AUSTRALIAN WINTER. MYTHS AND REALITY

Australian winter became one of the biggestdisappointments in Australia. My first Australian winter.For some strange reason from Russia it seemed to me thatAustralia is the land of eternal summer where it never snows. Blue sky, bright warm sun, azure ocean, palm trees and bright parrots around - such a picture was before my eyes.

I was very busy preparing for the examIELTS , collection of documents and information about finding housing and work, so thatclimate issue somehow passed me by. I skimmed through the average Australian winter temperature in Sydney - 18-20 degrees Celsius. So that's great! In fact, our St. Petersburg summer!

We arrived in Australia in May, with one small suitcase, and alas, we hardly took any warm clothes with us. Let me remind you that Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere, which means that when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere, it is winter in Australia. The first two weeks were warm, but by the time we finally rented an apartment, it suddenly got colder and it started raining!

And we rented a large studio a couple of minutes from the beach with a huge floor-to-ceiling window. The window was single, the walls were thin, and the gaps between the window and the wall were amazing. And what a wind blew from the ocean! It also turned out thatthere is no central heating in sydney ! No, in principle. And also there is no centralized supply of hot water. There are special individual boilers for heating water. On the one hand, this is a plus. There is no such thing as a preventive shutdown of hot water for three weeks (hello Peter!). On the other hand, a big minus. We had enough hot water for 5-7 minutes, then we had to wait for the boiler to heat a new portion of hot water with electricity! Horror! But the bath has become the warmest place in our apartment.

If it was +12 degrees outside, then it was about the same in our studio! First of all, we went to buy a fan heater, warm clothes anduggs . By the way, I finally understood the true purpose of the Australian analogue of Russian felt boots. Australians wearugg boots at home in australian winter time ! And some aesthetes wear them down the street! I will never forget a couple I saw in the first month after my arrival in Sydney. Dubak. Strong wind. +10 degrees. Two girls are walking side by side. One in ugg boots almost knee-deep, the other ... in slates on her bare feet!

Australian ugg boots for every taste, color and design

In general, this is a whole separate topic, howAustralians dress up in winter . This winter has been especially cold. The temperature dropped to zero degrees last night. You walk in the morning, shivering from the cold, seriously thinking about a hat, coat and winter boots, and a schoolboy in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt meets you. And then the Chinese woman goes in a warm down jacket to toe. But the mostAustralian winter fashion - this is to put on a jacket, a warm knitted hat, wrap a scarf around your neck, and on your feet ... slates or even barefoot!

Still among Australians at a premium are warmplush home rompers supply Onecie , their design usually depicts some animals or cartoon characters. Popular with both children and adults. They say that they are very warm, great to walk in them in unheated rooms. I have not tried this one yet, but maybe in time I will get myself a plush cat costume. Again, an interesting point. Often children and young people wear suchhouse overalls on the street . At first I was surprised, now it's a common thing for me.

Actually in the daytime when the sun warms and there is no piercing cold wind, veryheat . But as soon as the sun hides behind the horizon, a sharp cold sets in. And at home there is no escape from him! Climbing into a cold bed is a whole test, but a special challenge ( challenge- difficult task, problem) is to get out of a warm bed in the morning! This year, however, was an exception. We moved to a house where, cheers, there is gas and got a powerfuljapanese gas heater Rinnai . It is much cheaper and more efficient than using an electric oil heater. I even abandoned the usual ugg boots at home and got myself such fun house slippers.

The Australian winter has, of course, its pros. You can admire the beauty yellow leaves on the trees. And if you're lucky, then snow in the blue mountains, which are a couple of hours drive from Sydney. In addition, the Australian winter the peak of flowering of beautiful camellias that grow all over the place. And not only camellias bloom in winter. It seems that the Australian nature is not at all afraid of night frosts.

Australian winter great to meet you warm cozy cafes and drink hot tea or coffee and talk about different things, mostly about high things. Australian winter it's great to fall into an Australian hibernation, climb under a blanket with a good book and a cup of fragrant tea with linden honey(yes, I know, where find in Sydney real linden honey!). Or go somewhere warmer climes, for example, in the European summer.

And also aAustralian winter great to cook all kinds Russian cuisine dishes, which in hot weather would not be in demand at all. In general, we have a comfortable time now.

PS All photos that you see within the project"My Australia 365" , belong to the author . Their usage in other sources is possible only after receivingwritten permission .