Heat Wave

Sorry I haven’t been writing much lately (the shepherd piece was composed on the fly late at night, so sorry about that), it’s been a very hot and tiring week. It was Erik’s last week of school with parties and other activities going on. Also, we still are limited to dial up Internet on Mark’s work laptop at night (Curse you Optus, our supposed provider! Look for more details on the downside of job security and its effects on customer service at a later date.)

To top it all off, we had our first dose of Queensland summer with the temperatures reaching 35 C (95 F) during the day and not dropping below 30 (85 F) at night. Out in Ipswich, where Mark works, it was even hotter, so at least we are not living out there. Needless to say, we have been running the air-conditioning pretty much non-stop this week. It cools off the main room quite efficiently, but it takes a long time for the air to circulate back to the bedrooms and by then it’s not nearly as refreshing. If the heat gets really unbearable, we may all end up sleeping in the living room.

Finally, last night a monsoon-like storm came through and broke the heat wave. Tropical storms are quite amazing if you are accustomed to the usual Seattle drizzle. The sky goes from being slightly overcast, to completely black in a matter of minutes. Then, as the lightning and thunder begin to flash and crash, the temperature drops rapidly, and wild winds and torrential rain wreak havoc on trees, left out laundry, and any unfortunate lawn furniture. The violence of it is hard to imagine. We once had made the mistake of leaving a window open, and despite the overhanging roof, the blinds ended up in a tangle and huge puddles formed on the floor. Several inches of rain can fall in matter of hours. If you are caught out, all you can do is find shelter and wait until it stops. It’s not a matter of getting a little wet; it’s more like getting blasted with a hose. Step out and you become completely soaked to the skin. In Indonesia I remember the wet season being somewhat similar, but still I’m in awe of the force and speed with which storms arrive here.

Just as a side note, Mark is leaving for Seattle in a week to attend his brother Chris’ wedding. He has yet to figure out where to stay or how to get around yet, so any help is appreciated. Contact him directly as he checks his e-mail daily.