The Hot and Cold of It

You know that saying that pretty much everyone uses to show how unique the weather is where they live ...


"If you don't like the weather in (Insert any City/State/Region), wait five minutes!"


Well, that ol' chestnut could not have been more true in Sydney this weekend. Any more weekends like the one we've just had, and I may end up back in therapy.


Saturday was hot. I don't mean regular hot, I mean HOT. I've lived in hot climates in the U.S. almost all of my life, but I don't remember ever feeling this miserably hot before. I've read varying reports of how HOT, but let's say between 106 and 109F. The Saturday overnight temperature was the hottest on record.


We live on a bay, so we usually get the most glorious cool breeze that keeps us feeling moderately temperate; but on Saturday, the breeze was just a hot rush, and when we opened the front door to get a cross breeze, it felt like we were in a convection oven.


Did I mention that we don't have A/C?


Mimi and Joe came over and spent the day with us in the pool, which was the only reprise we could find from the heat. We eventually wandered down the street to Watermoon, panting and sweating the whole way, for some cool sushi and cold wine.



That night, I slept on the sofa in front of the big window, cooled by my pathetic little fan, which was simply not up for the task of cooling the square radius of me ...


I am a light sleeper, in general, but this was one particularly restless and miserable night.


I got no sympathy from my North American friends on Facebook, many of who were dealing with the epic blizzard. They responded to my weather report with the following:


"Yes. Please send 100 degrees my way."


"it's been 10 degrees below zero here with volumes of snow to plow before you can leave your house...water leaking thru the roof..three layers of clothes to wear...just saying.."


"I can't handle the crazy snow anymore!"


"You do know what the weather is like here in NY? right? 104 sounds like heaven to me!"

Honestly, people, this was the last thing I needed, as I mopped myself up off the floor and tried to keep my delirium in check. Just because it's cold where you are, does not mean it is not hot where I am. 

Don't think I'm going to forget this come July when all these whingers are saying how bloody hot it is where they are!

The next day, we went to a friend's house and were promptly instructed to put on our "cossies" (Aussie for "costume." You know ... bathing suit) for a dip in the pool. Resigned to another day of relentless heat, and the idea that maybe it would never be cool again, we obliged and soaked up as much cool water as we could muster.

We wandered in a trance for most of the rest of the day until we started noticing a cloud cover coming in. This was a merciful good omen of a break in the heat. 

Mercy, indeed, and oh what a break it was! 

Within the span of just an hour or two, the temperature dropped more than 20 degrees Farenheit. In fact, when we left the apartment, I put on a long sleeve shirt because the wind was that cool.

Forget the fan, we slept under a blanket that night!

It's been cool here ever since the weather broke. I definitely don't want the insane heat back, but now it feels like Fall, not summer at all. 

Trust me, I'm not complaining ... just befuddled ... probably still suffering the after effects of heat induced confusion. And, as I try to wrap my brain around the seasonal 180 I've signed up for by moving the the Southern Hemisphere, this schizophrenic weather is doing nothing to help me become a well adjusted Australian.