Oh, it's been such a long time. Why haven't I posted? I suppose I was going through quite a funk for a while. I had to endure about ten months of winter because we moved to Oz at the end of March, and it was still quite cold and snowy in Pennsylvania. We had a few weeks of nice weather in April but then it started to get dark early and go into winter again. If anyone reading this is familiar with the weather in Australia and the US, you might say, yeah, but winters in Australia aren't bad, right? I actually have to admit that I thought the winter was awful, much worse than home. Here's why: first, I didn't realize the difference that snow makes. I mean that even though it is a darker time of year, once everything is snow covered it brightens things up a bit. I never appreciated that until now. Second, homes in the northern US are generally built to withstand the cold. Not so in Melbourne. At least not our house. A winter day in Melbourne never really gets any colder than the fifties in farenheit or below like 13 celcius, but I felt much colder in Melbourne than I did at home. That's because my house is Oz has floor to ceiling windows and no insulation. Can you believe that it doesn't have any insulation?? Maybe that's not the norm but I don't think so. I think that the houses are built with the summer heat in mind and you just have to bear the winters. I have yet to experience the summers, but I am afraid. I am a Yankee. I don't thrive in excessive heat. My husband, with his central american blood, should do just fine. Hopefully, I will be able to adjust, but it's unlikely. I have begun telling people that if it hits 35 C(about 96 F) that I will no longer leave my home. I will put a baby pool in the backyard and stay in it until temperatures become more reasonable. However, everyone is welcome to visit, just know that visits are BYOP, bring your own pool.
I am still in the US but am preparing to return. It has been an interesting trip back, but I will save that for another post.