I write this post as I observe some more of the polar differences - no pun intended - that exist between living here and my homeland. Whereas parts of Australia are burning of bushfires, as happens at this time of the year, we’re dealing with ice and snow.
I spent time at our front window tonight watching the snow fall and drift under the street lights and it reminded me of seeing the moths and other bugs dance around the lights in the heat of summer.
Even before the snow began to fall in the early hours of last Friday I was reminded of a simple everyday ritual that the weather would cause at this time of the year. In the evening or early hours people would drape their car windscreens in sunshades or a beach towel or such to protect against the coming weather front. Whereas I’m used to the basic task being a prelude of temperatures that could be anything above 30 degrees, here it equals frost, ice and snow.
In Australia the heat affects infrastructure due to the buckling of train-rails and overheating of air-conditioning. Here, the ice, cold and snow has similar effects. Trains, planes and buses are cancelled due to the build up of snow and ice.
Not necessarily a seasonal thing, but I got used to the overhead colonies of fruit bats that punctuated the night skies of Melbourne and the occasional possum stumbling through the backyard wattle. In amongst the snow flurry tonight Laura managed to spot a red fox doing its rounds of the neighbourhood. If only I could get the fox to explain the complexities of the local garbage and recycling routine.
