Thursday 24 March 2011

Welcome to Fall

It's March 24 in Melbourne and it has been Fall for two weeks now.  It feels odd, out-of-kilter; March should be warm breezes, snowdrops poking their heads through the ground, and the last few frantic weeks of skiing.    Fall here feels an awful lot like Summer anywhere else.

I have been told that Melbourne, more than any other city in Australia experiences the closest thing to four seasons (which can sometimes happen in a single day).  Most of the country is tropical or desert-like, but Melbourne, being slightly inland and on an ocean bay feels more temperate and less prone to extreme temperatures.  If this is Fall, I'm curious to experience Winter.  J's school only issues light jackets for warmth so I'm thinking Winter may be rather delightful to this Canadian-girl-still-recovering-six-years later-from-brutal-Calgary-winters.

We are out of boxes now and feeling more settled.  Murphy is doing well, J is enjoying school, C2 isn't travelling, I've figured my way around, and mum has booked her ticket to visit so all is well with my world at the moment.  If only I could figure out how to stop the bats from pooping all over my front terrace at night, things would be pretty perfect.  Though confronted with the horror of the tsunami in Japan, the growing violence in Libya, and a questionable western foreign policy where our leaders never seem to take heed of historical lessons, bat poop seems pretty inconsequential.

J's first school term ends in two weeks and I need to book a Murphy-friendly family holiday.  I'm thinking about a trip down the Great Ocean Road  stopping in Apollo Bay for a few days and visiting some of the world's great surf beaches.  Some hiking, some surf-watching, some beach exploring, and some good eating sounds pretty great to me.  I'll post details and pictures.

7 comments:

Sailor said...

Happy Spring!

Elizabeth said...

Happy Fall! It's always been so wild to me how the seasons are reversed down under.

Jen said...

So glad things are settling down! I definitely think that the opposite seasons would take some getting used to but it will be fun. The Great Ocean Road will be a lovely break for you all..ensure to take a lot of photos for sharing!

Unknown said...

So weird but I am so looking forward to learning about this upside down world from you. So...are you gonna change the name of your blog?

Melissa Miller said...

I vote the new name be Hendricks Upside-Down. You should set up a pole and have us vote on it!
M

Audrey said...

Thrilled that the family plus Murphy are adjusting so nicely. I too am looking forward to reading about your experiences as the seasons change and your upcoming adventures. Delighted that your Mother has booked her trip.
Audrey

Jen said...

Glad that you all have settled in, and that your Mom will be coming to visit. I still have problems with the seasons here - I can sometimes forget which one we are even in! Make sure you get J an Easter Bilby!