Hot, hot, hot

When we first got down to Melbourne, everyone here bemoaned the 35-degree days and asked how we were coping. Coming from inland Queensland, we laughed at their concern. We're not laughing anymore.

In a string of days hitting the mid-40s (45 degrees Celsius = 113 degrees Fahrenheit), you barely have the energy to smile. I'm sure folks in Victoria and South Australia felt the same the last time it was this hot for this long, a hundred years ago.

Some visitors, such as Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, have tolerated the heat better than the weakness and even whinged (complained) when the roof was closed on the Rod Laver Arena, which paused the Australian Open. Others, such as Kuznetsova's opponent, American Serena Williams, relished the sweet relief.

I didn't get to watch the match myself. But last Saturday I did catch some action on the big screen in downtown Melbourne and traipsed around the arena snapping photos before the heat wave rolled in. Now I've joined the masses taking refuge indoors and thought I'd send a few photos from the week:

Australia Day:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57054&l=3de8f&id=529849074

The Noodle Man:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57408&l=668ab&id=529849074

The Australian Open from a distance:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57409&l=cb25b&id=529849074

A day in Melbourne:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=57053&l=b0c25&id=529849074

Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1274561&l=79670&id=529849074

Australia Day

I have a sneaking suspicion that the convicts aboard the First Fleet, which hit Sydney Cove in 1788, had no idea we'd be celebrating their arrival more than 200 years later. But we are, and we call it Australia Day.

Barbecues, cricket matches, thong (flip flop, not swimsuit) throwing, and mini-golf are among the myriad of outdoor activities the Aussies will perfect today. Because I'm living in the suburbs, about 25 kms southeast of Melbourne, I headed into the city to document the fun. Without pretence of somber occasion, the festivities had no higher aim than that. More meaningful moments slipped in seamlessly as about 500 Aussies, from politicians to volunteers, got awards for contributing to their homeland and more than 13,000 people gained Australian citizenship.

My preparation was a bit less taxing: a trip to the cinema to see the movie Australia . Some of the scenes were shot near where I was living in Queensland, and I've been eagerly waiting for months, during which I seem to have maintained my wide-eyed, not-from-around-here wonder. When the kangaroos were bounding across the outback on the big screen, I still felt more like the awed Nicole Kidman than the chuckling Aussies sitting in the seats beside me.

Last week marked my fifth-month in Australia. As one might expect, I've accumulated quite a "Miss List" by now. Much like I miss all of you, I am already starting to miss the new friends I've made along my journey here and resumed missing an old one. I miss walking the main street of Gayndah and waving to familiar faces in passing cars. After two and a half months living with the Hampson family, I miss the daughters' family-tight hugs. I miss the summer-heat solidarity, as we'd puddle our bodies on sofas or melt flat on the wood floor and chat about work at the cafe. I miss weeks at the beach where we'd empty liters of sunscreen on already tan skin and later slather lotion on the burns. I miss clearly seeing my toes a meter under the ocean. I miss catching the pink hues of a sunset taunting me to come home from a long walk and daring me to describe such a scene in words. And that was just Queensland.

Victoria, with it's state motto: "The Place to Be," will have a list all its own, which would have to include stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, apricots) tender upon purchase. Or maybe I should start with mangoes, just as ripe, from the market. I'll miss neighborhood runs and pausing to bury my nose in the roses, dangling over picket fences. I'll miss the blanketing warmth of day and the refreshing cool of night.

All this and more I'll miss when I leave Australia, six months from now. Till then, the list grows with each train trip into the city, a hub of international cuisine, massive markets, riverside cafes and no end of fun, Australia's specialty.

This year Australia day happened to fall on the beginning on the Chinese New Year. For those lucky enough to be in Melbourne that meant an even more delightful offering of events, from antique car show to noodle-making demonstration. Soon I'll post photos of the eclectic day, complete with Bollywood dancing and fencing. For now, I'm off to bed, but to those a calendar day behind, I wish you a happy beginning to Australia Day and the Chinese New Year.