I nearly died this afternoon, crushed to death by a fallen tree. OK, maybe that’s being a little dramatic, but as you can see from the accompanying photograph, this tree on Crown Street, Surry Hills came awfully close to hitting the bus shelter in which I was seated.

Just seconds earlier, I’d crossed the street exactly where the tree had fallen. Seated in the bus shelter, listening to my mp3 player, drinking a soft drink, and watching the world go by, I watched the tree, which was old and shallow-rooted, come falling down right before my eyes, bringing some power lines with it.

Yes, power lines! But that didn’t stop idiots, like the people in this car, from driving through, cutting a swathe over the fallen tree, right over the top of the fallen power lines: a practice the fire brigade and police very quickly put a stop to.

After calling the police and the City of Sydney Council, and after taking a few photographs, I then headed off to The Rocks to meet up with some mates for a few drinks, with a mighty fine anecdote to tell. I didn’t bother waiting for the bus, though, catching a cab instead.