Today the temperature has reached 44 45.1 deg, after 44 yesterday, and 43.4 the day before...At least, we haven't had any air conditioning problems today, nor any power outages, at work anyway, but lots of places are suffering with no power as well.
There is a cool change predicted at any moment...
But the respite will be very short, tomorrow is predicted to be 35...
That almost seems like cool weather after three days over 43...
Postscript: The temperature reached 47 deg in the Wimmera...
Yesterday got to 44 degrees in Melbourne, but somehow we survived, despite a couple of air conditioning break downs in the morning at work. Pity the poor technician who was on the roof when the outside temperature in the shade was 39 deg. Any faint hope of being sent home was extinguished by lunchtime, and it turned into a long day, but the upside was that traffic was not too bad when I left work.
It seemed cruel to leave Mischa locked up in the upstairs bathroom overnight, where the air conditioning does not penetrate, so she has been running free the last two nights. This has caused a little bit of adventuring and noise, as she knocked over the laundry basket, and several failed attempts to jump onto the window sill in the wee hours of the morning.
The heat wave continues, yesterday's top was 43 degrees, with another one predicted today, and more hot weather to come over coming days.
According to the weather bureau, the current heat wave is expected to be the hottest for something like 100 years, and there is little chance of any relief until the weekend, and even then, there will only be a brief respite before the heat rolls in again.
Apparently this heat wave is caused by a blocking high pressure system over the Tasman Sea, drawing hot Northerly winds across Victoria and South Australia from central Australia. The heat changes lots of things in the way we go about things: our houses are not built for extended heat waves, as we normally only get one or two hot days in a row before a cool change. The affordability of air conditioning systems means that many of us do have them installed these days, in contrast to my childhood when the best that we could manage was a fan.
The most extreme day that I can remember, as a child was when it reached 116 deg F or 46 C. When you don't have air conditioning, there is nothing that can be done to make the house cooler. During the heat of the day, my brothers and I sat motionless on our wide shady verandah in our cotton shorts and shirts, spreading our limbs out so that there was the maximum exposure of bare skin to any stray breeze that came along. We tried to sleep at nights, but pillows felt unbelievably hot, and after a while, nothing made a difference at all. Even sleeping on campbeds on the verandah didn't help, as the beds really only allow you to stay in one spot on the bed, in contrast to normal beds when you can move around to a spot that has not been heated to body temperature.
Eventually the temperature will drop, things will return to normal, and the events of this week will go into folklore: Do you remember how hot it was in January 2009?
The current heat wave brings some reminiscences of previous summers. It's hard to imagine in this time of water restrictions and global warming, that we were once allowed to frolic on lawns with the garden hose, in our bathers, screeching as the blast of cold water hit us unexpectedly.
Dips in the farm dam, but only after 5pm when the heat of the day was just beginning to dissipate, and supervised by our long suffering mother.
Icy poles, home made ice cream and home made lemon cordial.
Later on, in the Western District; fish dinners (with redfin from the farm dams) chips and salad, followed by mulberry topped cheesecake. (The mulberries were from the tree in our orchard)
Our girls enjoyed splashing in our paddle pool on the lawn, which mysteriously sprung a leak one summer.
Much later I found out that Pink Ukulele had bitten a hole in it, pretending that she was a crocodile..., but by the time I found out, it was too late to contemplate anything but having a good laugh!
Having a long weekend to relax always seems a nice way to end January.
Saturday was a bit of a nothing day, with a sleep in until I could not put up with kitten games in the bed.
Sunday, retracing steps we returned to our old stomping ground to catch up with old friends. Yesterday was a public holiday for Australia Day, and as is traditional there was cricket, and tennis to watch on the TV and an impromptu lunch at Pink Ukulele and Y's place
In an update on small felines, thankfully our temporary house guest stayed only one night, as a keen buyer was found very quickly. And our permanent residents, Coco and MIscha are getting on quite well, but still not prepared to sleep in the same space. All the same, there has been a lot of thundering about, up and down stairs, and from one end of the house to the other, with each of them taking it in turns to be the chaser.
I bought a lovely blue collar on Friday afternoon, but Mischa's verdict was "Not for me", and I have yet to find it, as it was shed sometime on Saturday, somewhere in the house.
I have enjoyed the cooler than normal temperatures that we had been experiencing, but this week we are in summer with a vengeance, with 38 deg the prediction for today, and 41, 40,40 to come, before a cooler change late Saturday, and some relief with 30 on Sunday.
Spare a thought for us, as we swelter in the heat.
The household is settling down after the arrival of Mischa the Siamese kitten a few weeks ago, and we now have a much happier Coco, who seems to realise that this little interloper is not going away, and even provides a bit of fun, playing "chasie".
Coco also has got the hang of first in, best dressed, so if she wants to sit on a particular knee, she needs to be there first, but there are also compensations in the form of play during the day when the humans are absent.
It's been an interesting journey, watching the establishment of order, with the occasional spat. Coco was rather peeved by the new arrival, and told us so in no uncertain terms. Watching the chases, the little one with a much shorter turning circle, means she can change direction much more quickly than Coco. The sight of the pair of them racing from one end of the house to the other on the polished floorboards has provided us with much amusement. A sudden change of direction by Mischa, leaves Coco scrabbling, and wondering where the little one has gone.
Today the order will be disrupted again, as we await the arrival of a litter brother to Mischa who will be housed temporarily at our place, while a new owner is found.
Stay tuned for more reports.
We were watching some one day cricket matches at the weekend, and even if one doesn't barrack for either side (South Africa or Australia) they were both very exciting matches, with the final result only determined in the last over of each match.
Yesterday, it was amusing watching my m-i-l who has a penchant for supporting anyone other than the tall poppies or favourites, supporting South Africa, along with my equally recalcitrant daughter. The latter, as much in support of her grandmother as for interest in the cricket.
A cynic like my s-i-l, might say that the result had to be a win to Australia, following their defeat on Friday night, as otherwise the crowds would drop off, and there wouldn't be so much money made out of the five game series. Still, whether or not she is correct, both teams played as though it really mattered, in both matches, and we all enjoyed the build up in tension in the last hour of play.yesterday evening.
Seems like I spend quite a bit of time thinking about the weather, but, after all, it is Melbourne, and we often have four seasons in one day.
On a similar theme, the investigation into food intolerance and allergies continue, with clear culprit in the diet being yeast, and yeast containing products. I don't eat that much bread, normally, except as toast in the morning, and the occasional mid night snack, so it hasn't been too much of a hardship to give it up, and there are some suitable substitutes, so that I have occasionally been able to enjoy poached or scrambled eggs on yeast free bread such as sour dough. I would have sandwiches for lunch maybe once a year, when all other choices on the cafeteria are unacceptable, so it's not too bad.
The days that I really notice it are those when I've been shopping, and I go past one of the bakery chain stores, where they bake all day, and the delicious aroma of baking bread wafts through the shopping centre. I know I can't just go and buy a Danish, or a yeast bun, as in days gone by, because I don't want to deal with the consequences. Indeed, in my family there has been a long tradition of buying some fresh bakery goods like a Boston bun or a coffee scroll when doing the weekly grocery shopping, so that has just had to stop. As has the occasional breakfast treat of croissants, or just going out for the big breakfast at one of the local cafes. (Mushrooms, another of my favourites, are also on the do not eat list, as is wine, beer, yeast extracts, and anything with yeast extracts in them, such as stock powders)
The good thing is, there are lots of other choices, and I know that removing yeast from the diet has worked, evidenced by a return of more severe symptoms when it is re-introduced.
Tummy upsets are not pleasant at the best of times, and I spent most of the day at home, sleeping the afternoon away...with the two cats keeping me company in bed.
Well, the weather is cool, again, even if I am not...Yesterday morning, as I was driving to work around 7.30am the temperature was still 31 degrees, and we were lucky that the cool change came through earlier than expected, so the top temperature for the day was only 32, but the contrast to 18 degrees this morning is a bit much.
Except that it is easier to sleep when the weather is cooler. And cats enjoy being on laps, too.
Mischa and Coco have established some sort of understanding between them, with chasing, cornering, and nochalant retreats with tails in the air. They are not yet at the stage where they are sleeping in the same space, but I think that will come.
We've been experiencing a very mild summer, by usual standards, until yesterday, when the thermometer hit 37 degrees, the first hot day of the summer. This causes a bit of chaos in the public transport system, as trains are cancelled or delayed due to faults, but as a fair proportion of the population are still on holidays, the road network was not crowded, and the trip home wasn't a long one.
Warm temperatures prevailed overnight, with a minimum of 28 degrees setting us up for another scorcher, today, with a predicted top of 39 degrees, prior to a welcome cool change later in the day. It's good news that the change has already reached Warrnambool, so relief is not too far away.
Hot weather does not deter Mischa the kitten from playing games, although she, like us, approves the airconditioning on a hot Melbourne night.
Late yesterday afternoon a captivating game of cricket became even more enthralling than anyone could have imagined when the South Africans came close to avoiding a loss in the final Test match of the series, played in
Test cricket has become much maligned in recent years, due to our modern appetite for an exciting and quick resolution to a game. However, the twists and turns of fortune in a typical test match always keep me absorbed in a game of strategy and skill that has no rival in the sporting world.
Our cafeteria is equipped with large screen televisions, so the ardent cricket fan who keeps track of the score on the internet can make the dash to see wickets fall in replay.
Almost as one, when the ninth wicket fell, nearly everyone left in the office from our team, swept into the cafeteria to watch the spectacle of a number 11 batsman, who is in the team for his bowling, not his batting, attempt to hold out the Australian bowlers, three of whom are still novices at their trade. The South African Captain, Graeme Smith, came out to bat with a broken hand, and injured elbow, with just 8.2 overs (50 balls) left in the match. Could he hold out, and force an unlikely draw, or would
Even in our office in
Each time either of the batsmen put bat to ball, there was an almost audible gasp, especially when it was clear that the jarring on Smith's injured hand was causing him extreme discomfort. As armchair experts, we were dismissive of any ball bowled that was not on line and length, as it did not force the batsman to play the ball.
Eventually the Aussies prevailed, and Johnson's speed and accuracy won out, as Smith's stumps were knocked over at last.
Today's newspapers rank this game as one of the most courageous displays of bravery by a player in the history of the game. I would have to agree.
Kittens have a way of worming their way into one's affections. Some years ago, we discovered an absolutely delightful book by Paul Gallico, called The Silent Miaow, which is now unfortunately out of print, which describes this phenomenon beautifully.
In the case of Mischa, the miaow is certainly not silent, more like a squeaky gate, and she certainly likes to have her say on a wide range of topics. After a week, she and Coco have settled into a sort of truce, but
Last night was the first night when both cats consented to sit on our laps in front of the TV at the same time, so we are getting some progress in establishment of a pecking order. The worry is that G and I are at the bottom...
Instead of going out on New Year's Eve, we had dinner at home, a lovely prawn, mango and avocado salad, with Irish Soda Bread.
Before getting the canasta cards out....
Later in the evening, we went out to watch the 9.15 pm fireworks from the banks of the Yarra at Spotswood, and back to the house for more cards.
Before we knew it, it was midnight, so we went upstairs to watch the fireworks, which were more spectacular from our upstairs window than the earlier show.
G & H went outside to watch the fireworks and noticed a couple of party goers heading homewards, but sadly did not get a photo of the two guys who were strolling along, completely naked in our suburban street at 12 am...
