Cough

There have been large bushfires burning around Pickering Brook for four or five days. And when I say large, I mean like nuclear holocaust large. They've burnt out 15,000 hectares and merged into a single fire with a 100km long front.

When I look out the window of my inner-city office, I can see a fog-like haze obscuring the next building, and even though this is a sealed, climate-controlled building I can still smell the distinctive scent of woodsmoke. If the breeze shifts in the right direction, I can even spot the occasional fluttering wisp of ash.

Goodness knows what this is doing to asthma sufferers.