Heatwave map from BOM.

Heatwave

After a chilly start to the summer season, a heatwave hit Australia last week. Narrabi in New South Wales saw temperatures rise to 47.8°C (118.04°F). Here in Melbourne, we saw four consecutive days over 40°C (104°F). According to Carl Braganza, Manager of Climate Monitoring at the Bureau of Meteorology, it was the longest heatwave in 100 … Read more

Bikefest and the Sustainable Living Festival

There are two cool festivals going on right now: Bikefest and the Sustainable Living Festival. My main interest was Bikefest, which kicked off February 14 with a Valentine’s Day breakfast and speed dating and runs through March 9. There are different events including a market, workshops, a ride-in movie, and a number of rides. The … Read more

Thanksgiving dinner

Thanksgiving

In the United States, we celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. We trace the first Thanksgiving dinner to a poorly documented 1621 celebration in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Tradition, not necessarily history, tells us that the Pilgrims and Native Americans sat down to a rich harvest feast. It had been a harsh and challenging winter, … Read more

Halloween pumpkin carving.

Halloween pumpkin carving

My sister-out-law and her family visited the US during the Halloween season and fell in love with it. Halloween is not big in Australia, but I love the holiday and I can’t let it pass me by without some celebration. We invited the family over for an afternoon of Halloween pumpkin carving followed by dinner. Field … Read more

Man waving an American flag in a field at sunset. American individualism and Australian mateship.

American individualism and Australian mateship

American individualism and Australian mateship make two similar countries very different. I’ve written before about the little differences between Miami and Melbourne. It’s hard to make generalisations because the United States and Australia are both large countries with different regional cultures, political and social ideologies, and state laws. Life is very different in New York, Georgia, … Read more