake and hide in the reeds to get this shot. The red chopper came in so close I got sprayed, thankfully the lens dodged the shower and I got my double-chopper shot. No matter how many times a season it happens, it always looks so weird to see these two massive helicopters dropping into our suburb on a Sunday morning.