Sydney harbour bridge in fog

Snow

Snow, very rare these days with global warming. We used to get a couple of falls every winter, but they dwindled and weakened, so it was a bit of a shock to get a fall which settled, and which then froze hard after falling.

This photo is from southern Tasmania, which is colder even than we are here in the mountains in Victoria.  There's something in the photo you'll never see in the northern hemisphere:  a tree-fern with snow on it.  Tree-ferns are very slow-growing, but make up for that by being so beautiful.

Well, the snow didn't last.  It's chilly but not cold enough for snow.  And every year winter seems to be shorter and summer hotter.  So I enjoyed the snow while we had it.

Officially, here the first day of spring is 1st September. But it already seems like spring. The daffodills are flowering, the buds are appearing on the tress and the birds (apart from the cockies who have such hideous calls when they come in to roost) sing with a piercing sweetness.  In a coupla weeks I can dispense with my longjohns till next winter.

Well, unless I can catch someone like this.

Winter in Melbs

Gales yesterday, floods today.  But there is a sort of beauty in the winter city: shining wet streets, warm bright cafes, leaves in gutters.

Well and truly winter

An icy SW wind, snow in the Alps, time to put on the sweaters, leather jacket and longjohns.

The air temperature drops 1 C for every 100 metres rise in altitude.  Falls Creek village is at 1600 metres (multiply by 3 and add 10% to the result to get the altitude in feet), so it'll be roughly 16 C colder than Melbourne, which is currently 13C.

Pic shows snow falling last night in Falls Creek, NE Victoria; and brumbies (wild horses) near Falls Creek.

Onwards

I maintain several blogs and try to write my stories and have a family and a job and try to keep my garden looking lovely ....  and I just don't have time to do all of them properly.

Sorry.

I'll try harder next week!

Meanwhile, it's a beaut winter's day here in southern OZ.  A heavy frost overnight (-2C) but now the fences and roofs are steaming in the sun as the frost melts.

Santorini

It's winter here.  Yesterday morning at dawn it was -1C on the verandah, today it was +1C.  And out house heating is STILL broken.

I am dreaming of somewhere warm, with blue skies and whitewashed walls.  Santorini would do very nicely.  Now all I have to do is find the money!

First day of winter

Technically, it's the first day of winter.  It's been colder this season but today is very wintry.  A looming low cloud, rain, chilly, a watery sun.  Gloomy.

And our house is freezing.  Sigh.

Joanne Piechota

Winter Haiku

My elder son, who is studying for his post grad degree, is poor and lives in an unheated house.  (We're buying him a heater and warm clothing this coming weekend)  He sent us this haiku:

Grey skies, the student

Impoverished sleeps under

A blanket of books

Winter is a-comin' in

Mt Buller

Here in the southern hemisphere it's winter.  The Weather Bureau expects snow tonight down to 500 metres, and we're 465, so it'll be close.  It's time for longjohns and gloves.  Brrr

A Haiku

Winter mistiness
Thoughts about my loneliness
Daffodils bring hope

Winter!

Today, 1st June, is officially the first day of winter. The temp this morning was just 4C, and there was a thick mist which is burning off now to leave a glorious winter's day, sunny but cold.

So in honour of a new season, I give a pic of brumbies (wild horses) from the Kosciuszko National Park, Australia's snow country, where believe it or not, snow in winter can be feet thick and it even snows in summer, on occasion. A beautiful bleak countryside, with a climate, flora and fauna quite different to what most people think of when they imagine Oz. Snow gums, slow-growing and twisted, dominate what treed areas there are. And there are black tarns with ice sheets reaching out from their edges and mysterious wooden shacks and houses which once served shepherds, cattlemen and lumberjacks.