Sydney Winter Festival

This past week I've received Flip Videos of my nephew Kai's graduation from pre-school, news that my niece Kalea's heading to summer camp and photos of my niece Keilani's first time in the swimming pool - all clearly signs that Summer's upon us...

Yet here in Sydney it's "Winter" and the Sydney Winter Festival has just kicked off and for the first time in year's Sydney's shipped snow in to create this ice skating rink in the middle of the city right next to St. Mary's Church.

On July 1, I joined Nina's birthday celebration at the ice skating rink. I didn't skate as by the time I arrived the session was sold out, so just "had" to drink two warm mugs of gluwein while I watched them skate.



And to my family and friends in Chicago and New York/New Jersey, you'll appreciate this. This week on June 30, it was all over the news that Sydney experienced its coldest winter morning in 60 years - read the article in the Sydney Morning Herald.

And just how cold was it? It was a brisk 4.3 degrees Centigrade which translates to 40 degrees Fahrenheit - rough life, right? You wouldn't believe how many Sydney-siders are bundled up with heavy coats and scarves! And I can think of at least 5 friends who have taken long vacations overseas to avoid the "Sydney Winter". I'd hate to imagine how they'd fare in one cold Chicago winter!