OK, the love affair with shorts is over!
Yesterday my sister and brother-in-law jumped on a plane headed back to Old Blighty and they took the rain with them, just as they had bought it here in the first place. Or had they? I’ll come to that in a minute and also explain my heading about those shorts.
For almost the entire three weeks of their visit my sister and brother-in-law were on the receiving end of the metaphorical poke in the eye with a short stick when it came to the weather. For almost the entire time they have had to put up with either rain, thick clouds or…….torrential rain.
It was hot and sunny on the day they arrived, and we also had a couple of sunny days when we were in Alice Springs. But I reckon for the other 18 days the weather was atrocious. Whilst they were in Sydney, I’m told, it rained so hard they couldn’t see their hands in front of their faces.
When we were in Uluru, we could barely see Kata Tjuta (The Olgas), a 561 metre high rock that covers an area of over 20 square kilometres from just in front of our faces….
As I am writing this I don’t think they have yet touched down in England, but already the sky is clearing and is showing glimpses of that characteristic default blue….
- Sorry Theresa, Paul – 22° and sunny again.
The thing is, it very rarely rains here in autumn which has fast become my favourite season. You see, the last two autumns, (March to May), have been like California. 25°C nearly all of the time and almost no rain. I mentioned this to Mrs BobinOz when discussing how unlucky my sis was.
But as my wife rightly pointed out, when our friends visited in Easter (early April) the weather wasn’t that great. When we went to Stradbroke Island (late April) it rained a lot. On Elizabeth’s birthday (early March) it rained. During my birthday (early May) it also rained.
So much for global warming. Now of course, I may have to reassess my favourite season here in Australia.
What’s this got to do with acclimatising to the weather?
……… or your shorts!
Almost a year ago to the day, I wrote a post called “What’s with the Long Trousers?” Well that was on June 2 last year, the second day of winter. Tomorrow is the first day of winter and I can tell you that unlike last year, this year I have already warn long trousers on several occasions.
And not just to get into some pubs & clubs with a long trousers only rule as was the case last year. I’ve worn them because I have been cold!
Yes, today it is still not winter yet I have warn long trousers on several occasions already this year……..
- My apologies for the hole in the sock.
….whereas in my previous two years I was definitely in shorts all the time during the day. I had put on my jog bottoms during the depths of “winter” (a 2 to 4 weeks spell during July/August) but even then, only during the evenings.
But this year I am feeling the cold much more and I am often far more comfortable wearing my longjohns on “cold” mornings, and again after about five o’clock in the evening when it cools down.
So am I the first person on the planet to have witnessed global cooling or am I just turning into a wuss?
I do remember having a meal out soon after first arriving here during an autumn evening over at our favourite steak house, the Breakfast Creek Hotel. It’s an outdoor eatery and the others on the table (Australian residents) were all wearing long trousers and jackets whilst I was there in shorts and a T-shirt.
“You’ll soon acclimatise to the Australian weather, then you’ll be putting on long trousers and a jumper.” I was told. Well, this is only my third winter and perhaps that time has come already. So maybe it isn’t global cooling, maybe I’m not a wuss, maybe I have just acclimatised.
When most people talk about acclimatising to the Australian weather, they mean getting used to the heat. But when you have got used to the heat you will have to re-adjust all your personal temperature dials.
Because warm will become the new cool and cool will be the new cold.
If you’re wearing trousers because you are cold due to acclimatising, whats the reason for me, after only 6 months here, wearing jeans, sweaters, jackets and dare I say it boots? What has gone wrong? I had all the expats that have been here for years laughing when I first got here, telling me I will be cold in winter. ‘No way’ I used to say to them, it will take a few years surely before I acclimatise!!! I am so despondent over this weather, since arriving on 2nd December to the ‘Sunshine State’ we have had more grey and wet days than I ever dreamed we’d have before we came out!
I live in hope that next year will be all I wanted it to be!
Yes, I’ve got to say it’s been a pretty awful summer by Australian standards. Way back in August last year, so still winter here, we had a scorcher with temperatures hitting 36°C. Rumours were rife that we were going to be having a real hot summer. But it just never really happened.
We did have a few really hot days, but there have been far too many grey days. Where’s my hot sunny and clear blue skies? Hopefully they’ll be back soon.
This is our first winter in oz. After our first 4 months here being so wet, the weather is not that impressive. It is cold at night but nice when the sun shines. Any way “You Poms are used to this rain. Right?”.
Well I have to agree with you, the weather over the last four months has been pretty poor by Australian standards. But I wouldn’t want to go back to English weather because yes, Poms are well used to the rain, except it is cold rain, sometimes cold driven hard into your face by the wind rain. At the least the rain here is warm.
Let’s hope the weather returns to impressive next year as it was last.