Brrr- cold Christmas Day in Australia
Dashing Through the Snow and Hail!
We are here for the lowest temperature on record for Christmas Day in Victoria, Australia
On Dec 21, 2006 we met our son, Fraser, at the Adelaide Airport. It was July 21, 2006 that Fraser dropped us off at Logan Airport in Boston to start on our world wide adventure - exactly five months!
Fraser and his friend, Scott, are on winter break from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont. They came to celebrate Christmas, New Year’s, to enjoy some sun and warm summer weather down here in the Southern Hemisphere. We’d told them how hot it’s been here – about 100F and very dry. Australia was actually suffering from lack of rain, driest stretch of weather they’ve had in a long time. We probably had only 5 rainy days in 5 months! We told them to be prepared for very hot weather. We made plans to be surfing at Apollo Bay for Christmas day.
However, since Fras and Scott arrived, it’s been raining! Fras and Scott describe the weather as “buschleague” – chilly, cloudy, rainy, windy, grey, unpleasant, depressing, and say; “Seriously, Vermont’s weather is more pleasant”.
Scott says; “It’s been raining every single day. I’m gonna ask the Australian Government for a refund.”
Fras says: “These are some of the worst days, but I refuse to bust out the pants.”
We have had splashes of sunshine when we walked along West Beach in Robe, SA and got a glimpse of The Blue Lake in Mount Gambier, SA. We learned how to cook snintzel and decided prawns are better warm than cold in Port Fairy. We wrote cinquain poems as we made our way along the Great Ocean Road. Along the stretch of 100 miles -From Port Fairy to Apollo Bay- we stopped to see the amazing beautiful wave sculpted coastline.
Bay of Islands
Spectacular Magnificent
Smashing Awe- inspiring Howling
Turquoise water contrast purple sky
Windy
Bay of Martyrs
Eroded excitement
Exhilarating lashing enlivening
Peek through hole in sandstone
Deathly
Grotto
Tranquil peaceful
Clearing soothing foaming
Still water reflects rocks
Sacred
London Bridge
Separated dropped
Rolling eroding disappearing
Sun shines on our photo
Fallen down
Twelve Apostles
Extreme empty
Raining shivering running
Might get pneumonia here
Icebergs
Christmas Eve was raining, cold, windy, but we had a warm reception at the Apollo Bay Youth Hostel. We cooked a delicious lamb dinner – mango-avocado salad, sautéed green beans, potatoes. During dinner in the spacious open glass walled kitchen, we enjoyed a Christmas Eve RAINBOW out over Apollo Bay.
After dinner we opened the green box from Ant Dot! Great snacks for our rousing card game of “Oh Hell!” Love the Australian black licorice.
Christmas Day – alternated between some sun, pouring showers and HAIL!
The boys went for a run in the morning – came back soaked!
We dashed through wind and rain into the church for nice carol singing during Christmas Day Mass at “Mary, Star of the Sea” church.
We meandered around the little town, stopped at the Nautigals Café to check e-mails – could only receive – but looked out the window to see large balls of hail dancing on the bright blue picnic tables. We visited the beaches & rock cliffs, took a hike to Shelley Beach. Santa brought the boys a baseball and bat so had the ceremonial Christmas Day baseball game through the extreme wind. The sun kept trying to break through the GALE.
We enjoyed“good old Australian sausage sizzle” for the in-house guests at the hostel with our hosts Jonathan and Marjon – nice to chat with people form all over the world on Christmas Day.
Later we had our Christmas dinner – steak –broccoli-potato with a nice white wine which Fraser brought all the way from Paris –Marquis de Chasse Bordeaux Sauvignon Semillon. The kitchen was full of people – a group from China cooking up an amazing feast – a bunch from India – a few from the UK – one from Ireland and us.
We are here for the lowest temperature on record for Christmas Day in Victoria, Australia
On Dec 21, 2006 we met our son, Fraser, at the Adelaide Airport. It was July 21, 2006 that Fraser dropped us off at Logan Airport in Boston to start on our world wide adventure - exactly five months!
Fraser and his friend, Scott, are on winter break from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont. They came to celebrate Christmas, New Year’s, to enjoy some sun and warm summer weather down here in the Southern Hemisphere. We’d told them how hot it’s been here – about 100F and very dry. Australia was actually suffering from lack of rain, driest stretch of weather they’ve had in a long time. We probably had only 5 rainy days in 5 months! We told them to be prepared for very hot weather. We made plans to be surfing at Apollo Bay for Christmas day.
However, since Fras and Scott arrived, it’s been raining! Fras and Scott describe the weather as “buschleague” – chilly, cloudy, rainy, windy, grey, unpleasant, depressing, and say; “Seriously, Vermont’s weather is more pleasant”.
Scott says; “It’s been raining every single day. I’m gonna ask the Australian Government for a refund.”
Fras says: “These are some of the worst days, but I refuse to bust out the pants.”
We have had splashes of sunshine when we walked along West Beach in Robe, SA and got a glimpse of The Blue Lake in Mount Gambier, SA. We learned how to cook snintzel and decided prawns are better warm than cold in Port Fairy. We wrote cinquain poems as we made our way along the Great Ocean Road. Along the stretch of 100 miles -From Port Fairy to Apollo Bay- we stopped to see the amazing beautiful wave sculpted coastline.
Bay of Islands
Spectacular Magnificent
Smashing Awe- inspiring Howling
Turquoise water contrast purple sky
Windy
Bay of Martyrs
Eroded excitement
Exhilarating lashing enlivening
Peek through hole in sandstone
Deathly
Grotto
Tranquil peaceful
Clearing soothing foaming
Still water reflects rocks
Sacred
London Bridge
Separated dropped
Rolling eroding disappearing
Sun shines on our photo
Fallen down
Twelve Apostles
Extreme empty
Raining shivering running
Might get pneumonia here
Icebergs
Christmas Eve was raining, cold, windy, but we had a warm reception at the Apollo Bay Youth Hostel. We cooked a delicious lamb dinner – mango-avocado salad, sautéed green beans, potatoes. During dinner in the spacious open glass walled kitchen, we enjoyed a Christmas Eve RAINBOW out over Apollo Bay.
After dinner we opened the green box from Ant Dot! Great snacks for our rousing card game of “Oh Hell!” Love the Australian black licorice.
Christmas Day – alternated between some sun, pouring showers and HAIL!
The boys went for a run in the morning – came back soaked!
We dashed through wind and rain into the church for nice carol singing during Christmas Day Mass at “Mary, Star of the Sea” church.
We meandered around the little town, stopped at the Nautigals Café to check e-mails – could only receive – but looked out the window to see large balls of hail dancing on the bright blue picnic tables. We visited the beaches & rock cliffs, took a hike to Shelley Beach. Santa brought the boys a baseball and bat so had the ceremonial Christmas Day baseball game through the extreme wind. The sun kept trying to break through the GALE.
We enjoyed“good old Australian sausage sizzle” for the in-house guests at the hostel with our hosts Jonathan and Marjon – nice to chat with people form all over the world on Christmas Day.
Later we had our Christmas dinner – steak –broccoli-potato with a nice white wine which Fraser brought all the way from Paris –Marquis de Chasse Bordeaux Sauvignon Semillon. The kitchen was full of people – a group from China cooking up an amazing feast – a bunch from India – a few from the UK – one from Ireland and us.
posted by Jim Lea at 7:47 PM
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