Sunday, December 30, 2012

New Year


Perhaps successful new year would be a better wish. (Our business is going through a major slump and we've spent the last week trying to see if we can make it through to the other side)

Or healthy new year. (My father in law has had a cancerous growth, deemed to a be secondary, removed recently. I don't know if they've found the primary. I fear he's not long for this world). And my husband has leukaemia, which is a cloud that quietly sits above our lives.

Or a fiscally responisble new year (The fiscal cliff is scaring me - perhaps the US will drag us all down. But on the upside our stock market has had the best result for few years and the price of iron ore is on the up.)

Happy New Year - I hope so.

Hot, hot, hot nights!

It's summer in the Southern Hemisphere and, true to form, we're in the middle of what feels like the annual Christmas/New Year's heatwave here in Perth.  The trick is to bunker down early, turn on the air con and fans and set your self up with what ever is your fancy - books, tv, games on the iPad (spot the guilty pleasure). Once the heat of the day passes it's wonderful to open up the house and do some outside things that during the day would have been really unplesant (gardening and hanging out washing come to mind).

This weather does make for glorious nights though.  Tonight we're celebrating the new year with friends in their gorgeous back yard. They used to have a dog but since Paddy went to the long paddock they have rejuvenated their back yard and now it is a productive little oasis! My friend is a fantastic cook so we will be feasting well, sitting on the cool lawn, looking at the stars.

We were meant to go and spend this new year with other friends "down south" but I've hurt my back and long car trips (or sitting down for long periods) is pretty much out at the moment. My down south mate is making me feel guilty, posting on Facebook how great it would be if we could be together. It would be great, and we will spend other new years eves together, but her posts let me know how much she loves me (and my hubby, too, of course!).

Last new years eve was spent with friends in Brisbane on their back deck. We cooked a Spanish feast that was meant to go for 4 courses but at the end of course 3 we threw our hands up because we were all full! We've recently seen those friends and reminisced about what a lovely evening we had.

We are so fortunate to have such wonderful friendships. They are what sustain us when the going gets tough.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Summer - but not as we know it

Climate change has been on the agenda for a few years now. I can remember having to research rising sea levels when I worked as a librarian for an engineering company back in the early 1990's. For most people, however, it's the day to day weather that is most obvious demonstration of how our climate is changing.

Perth's usually dry sunny summer weather has been replaced, for the immediate future, with humidity, grey clouds and, late last night, a spectacular thunder storm. Plus rain. Torrential tropical buckets of it. Walking the dogs this morning I could see evidence of the run off around the streets.

I don't mind the rain. Living in a dry climate makes me relish every single drop that falls. But I am hoping that Christmas and New Year will be our usual hot dry weather. Followed up with a few more cracking thunderstorms!