Simple Survival from the Scorching Summer Sun

I'm really thankful that the flight from Brisbane to Melbourne is only a brief one (stretching to just a little over two hours flight time), more so because I've had to take the flight with an infant. Not just any infant, an incredibly wriggly and curious 11 month old infant. More to the point: my son. Being the festive season, and with my partners family living in Victoria, we took a soujourn to the southern part of the country. Some hope for a relaxing holiday, and most of all for cooler weather.

Victoria is very well known for it's unbelievably random weather patterns, and it's not uncommon for there to be days of cold and rain in the middle of summer. In fact, I had the first cold wet Christmas day in my life this year. It seems my life was incomplete before then, but it doesn't beat waking up to a blanket of snow outside your window, this, however, is not my point. My point is, I'm from Queensland where the weather is horrendously hot for 10 of the 12 months of a year, and I had been hoping for a cool change while here in the 'cooler' climate of the southern states. Not the case.

Don't get me wrong, there have been a couple of days where I've had to pull out a jumper and turn on the electric blanket, but they total a grand total of TWO out of 20 days so far. So, while I may have laughed merrily at my friends and family sweltering in hot and humid weather over Christmas, it would appear that Karma has come to bite me in the arse as we end the year 2005 in a dry and dusty 42 degrees celcius, with no sign of rain or relief on the horizon for several days.

So, how does one pass the time in these unsavoury conditions? I bet you were wondering how this related to 'The Guide'. There are many different ways, sitting in a bathtub filled with cold water, drinking ice cold drinks around the local swimming pool, locking yourself inside with the air conditioning turned to 'Siberia', but I preferred the way I relaxed in the hottest day since I started my holiday.

Begin by sleeping in as late as you can. If you don't have a well insulate residence this could mean getting up when the sun does, but you benefit best from a fairly good sleep when the weather wants to try and wear you down in this manner. Coffee and breakfast, or whatever your morning routine is, followed by diving into the car and heading out onto the open road. There are several benefits to driving in the heat: 1. Most cars come with air conditioning, so the air is comfortable and cool. Ok, so I can only think of one thing about driving in the summer heat, but it's a damn good one!

Once in the car it doesn't matter where you go, but don't be in a rush to get there. Take a relaxing country tour and stop into various towns along the way. Sit at street front cafes and sip on cold drinks or lie under trees in parks. Why not adventure into nature reserves or go on wine tours? Not only will you see places you never knew about, but you'll stay cool and calm and feel a great deal better at the end of the day when you finally hit the sack. It's just a perfect way to spend a horrible day.

If all else fails, you can always fill the bathtub full of cold water, grab the fan, a few cold ones and drag the TV into the bathroom.

30.12.05