NOTICE boards and public walls provide for some interesting reading.
As the mercury bobbed its head around 38 degrees in Longreach last week, outside the Merino Bakery in Eagle Street, this poster was still giving people the option of stocking up on firewood.
No doubt a winter leftover but there is a certain irony about asking "Feeling cold?" and exclaiming: "Share the warmth!"
The merit of the program is that it raises raising money for community projects, including a drought appeal.
Would they be raising more money if they shifted their product focus to ice?
Perhaps now is the time to stock up on firewood for next winter. Forward-thinking western Queensland homemakers are probably doing just that.
Fire on the other hand, is the last thing on others' minds, as is the thought of swinging an axe to get fuel, especially in the current heat.
Bushwhacked
A YOUNG Brisbane bloke joined the army earlier this year and is spending some time in New South Wales doing some training.
Fitness is of course very important when in the armed forces. Knowledge of livestock however, is perhaps not as important.
His girlfriend relayed the story of how he decided to take an extended hike into some nearby scrub land to push his stamina.
He was given approval for such a walk but was required to wear full kit, including a considerably heavy backpack.
All was going well as he made his way through some rugged terrain and started up something of a mountain, until he came across a herd of cleanskin cattle.
He noticed several very young calves within the mob, admired them from a distance, but then moved on.
A bit further along, he came across another lot, also with new calves. This time however, growing in confidence, he edged closer for a more detailed admiration of the new bovines.
The story goes that the herd froze, with every wild and protective cow eyeing the young soldier off, before a few of them decided he was close enough.
They dropped their heads and came barrelling towards him, causing the camouflaged hiker to turn tail and put on the pace.
Apparently the chase was well and truly on, and to make matters worse, he couldn't find the quick-release to let go of his pack.
He must have put just enough space between himself and the upset mothers, who eventually gave up the pursuit, leaving a sweating, panting recruit keen to get back to his less-rigourous daily training schedule back on base.
Gangs on the hop in the 'Reach
GREAT town Longreach. Sure, a lot of the grass "turns to powder in your hand" as one local put it, but residents are getting on with life despite the dry.
There are Christmas window displays in many of the shops, plenty of people coming and going, and businesses striving forward in tough conditions.
It's not the sort of place you'd expect to have gangs loitering about.
There is though- a gang of kangaroos. They hang out at the skate park which is usually the domain of young skateboarders, scooter riders and BMX riders.
The Ringer was told about the gang and investigated himself. Sure enough, there they were, hanging around, probably coming up with crud slogans to draw on the concrete like "Go jump" or "Skippy got game".
Of course, it might just be the shade provided by the large roof overhead but it's much more fun to imagine that these macropods perform all sorts of tricks and stunts on the facilities when no humans are looking.