Christmas comes in the middle of summer here. Some insist on forcing down a roast lunch with all the trimmings, but many are conceding that in hot weather, this is a tad masochistic.
We had a barbecue lunch followed by platters heaped with watermelon, mangoes, cherries and stone fruit. Summer fruit....my idea of heaven, bury me now.
I’ve certainly had hotter Christmas days than today, it reached 30 Celsius (that’s 86 Fahrenheit) in Melbourne. But it was so humid and muggy that, well, lots of rehydration was needed. We were all quite merry, in a sluggish, laid-back way! Even the
Then at 3:00PM a storm swept through the city. The temperature plummeted and I initially thought drunken revellers were chucking stones. As it turned out, it wasn’t human hands – those cloud-dwelling creatures were. We had hail.
Golf-ball sized chunks of ice bombarded the yard. Some bounced off the neighbour’s roof into our courtyard. As we’d covered the courtyard ground with recycled rubber matting, the hailstones bounced around the small space, some smashing spectacularly against the house wall. It looked like the inside of a popcorn maker. Within minutes, the ground was white.
The kids’ excitement was short lived as they discovered that getting pelted with ice actually hurt. We stressed over the cat’s whereabouts, but when it was over she sauntered in, her fur completely dry.
But all those dreaming of a white Christmas got one.
Hope you guys got what you wanted, too.
I never really thought about the opposite seasons until the summer I went to South America and froze.
ReplyDeleteWe don't get snow here in California, but it's rarely all that warm, either. We get to enjoy the roasts and all the carbs and deliciousness that the holiday calls for. But your way sounds nice too!
I was hoping for a white christmas, but unfortunately the snow has staid elusive in Utah this year. Oh well. Hopefully soon.
ReplyDeleteSarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)