Under the Heat

It's inevitable that we're bound to get a few of these. I'm talking about summer heatwaves. It's definitely not my favourite season but there's nothing we can do but grin and bear it. Most people around are bearing it without grinning because it's just far too hot. Here's a picture of what I mean.

I go out to hang washing after darkness has fallen because it's too blistering hot during the day. First thing in the morning, it's bound to be bone dry enough to bring in.
We all have to stay up late because it's too hot and sticky to fall asleep quickly. Blake usually nods off in the loungeroom by the fan and we carry him to lie on top of his bed with no shirt. I try to sleep covered by cool, wet towels or I'd have no chance of getting any sleep at all. A few nights ago we had the hottest Adelaide night on record: the mercury sank no lower than 33dgC. And during the day it hovers around 45 (which we worked out to be about 113F)
We're drinking gallons of water and sucking ice cubes all the time. And nothing beats watermelon straight from the fridge for dessert.
We duck in for 20 second showers just to get cool. Andrew even leaves his T-shirt on, so he can wear it sopping wet around the place as he works. But we've all got used to perspiring again pretty quickly. Logan says the coldness of winter is easier to deal with than the heat of summer and I think he's right.
My new Wii Fit balance board, which was obviously manufactured in the Northern Hemisphere, tells me not to eat too much in this cooler season and he gets worried about his gaskets freezing. I've just got to laugh and tell him he knows nothing about Adelaide in late January through February.
I'm over it, but the weather people tell us that there's no sign of a cool change for as far as they can see. Still, I have to say if we didn't get our annual dose of this sort of savage heat, I probably wouldn't appreciate the mildness of autumn as much as I do when it arrives.

On Australia Day last Monday, before this heatwave really kicked in, we went to my sister's place for a BBQ with some cousins. We had sausages, steaks and meat patties with lamingtons on the table with the other sweets. That's probably a good, patriotic way to celebrate the public holiday. It's a sunburnt country as the song says, but I guess we gotta love it. There's a song, The Great Southland, written by Hillsong which we used to sing just about every Sunday in church a few years back, so I'll finish off with it in honour of the occasion. The lyrics are pretty good.

This is our nation, this is our land
This is our future, this is our hope
A land of reaping, a land of harvest
This is our land, this is our home.

This is the Great Southland of the Holy Spirit
A land of red dust plains and summer rains
To this sunburnt land we will see a flood
And to this Great Southland, His Spirit comes.

This is our nation, this is our land
This land of plenty, this land of hope
The richest harvest is in her peoples
We see revival, His Spirit comes.

This is our nation, this is our land
This lucky country of dreams gone dry
And to these people, we see a harvest
And to this land, revival comes.