After nearly

four weeks, the water over the airport has gone, & the runway has been repaired sufficiently to allow daytime flights in & out.

It's a positive sign. But there are still a number of negatives.

There is still rubbish piled up outside many of the houses that were affected by the floods. In contrast to the co-operative people power that has been happening in Brisbane, it's almost as if the council here has decided to take their time to clean up the worst affected areas, nearly all of which are in the poorer parts of town.

There are still roads closed, enormous potholes on many that are open, snakes, lakes that were once lagoons, lagoons that were once ponds, ponds that were depressions in the landscape. The smell of mud & decayed vegetation still drifts in, especially at night. Birds avoid some of the watery areas they once frequented. Dead fish wash up in one of the lagoons. There are mudline markers on houses that haven't yet been washed away.

& even though fresh food & produce are coming in regularly now, the supermarket still isn't stocking my favorite 2-liter container of iced milk coffee. Until that is fixed, let me just say that, for me, the floods still ain't over.