Sweat Or Wet

We can't seem to get a break. The summer keeps on staying hot around here. Friday hit 110 for the high. Yesterday (Saturday), we hit 113! It was miserable at the 6 pm Vigil Mass without "air con" (as they say here). (Why is it that Aussie's abbreviate everything as if they were charged for every syllable!) That usually hour long Mass lasted about 35 minutes!

And when it is not hot, the humidity rises. So it's either "sweat or wet," as one person shared. Many have told me this is the worst summer they can remember in terms of the persistent heat and humidity. In the past, including last year, the temps would go up, but not stay high. We would normally get some cooler, dryer extended periods in between. This year is just awful.

With the bad weather, I haven't felt like exploring. So I haven't much to share, here. This first image is of some flowers blooming on a great big bush in our backyard. Though there are currently only a few blooms, sometimes the whole bush is covered with flowers. I am not sure the name of the plant. (anyone know?) The flowers aren't fragrant.

These next few shots are of Fr. Gerard's vegetable patch (2-5) which suffers during the heat waves. Still, we are growing lettuce (2) a kind of Filipino spinach (3) and some zucchini (4-5).

We went to a restaurant midweek called Il Lago. (Which, in Italian, means "the Lago"—hee hee—"the Lake.") It was Fr. Gerard's birthday on 8 February so we usually go out as a house and celebrate (7). Here is a mama duck and almost adult ducklings by the said lake (6). In the selfie are (l to r): myself, Br, Joseph Wood (the head of the Australian Delegation who was visiting from Melbourne), Br. Jerry Payne, Fr. Gerard Lofranco and Fr. Robert Melnick. Here is Fr. Gerard, feeling out of sorts when the center of attention, with his birthday ice cream (8).

One good thing about summer heat is the magnificent sunsets. These are all taken Saturday afternoon after the 113 degree heat wave (9-21). Our friary sits at the crest of a hill and can see all the way to the Blue Mountians in the west, where the sun sets. Not much to say about these except: spec-tac-u-lar!!!