IF there's one thing a pandemic's good for, it's making you appreciate the great outdoors.
Walking, running, cycling and more have boomed as exercise became one of just a few valid reasons to leave your home in the midst of lockdown.
Vaccines have eased that load a little, making picnics a pleasure for those who've had two jabs.
Whatever your poison, it's about to get a bit easier to soak up some time beyond the confines of your house.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has been talking about the light at the end of the tunnel a bit recently, while laying out the freedoms we can look forward to in about 10 days' time.
Personally, we'd settle for an NRL grand final that didn't have to spend some time under a cloud of uncertainty.
For now, though, we'll take daylight saving.
Residents across NSW, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and the ACT are going to be lacking an hour of sleep with daylight saving beginning this Sunday.
At 2am on Sunday October 3, clocks jump forward an hour to 3am, turning that lost hour of night time into an extra hour of daylight across the summer evenings.
You shouldn't have to worry about re-setting your mobile phone though, it should update automatically (as should your TV, computer and any other device connected to the internet).
The clocks in the car and on the wall though - you'll have to remember to wind them forward. Those living in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory don't have to do anything as they don't observe daylight saving, which finishes for the rest of us on April 3. Are you a fan? How will use that extra bit of sunshine?
Wild weather a shake-up
AS much of Melbourne noted last week, natural disasters are very on brand for 2021. They would probably have blended in pretty well last year, too.
That city got a surprise shake, but on Thursday the NSW central west got an unexpected tornado just to up the ante a little more.
The tornado injured three people, destroying buildings and trees in its path.
Bureau of Meteorologist senior climatologist Agata Imielska said there were signs of damage over a 25 to 30km line, running roughly northwest.
This included damaged houses, many fallen trees and powerlines across roads.
The tornado is part of a larger weather system that has been causing severe thunderstorms around parts of the NSW and the ACT for several days.
"People need to check their local areas as the situation is volatile," BOM said in a statement.
Volatile feels like a bit of an understatement to us.
Hopefully the frogs and locusts forecast for next week can at least hold off until we're tucked up in bed.
