Tuesday 7 May 2013

Embracing the last warmth

During our trip back to our hometown, Broken Hill, over the School Holiday we were treated to some cracker weather.  It was warm, it was sunny, it was even a little bit hot at times!  It was just glorious.  I love the heat.  Growing up in Broken Hill seasoned me well, I still crave that dry arid environment.  The type of heat that sucks the air out of your lungs and burns into your eyeballs. 

What Tasmania does very well though, is unpredictability.  The weather here is just plain freakish.   I find that most days I have to leave the house prepared for anything and everything.  Layers, jackets, umbrellas, sun hats, beanies, towels, sun screen, and a change of clothes for those impromptu beach swims and occasional puddle jumping (badly executed and/or deliberately sabotaged).

In Broken Hill, in Summer, you are just plain hot.. bordering on sweltering. 

So during our Autumn visit I was prepared for some cooler weather, which we did have.  But we also lucked out with over a week of fantastic warm sunny days.  Warm enough for swimming!  My boys had been hanging out to try out their cousins newly installed in-ground pool.  They were so keen, that the first sign of a hint of warmth in the air, they were in their bathers, lining up at the pool gate.  The pool temperature at that stage was 18.  Yep, just the lovely balmy 18!  I know who was balmy.. and it wasn't the water!  But figuring it would last all of 5 seconds anyway, we indulged and let them swim.  And just for a bit of general information, Tasmanian oceans average around 18 degrees over -summer- so my boys didn't blink much of an eye to the chilly water.  That is until they submerged completely..

I had the camera on hand to capture those first few freezing seconds.  I was not disappointed.



Over a few days the pool temp slowly climbed, the kids would check it each day, but get in regardless of what it was anyway.   The length of swim was directly proportional to the temperature of the water.    They were ecstatic when the temp peeked at 23 degrees on our last few days.  Still way to cold for me thanks! 

Canon-ball!!

Every day they swam.  And very day they cued afterwards for the shower and the bath.  There was 9 children staying in the house for the holidays, my sister has 4, my 4, and a friend of my nephew who was visiting from Sydney.  Most of the time we would squeeze 3 in the bath, and 2 in the shower.  And there would still be a line at the door.  Luckily they just needed enough time to thaw so it wasn't a big deal.


 One missing? Yep I know, but she was busy making dessert...


 

Sun already set? No problem, the kids squeezed every last bit of warmth out of that water, if you can call it that.




We are back home in Tassie now, and the weather has made a definite transition towards "freeze your butt off".  That being said, Coder happily announced that it was going to be 21 at the end of the week.  What that actually means is that it will start off freezing cold, possibly worse if it is windy, fleetingly reach 21 at around 1pm, start dropping steadily after that until 4.30pm when the sun disappears behind the hills and the chill rapidly seeps back in. 

Currently, at 11.30pm it is 1 degree.   But that's ok, the feels like temp is -1.5!

What's the weather doing in your neck of the woods?  What is your favourite season?  Am I just a sook?






Come visit my first ever Photography linkup!  Read about it here.  The next link up is on the 17th May, so get shooting!

iSophie


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I am linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT (I blog on Tuesdays).

 

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